FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Alex jolted awake as overhead lights clicked on, the collie roused from his slumber by the blaring of an alarm followed quickly by a voice echoing through the room. "Engine 7, ladder 5, rescue 8-" The woman's voice began to call out as he swung his legs out from the edge of the bed, sitting himself upright as his compatriots did the same. Footpaws sliding into his boots, he stood himself upright and began to pull up his turnout pants as the dispatcher continued. "Box alarm at 3847 Async Business Park, building 2A. Call from site supervisor reports of an odor of smoke and visible smoke on scene. All units respond code 3, time out 0132."

Suspenders tugged over his shoulders, the collie grabbed and slipped on his glasses while he made his way across the room with his fellow crewmates, all quickly filing out of the room and out into the hallway. Some continued along toward a nearby flight of stairs, rushing down to the waiting trucks while others, Alex among them, lined up and began making their way down one of the three brass poles waiting to carry them down into the garage. Booted paws hitting the pad at the bottom, Alex backed away and rushed toward his unit. A midsized rescue unit painted in a deep yellow, in similar appearance to an ambulance, though with many roll up doors surrounding its rear exterior. With the door already opened, he grabbed his turnout jacket off his seat and tugged it on before climbing in, leaving his helmet resting in its spot on the center console as he pulled on his belt.

From the other side the familiar face of his partner appeared as he climbed in to the passenger side. A male red fox a few years older than him, Matt tugged the door closed then buckled himself in as Alex started the engine and began flicking a row of switches above his head. In front of him the garage door rolled open, letting the flashing red and white lights shine off the darkened buildings outside as he and his partner shut their doors. Following one last check of their gear and surroundings, and after tugging on their headsets, Alex put the vehicle in drive and began to roll out onto the street. He spared a glance down at the GPS on his dashboard, then either way down the empty road as he turned the direction it indicated. Once out of the garage Alex flicked another switch, this one on the dashboard that brought the truck's electronic siren to life, it echoing through the mostly empty city streets.

Through the side view mirror he could see the other two trucks beginning to roll out of the station and turn behind him, their own deeper sirens roaring to life and joining the chorus of his. With them on the road now there was only the anticipation of getting to the scene to weigh on them. "So what do you think-" His partner asked, the older fox glancing his way. "Think we've got a live one or just another dud?" He asked as he settled in, his gaze turning back toward the dash, watching as they barreled through an intersection, Alex giving the airhorn a few quick honks to alert anyone who might be coming. "I'd like to believe we've got something. I was having a good dream and was comfy as fuck..." He said with a huff and a shake of his head. "Watch us get dragged out there for some smoking fan belt or some dumpster fire. Some trivial bullshit that site security is probably already putting out."

The fox beside him let out a small laugh and nodded, only to then grunt as one of the wheels dipped into a pothole. "Ssshit- easy! I don't want to get stuck in a reserve again..." He said only to give a wry laugh next. "Or listen to the mechanic bitch about the suspension." Alex nodded as he watched the road a bit more intently. "But yeah- Remember that time we got called out to that gas leak? And it just turned out to be a couple of eggs one of their kids hid?"

Alex laughed a bit at that and nodded. It took him a moment to answer, having to focus on the road so he could slow and take a turn, forcing a couple cars to come to a stop as Matt laid on both his own air horn peddle while hitting the manual sirens. "Yeah that dad didn't look too happy."

The two drove along for some ten or so minutes, weaving through the darkened streets, the shops and small apartment buildings giving way to industrial parks and office plazas, one of which caught their eye right away. A dark blue sign with the words "Async Business Park" across it in white letters along side the corporate logo, the words 'sync' within the letter A, all of it lit in part by a set of lights integrated into the sign, and by the flashing whites and blues of a pair of police cars parked at the plaza entrance. He glanced over at one of the officers, a hyena in a high-vis vest who waved them around the corner, pointing vaguely in the direction they were to go.

They drove on through the empty parking lot, cutting the sirens as they moved toward the designated building, them able to see a thin haze of smoke trailing off into the night sky. Through his headset he could hear the voice of their station officer beginning to dictate orders. "Rescue 8, pull up into... parking lot bravo-" She said as he cut the wheel, turning into the row of empty parking spaces labeled 'Lot B'. "Truck 5, pull up on the east side and get ready in case we need to set up the ladder, over." "Rescue 8 copies, over." Matt spoke into his headset, holding down the transmit button on the cord briefly as they came to a stop. They both pulled off their headsets and grabbed their respective helmets as they undid their belts and hopped out of the rig into the warm evening air.

