By the twelfth call, I was surprised nobody was tired yet. Maybe it was because I didn't know the true nature of the job or maybe it was because they were just good at firefighting. Either way, I was grateful to be on the ride along today.
Until now.
I knew there was a possibility that the team got a bad call. They see so many things on a daily basis, so why should I assume that today would be any different?
The team scattered around the area, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Bobby went to the roof; Buck was on a balcony on the top floor and the others were trying to get a crash mat pumped up as soon as possible.
A man was stood on the roof and if I looked closely enough, I could see the toes of his shoes poking over the edge. There was a crowd of people gathering and my jaw clenched at the sight of cameras.
The others were too busy to tell them off and even though I was strictly warned to stay out of trouble, it didn't feel right standing by.
"Hey, put your phones away. Put them away, now!" I snapped, raising my voice when some of them hesitated. A middle aged man didn't put his phone down and I'm ashamed to admit I did knock it out of his hand.
Instead of waiting for him to get angry, I walked back over to the firetruck and watched the scene in front of me. Bobby was talking to the guy, obviously trying to talk him out of jumping. Buck was setting up a harness, secretly trying to make his way up to the man without him noticing.
I glanced over to the crash mat, seeing that it was only half inflated so far. From down here, I could hear the man shouting back at Bobby. He was upset- too upset.
Buck was too slow.
The crash mat wasn't fully blown up.
Bobby couldn't stop him.
My eyes closed before I could see the worst of it, but the gasps and cries around me were answer enough. I grabbed at the door handle beside me and swung my body into the truck. The team had enough to deal with now, so they didn't need me in the way.
I placed the headphones over my ears, just to muffle any of the noise outside. My head bounced from side to side as I sang a song in my head. Mastering the ability to distract myself came about when I was younger and now, I can easily disengage from a situation like I am now.
Was it healthy? Probably not.
It must've been a while before they finished with everything because I made it through two Katy Perry songs and halfway through 'I want it that way' when someone sat down next to me.
I opened my eyes and blinked at the light, noticing how everyone was staring at me. With a small smile, I slipped the headphones from my ears.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked quietly. They all seemed surprised at my question, pausing for a moment too long.
Eddie wrapped his arm around my shoulder and took a deep breath, "We're okay bud." He assured.
"I'm sorry you had to see that Cooper." Bobby stated sorrowfully. I shrugged at him, playing it off as cool as I could.
"I'm okay Cap. These things happen." I replied. Nobody seemed to like that answer and I could feel Eddie's arm tense around me. "You're awfully calm for a person who's just witnessed a horrific thing." Hen noted.
I glanced around the truck as I was unable to come up with an answer for that. "Calm because you've seen this before.." Bobby analysed.
My throat closed at that and I tried to swallow the feeling. Thankfully, the team chose not to continue this conversation. I think enough had been said anyway.
Eddie kept his arm around me until they got to the next call. We were given a bit of time to drive around and rest after the previous call, but it wasn't long enough honestly.
Still, they got out of the truck without a moments hesitation and continued on like nothing had happened. Maybe they were just as good at distracting themselves as I was.
The call was about a gas leak in an old factory. It was supposed to be abandoned, apparently, but they were doing some work on the inside that wasn't public knowledge. I climbed out of the vehicle and watched as they walked inside together.
Apart from a few cars and the firetruck there weren't any other signs of life. The air was thick and the silence was eery, making me feel uncomfortable. To occupy myself, I checked the compartments of the truck and mentally checked that everything was in the right place.
Upon closing the door shut on the hosepipes, I felt a hand snatch at my face. My mouth was muffled as I tried to yell, only resulting in the person squeezing my jaw tighter.
"If you behave then this will all go smoothly." A man whispered in my ear.
I leaned over to try and hit him, but that only resulted in a sharp hit to my temple. My vision blurred momentarily and I staggered forward. The man dragged me towards the building and took me through a smaller door that I didn't spot before.
Immediately, I could hear voices arguing loudly in the large, empty space. The warehouse was empty asides from the group of people facing off at each other.
My heart leapt into my throat when I saw the gun pointed at them. There were five men, including the guy holding me, and only the frontman appeared to have a gun.
Upon hearing the door slam behind us, everyone turned to stare. I could see the team's faces morph from shock to anger in a second and if I wasn't in their good books, I'd be scared.
"Let him go." Bobby ordered strictly. The men laughed in his face and I was pushed forward.
Someone stuck their foot out and tripped me, causing my body to smack against the floor. Bobby stepped forward at the action, but promptly froze when a heavy boot was placed on the top of my back.
A click echoed in the room, the familiar sound of the safety coming off the gun. I tried to take slow breaths, as not to make any sudden movements. I managed to peak up at the team and my throat tightened at their concerned looks.
"Here's the deal. We want the money that the government is pumping into your pitiful firehouse. We all know you guys aren't the real heroes, so why waste our hard-earned money on taxes to give to you?" The leader scowled, digging his heel harder into my back.
Chim placed an arm in front of Buck when he tried to step in our direction, "Why don't you just let him go and we can talk this out?" Bobby insisted softly, raising his hands to appear non-threatening.
