Humble

Portion from the next chapter in my novel. Will be out of context of course.

Fire. When I arrived, wherever I was, the first thing I saw was fire. I was so startled that I tried to turn and run. When that failed I tried to adjust to what was being shown to me. But my view was hazy and I wanted to rub my eyes and blink. I could tell I was inside a burning building, walking quickly down a hallway that was filling with smoke. The fire was up ahead, bursting out from a room and into the hallway, and running up the walls like a reverse waterfall. My new body seemed shorter and I was glad to see that the walk of this individual was normal and steady. I wasn’t sure if it was a man or woman yet, all I could see was the occasional raised hand, covered in a thick glove up over the coat.

We walked quickly but calmly, going into each bedroom we came across, and opening each and every closet door. The rooms were so far fire-free, but the blaze beckoned up ahead. When we entered a room that was farther from the roaring fire and it was quieter I realized why the vision was hazy. The firefighter had a mask on, and I could also now hear the person breathing steadily through it. The breaths came quicker than normal, but still controlled. We quickly shoved a twin bed aside to ensure no one was under it, threw open the double closet doors, and peered within the adjoining bathroom, all within five seconds. As if delayed a bit since my arrival, the person’s emotions abruptly slammed into me. It was possibly the strongest feelings I had felt yet from a person. There was no mistaking what I was sensing. It was pure and undeniable determination. The kind where you know you are really good at something and nothing makes you doubt yourself. It was focus that comes from so deep within you that you can see or hear nothing else but your goal. I could feel the conviction of what this person believed, and felt no wavering in that conviction.

As we re-entered the hallway and got closer to the fire I heard the sound of a voice in my head, and thought at first that it was my host speaking.

            “Ken – you find her?” a man’s voice asked. There was a sense of controlled urgency in the voice. I realized it was a voice in a headset within the helmet.

            “Not yet.” my male host answered.