Matt sized up the building while Alex headed over to one of the compartments and pulled it open. He hung his helmet onto a hook on the inside of the lit compartment and began to pull up his hood as he glanced over his shoulder, hearing the brief roar of the engine. He saw the large truck trundling away from a hydrant, dropping a supply hose in its wake as it headed toward the front of the building, eventually coming to a stop with a hiss of its air breaks.

Attention turned back to the matter at hand, he adjusted his hood then zipped up his jacket before giving it a once over. Satisfied that all was in order he grabbed his air pack and pulled it out from the compartment, components on the setup clanking together as he slipped the heavy tank over his shoulders and started latching the belts and straps into place. He hooked the mask onto his belt and grabbed his helmet again, pulling it onto his head before he grabbed his last bit of kit. A bright orange, heavy duty flashlight and his irons- an axe and a Halligan tool that fitted together snugly and allowed for easy carrying of both pieces. Not bothering to close the compartment, he made his way around the front of the truck and to the other side to find Matt already finished gearing up too.

With a motion of his head, the fox started for the building with Alex in tow. Up by the engine their officer was speaking with a tiger in a white button up shirt and a pair of black cargo pants. Atop his head was a dark blue hardhat bearing the corporation's logo while a patch on his shoulder signified him as being site security. Their conversation was interrupted by the new arrivals as their captain, a middle aged female wolf looked to the duo, quickly joined by a pittbull and buck making their way over from the ladder.

"Alright, here's what we know. We had an automated alarm in the building and a fair bit of smoke but no visible fire, and no fix on the origin. Security officer Donaldson-" She said, motioning toward the tiger who gave a nod. "He pulled a role call he's missing three employees. Two maintenance personnel and an office worker who was pulling an all nighter."

The tiger nodded again as he pulled a clipboard out from under his arm and folded a few pages over until he got to a map showing the layout of the building. "Maintenance was last reported here-" He said, pointing to an area on the fourth floor. "They were working on part of the HVAC system. They go by Floyd and Johnathan- Floyd's a yellow furred stallion and John's a gray furred mouse. As for Allicia-" His finger slid across the map to a cluster of offices. "She's a lioness and was last reported in her office here. I sent guards to go find them but she wasn't there- nor were Floyd and John at the HVAC junction. Its possible they could have just evacuated and could be out of contact, but my guys circled the building twice. And PD went around the compound running their searchlights. None of them spotted anybody so there's a good chance they're still inside somewhere."

Their captain gave a nod as she turned back to the pair. "I already put in a call for more manpower- there's a second engine company and another rescue squad on their way. For now go in with Monroe and Winston to do a search of the fourth floor. Once the other companies get here I'll send in some backup. If something goes wrong and you get cut off-" She motioned for the guard to show the map again, and she pointed a finger along a row of rooms on the south side of the building- where they currently were. "Get to one of these offices. They're all within range of the ladder and we can swing it up to you if need be. Or get up to the roof and we'll extract you from there."

The group absorbed all the information and nodded. "Got it, cap." "Understood, cap" the group said almost in unison. "The maintenance guys are in orange jumpsuits with reflective yellow bands on the backs, legs, and sleeves. Alicia's in a black pencil skirt and a white button up, possibly with a black blouse. She was wearing heels so her movement could be impaired."

The two committed the further details to memory, doing their best to form a mental image of what to look for before they started off toward the building, the other two firefighters joining them. While they were all carrying sets of irons, Monroe had a pike pole in his free hand while Winston was carrying a large fire extinguisher in one hand while carrying a highrise pack over his shoulder- a bundle of hoses meant to tie in to the standpipe system and bring water up to the necessary upper floors.

There wasn't a need for words between them. They all knew their tasks and they passed on through the door as one of their comrades off the engine dragged a fresh hose over to the side of the building, beginning to hook it up to the supply system for the standpipes. Inside the building they could hear the shrill screeching of the fire alarm, the klaxons endlessly sounding three sharp tones, then a second of silence before repeating again, all joined by the constant flashing of bright white strobe lights.

The whole lobby was filled with a thin haze of smoke, prompting the group of men to pause and set their gear down. Masks were unclipped from their belts and fitted over their faces, and with the turning of the valves and a soft hissing, air rushed through the hoses and into their masks. They gathered their equipment back up before setting off through the building again, ignoring the elevators and going for the core stairwell. Until they could get a fix on the fire and the nature of it they weren't going to risk the elevator. Not until they were sure it wasn't some kind of electrical fire that could leave them trapped.

