Sarah was hugging her fiance tightly while warm tears of happiness and relief ran down her cheeks. She had a relaxed smile on her face and was feeling safe again.
Scott was embracing her with tenderness and he felt that, for a second, the world disappeared and they weren't in that mess anymore. However, opening his eyes again, everything he could see was the devastated capital.
'Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how many times I try to close my eyes here; I will always end up opening them and facing what I am so scared to face every time. Maybe in the end I am just a coward!'
He was feeling very frustrated on that day. Everything happened so suddenly that he couldn't even believe it. At a certain time, he was just relaxing and joking around with the firefighters that worked with him, but suddenly everything around was pure chaos and they needed to enter into action immediately before something happened.
Scott still needed to absorb that situation, he couldn't simply accept that in a matter of seconds the biggest metropolis of the nation was reduced into wreckage and flames. His head hurt whenever he thought about all the lives he couldn't save, all the people who were still desperate, and what would happen starting now.
'What will happen with this world after today? After one week? One month…?' Once this kind of question appeared on his mind, he got lost, so Scott didn't want to think much about that.
'Don't worry. The important thing here is that your dear bride is with you and you can keep her safe!'
He broke away from Sarah, looking worriedly at her body. She was covered in bruises, and her shoulder was the worst one. If he paid attention, maybe run so much may be caused a dislocation on her ankle as well.
Once Scott finished his quick checking, he looked at her concerned, but she just gazed back at him with a helpless smile as if she was an injured child saying that everything was okay.
"I am glad that you are alive, honey. I am really glad, even though you are so injured." He finally seemed to pay attention to the baby. "This one you saved?"
"Yes. His mother had half of her body smashed by rocks and concrete, so I decided to take him with me."
Scott kept staring at the baby, his expression lightened once their eyes met, but just for a second.
"You did very well." Then, Scott sighed. "However, I think that today I didn't." His eyes got aloof and he looked down.
Sarah was going to ask something about that quote, but one of the firefighters approached the couple, putting his hand on Scott's shoulder and looking into his eyes.
"I think it's time for us to decide what to do Scott. You are the leader now since our dear boss died."
That man was way more aged than Scott, and everyone there agreed that he was better than him to lead the group. The old man himself didn't agree though, just letting things on Scott's hands.
The firefighter didn't know if he was doing it out of cowardice or just to not take the consequences of running away, but either way was bad.
Scott turned his back to Sarah while he talked to that man.
"How can I know!? I am not a leader, ok? I never was before. You should be the one doing this, or are you afraid to take the responsibility for all the deaths that can come with it?"
The man was not taller or sacre-looking than Scott, but more bulk. The firefighter could safely say that the old man would break his face if he lacked respect. Just a stare was enough to make Scott gulp and take back his words.
Scott got pensive about that matter. He wasn't willing to do something reckless at all, but he also didn't want to keep reasoning in the same place without doing anything. Any time they had was crucial there. Before they could realize it, an earthquake could make a building collapse, a lightning bolt could fall from the skies, or a tornado appears.
Scott closed his eyes, his chest filled with hatred towards that old man. Clenching his fists, he took his first decision as a leader:
"Tell everyone to retreat now. We won't be going any further here" He ordered. The old man nodded.
"That's the best way to go, Scott. You know this better than anyone else here. That's why you need to be the leader instead of me, understood?" Scott was pissed off, so he just looked at his coworker with anger and snapped back.
"Then stop to treat me like you command me and go do what you are supposed to do!"
The old man got red after that quote and was going to say something else, but then he stared at the woman and the baby that were behind Scott. Swallowing his fury, he went to talk with his other coworkers, who were gathered together in a near spot. They were resting after the scary situation they passed for with that black huge dog and the many other disastrous events.
That was the best way to go at that time, and Scott knew this, but he still couldn't bear his own decision after thinking about how many lives were at risk at that exact moment.
"R-retreat?" Sarah asked right after the other man left. She put herself in front of Scott.
"Yes, Sarah. Retreat." He nodded, still staring at his coworkers with a painful expression.
"A lot of firefighters are already dead. My team is halved. Others are decimated. We gave our blood, sweat, tears and even some lives to save as many people as we could, but, in the end, if we keep up like this we will be all dead."
That cruel realization got Sarah astonished as well. She could just imagine how hard it was being for those who needed to take care of others regardless of their own lives. In the end, be it a firefighter, a policeman, or a paramedic, they were all humans; they wanted to survive.
"And… what's up with that dog you just knocked out?" She looked concerned at the animal who seemed to be bigger and stronger than a normal one from his breed should be.
"I don't know… But that's definitely not normal. We were attacked by other dogs before as well, but this one is the biggest. I saw a citizen running from a bunch of cats as well."
He was pensive, staring at the animal, then he shook his head and turned to Sarah again.
"Regardless of the animals, the city itself, and everything else, we need to get out of here. I don't know where we will go, but it's safer on the road than into here. All the other firefighters will get their firetrucks and leave." He took Sarah by the hand.
"I wanted to save everyone here, I wanted to be a hero as I always try to do, but I am not all mighty! It can look like cowardice on my part, but after seeing so many of my friends dying, I can't afford to wait until it happens with you as well, so we need to escape from here." He had a choked voice that made Sarah's heart throb in pain. Although she had a different image of her fiance in her mind, she understood his feelings. She was scared as well.
"Yes. Don't worry about it. We must go before things get worst, we are on the center of the capital, after all." She kissed him briefly and then went to his firetruck quickly.
Scott kept on following her until she opened the door and entered there with the baby.
Looking at his friends, he could see that they were doing the same. All of them had their faces dejected, some relieved. Maybe they were feeling less guilty because that decision was made only by Scott.
'In the end, although I want to save people, I want even more to keep myself and Sarah safe. I am just like I thought, and just like everyone said: just a coward trying to play the firefighter! Just a coward…'
He held tightly his ax, closing his eyes. Those bitter words opened a huge wound on his chest. However, the image of his future wife dying like his other friends appeared on his head and it made his heart burn. After each heartbeat, waves of heat would cross his body.
Scott ignored everything around him, trying to not accumulate more memories to regret, and went to the firetruck with his bride and the baby.
'I can't save everyone, but If I can wholeheartedly give my life for a single person… Then I will give it for her! I will surely do it!' He promised, turning the ignition key of the truck.