“Burn Out” by Traci Hohenstein

“Burn Out” is a novel by Traci Hohenstein. Below is a synopsis:

Lt. Samantha (Sam) Collins, a firefighter, vanishes after a warehouse fire the week before she was to testify at her estranged husband’s trial for drug charges. The only clue to her disappearance is a firefighter helmet that was left behind at the scene.

Will she locate Samantha in time and also find out what happened to her own daughter?

Traci has been kind enough to provide us with a sample from this story:

Chapter One

Samantha Collin’s story

Santa Rosa Beach, FL Thursday 6:36 PM

Just breathe. Stay focused. I said the mantra over and over to calm myself. This wasn’t my first fire, but my heart still beat a thousand beats a minute as I made my way through flames so vivid I thought I was in hell.

I crawled along the hallway gripping the fire hose tightly. The smoke was so thick I couldn’t see past my gloves. I led my crew towards the rear of the building where the victim was last seen.

The angry, orange flames danced up the walls and I could feel the intensity of the heat, even through my protective gear. We should be getting really close. I thought back to what little information dispatch had given us about the fire.

When the call came into the station fifteen minutes earlier, I thought it would be a small fire. Quick, get in, get out. But this was a doozy. Campbell’s Farmers Market was totally engulfed in flames when we arrived. According to dispatch, the owner’s son was last seen in his office at the warehouse.

I pictured the layout of the market in my head. I’d been to Campbell’s many times to buy fresh fruits and vegetables for my family. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be crawling on my hands and knees in the dark trying to find my way around.

Moving through the dense smoke, I lead the crew to the office which was supposed to be straight ahead. My knees ached badly and I desperately wanted to stop and take a break. But I knew every second counted when a person was missing.

At last I found what I thought was the door to the office. I stopped and felt the door before pushing it open. The smoke was not as heavy in here as it was on the main floor. I slowly made my way around the office and motioned to Kevin and Mack, the guys on my crew, to look around the desk. I felt around the floor and found something hard near the back of the door. I called out to Mack and showed him the body. “Command. Occupant located. We’re heading out. Conditions are worsening,” I spoke into the radio.

Mack and Kevin carried him out while I followed close behind holding the line. I heard a loud noise and turned around to look. It was hard to see with all of the heavy smoke, but in the distance I saw a sliver of light. What the hell was that?

When we got within a few feet of the front door, I noticed something was out of place. At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Was that someone standing in the distance?

I needed to get closer to get a better look. It was now or never. I checked to see if the crew and victim were safely outside. When I turned back around, I saw a figure heading towards the rear of the building. I knew it was against protocol, but I made a split second decision to follow. I made my way back through heavy smoke. The air tank suddenly beeped, sending out a signal I was running low.

I could barely make out who it was, but as I got closer I realized the person had firefighter gear on. I quickened my pace, bumping into furniture and equipment trying to catch up. I tripped over something and landed hard on my side. Within a couple of minutes I heard the frantic call through my radio.

“Mayday!” Command called in a desperate tone. “One firefighter unaccounted for. Mayday!”

My last thought was of Bella and Gracie, my sweet little girls, before the roof collapsed into a fiery crash all around me.

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© 2011, Steven R. Drennon. All rights reserved.