They made their way into one of the central staircases before starting their way up to the second, then third floor before they stopped at the fourth floor landing. There they stood for a moment, rolling their shoulders and stretching as they caught their breath after the brief stint up the stairs carrying their gear. While they rested Winston dropped his highrise kit and began fitting it into the standpipe system as the others caught their breath and gathered their gear again. As Winston laid out the hose the others passed through the door onto the office floor.

They looked around briefly and checked a sign on the wall and with it an evacuation map, getting their bearings. "Alright-" Matt said as he motioned toward the sign. "Winston, Monroe. You two head left, loop up through here..." He said, pointing toward one half of the map, then over to another. "Alex and I will head over here and we'll loop around to meet over here..." He dragged his finger along the map, tracing a path to their meeting point.

With agreements, the teams split their ways and started off toward their respective directions. Alex and Matt started off down the hall, the smoke thicker on the fourth floor but still a haze that they could see through, it catching the light from the flashlights on their helmets, jackets, and in their hands and making visible beams in the smoke filled air. They followed the hallway along, stopping at one point to look in a pair of restrooms before continuing along into a large open area with cube farms set up, them lit by a scant few overhead lights and emergency lights up on the wall, creating several more beams that cut through the haze.

They looked over the cubicles, them set up in rows of double sided cubicles down the center and single rows on either side, before then looking over the rest of the room. There were a few doors along the wall. Some with windows beside them and signs denoting offices and a few others that looked to be closets or maintenance areas.

"We'll sweep the cube farm first." Matt said, his voice muffled by the mask hugging his face. He reached out, sweeping his flashlight over the rows of gray fabric walls as he continued. "You take the left, I'll take the right. Once we check the cubes we'll move on to the offices and then continue."

"Understood. Let's get down to it." Alex said with a nod and a roll of his neck before they went their separate ways, branching off to head down either side of a row of cubicles. Both were still in sight of each other, at least up until Alex spotted something out of the corner of his eye. "Might have something!" He called out as he turned into a cubicle. he shined the light into it and crouched down as Matt turned his way, catching sight of the collie bending behind the wall and disappeared out of sight.

Before Alex could even identify what he saw he felt the ground seemingly give way out from under him. With a yelp he fell forward and landed ungracefully on his face with a groan. Hoping his partner hadn't seen, he began to push himself up only to notice the floor, then his surroundings as he got up onto his knees.

He was no longer in the cube farm. The simple white walls and cheap, short carpeting beneath his feet, the entire dark and smokey office environment was gone. In its place was a dimly lit room bathed in the sickly glow from florescent lights overhead. Through this helmet and hood, and over the hissing air from his tank he could hear the deep, oppressive buzz of the lights above him. Slowly he pushed himself to his feet and turned in place. All around him was the same sight. Sickly yellowish papered walls made worse by the greenish glow of the lights. Not seeing any smoke, he turned off his tank and hesitantly began to pull off his helmet, then off his mask. His mottled nose twitched then wrinkled as he took in a breath. The room smelled subtly of moisture and rot. The air itself was stale, as if a breeze had never once blown through whatever this room was.

He looked up, expecting to find a hole in the ceiling but there was nothing. Just a light beaming down on him, it identical to the hundreds of other lights that stretched on in either direction from left to right. Clipping his mask to his belt again, he put his helmet back on before pulling out his radio.

"Portable 3 to engine 7, respond..." He let go of the button and listened, only the faint sound of static greeting him. "Portable 3 to E7, respond..." Still nothing. Pulling off a glove, he twisted one of the knobs on top, changing the frequency.

"Portable 3 to dispatch, come in..."

Nothing. Again he turned the dial.

"Portable 3 to any PD units, please respond..."

Still nothing. Feeling a twinge of worry he turned the dial a few more times, going from transmitting from one single channel to blanketing every one. "This is portable 3 to anybody who can hear me. Please respond..."

Nothing. No response, no background chatter, just the continual buzz. He could feel his heart beginning to race as he tried to make sense of what had happened. His mind wanted to tell him that he simply fell through the ceiling to the floor below- yet he could tell that hadn't happened. He knew for a fact something... strange had happened. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath, steadying his shaking nerves as he held it and slowly let it out. Opening his eyes again, he reached into his pocket and returned his radio before he pulled out a long, thick roll of florescent, reflective green tape. Crouching down, he peeled a strand of tape off and stuck a line down on the floor. Then another, making a bright green X before he looked around.

