Desire Me If You Can-Chapter 36

Ezra shouted as he put on his oxygen mask. "I'll show you, our loyalty. A firefighter never abandons his comrades. We go in together, and we come out together. Even if we have to die doing it!"

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

At someone’s question, Wilkins answered.

“It’s been about 10 minutes since we last heard from him. We need to hurry.”

Firefighters with tense faces scrambled to grab their equipment. They rushed to check their oxygen tanks and protective gear. Despite the burning smell and the smoke, their preparations for the mission were filled with resolve.

Grayson watched them, feeling nothing but contempt. He’d be coming out on his own soon enough. How long could he withstand the flames? Why make such a fuss over something that would take care of itself if they just waited?

The reason was obvious. They just wanted to criticize Grayson or make it seem like they had some grand sense of camaraderie.

He shrugged indifferently. The hurried steps, the short, sharp commands coming through the radios, the heat from the burning house—everything just felt so exaggerated.

“Alright, let’s go!” frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Ezra, ready, shouted, and everyone nodded solemnly. They were determined to bring Dane back. Just as they were about to rush inside...

Boom!

There was a massive explosion, followed by the sound of thunder. The house, engulfed in flames, twisted and finally collapsed, losing its center of gravity. The huge debris tumbled down, and flames rose again from the wreckage.

The firefighters, who had been ready to enter, froze for a moment, their eyes wide in shock. Then, everyone held their breath. But the silence didn’t last long.

“No!”

At someone’s scream, everyone finally realized the reality. Flames leaped from the fallen debris, and an intense heat surged forward like a wave.

“Damn it, Dane! Dane!”

The firefighters screamed in despair.

Meanwhile, Dane, left alone, moved toward the attic. Thankfully, the device the man had mentioned was easy to find. The button on the floor was likely placed there for the dog to press easily.

Contrary to the worry that the device might not work due to the fire, the ladder-like stairs unfolded as soon as Dane pressed the button. When he climbed up, he found another button at the top. It seemed the owner had trained the dog to press the button after going up. That way, the dog’s safety could be better ensured.

However, in this case, Dane had miscalculated. If a fire broke out, it would be better to be near the bottom. In case of a fire, suffocating from smoke was more likely than dying from the flames.

The ventilator, which seemed to be carefully designed, was large on one wall, but it wasn’t working. When the electricity was on, the fan would have spun, but if the fire cut the power, it was useless. As a result, the attic was already filled with thick smoke.

Dane quickly pressed the button to retract the stairs and then looked around. The dog was probably hiding somewhere in a corner. Coincidentally, that corner was full of clutter. Even a large dog would be hard to find there, as it would take time to clear the area. While clearing the mess, Dane thought to himself that it was lucky the flames hadn't reached this far yet, considering everything here could easily catch fire.

“Charles! Charles, are you here?”

Dane shouted again, looking for the dog.

“Charles, I’ve come to save you! Come out now! Charles!”

Outside, the sound of the building collapsing could still be heard. It wouldn’t be long now. What if it wasn’t here? Then he would have no choice but to give up.

...Maybe the kitchen could be checked one more time.

While thinking of the layout of the house in his mind and quickly considering what his next actions should be, he heard a shout.

“Charles!”

Finally, Dane spotted the large dog lying behind a big trunk and immediately ran over. He hurriedly picked up Charles, but the dog was limp, not moving at all.

He quickly checked the pulse and was relieved to find the dog’s heart was still weakly beating. Without hesitation, Dane removed his mask and put it on the dog. Naturally, it didn’t fit, but any fresh oxygen might help.

“Cough, cough.”

Dane coughed roughly as he inhaled the smoke. His body trembled with each cough as he continued to hold the dog close.

He needed to get out of here. The stairs would collapse soon. While thinking of an escape route in his mind, Dane pressed the button again.

Boom!

The house shook with an enormous crash. For a moment, Dane almost dropped the dog. Instead, while holding the dog, he rolled across the floor, quickly getting up and looking around. What had happened wasn’t clear, but one thing was certain: the house would collapse completely soon.

The stairs had probably collapsed entirely by now. There was no time for risky bets. Dane quickly scanned the area. The only option ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) left was...

When he saw the stationary ventilator, he immediately moved. There was no time to hesitate or calculate. Carefully placing the dog nearby, he drew the axe strapped to his back and took it in both hands. Without hesitation, he began to strike the fan.

Massive black smoke rose from the crumbling mansion. The firefighters, who had been about to rush in, stood frozen in shock before they began to scream in despair.

“Dane! Dane!”

“He’s not there. Dane won’t be over there!”

“Charles! Charles!”

“Where’s the attic? Which direction?”

“Where’s the attic, damn it? Tell me quickly!”

“No, Charles! Haaa... Charles!”

“Dammit, speak up, quickly!”

“Go in first, it’s still okay! We can do this!”

“No, if it explodes again, it’s all over!”

“Dane... Dane!”

In the chaos, amidst the screams of despair and pain, suddenly someone shouted.

“Wait, look over there!”

Someone suddenly pointed, and everyone’s eyes immediately turned to one direction. Simultaneously, astonished exclamations filled the air.

A large fan that had been jutting out of the roof started to break apart, with the blades flying off. For a moment, the axe had vanished, but now a crowbar had removed part of the fan’s remaining components.

Everyone held their breath, watching nervously. They wished and hoped, and when the last piece flew off, someone finally appeared through the clear ventilator opening.

A tall man with striking red blonde hair emerged, and the crowd erupted in cheers. It was Dane Striker.

“It’s Dane! He’s over there!”

The exclamation of joy was followed by cheers from all around.

“Dane! Dane Striker!”

“Dane, I knew he’d be okay! I knew that guy would make it out!”

“Hey, someone bring the ladder! Ladder, quickly!”

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

“Come on, hurry up! What are you waiting for? I’ll do it, move!”

Among the frantically moving firefighters, Grayson stood silently, watching Dane. He still did nothing, but no one seemed to care.

Despite everything, Dane was attempting to escape through the broken ventilator. His face was blackened with ash and dust, and his mask was nowhere to be seen. Despite coughing from inhaling smoke, his determination was clear as he climbed onto the roof. His actions, despite his struggles, were almost moving.

Grayson soon realized how Dane had managed to wear the mask. It was because the large dog Dane had been holding had a mask, though it was too big for it.

Grayson frowned slightly.

Did he really go that far? Why?

Despite his fierce coughing, Dane stubbornly continued to give the mask to the dog, waiting for his comrades to bring the ladder. Grayson kept watching him, unmoving.