Chris Collins Imagines

The Firefighter

You open your eyes to smog and a startling pressure on your abdomen. As you lift your head you start to become faint and alarm bells ring in your head. As you inhale, as if for the first time, your body rejects the polluted, smoke ridden air and a dry cough escapes your throat. You dare to turn your head sideways, looking for someone, anyone. Rubble scatters all over the kitchen and only a  few patches of orange flame remain.

The last thing you remember before you passed out was assisting customers outside to the fire assembly point. You rushed back in to get to the kitchen staff, where the fire had broken out. "Help," you attempt to call out, your throat burning.  As you begin to raise your head again, ignoring the impulses in your body telling you to stop, you are jarred by the impact of falling debris near you. Your head hits the floor with a bang and you feel yourself become nauseous. The debris has now blocked your view and you can no longer see out into the kitchen. You reach down for about the thousandth time to try and reach the phone in your pocket that you know for some reason or another you physically can't.

As time passes and your level of consciousness shifts in and out, you begin to think about the people in your family. You begin to think about the things that mattered to you and the things you thought mattered to you. Your thoughts become deeper and deeper, as well as more morbid.

You are startled by the sound of a voice, after that of footsteps. Its funny how fast fear can turn into hope, even at the slightest spark. "Help!" You cry out, as loud as your throat will allow. You wait for a response, none comes. You attempt to bang on the dark shape looming above you, trapping you in. A sharp pain ripples down your knuckles before you feel wetness. "Help! I'm over here," You cry out, as loud as you can.

"Hello?" a voice questions as the sound of footsteps grows clearer.

"Help," you reply, desperately hoping to be found.

"I'm right here," the person replies from behind the debris barrier. A sigh of relief escapes you and you wait patiently to be rescued- not like you can do much else.

You hear some movement and you become, for the first time quite scared. "What's going on?" You call out.

"Don't worry, I'm just trying to move some rubble so that I can get to you."

"Be careful, some of that fell down not long ago," you inform.

You hear the sound of material being tossed aside and wait nervously. "What's your name?" The person on the other side asks.

"Y/N" you say.

"My name is Chris and I am a firefighter," He tells you.

You start to see out a little as he makes some clearance in the pile. You relax your head which you only just realize was so tense and stare up to the dark looming object which now you believe is a concrete pillar. "I want you to keep talking to me okay Y/N?"

He's talking to you about all sorts of irrelevant things, like your favourite food, your favourite season, your favourite TV show. A lot of favourite things. Trying to keep a positive mood. His voice is smooth and soothing though, just nice to listen to. You answer him as best as you can, which happens to be vaguely. You feel sick and lightheaded. Just as you tell him that you cannot possibly decide on a favourite animal, you think about asking him what his favourites are.

Your brain wakes up before you open your eyes and you become aware of something on your face. Your right hand instinctively comes up to get it away. "Shhh easy." A hand comes down on top of yours as you open your eyes. An oxygen mask is placed on your face, and you become aware of the pureness of the air you are breathing. Its not just any oxygen mask though, its a heavy duty thing, like a gas mask. You try and turn your head and you see a young man, lit up by a small glowing hand held light. "I thought I told you to keep talking to me," He says looking down at you. Hes hunched over to fit into the small space where you lie, fallen pillars at an angle not allowing much height. Your memory starts to come back again and you remember that he was 'Chris, the firefighter'.