There was no indication on which way to go. Every path looked almost identical. And with no way to easily pick one over the other he sighed and shook his head before muttering under his breath. "Eeeny, meeny, miny..." he said, his gaze going from doorway to doorway as he went through the little rhyme, it finishing with his eyes resting on one random, nondescript entryway that was identical to all the others. Again he peeled off a length of tape, then another, and another, making an arrow on the floor pointing from his starting point off in the direction he was going. Satisfied, he pocketed the tape again before looking over what he had on himself.

Along with the tape there were a trio of thick, colored paint markers, and a small forcible entry tool. It was very little, but it was all he had. With a shake of his head he picked up his flashlight, switching it off before clipping it to his belt. With the lamp secured he pulled on his glove again before grabbing his irons and standing to his feet. With one last look around he started for the entryway he had chosen. Along the way he reached into his pocket, pulling out an orange marker and bit off the cap before drawing a bright orange X on the door he came in from. He stuck the cap into his pocket and started off, marking his way as he began to call out.

"Hello? Hello! Fire department!" He shouted into the buzzing, musty void. There wasn't any sort of echo. It was like his voice died as soon as it left his mouth, it not being carried any meaningful distance. Still he continued to try. "Fire department! Can anyone hear me?" He shouted as he passed through another entry, again marking his passing through it. He wasn't sure where to go exactly, but he could recall that if one was trapped in a maze, then following the right hand wall would eventually lead to the exit. He wasn't sure yet if this place was indeed a maze, but he hoped that would indeed be the case as he took another right turn.

Every now and then he'd pause and pull out his radio, taking a few minutes to try and raise somebody, each time to no avail. And with no reply to his calls he set back off again, trying to maintain his composure as he walked through the barren, seemingly infinitely repeating hallways. He could feel the tension mounting with each muted step of his heavy duty boots against the wet carpet below. Beneath his helmet and hood his ears tried to twist and turn, angling toward what he swore were the sounds of someone knocking. More than once he stopped and whipped his head back, his heart racing as something primal tugged inside him. Though every time nothing was there. Just the many halls and empty rooms.

He held a lingering gaze behind him, trying to steady his breathing before he started to turn around and walk. Only to then nearly jump out of his skin as he saw someone in front of him. With a startled yelp he staggered back, his heart hammering in his ears as he looked wide eyed at the figure before him. It was perhaps a head shorter than him, dressed in a white button up that was subtly dirtied with soot, and a pencil skirt... "Alicia?!" He asked in surprise, the lioness just staring back at him. He watched as her eyes wandered down and up and saw a sense of relief visibly wash over her. He could see some of the tension visibly leave her body as she nodded. "Y-Yeah, I'm Alicia. How did you...?"

"The security guard told us your name. Are you hurt? Can you walk?" He watched as she shook her head and idly rubbed at her crossed arms, her ears pinned flat against her head. "I'm not hurt, no. And I can walk... You're gonna get me out of here, right?" She asked him. Alex gave a nod as he looked her over once, quickly checking her over for injuries as he answered her.

"Of course. Yeah I'm gonna get you out of here..." He said with a soft smile as he met her gaze again, glad to see she wasn't hurt. "Just stay with me and we'll get through this, alright?" He crouched down and put down his tools before reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out the roll of tape, causing Alicia to tilt her head. "What's that? What are you doing?"

"Its tape we use to mark areas we've searched..." He said as he made a circle on the floor out of green tape, differentiating the area from the X at his starting point. "I'm trying to leave some tracks... Tape arrows on the floor and orange Xs beside doorways I've passed through. Have you seen any?"

He watched as the lioness thought for a moment, running her fingers through her sleek blonde hair as she seemed to try and recall. Though after some thought he watched as she shook her head. "No... no I don't recall seeing anything like that... but then I haven't been looking. I've been really anxious here... I-I... I know it sounds crazy but-" Before she could finish the collie spoke. "Like you're being watched? Or followed?" He asked her.

The lioness seemed to relax a little, Alex guessing she was happy to know the feeling wasn't just her imagination. "Yeah... yeah it feels like there's someone... or something here but..."

"Try not to dwell on it, alright?" he asked as he stood, pocketing the tape again and grabbing his irons. "I know its hard but... we've gotta try and keep our heads clear if we're gonna get out of this place."

