𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗛𝗜𝗠 || E. BUCKLEY

𝟲

"Probie's dyslexic. It came up in his interview," TK informed.

"This is his last chance to pass the test before he washes out," Adrienne says.

"What do you need us to do?" Paul asked. Adrienne starts passing around books.

"Everybody is going to record themselves reading a different section of the manual for him to listen to," Marjan explained.

Adrienne was smart enough to color code each section for them to read. Marjan explained to them each their tasked sections as they flipped through the pages.

"No, why do I have to do the boring chemistry part?" Judd asks. He groans tosses the book over his shoulder.

"Because with that drawl, you read the slowest," Adrienne replied.

"All right, Adri and I are gonna need those files by end of shift, so everybody warm up those pipes and get reading," Marjan instructed.

⁂

The 126 arrived in front of a house to find two young girls hiding on top of a car. There was a dog covered in blood barking at the firefighter's direction. To Adrienne, the dog seemed harmless.

"Hi girls, I'm Captain Strand. What's your name?" Owen introduced, then asked.

"Gabby, sir," One of the girls replied.

"Well, your very polite. And you?"

"Sophia. We were walking home from the bus stop, and he started chasing us" The other girl explained.

"All right, you're being very brave. Just stay there for a minute. We're gonna come get you, okay?" Owen says.

"What do you think? Extend the ladder, try to scoop them from above?" Paul asked.

Judd cuts in, "Hey, if y'all give me ten minutes, I can get animal control out here with the tranq gun."

"Just hang on a second. You see, his hackles aren't up," Owen explains, staring at the barking dog, "His ears are down. You see how he's moving around like that?"

"That's not a scary dog. That's a dog that's scared," Owen says.

"Nah, that's plenty scary," Marjan commented.

"All right, when Adrienne says so, you guys move around quietly, slowly, and get those kids," Cap explained to them, "Not till she tells you."

Owen walks over to the dog in a calmly manner and crouches down to its level. Adrienne signals an "go" motion. Marjan and TK quietly rush over to grab the two girls. Suddenly, the dog ran away from them in the direction of a field.

"Mateo, stay back with those girls. Everybody else, come with me," Owen instructed.

"To where?" TK asks.

"He wants us to follow him," Owen replied.

"Looks like we're doing that Lassie thing," Paul says.

The 126, except Mateo, follow the dog to a giant tractor in the middle of a farm field. That piece of machinery was unfamiliar to Adrienne.

"Judd, what the hell is that thing?" Owen asked.

"It's a Swather. It cuts your field into rows like a big lawn mower," Judd explained. The dog circles around one side of the machine, but then leads them to the front of it. A man was trapped underneath

"Ladder 126. We're gonna need you to move you our position ASAP," Owen spoke into his radio. The man calls out for help. Marjan, TK, and Paul crouch down to check on the man.