DMYC Chapter 36

Ezra put on his oxygen mask with a determined shout. 

We’ll show him what loyalty means. 

Firefighters never abandon their colleagues. 

We go in together, and we come out together. Even if it means death!

“How long has it been since Dane went inside?”

At someone’s question, Wilkins answered,

“We lost contact about ten minutes ago. We have to hurry.”

Grayson watched them scrambling for their gear, thinking they were being ridiculous. Dane would come out on his own soon enough. How long could he last in that fire? Why were they making such a fuss when he would come out if they just wait?

The reason was obvious. They either wanted to blame Grayson or show off their supposed grand camaraderie.

“Let’s go!”

Ezra, ready to go, shouted, and everyone nodded resolutely. They were determined to bring Dane back. Just as the group, steeled with resolve, was about to charge in—

BOOM.

With a thunderous explosion, as if something had detonated, half of the house collapsed. The firefighters about to enter froze, their eyes widening in shock. Flames erupted from the fallen debris. Alongside it, the team members cried out in despair.

* * *

Meanwhile, left alone, Dane moved toward the attic with a sense of relief. Fortunately, he easily found the mechanism the man had mentioned. The button was on the floor, likely designed so the dog could reach it.

Contrary to his worries that the fire might have damaged the mechanism, a ladder-like staircase unfolded as if it had been waiting when he pressed the button. Climbing up to check, he found another button above. The owner must have trained the dog to press the button after climbing into the attic, ensuring its safety.

But this time, it was a fatal miscalculation. In a fire, being downstairs would’ve been safer. Usually, suffocation from smoke was a much greater threat than burning to death.

The attic had a decently sized ventilator fan on one wall—clearly installed with care—but it wasn’t running. The fan might’ve worked hard, but with the power cut by the fire, it was useless. As a result, the attic was already thick with smoke.

Dane first stepped on the button to retract the ladder, then scanned the interior. The dog was surely hiding in a corner somewhere. Coincidentally, the space was cluttered with junk, enough that even a large dog could hide and take time to find.

“Charles! Charles, are you here?”

Dane shouted again, searching for the dog.

“Charles, I’m here to rescue you! Come out! Charles!”

The crashing sounds of the collapsing building continued. It wouldn’t hold much longer. What if the dog wasn’t here either? He might have to give up then.

…Should I check the kitchen one more time?

Mentally mapping the house from what he’d seen on the way in, he quickly considered his next move for any contingency. That’s when…

“Charles!”

He finally spotted the large dog lying behind a trunk and rushed over. He quickly picked up Charles, but the dog was limp and unresponsive.

He checked for a pulse and, thankfully, found a faint heartbeat. Without hesitation, Dane immediately took off his own mask and placed it over the dog’s snout. It didn’t fit, of course, but supplying even a little fresh oxygen would help.

“Cough, cough.”

Dane coughed roughly, having inhaled the smoke. He clutched the dog tightly, his body wracked with coughs.

He had to get out here fast. The stairs might collapse any second. Picturing escape routes in his mind, he stepped on the button again to retract the staircase.

BOOM!

A deafening roar, and the house shook violently. For a moment, Dane almost dropped the dog. He rolled on the floor, clutching Charles in his arms, then scrambled to his feet to assess the situation. He didn’t know what had happened, but one thing was certain: this house would fully collapse soon.

The stairs were probably already gone. This wasn’t the time to gamble on possibilities. Dane frantically scanned his surroundings. His only option left…

He saw the ventilation fan and immediately knew what he had to do. There was no time to hesitate or calculate. Carefully setting the dog down nearby, Dane pulled the axe from his back and gripped it with both hands. And without hesitation, he began smashing the fan.

* * *

Amid the collapsing house, enormous black smoke billowed upward. The firefighters, about to rush in, froze, their faces pale with shock, and then belatedly began to cry out.

“Dane, Daaane!”

“No, he’s not there! Dane can’t be in there!”

“Charles! Chaaarles!”

“Wh-where’s the attic? Which way?”

“Which way to the attic? Tell us quick!”

“No, Charles! Oh god… Chaaarles!”

“You bastard, speak up already!”

“Let’s go in, it’s still fine! We can do it!”

“No! What if there’s another explosion? We’ll all be killed!”

“Dane… Dane!”

Cries of despair and anguish continued in the midst of the chaos when, suddenly,

“Wait, look over there!”

Someone suddenly shouted, pointing to one side. All eyes turned in unison, and a collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd.

A large fan, protruding from the roof, started to break apart, and soon its blades flew off. A glimpse of an axe appeared briefly before disappearing from view, replaced by a metal pry bar that dismantled the remaining parts of the ventilator.

Everyone watched, tense with anticipation. 

Could it be…? Please… 

Their desperate hopes hung in the air. As the last piece of the vent flew off, revealing a gaping hole, a figure finally emerged.

The moment a tall, striking man with reddish-blonde hair appeared, a cheer erupted from the onlookers. It was Dane Striker.

“It’s Dane! Dane’s up there!”

Cries of relief were followed by shouts of joy from all around.

“Dane! Dane Striker!”

“Dane, of course it’s Dane! I knew that guy would make it!”

“Hey, someone get a ladder! A ladder, now!”

“Quick, connect it to the roof! Hurry!”

“Come on, move it! What are you doing? I’ll do it, get out of the way!”

As the firefighters scrambled, Grayson stood silently, watching Dane. As usual, he did nothing, but no one paid him any mind.

Even in the chaos, Dane was attempting to escape through the shattered vent. His face, no longer masked, was blackened with soot and ash. He coughed from the smoke, but his determined movements as he pulled himself onto the roof were almost a moving sight.

Grayson then saw what had become of Dane’s oxygen mask. It was hanging loosely around the snout of the large dog Dane was holding, clearly too big for it.

Grayson subtly furrowed his brow.

He went that far? Why?

Despite his violent coughing, Dane held the dog tightly, stubbornly offering him the mask, and waited for his colleagues to bring the ladder. Grayson continued to watch him intently.