Chapter 1

Ren Davis walked out of the office building, his shoulders slumped in dejection. "Sorry, kid," the gruff interviewer had said with a shrug. "You've got the credentials on paper, but there were just...better candidates. More experienced. We have to go with who we think is the best fit."

Those last words burned in Ren's mind as he trudged down the city sidewalk, feeling defeated. How was he supposed to get experience if no one would give him a chance? It was an endless loop of rejections, each one more demoralizing than the last.

Ren was from a humble background, where his parents struggled to make ends meet and barely managed to pay the bills. Despite their financial hardships, they exerted every ounce of effort to provide for him, even though he was already thirty years old and capable of fending for himself.

Ren felt a  desire to achieve success, aiming to make a difference in their lives by offering them the support they had selflessly given him throughout the years.

Up ahead, Ren noticed a crowd beginning to gather on the street, as immediately a large flame caught his eyes. As he drew closer, he could see towering plumes of smoke rising from one of the large apartment complexes. Bright orange flames licked out of the windows on the upper floors.

"What the heck!?" Ren was surprised as he saw the dense flames.

"My baby! Oh God, my baby's up there!" The tearing scream of a lady who was weeping could be heard above every other voice.

Ren turned towards the woman, his heart clenching at the sight of her tears. "Ma'am," he called over the tumult, "which floor is your baby on?"

She looked up at him in a state of shock. "Wh-what?"

"Your baby," he repeated, keeping his voice level. "What floor of the building?"

"S-seventh..." she stammered, "Seventh floor, Apartment 3C..."

Ren gave a single nod. Then he turned towards the burning building, already working the buttons of his shirt. A fresh murmur of surprise went through the crowd as they realized his intent.

"Hey man, are you crazy??" someone yelled after him, but he kept moving.

Ren rapidly doused himself from head to toe with water from the fire hydrant, making sure every inch of his body was saturated. He tied a wet undershirt around his mouth and nose as a makeshift mask.

With a final glance around, he charged straight towards the main entrance of the burning building.

The intense wave of heat hit him like a physical force as he plunged through the shattered lobby doors. "Come on, come on... I need to move faster," he muttered to himself, his voice muffled. "The stairs have to be here somewhere... Please, don't let them be blocked..."

Finally, he found the stairwell, even worse than the lobby. Entire sections had collapsed, leaving gaping holes. "Damn it... This is not good... I need to find a way up... Keep going, keep going..."

Wheezing with exertion, Ren kept climbing, one agonizing step after another. At last, he recognized the molded numbering on the wall: 3F. Apartment 3C was just down the hall.

Pulling open the door, he was nearly pushed back by a blast of intense heat and flames. "Eyaaaaa! Eyaaa!" a terrible, sad cry cut through the deafening chaos.

Ren burst through the door, scooping up the baby and cradling its fragile body against his chest. "Hang on, I've got you," he said in a hoarse, strained voice.

The descent seemed to stretch on forever, but Ren pushed relentlessly on. When he at last burst through the shattered lobby doors, he exclaimed, "Thank God!"

The crowd parted in stunned silence, then a ragged cheer went up. The mother rushed towards him. "My baby!" she cried, taking the precious bundle into her embrace.

Ren sagged in exhaustion, his body covered in blistering burns. But it was worth it to see the mother's smile of gratitude.

Another distraught woman pushed forward. "Seventh floor, Apartment 3G! She's only seven, please save her!!" Ren couldn't stop himself from saving the second child.

Without hesitation, Ren turned and charged back into the burning building.

Ren didn't

The stairwell was even worse this time, with entire sections collapsed. Ren's lungs burned as he pushed forward.

Ren had finally gotten to the third floor again as he was breathing heavily. When he heard the voice of a small figure which was huddled amidst the debris, trapped beneath a collapsed section of the ceiling.

"Daddy! I'm trapped, I can't get out!" the terrified voice of a young girl echoed down the hallway.

Without hesitation, Ren rushed towards the source of the cries. He shoved burning rubble aside, ignoring the blistering pain as the flames licked at his exposed skin.

There, underneath a massive wooden beam, lay a small child - no more than seven years old. Tears streamed down her ash-covered face as she reached out to him in desperation.

"Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here!" Ren shouted, grabbing the heavy beam with both hands. With a tremendous effort, he lifted it just enough for the girl to pull herself free.

Coughing and shaking, the child scrambled out from under the debris, collapsing at Ren's feet. He quickly scooped her up, holding her trembling form. "What's your name?" Ren asked.

"My name is Lily," she coughed out. Ren was happy that he had finally seen the person he was looking for.

"That's a cute name. Don't worry, we're going to see Mommy," Ren assured the little girl as he carried her with a joyous smile.

Lily clung to him with a trembling grip, her face still buried against his smoke-stained shirt. He could feel her rapid, panicked breaths hot against his skin as she tried not to inhale the swirling fumes around them.

All of a sudden, the stairs ahead were blocked by a hellish orange glow and waves of heat. Ren recoiled, nearly losing his footing before catching himself. He quickly changed course, kicking open a door that opened into another corridor of apartments.

This one was slightly less consumed, the air still somewhat breathable. Embers crunched under his foot, ceiling tiles shaken loose with each thunderous groan of the building's stressed supports. Ren sidestepped through the chaos, sheltering Lily as best he could.

Just as they had finally reached the exit, a burning plank fell to the ground, blocking the way. The exit was blocked by a fallen support beam, as the flames hungrily moved at the charred wood.

Lily clung to Ren, her eyes widening. Ren carried Lily down and tried to comfort her as she cried. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

With quick thinking, Ren tore a strip of fabric from the remaining tattered shreds of his shirt. He wrapped the cloth tightly around his hands, as he made a protective covering against the blistering heat of the plank.

Taking a deep breath, he crouched down and grabbed the burning beam with his covered hands. His muscles ached and felt completely exhausted, but he clenched his teeth and summoned all his remaining energy.

With a loud, fierce cry, he pushed upwards, lifting the burning beam just high enough for Lily to crawl underneath. "Go! Run, get out of here now!" he shouted at the scared girl.

For a split second, Lily seemed frozen in fear. Then Ren's shout, "Go!" He urged her.

She dropped  into a low crouch and darted forward, getting underneath the raised beam and out to the other side.

As soon as she escaped, a loud, rumbling noise shook the building. More burning debris fell around the Ren, surrounding him in smoke and embers. He threw the beam aside just as the ceiling collapsed, a massive pile of broken beams and burning rubble crashing down to block the exit.

Coughing and stumbling back, Ren's legs finally gave out, and he fell to the burned floor. The smoke hurt his eyes, lungs, and every breath felt like inhaling sharp glass. But he had a faint smile on his soot-covered face as he looked up one last time at the faint light coming from outside, now forever cut off.

"At least...I did something," he whispered to himself. His eyes closed, his head fell to the side, and the chaos around him began to fade.

In his final moments, Ren felt a deep sense of peace and purpose. Then, without warning, a burning beam fell from above, hitting the side of his head with great force. Instantly, he died on the spot, at least he died a hero.