The leader laughed, "Let him go? Why would I let him go when I can use him as leverage? You give me my money or else I'm going to put a bullet through his leg. If you continue to refuse, I'll put another in his arm. Then, I'll let him suffer for a bit and if that still doesn't work this last bullet will end up in his skull." The air seemed to thicken at his words.
How did I always manage to end up in these situations?
Chim stuck his other arm out to hold Eddie back and it was clear they were becoming restless at the idea of me dying. How kind of them.
The boot left my back and I was yanked by the collar of my hoodie. The side of the gun tapped against my temple when I got to my feet and I noticed the man still kept it pointed towards the team. His finger was twitching on the trigger and the motion made me even more anxious.
"Don't shoot them." I whispered, my voice barely audible.
The leader wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, digging his fingernails into my delicate skin. "You hear that fellas? This kid doesn't want any of his hero firefighters getting shot." The man faked his sympathetic tone.
Bobby looked sadly at me, but I couldn't tell what part he was actually sad about. He was so focused on me that he didn't even realise he had taken a step towards me until the leader raised his gun and pointed it at him.
We all froze in fear and I felt nauseous at the thought of Bobby dying. Looking at all of the people opposite me, I realised that I was scared to see any of them suffer or potentially die. I cared. And that thought scared me more than the gun and men beside me.
I bumped my shoulders back into the leader, making him divert his attention back to me. "I thought you were told to behave, huh?" He sneered, digging his nails in harder and jabbing me in the temple with the side of the gun.
"He's just a kid, leave him the hell alone!" Eddie shouted angrily. The gun was aimed towards them again and I jerked my head to the side to move it.
The leader snarled and hit me harder in the head this time, leaving the sensation of liquid dribbling down my face. "You have a death wish or something kid? Stop moving or I swear to god I'll shoot every last one of you." He yelled, waving the gun around like it wasn't a dangerous weapon.
Once again, we all stilled and I avoided looking at the team. I could tell they were confused by my actions and certainly weren't happy about the guy threatening and hitting me. Yet I didn't care. The guy was focused on me and wasn't pointing a gun at them, so I didn't care what happened.
Suddenly, the sound of sirens began wailing in the distance. One of them must have hit a panic button or radioed in or maybe they just hadn't answered when someone asked them if they were okay to move on.
Either way, it meant help was coming. But, it also meant that these guys were no longer in control.
They began swearing and the leader was trying not to panic as his hand started shaking. "Damnit. Damnit! Alright, just rough 'em up and let's go! Now!" He yelled and chaos ensued.
I was thrown to the ground as the other four men ran at the team and began trying to hit them. My body instinctively moved as the sight of a fight was familiar to my subconscious mind. A man swung at Bobby and then rounded on Hen when he saw her unprotected.
Just as he took the first step towards her, I ran forward and threw my whole body at him. We tumbled to the ground, limbs flying everywhere as we did.
The doors to the warehouse flew open and police began filtering inside, chasing after the few men that were trying to make a quick escape. They chased them out the back of the warehouse, whilst the others came to break up the current fight.
Two of the men had stuck around and one was currently trying to wrestle me whilst the other was swinging at every person close to him.
A hand yanked at my arm and managed to pull me away from the man, making me cower at the forceful move. I glanced up to see Buck's anxious expression and I leaned back into his legs, realising he was only trying to help. My hand wiped at the liquid stuck to my face and I didn't even blink when I saw blood on it.
"I ruined your hoodie." I stated, glancing up at him. Buck crouched down and placed his forehead on the top of my head. "God- don't ever do that again. I thought they were going to kill you." He muttered. I gulped at the concern and relief in his tone, feeling indifferent about his care.
Athena walked over with everyone else in tow, her eyes sharp and angry. "I wish I could teach those punks a lesson." She hissed, crouching down in front of me and pressing a tissue to my head.
I noted how some of the others were battered and bruised, but decided maybe it wasn't the right time to point it out.
I thought back to the moment just mere minutes ago. Where I looked at these people and feared for their lives more than my own. For the first time in years I experienced a type of care that had let me down before. I was afraid for the people I considered a family.
The thought made my stomach roll and I staggered to my feet, curling away from anyone's touch. "Careful Coop, your head." Hen worried and I stepped back again.
"I-I can't do this." I stuttered, flinching when Eddie reached towards me.
"Look I'm sorry- this sucked badly. B-But it has been a long time since I felt scared about someone like I did just then and I can't have that. You guys have been great but I can't care that much-" Bobby opened his mouth to interrupt and I shook my head stubbornly.
"This won't- can't work. I can't care so much that I'm scared for you because it's not good for me. I-I need to go, I'm sorry. I just need a couple days and then I'll be back at the firehouse- I'm sorry." I rambled on, feeling my chest get tighter at every word.
They started talking over each other and I did the thing I'm best at. I started running.
My feet carried me away from the warehouse, away from the danger, away from the only people who I thought might genuinely care about me.
How could one call change so much? How could I have let them so close to me in the first place?
I know what I did was confusing and it wasn't smart or mature, but it was right. The right decision always hurts some way, which is why I kept running.
When my chest was heaving and my feet were tired, I kept running. I didn't stop until I made it back to the house and even then I ran right up until I hit the front door.
Because that's all I'm good for; running.
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Well that was intense.
An extra long chapter to make up for the last one- I hope you guys enjoyed it!
Feel free to let me know thoughts, tips, questions and anything else!