The Alpha Chronicles by Joe Nobody Page B

his ears… voices that he couldn’t quite place, but knew he should recognize. Kevin! His son was here!
    “Dad, stay right where you are. Just stay down.”
    Nick opened his eyes for a moment and initially believed himself to be blind. Only small, hazy pinpoints of light in a coal-black background filled his vision. At the same time, the taste of new rubber grew in his throat. A few blinks later, he realized he was looking up into the night sky, the stars slightly obscured from the smoking ember remains of the house nearby. Kevin’s face appeared in his line of sight, the look of concern on the boy’s face changing to an expression of sheer joy over seeing his father’s eyes open.
    The n ew rubber belonged to the Ambu bag covering his face, the breathing balloon steadily pumped by Diana. Nick’s sudden spasm of coughing dictated the removal of the device.
    After clearing what felt like several large hunks of steel wool from his chest, Nick managed to tilt his head slightly where he saw other people kneeling over the prone bodies of a woman and a small boy. Before he could ask any questions, Diana held a bottle of water to his lips while helping him lift his head.
    “You scared the living shit out of me, mister,” she hissed. “If you ever… ever do anything like that… I’ll never speak to you again. God help me. I love you, Nick.”
    The big man managed a smile and then nodded toward the other patients.
    “The father is going to be okay. The last two are breathing on their own, but still out. You saved three lives, Nick. You ever pull a stunt like that again and I’ll….”
    Diana’s pending threat was interrupted by a collapsing wall of the nearby home. Hot cinder fireflies danced skyward, quickly doused by a thick stream of water arching through the night. Nick could make out three men struggling with a large hose, spewing volumes of water onto what little remained of the structure.
    Twenty minutes later, Diana and Kevin assisted a weak, wobbly Nick on the golf cart. His jeans and t-shirt smelled so strongly of scorched ash, the Deacon forbid him to enter the sanctuary, instead forcing him to undress and then shower in one of the auxiliary buildings. Kevin refused to leave his father’s side, closely observing his every move in case his dad became weak or dizzy again.
    Two large containers of water and a double dose of aspirin later, Nick crawled into bed.

    Early the next afternoon, a grumpy, aching, and slightly singed Nick finally joined the living. After brewing a cup of coffee and swallowing a couple of additional painkillers, the big, grouchy bear located Diana in her office. Three gentlemen occupied the visitors’ chairs facing the deacon’s desk. 
    Nick’s foul mood was nothing compared to Diana’s. The scowl on her face and tone of her voice warned the ex-Green Beret he was within range of a dangerous woman. He determined silence was the astute tactic of choice, even before he managed a seat on the couch.
    “I want to know why the fire truck wasn’t a higher priority. I think the townspeople deserve an explanation from all of us, and I think they deserve it immediately,” Diana said in a serious tone.
    “But… but Diana, we have so many projects going on, and our resources are tapped. The only fire engine we have left had its tank spiked to loot its fuel. No one has lubricated or maintained the equipment in months. The tires are flat, and the battery is dead. On top of all that, our welder – Alpha’s own ‘McGyver,’ has been overwhelmed by the volume of work required of him. I don’t know where we would be without his creative solutions, fixing machinery without the luxury of ordering parts over the internet. The fact is, Miss Brown, we just hadn’t gotten around to repairing the engine as other priorities took precedence.”
    Diana sat her elbows on the desktop, both hands massaging her temples. “I know we’re all doing our best, but we’ve got to organize and do better.