ROLEPLAY HQ - falling-into-the-flames

TW: Sexual Content, Fire Related trauma, angst, drama, potential violence

Taylor McAllister was just like any other twenty four year old woman. She had a steady job, her own apartment, and while she didn't have a car, she didn't necessarily need one. The city here had public transport that picked her up and dropped her off right outside her complex which made things easier than any other place she had lived at. It was a beautiful sunny day when... when Taylor's world crashed and burned. "Whew! I'm beat..." She yawned as she opened the door, two armloads of groceries in her fists. She dropped the heavy tote bags onto the ground and kicked the door shut. Her condo was rather small. It had an open layout with the living room greeting the individual that entered as soon as they stepped inside. Off to the right was the kitchen and to the left was a small hallway that lead to the bedroom and bathroom. While the condo was small, the rent was affordable and it had all the necessities she needed! It was honestly her own little sanctuary. She was the end unit so she didn't have to worry about noise from both sides. The condo was a single floor, as were all the other condos, but it was cozy. She walked across the living room after removing her sneakers and leaving them on the mat at the door. She headed into her kitchen and began to unload her groceries. The kitchen was decorated with light grey wood and white walls, but the cabinets had black accents that luckily gave the room some closure instead of being all white. Her fridge stood beside the oven and the counters extended for the length of the kitchen, which gave her plenty of room to cook. She had a small kitchen table off to the right that had enough room for two people. Taylor lived alone so she didn't see the need to get a huge table. She also didn't host people often, so the need just wasn't there.

04:01

When her groceries were finally put away, Taylor went and hunkered down onto her couch with a sigh. "Finally..." She grabbed the remote control and clicked the TV on. Some Jerry Springer show was on and while she normally loved this 'trashy TV' she just couldn't stay awake. Taylor curled on the couch with a hum. She grabbed a blanket from the basket beside the couch and she pulled it over herself. She buried her face in the furry throw pillow she had sitting on the plush couch. Soon, Taylor's eyes began to grow heavy. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was, "Smells like the neighbor burnt dinner again..." ~~~ Taylor woke up sweating. God, why was it so hot in here? Taylor whined and tossed her blanket off. As she did, she felt even hotter! Was she running a fever? Her chest was tight and she couldn't breathe well. Coughing, Taylor opened her eyes. When she did, all she saw was smoke. Thick heavy grey smoke billowed around her apartment, and the ceiling was burning! Orange and red flames danced along the room, specks of the wooden frame dropping onto the floor. Her acrylic rug began to melt and burn and Taylor screamed. "H-Help! Someone!" She scrambled to get off the couch. She stepped on a burnt piece of wood and she yelped, dropping to her knees. Why couldn't she remember her first grade training on this?!

04:01

Her heart slammed into her chest, her long blonde hair scattered around her back. Her blue eyes brimming with tears. Another scream tore from her throat. "Someone help!!" She began to crawl to the door, the smoke thick and clouding her vision. She reached for the door, but as soon as she grabbed the metal handle, she screamed. The metal was so hot! She clutched her hand and pulled it back. "Fuck!!" She hit the wood of the door, but that too was hot. The condos were not built with numerous exits, as they were older buildings. She couldn't see, and she could barely see the window! As she tried to decide where to go next, a large beam from the ceiling suddenly broke, the burning wood dropping down onto Taylor's extended leg and ankle. The bone snapped, causing Taylor to wail. "Someone help me! Please!" She screamed as loud as possible. The smoke became too thick and she struggled to breathe. She coughed and hacked before she laid on the floor, her eyes burning from the heat and smoke and tears. She was going to die here... She was going to burn to death... "S-So...Some...one..." She whimpered. @Himbo Tie

“You’re on dinner duty tonight, Ramirez. Just keep that in mind!” Alejandro looked up from the sink with a small grin as his friend, a large white man with an even larger grin stepped towards the door. Looking over his shoulder at the stove, he nodded before calling back, “Alright Braun, just don’t be a baby this time. And don’t be weird and add sauerkraut to your quesadilla today.” Laughing as the man shrugged before continuing out of the kitchen, Alejandro turned his attention back to the pan he was washing. It was a large skillet, and it was going to be what he used to cook the meal for the men and women of the firehouse. They traded responsibilities as they went through their shifts, with meal duty switching between the more talented of them while others took over other duties like laundry, mopping, or cleaning in the living quarters. No one dropped duties on the truck or in the garage, each one of them helping to clean and prepare the vehicles. They were preparing for the inevitable calls that would have them drop their comfortable patterns and go immediately into action to stop the worst from occurring. Taking the pan and rinsing the soap suds off it, he smirked as he grabbed the towel from the front of the oven and dried off the pan. Setting it on the burner, he replaced the towel and went to grab the rice cooker from the counter when he heard the alarm buzzing in the ceiling. Cursing his luck as he pulled his hand back from the cooker, he could hear groans of complaint alongside heavy footsteps as men and women scrambled into action. He was in a pair of black pants and a black T-shirt with the station’s numbers in red on his back. He had his boots on already, but he hadn’t been planning on an emergency. Whoever really was? Grabbing an apple from the counter, he ate it quickly in three large bites before tossing it into the trash can at the end of the counter. He chewed quickly with his mouth closed as he stepped out of the kitchen. .

