Sam left to go to his photoshoot. He was meeting a professional photographer all the way on the other side of LA. They ended up having to switch locations last minute because the California Wildfires were raging out of control in most locations that they normally went to.
"I should be back in a couple hours," said Sam.
"Have fun, Calvin Klein," shouted Colby from his position on the couch.
"Fuck off," laughed Sam as he stepped out the door.
Colby was watching TV with Jake and Corey in their living room. They had been following the fires since they started. It was terrible how many people, influencers and even celebrities had lost their homes or had to be evacuated. It was already blistering hot every minute of every day in LA, and the fires made it even worse. The air was smoky constantly.
Jake and Colby decided to go for a swim seeing as it was basically 1000 degrees in their house. They had been in the water about an hour when Corey came rushing out to them.
"Guys, come inside, you need to see this," shouted Corey.
"What?" asked Jake.
"Hurry up," said Corey.
Jake and Colby grabbed their towels and followed Corey into the living room. They watched the developing news story and the emergency evacuation notice for their part of LA. All residents within a fifty-mile radius must evacuate within the next 24 hours.
"What do we do?" asked Jake.
"Obviously start packing," said Colby.
They all quickly rushed to start packing as many essentials as they could. Luckily, they had been a little prepared, knowing there was a possibility this could happen. Colby pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Sam's number. It went to voicemail. He was most likely still at his photoshoot, hopefully he had found some way to hear about the mandatory evacuation. Colby quickly packed a bag for himself, then packed one for Sam, in case he wasn't allowed to come back to the house.
They all piled into their cars, waved each other goodbye and drove to the main roads. They met several cops and firefighters along the way who gave them instructions on where to go. There was an emergency shelter in another part of LA for people who had to evacuate. It wasn't a very dry part of the city, so if the fire did hit there, they'd likely be able to get that one under control pretty fast.
Colby was driving quickly but carefully. Once he got to the main road his eyes went wide when he saw black smoke across the sky, and fire along the mountain ridges. There were multiple helicopters circling the area. Damn, it really was bad.
Colby's phone began to ring; he saw Sam's number pop up. He quickly switched to Bluetooth and answered the call.
"Sam, you there?" asked Colby.
"Yeah, I'm here," replied Sam. He sounded panicked.
"Sam, did you evacuate?" asked Colby.
"Yeah, I'm trying to," said Sam, his voice shaky. "We saw it over the ridge, it wasn't close so we didn't worry. But turns out it was creeping up the mountain behind us and now, it's fucking close bro."
Colby's heart dropped. He needed to stay calm, for Sam. "You'll be fine Sam," he said.
"Colby, I'm surrounded by flames," said Sam. "I don't know if I'm gonna make it."
"You're gonna make it Sam," said Colby. "Just don't stop driving."
"I'm going as fast as I can," said Sam. "Fuck, Colby I can feel the heat from inside my car."
"Don't panic, just focus on my voice okay," said Colby.
"I'm gonna lose the signal soon," said Sam. "But Colby, in case I don't make it, I want you to know-,"
"You're gonna make it Sam," said Colby worried. "Don't talk like that."
"I know bro," said Sam more calmly, "but just in case."
"I know Sam," said Colby. "Me too."
Colby heard the static and the beeping as his phone lost the connection, meaning Sam had lost the signal.
Colby wanted to turn back, he wanted to go to Sam, but he knew that's not what Sam would've wanted. He would've wanted Colby to be safe. So now all Colby could do was pray. Pray that Sam had enough gas to make it out alive.
"Screw it!!!" said Colby, as he pulled a U-turn on the road. His tires screeched as he sped off in the opposite direction. He saw the cops outside his car signaling him to turn around, but he wasn't going anywhere without his best friend.
Colby's phone rang once again. He answered. It was Jake, who had been driving behind him.
"Dude, what the fuck are you doing!?" asked Jake frantically.
"I'm going to get Sam!" said Colby.
