She was careful not to get snagged by a nail or by exposed wiring.

It had rained yesterday, making the damaged wood swell and further stressing the structure. The house was safe for now, but with the weight of walls and joists shifting to beams not designed to handle the weight, every day brought the structure closer to collapse. Jack had hesitated before letting her come up. Lisa returned her flashlight to the floor to pick her next steps. “Watch your step, I don’t trust this hallway. The firemen confronting this fire had been taking their lives in their hands in facing it head-on. Two or three feet down indicated a severe fire, five was explosive. The superheated gas created by the fire had reached down five feet from the ceiling, burning into the paint and wood, marking a suicide line. Reaching the upstairs landing, she turned her flashlight to inspecting the hallway ceiling and walls. The man rarely showed a serious side but it was there when he was doing the job he excelled at. When Jack worked a fire he ran stairs wearing the coat and an air tank, carrying another forty pounds of gear she didn’t know how he did it. The nomex cloth was rough and it felt like thirty pounds on her back as she struggled to keep her balance. The firecoat was harder to get accustomed to. Light bulbs and picture frames had shattered in the heat.

The heavy boots he had insisted she wear were welcome as she realized it was glass crunching beneath her feet. Lisa O’Malley walked with great respect up the stairs, following her brother Jack into the heart of the fire damage. It was a tamed beast, but still here, ready to come back to life with a nudge. The fire had been alive it had left its signature in the coiled, twisted wood, the bent metal, the heavy ash.

The truth seeker by dee henderson