01:03

Sprinting down the hall after the others, he grabbed an unoccupied pole and slid down it quickly to get into the garage where others were donning their gear. He looked at the chief for a second before the older man pointed at one of the ambulances that was being started. Alejandro was one of several firefighters that were cross trained as a paramedic, so he had to make sure he knew where to go for a call. Running over to his locker and pulling on his black and green fire resistant over pants and jacket, he pulled on his respiratory backpack and attached the tube to his helmet and mask. He heard from the chief that it was a structural fire, and that his crew would be charged with insertion and extricating any casualties. Finding his large axe and crowbar, he held them in his left hand while he pulled himself into the back of the ambulance. The whole process took less than a minute, and he could feel the vehicle already rolling to leave the garage. The drive took little time as well, for the dispatcher was directing the driver along the best route and police were already acting to block civilian traffic along portions of the route. Sorting some of the equipment in the back of the ambulance as the vehicle sped through the streets with its sirens blaring, Alejandro listened to the chief over the radio detailing that it was a condominium fire. Two units were engulfed in the blaze, so the paramedics would go there first before clearing the other homes of their residents. Nodding as he listened to the other ambulances on the way affirming that they had heard the order, Alejandro settled down for the next few minutes' drive. Before he knew it, they had entered the housing complex and were pulling up on the scene. Pushing open the door quickly, Alejandro leapt out of the slowing vehicle and turned to get his eyes on the scene. Sighing softly as he saw the final two buildings ablaze, he reached for the radio on his shoulder and spoke into it, “Ramirez on end unit.” .

01:03

Sprinting past the few parked cars and residents that were standing out front in shock, he saw out of his peripheral a trio of people in heavily smoke-stained clothes. The door to the second unit was open, and he had to figure that was where they came from. Pointing to them, he shouted quickly, “Is your neighbor home?!” Seeing the man look up before nodding slowly, Alejandro nodded back sternly before the paramedics from the second ambulance approached the residents. He pulled his helmet down tight and secured his mask before reaching the door to the unit. He could hear faint shouts from inside, but he knew they wouldn’t last long if he didn’t act. Dropping the crowbar, he brought the axe down in two swift chops at the doorframe next to the doorknob and locks. Separating the wood from the support and allowing the door to swing open, Alejandro stepped quickly to the side as a large tongue of flames blew out of the now open door. Reaching up and turning on the headlamps on his helmet, he stepped into the condominium unit and looked around quickly. Seeing the flames and smoke billowing throughout, he stepped in more and saw the ceiling beam on the ground. He then saw the woman pinned beneath it, her face a mixture of terror and agony. The beam was on her left leg, and the angle in relation to the rest of her body showed that at least one of her bones was broken. Walking towards her, he stepped over the beam and knelt down next to her, his eyes looking over her torso for any other obvious signs of injury. He was struck by the beauty of her features, but he ignored that instant thought and turned his attention to the beam that had her held down in this fiery blaze. Nodding as he developed a quick plan, he looked into her eyes and shouted over the roar of the blaze, “I’m going to lift the beam, I need you to try to pull your leg back to you when I do!!” .

01:03

Standing up and positioning himself over the beam, Alejandro looked to the woman and breathed in before squatting down and gripping the underside of the beam. He ignored the pain of the burning wood pressing through his resistant gloves and sleeves. Lifting up and shifting to the side, he set the beam down on the other side of her foot, no matter if she moved or not. Brushing the burning embers from the fabric onto the floor, Alejandro brought his hand up to his radio and spoke into it, “Need a stretcher at end unit. One female, early twenties, leg injury.” He hadn’t seen any sign that she had fallen from scrapes on her torso, so he had to believe she had been on the ground when the beam fell. Therefore, her spine and neck should be fine. As he scanned her again quickly for injuries, he heard creaking above them and the beginnings of another cave in. Knowing he couldn’t wait for the stretcher, Alejandro knelt down and brought his right arm under her arms and his left under her knees. Standing up slowly before stepping over the beam and exiting the home, he spoke in an apologetic tone, “I know this is going to hurt, but we’ll fix your leg soon.” @Super Sonic Vava

