“Yeah, but?—”
His attention diverted up to the ceiling as the red lights surrounding the PA speaker illuminated. We stood, and the alarms blared loudly as we made our way down to the bay.
Damn. Reports of a brush fire. Depending on where, it could easily move into the forest. I was still getting familiar with all the areas of Half Moon Lake, and from the information dispatch was relaying, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the fire was.
“We might need more water. Ricktor,” Owen called over to Adam, “you and Davis, bring the tanker. Everyone else with Murray.”
Owen jogged to the utility truck and headed out. Logan, Jay, and Zack climbed up into the engine truck as Adam and I headed to the water tender truck.
If this turned into a wildfire—or worse, a fully involved forest fire—we would definitely need more water than the engine could carry. Hell, depending on how bad things got, we might be calling in surrounding stations to assist too.
Once on scene, Owen began dishing out commands. Setting up supply lines from the engine and connecting the tanker to the intake of the engine’s pump was a priority, allowing for a continuous water supply.
This was the second one of these we’d seen in the last week. Between the late summer heat and limited rain lately, everything was dry. And even though we were currently under a burn ban, it didn’t mean people listened. This one was likely caused by a lightning strike, a result of a nasty storm that had just comethrough. It wasn’t huge, and luckily we were far enough away from the tree line that stopping it from spreading wasn’t an unrealistic goal. But even once we put it out in this area, we’d need to keep an eye on it for reignition.
We desperately needed some rain.
We all got to work, and when two more trucks from other stations showed up to assist, Owen told us all to take a quick break. We’d start a rotation now with each crew taking a break while the rest worked the fire.
I tossed fresh bottles of water to everyone. Staying hydrated was paramount. We would be useless if one of us passed out from dehydration. And with all of us running around in full gear, it was a real concern. Adrenaline was always high in these situations, and the mission forefront in our minds; it was easier than you’d think to forget something as simple as drinking water.
Thankfully, the sun had set not long ago. If the temperatures started to drop and humidity levels rose, this fire would be easier to control and extinguish.
Either way, I had a feeling tonight was going to be a long one.
Chapter Eleven
VIOLET
Tuesday 5:22 p.m.
Mountain Man: I think we should go out again.
Me: You really need to work on your delivery.
Mountain Man: …
Me: Sigh.
Mountain Man: People were staring at me at the grocery store today.
Me: Are they not allowed to look at you?
Mountain Man: Yeah, but then the cashier was super chatty.
Me: *eyeroll emoji*
Me: Maybe she was just being friendly.
Mountain Man: One more date. Just to make sure.
Me: And then what?
Mountain Man: What do you mean?
Me: I have a better proposal. For both of us. Let’s say 2-3 months. We go out in public once or twice a week and pretend we’re dating until November. It will guarantee all the women in town have completely moved on, and it’ll make my ex regret ever cheating on me. Win win.
Mountain Man: Deal.