"Dude, you'll never make it!" said Jake, hating to state the obvious.
"I'll make it!" said Colby. "I have to!" Colby quickly hung up. He needed to focus on the road.
He drove as fast as he could, he saw in his rear-view mirror that several cop cars were following him. Good! He'd lead them right to Sam, they'd be able to help. Luckily Colby had also done a photoshoot at that location and knew exactly how to get there. Colby knew he was breaking several laws with how fast he was going. He had lost the cop cars a while back, they probably couldn't risk going any further. Probably a smart move on their part. Colby tried to drive as carefully but quickly as possible, as black smoke enveloped his windshield, causing low visibility. Colby wiped his head as he began sweating, driving past the flames.
He squinted his eyes, seeing the outline of something on the side of the road. It was a car. Sam's car! Colby screeched to a stop, he saw Sam frantically trying to restart his car as the flames crept up the street around him. Colby honked his horn. Sam looked up and saw his best friend's car. Colby quickly got out of his car, shielding his eyes. Sam got out of his, following Colby's actions.
"Colby!" coughed Sam. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to get my best friend!" said Colby.
They helped each other to Colby's car and quickly got in. Colby turned the key and sped off through the smoke.
"What happened?" asked Colby.
"I think my battery died," said Sam, still coughing. "Great timing!"
"Fuck, good thing I came," laughed Colby.
Sam gave him a small smile. "How far do we have to go?" asked Sam, looking at the flames behind them as Colby drove.
"Not far," said Colby. Colby suddenly heard a small beeping, his gas tank almost empty.
"Fuck!" said Colby.
"What now?" asked Sam.
Colby hesitated. "I think we both know," said Colby, glancing at Sam.
Sam let out a deep breath. "At least, we'll be together," said Sam.
"Yea," said Colby.
Just then Colby's car stopped completely, his gas tank now on empty. They looked behind them as the flames crept up fast.
"We could make a run for it?" said Colby.
"We'd die from smoke inhalation instantly," said Sam.
"True," said Colby.
"I know this is selfish, but I really wished you hadn't come," said Sam. "But I'm really glad you decided to." Sam smiled.
"I wasn't gonna leave you," said Colby. "Not this time."
Colby put out his hand towards Sam, who grasped it tightly. Leaning back in their seats and closing their eyes, thinking about their life, how good it had been. How it could truly be taken, at any moment.
They suddenly heard whirring and jolted up as water landed on top of Colby's car. Several helicopters had come to help control the fire, one hovering in the air, releasing a rope ladder down. A firefighter quickly climbed down and ushered the boys out of the car, giving them oxygen masks as one by one, they made their way up to the helicopter.
Once them and the firefighter were aboard, they flew off in the opposite direction away from the flames.
"You boys are crazy, but also very lucky you have friends who are good with directions," said the firefighter.
It was a long helicopter ride to the shelter on the other side of California. The helicopter landed a few minutes away, in a spot with several cops and paramedics. They gave the boys a once over and then escorted them to the evacuation shelter.
When they arrived, they went to a check in, a lady added their names to a list. They asked if there was a Jake Webber and Corey Scherer on the list. She quickly went through her computer and found their names. Sam and Colby made their way through the shelter, there were a lot of people and several different stations.
"Hey dumbasses!" a voice shouted behind them. Sam and Colby turned around to see Jake and Corey. They quickly rushed to each other, hugging each other tightly.
"Good to see you, bro," said Corey to Sam.
"You too brother," replied Sam.
"Colby Brock," laughed Jake. "You're a fucking idiot."
"I know I am!" said Colby smiling at Sam beside him.
"He wasn't gonna let Sam die alone," joked Corey.
"I wasn't gonna let him die at all," said Colby.
Colby knew he had been stupid. He knew the rules. He had heard them at every fire safety ever. Ever since he was a kid. Everyone always said if there's a fire to never go back for anything, because materialistic things can be replaced. But Sam? Sam was irreplaceable.