Desire Me If You Can Chapter 36

Ezra shouted as he pulled on his oxygen mask. “I’ll show you! That’s our loyalty! A firefighter never abandons a colleague. We go in together, and we come out together! Even if it kills us!”

“How long has it been since Dane went in?” someone asked.

Wilkins replied, “It’s been about 10 minutes since we lost contact. We have to hurry.”

Watching everyone scramble to gather their gear, Grayson couldn’t help but feel that it was all pathetic. Dane would come out on his own soon enough. How much could anyone endure inside those flames? He couldn’t understand why they were making such a fuss over something that would resolve itself if they just waited.

The reason was obvious. They just wanted to criticize Grayson or show off as if they possessed some grand sense of camaraderie.

“Alright, let’s move!”

As Ezra, fully prepared, shouted the command, everyone nodded with grim determination. They would bring Dane out at all costs. Just as the group, gathered with resolute determination, was about to rush inside, something happened.

Rumble. With an explosion like a thunderclap, half the house collapsed. The firefighters who were about to enter froze, their eyes widening in shock. Flames erupted over the fallen debris. Along with the collapse, the firefighters let out agonizing screams.

∞ ∞ ∞

Meanwhile, left to himself, Dane moved toward the attic with a light heart. Fortunately, he found the mechanism the man had mentioned quite quickly. The reason there was a button on the floor was likely so the dog could press it.

Unlike his concern that the device might not work properly due to the fire, the ladder-style staircase unfolded as if waiting for him the moment he pressed the button. Climbing up to check, he saw there was a button at the top as well. The owner must have taught the dog to press the button after climbing up. That would be the only way to ensure the dog’s safety.

But in this specific case, the owner’s plan was flawed. In the event of a fire, it’s actually better to be on the lower level. If a fire breaks out, the probability of dying from smoke inhalation is much higher than dying from the flames themselves.

The ventilation fan installed on one wall was quite large, as if designed with care, but it was currently motionless. The fan would have been spinning hard, but it was useless once the fire cut the electricity. Thanks to this, the attic was already engulfed in thick, dense smoke.

Dane stepped on the button to retract the stairs before inspecting the interior. The dog had to be hiding somewhere in the corner. As luck would have it, there was quite a lot of junk there. Even for a large dog, if it hid, it would take time to find it.

“Charlie! Charlie, are you here?” Dane called out again. “Charlie, I’m here to save you! Come on out! Charlie!”

The sounds of the building collapsing continued. He couldn’t last much longer. What if she isn’t here? He might have to give up then.

…Couldn’t I check the kitchen one more time?

As he visualized the interior of the house he had seen on his way in, quickly brainstorming his next move in case of the worst-case scenario, he heard a sound.

“Charlie!”

Dane spotted the large dog lying behind a massive trunk and immediately rushed over. He hurriedly picked up Charlie, but the dog was limp and didn’t even twitch.

He quickly checked for a pulse; fortunately, while weak, her heart was still beating. Dane did not hesitate to take off his own mask and put it on the dog. Naturally, it didn’t fit properly, but supplying even a little bit of fresh oxygen would help.

Cough, cough.

Harsh coughing burst from Dane as he inhaled the smoke immediately. He hugged the dog, his entire body shuddering as he coughed repeatedly.

He had to get out of here. The stairs would collapse completely soon. Just as he stepped on the button, recalling the path he could take to get out, thinking in reverse…

BOOM!

With a tremendous roar, the house shook violently. For a moment, Dane almost dropped the dog. Rolling on the floor with the dog in his arms, he quickly stood up and scanned his surroundings. He wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but one thing was certain: this house was going to collapse completely very soon.

The stairs might already be gone. This was no time to gamble on mere possibilities. Dane looked around urgently. What was left?

When he saw the motionless ventilation fan, he moved immediately. There was no time for hesitation or calculation. After carefully setting the dog down nearby, Dane pulled the axe from his back with both hands. Without a moment’s doubt, he began to strike the fan.

∞ ∞ ∞

Massive plumes of black smoke rose through the crumbling mansion. The firefighters who were just about to charge in stood frozen, pale with terror, before eventually breaking into desperate screams.

“Dane! Daaaane!”

“It can’t be. Dane can’t be in there!”

“Charlie! Charliiie!”

“W-where’s the attic? Which way is it?”

“Which way is the attic? Tell us, hurry!”

“No, Charlie! Oh, God… Charlie!”

“You idiot, answer me!”

“Just go in, it’s still okay! You can do it!”

“No, if we go in and it explodes again, it’s all over.”

“Dane… Dane!”

It was right at the height of this hellish despair and agonizing screams.

“Wait, look over there!” someone suddenly shouted, pointing in one direction. Everyone’s gaze snapped to the same spot, and a collective gasp of surprise erupted.

The large fan that had been protruding from the roof seemed to break apart piece by piece, and then the blades flew off. The axe that had been visible for a second disappeared, and then a crowbar removed the remaining parts of the ventilation shaft.

Everyone watched, tense and breathless. Please, oh God, please. They watched with desperate hope as the final piece flew off, and finally, someone emerged through the wide-open vent.

The moment a tall man with red-blond hair appeared, a roar erupted from the onlookers. It was Dane Striker.

“It’s Dane! Dane is there!”

Following the emotional shouts, cheers poured out from everywhere.

“Dane, Dane Striker!”

“Dane, it’s Dane! I knew that guy would be okay!”

“Hey, someone get a ladder! Bring a ladder! Hurry!”

“Connect it to the roof! Fast!”

“Hurry, move it! What are you doing? I’ll do it, move!”

Amidst the chaos of the moving firefighters, Grayson stood silently, watching Dane. He hadn’t lifted a finger, but no one paid him any mind.

Meanwhile, Dane was attempting to escape through the broken ventilation shaft. His mask was gone, and his face was blackened with ash and dust. As he emerged onto the roof with hardened resolve, coughing occasionally from the smoke he had inhaled, he looked almost awe-inspiring.

Grayson soon realized what had happened to the mask Dane had been wearing. The mask, which clearly didn’t fit, was strapped over the snout of the large dog in Dane’s arms.

Grayson narrowed his eyes slightly.

He’d go that far? Why?

Even while coughing violently, Dane stubbornly kept the mask on the dog, waiting for his colleagues to bring the ladder. Grayson continued to watch him.