Choose Your Own Adventure (Tommy Edition) - Part Fourteen
Part Thirteen found here.
"Howie," Tommy said, nodding at the Howie on his left and belatedly remembering the new title as he looked to the one on his right. "Captain Han," he said, nodding again, not wanting to leave the second Howie out. "I'm just, uh, just gonna see if Panikkar could use another hand."
He jerked a thumb in Ravi's direction, ignoring the suspicious looks Cap and the Howies were giving him as he discreetly swiped a spare Halligan off of the 118's rig.
"Here to help, right?" Tommy called out over whatever Cap was about to say. Probably something annoying like 'stop' or 'stay put.' Striding over towards Ravi, he veered off at the last second and made a break for the front doors of the building.
Running was the last thing his body wanted to do at the moment—tired, aching, broken—but it was the only way he was going to get to Evan. Ignoring the shouts behind him, Tommy put on a burst of speed and kept going, one frantic foot after the other, through the doors and the smoke until he found himself up on the first floor.
Ripping off his mask, Tommy immediately puked all over the landing. His throat burned, eyes streaming as he coughed up what felt like half a lung, and he stumbled back against a wall.
"What the hell are you doing, Kinard?" Cap shouted over the radio. "Get your ass back out here!"
"Gotta find Evan," Tommy muttered at his mask as he struggled to fit it back onto his face.
He jolted, fumbling for his radio to answer. "On my way to find Buckley, Cap," he said. "Stand by."
"Stand by—stand BY? Kinard, I am going to—" Cap's blustering cut off and Howie's voice came through, although Tommy couldn't tell if it was Howie One or Howie Two. He should work on that.
"Tommy, it's not safe," a Howie said. "You have to evacuate. It's okay. Buck's going to come out too."
That wasn't right. Tommy frowned, squinting through the smoke as he tried to remember why. Evan was...was stuck. That's why Tommy was here. To find him.
"I'll find him," Tommy said into his radio. "S'okay, Howies. Don't worry." Bracing a hand against the wall, he made his way off the landing and into the hallway. "Evan! Evan, call out! Make noise!"
Tommy paused, ears straining to hear something, anything...
The sound echoed faintly, coming from the floor above. Tommy followed it, back out and up, heavy feet dragging themselves every step to the second floor.
This hallway had a touch of flame to go with the smoke, licking its way along the ceiling as it traveled down from the third floor.
Tommy spent so much time in the air these days, he'd almost forgotten how beautiful fire could be up close. How bright, how powerful...
And how dangerous. Danger Evan was right in the middle of.
"Evan!" Tommy yelled. "Evan! Keep making noise!"
Bang, BANG, bang. Bang, BANG, bang. Bang, BANG, bang.
"Good boy," Tommy breathed out, following the sound. It had to be one of the units down at the end of the hallway. But which one?
Choose one for Tommy:
Start with the door on the left.
Start with the door on the right.
Voting ended onNov 6, 2025
