Read Life Support (The Breathe Series Book 2) for Free Online Page A

That’s roughly less than an hour of time we’re able to breathe and that’s not taking into consideration any extraneous things that may happen that would cause us to breathe harder and use up more valuable air. Being that we’ve nearly taken fifteen minutes to clear the first landing, I tell Tanner that I’ll head up to the third floor while he searches the second floor.
    “Engine 119, this is Maxwell. I’ve reached the third floor. Commencing search,” I call on my radio. With a little help from my halligan bar and my shoulder, I bust open the third-floor apartment door. “Holy shit,” I exhale.
    Greeting me are boxes stacked four high filled with clothes, books, toys, DVDs, and various junk lining the walls and hallways. Bags stuffed with garbage are scattered throughout the apartment. Food scraps, pizza delivery boxes, and cartons litter the kitchen countertop, and dirty dishes are piled high in the sink. Finding anything in this apartment would be a challenge all on its own. This woman is a hoarder.
    “Fire department!” I yell out into the smoke-filled room. “Anybody here?” I search around the stacked boxes as I make my way down the tight hallway.
    The first door to my right is a bedroom and it’s cluttered with clothes all over the floor. I call out into the dark room again, hoping for a response, but I hear nothing. I check the closet, under the bed, and behind the door and hanging curtains. The smoke is so dense that I need to feel my way around the room — and it’s taking forever.
    Tanner radios to me that his floor is clear. It was a vacant apartment and he quickly did a sweep of the unit to confirm no one was in it. I tell him what I’m dealing with on the third floor and he radios back that he’s on his way to assist.
    When I’m finished with the bedroom and make my way to the hallway, Tanner is there. “Someone actually lives here?” he questions.
    I shrug my shoulders and tell him that I’ll take the next door while he checks out the one across the hall. He nods in return before we continue our search. When I open the door, I see that it’s the kids’ room. My heart surges with adrenaline.
    “Anyone here? It’s the fire department! We’re here to help!” I yell. If the kids are going to be in the apartment, there’s a good chance they’re in this room.
    Twin beds line each wall, and I pat the sheets from the headboard to the footboard, hoping to feel something. I sink to my knees, flashing my light under the bed, but I’m met with toys. I sweep the floor beneath with my pole for good measure to ensure no one is hiding under the bed. I turn on my knees and search the opposite bed the same way. Nothing. I crawl to the closet, but only empty hangers and a few hanging clothes are there. The room is empty.
    I get to my feet and walk toward the door. Tanner’s muted helmet light illuminates the smoke. I take a few steps closer to him.
    “I can’t… I can’t see anything! I can’t find them!” My yells are muffled by my breathing apparatus. The dark of the night combined with the thick, putrid black smoke permeating around us makes it difficult to see. “Your rooms?” I ask.
    Tanner shakes his head and gives me a thumbs-down. He has come up empty too.
    The Engine Company has been dousing the building with water, but the oven-blasting heat and steam are intense. I’m so fucking hot, but I refuse to give up looking for the kids.
    BOOM!
    A deafening blast rocks the brick building, causing Tanner and me to lose our balance.
    “What the fuck was that!?” Tanner yells.
    “I’m guessing it’s a gas line!” I scream back. “Come on. We need to find those kids!”
    “They’re not here, Owen!” he shouts, exasperated. “We’ve looked in every room! We’ve searched the entire building. We need to get the fuck out of here!”
    Our radios begin to squawk. “Wilson! Maxwell! Get out. Now! The structure is compromised! Get out! Do you copy?” our commanding officer, hollers