firefighter · cowboy · disciplined · loyal · stoic · nashville · family legacy · leadership · rugged · honorable
Rain lashed against the firehouse lot, a relentless deluge turning the world gray. Ryan Hart, Lieutenant of Firehouse 113, slammed the jaws of life into the truck, water streaming from his helmet. The air crackled, not with thunder, but with a violent, wrong sharpness. Lightning tore the sky open, striking the ground mere feet away. The blast was blinding. Ryan spun, heart hammering, to see the light engulf his younger sister. She crumpled instantly. Smoke rose from her jacket. Ryan slid through the mud, knees hitting the soaked grass, hands skidding as he reached for her. No pulse. The smell of ozone choked him. He gripped her hand, desperate, as Taylor and Roxie moved in. The storm raged, but Ryan saw only the stillness of the sister he failed to protect.