FicWad

-I walk through the metal detector and my belt and boots set it off just like everyday. I raise my hands and get the stupid wand just like everyday. I card out and walk to my car, my muscles ache like a mother fucker from lifting heavy shit all night long. It's the end of another long night at work.
-I get to my car to find it covered in beer and leftover food. Some assholes had a party at my expense, wish I could find out who and teach them a lesson. I sigh with frustration, there's nothing else I can really do. I wipe off the car and get in, the end of another miserable day of my miserable life.
-I start to drive home; my body is starting to feel the strain of the nights work now. What do you expect when you spend three hours lifting packages that weigh a minimum of 70 pounds?
-Its 3:00 in the morning and it should be dark, but up ahead I see something bright. I can't see what it is with all the trees blocking my view but it's a bright, flickering mix of yellow, orange and red. It doesn't take a genius to know that something's burning.
-I figure it's just some punk kids partying around a bonfire, nothing I need to worry about. I think about the punks that messed with my car and wonder if these could be the same ones but I doubt it.
-As I get closer to whatever it is that's burning I see a bunch of cars stopped by the side of the road. A small group of people are standing together looking in the direction of the fire light, but these aint punks. These are normal people and they look worried about something, a woman is crying on a man's shoulder.
-I get passed the trees and I see what the fuss is about, a barn's going up in flames. It's been a hot week; the wood must make for some dry kindling. It's not really my problem but I stop anyway, it's the decent thing to do.
-I park my car and walk over towards the others to see if everyone is ok. From what I can gather the barn belongs to the crying lady and the guy who was trying to comfort her is her husband. It's just material shit, they'll live. Then the woman looks around and asks where her daughter is.
-Everyone starts looking around but the girl isn't there. The mother starts getting hysterical and everybody is trying to calm her down when they should be looking for the kid. Then I hear it, the sound of someone screaming, and its coming from the fire.
-Everyone starts to panic and the woman is screaming but nobody is doing a damn thing about it. I look for someone useful to help. There's an old man, no help there, a teenage girl, just as useless. Then I see the young guy, a little older than me, he'll do fine.
-"Hey! Get me some water NOW!" I yell. It takes the idiot a second to act but then he gets his ass in gear and runs for the house. A second latter he comes out with a bucket of water, not as much as I'd hoped but it'll do.
-I poor it over my head, it feels good after all the sweating I did at work. I toss the empty bucket away and run for the barn. The big double doors are closed and covered in flames. The woods so damn dry, I know this place won't stay standing for long. The girl is still screaming, screams of terror but not pain, that's a good sign; at least she's still alive.
-I back up to get a running start and kick the door open. The water will form a protective barrier of steam over my skin so I won't burn, but it won't last long, I've got to move fast.
-I look around the room; the walls and hay are consumed by the fire. The girl is hugging her knees in the middle of a dirt heap; she's younger than I thought, nine or ten. She screams for help, pleading for someone to save her, sad to say I'm all she's got.
-I rush over to her and take off my t-shirt, its still good and wet, it'll provide some protection for her. While I'm wrapping her up one of the beams fall down from above, I shield the girl with my own body and the burning piece of wood falls on my back.
-I grit my teeth and groan from the pain, it hurts so damn much! I can feel the hot embers burning into my skin and making me blister. This is going to leave a mark but better me than her. I use the pain; use the adrenaline to give me strength. Get over it! I tell myself, this kids counting on you, don't fuck it up.
-"GET OFF MY BACK!" I yell as I push myself up hard and send the burning chunk flying. My bodies tired now, my muscles don't want to work anymore. I can't blame them; I should be sitting at home right now taking a nice shower. They've been lifting heavy shit all night, they were tired and sore before I even came here. Come on body, just a little more, I tell myself.
-I pick the girl up in my arms; she clings to me so tight it almost hurts. I look at the way I came in, the flames have gotten higher I don't have any more protection, oh well. I don't care what happens to me, never really have, but this little girl is depending on me. I look up to the sky past the burning roof, to whatever omnipotent force that might be up there watching me.
-"You owe me for this one." I say to myself and to god if he's listening. I'm not cut out for this shit, all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed but here I am in a fucking inferno trying to save some kid I've never even met, aint life a bitch?
-I run for the opening as fast as I can, the kid doesn't weigh enough to slow me down much. I jump through the flames and they lick at my skin, god it burns like hell. My entire body is hurting now, screaming at me to stop whatever the heck it is I'm doing.
-A make it over to the crowd of people, an ambulance is there now. I hand the girl to her mother and she holds her tight. I step back as everyone checks on the kid, and then I fall.
-The girl is safe now so its ok, my injuries have caught up with me. It doesn't hurt so badly anymore; it's just so damn cold now. I don't mind dying, never valued my life anyway. At least I got to do something good with it in the end. Nobody seems to notice I'm on the ground but I don't care, not really sure I want them to help me anyway. I told god he owed me one, and it's time to collect.