Taylor was starting to fade. Her eyes fluttered and she felt so dizzy. Her eyes were stinging and the smoke was suffocating her. She was going to die here... She set her head down, ready to accept her fate. The melting carpet was so warm and the pain in her lungs was so intense that she could feel her body telling her it was time to sleep. She had to just sleep now... it would all be over soon... Suddenly, the door burst open and Taylor's eyes snapped open. A large shadow appeared beside her and a man's voice could be heard through the dense smoke. He was instructing her to move her leg as he lifted the beam. The pain in her leg suddenly flared and she cried out. "P-Please hurry!" He lifted the beam and as he did, Taylor crawled forward, her ankle limp behind her. It was definitely broken, how badly though, she didn't know. Sobbing in fear, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up. "I-It's okay. Please just..." She coughed hard as the smoke continued to surround her, "Let's go!" She hid her face in his neck, coughing as she forced the smoke out of her lungs. As the two exited the condo, one of the other firefighters, Melinda James, one of the newer fire fighters, approached Alejandro, "Hey! Get her into the ambulance! She's definitely got a shit ton of smoke in her lungs! We've found the source of the fire. We'll get working on the inside of her house. Go!" She said, clapping Alejandro on the shoulder before she rushed into Taylor's apartment, dragging a long line of hose behind her. The ambulance was wide open and a stretcher was waiting inside, ready to go. One of the other EMTs, a gentleman named Nathaniel, grabbed the stretcher to get it out. "Bring her here! I'm ready!" @Himbo Tie

“Stand clear!!” Alejandro shouted as he exited the smoke-filled unit, his eyes looking around quickly to make sure he didn’t step out of the smoke and right into one of his fellow firefighters. He was not so much worried about knocking them over or falling himself, but in this moment, he didn’t want the woman in his arms to become the unfortunate meat in a sandwich between two 300+ pound individuals in full gear. Letting his right hand splay out across her upper back to help pull her in closer to him as she coughed and tried to escape the heat and billowing smoke, Alejandro looked out and saw Melinda coming towards him quickly. Melinda had just recently moved to the area, having been a volunteer firefighter for a couple of years where she came from before joining the department here. She brought with her a lot of drive and energy, something that the station was lacking. She also brought a fair amount of beauty, something that the Human Resources department had brought up frequently with the men as they made every attempt possible to keep everyone on track when it came to the job. Alejandro could not say he hadn’t had his moments of looking at her to admire snippets of her beauty, from her midback length black hair to her gray-green eyes that were attentive and seemed to catch everything. There had been times that he knew she had looked up in time to see his glance, their eyes meeting with a small smile from each of them before they went about her business. That meet-cute energy and the budding attraction went out the window as they were on the job however, as Alejandro merely nodded as he passed Melinda and listened to her speak. Turning to face her as he walked backwards a few steps, he called out over the speaker in his helmet, “The beams are coming down fast, be careful in there!!” .

03:31

Seeing her thumb go up in acknowledgement as she waved a few others after her, Alejandro glanced down at his side where his axe and crowbar were in their straps on his belt. He had worried for a moment that he had made the epic rookie mistake of leaving his gear, but he turned to keep walking towards the ambulance. Seeing Nathaniel dropping out of the back with the stretcher, Alejandro walked quicker towards the man before lifting the woman in his arms and setting her down on the stretcher. Taking hold of the side of the stretcher and helping Nathaniel lift her into the ambulance, he turned back towards the fire before climbing in and pulling the doors shut. He switched off the headlamps on his helmet and the oxygen to the mask before pulling it and his helmet off his head. Letting them dangle off his back, he pointed at her ankle so that Nathaniel could busy himself with her broken leg. The other paramedic’s hands moved with expert skill to immobilize her leg at the knee and ankle before applying a splint to her broken leg. It was not the final means of helping her, but it would keep the break from becoming any worse or ripping anything on the way to the hospital. Feeling the vehicle shift beneath them as the ambulance turned on its sirens to start towards the hospital, Alejandro ripped his gloves off before reaching for the gasmask attached to the oxygen system in the ambulance. Bringing the mask to the woman’s face, he held it over her mouth and nose for a few moments while he moved his right hand to get the strap over the back of her head. The oxygen would help to cleanse her lungs of any residual smoke and pump her full of fresh oxygen to start repairing the tissues in her lungs. .