Upon hearing that her features fell. He imagined she was convinced he knew exactly where he was going. That he somehow knew the correct set of twists and turns that would take them out of this strange maze of halls and back to some familiar surroundings. As she was discovering, he was just as lost as she was. Still, at least he wasn't alone anymore. He had someone to help watch his back, and him watch hers. "Alright... I'll try to keep focused... H-Hey, what's your name anyway?" She asked him.

"Alexander." He said, managing a small smile. "But you can just call me Alex. Now... I don't want to take any risks, okay?" He asked as he turned around slightly, not daring to let her out of his sight. Maybe it was just paranoia, but he got the sense if he let her out of his sight he'd never see her again. "See the one of the belts on my air tank? Or one of the straps hanging from it? Grab onto it and do not let go. Understand? That way I'll know you're still following me. If you need to stop at any time just tell me and we'll take a breather. Alright?"

Alex watched as she listened intently, her ears perked up high. She gave a nod as she reached out, grabbing hold of one of the dangling straps before wrapping it once around her hand, stepping in closer to him. "Alright, Alex. Lead the way and let's see if we can get out of here."

"Let's get to it then. And keep your eyes peeled. There's a pair of maintenance workers who are missing- a horse and a mouse. If you see either of them let me know." With another nod from her, he watched the lioness take a quick look at her surroundings. Content that they were ready, Alex started off again with her in tow, picking another door and marking it as he passed through before continuing along.

Buckles and clips clinked and clacked with each step, his head swiveling left and right, peering into each entryway as they moved along. All the while he could feel the pull of her grip on the strap, reminding him that she was still following. That he wasn't alone in this strange place. Neither of them said a word to each other, just focusing all their attention on their surroundings. The only time either of them spoke was when Alex would make another call out into the void. "Fire department! Can anyone here me?" He'd occasionally call out, never hearing anything in response. Every now and then they'd come to a stop and he'd leave a fresh mark on the floor or wall with his tape or paint marker before taking another right hand turn.

Random right turn after right turn, each hallway and room lead to another which lead to another. There was no rhyme or reason to the architecture. Just empty rooms and random stretches of hallways with the occasional dead end. Just a seemingly infinite expanse of rooms. Eventually they came to a stop another room. A room identical to all the others. "Alright, hang on..." He said with a huff as he set down his irons and pulled off his gloves. "I need a breather... fucking hell..." He pulled his helmet off and pulled down his hood, wiping sweat from his fur as the caught his breath.

Walking through this unsettling maze would have been bad enough, but to do so in his turnouts and tank made the ordeal all the more exhausting. He found himself growing desperate for a drink, though had nothing to quench his thirst. He could only endure and power on. "We'll take a few minutes, rest, catch our breaths, then set off again." He said to Alicia as she stepped around into view, watching her nervously crossing her arms again as she looked around. She was visibly tense and Alex couldn't blame her.

"I don't even know how long we've been walking for..." She murmured. Time was rapidly losing all meaning here. Without his phone or him being able to get to his watch, and with Alicia seemingly having lost hers, they were left in the dark as to just how long the duo had been trudging on for. "Do you think we'll get out of here?" She went on to ask as she turned to Alex again. The collie was now easing himself down on the floor, sitting up against the wall with a groan as he stuffed his gloves into his pocket.

"We'll get out of here... I don't know how, but I'm not about to let either of us get stuck in this place." He said as he pulled his radio back out from his pocket. "We just have to keep a level head and we'll make it through this..." He said to the lioness before he brought the radio to his mouth. "Portable 3 to engine 7... Portable 3 to engine 7, how do you copy?" Still only static. He switched the channel and spoke again. "Portable 3 to dispatch... portable 3 to dispatch, how copy, over?"

Nothing. In frustration he smacked the palm of his hand against the base of the radio in vain attempt to coerce the thing into working, but repeated calls into it yielded nothing. Just a continuing hiss of static. "Its no good..." He said as he switched it off to conserve the battery. "Wherever this place is, there's just no signal. I can't get through to anyone anywhere..." He stuffed the device back into his pocket and laid his head back against the wall. He wanted to close his eyes and rest them, but he couldn't bring himself to. This place was already weird enough. He wasn't going to discount the possibility that if he closed his eyes long enough the layout would change.

"I don't like this..." He heard her murmur, watching her tail flitting about in agitation as she approached one of the other walls to lean against it. The collie let out a dry laugh and watched her with a nod before he slipped a hand up under his glasses, rubbing at his eyes. "Yeah I don't like this either... but we'll get through this, alright? You have my-" He pulled his fingers away from his eyes and looked up to see he was alone.

His blood froze as he stared at the spot Alicia was standing just seconds ago... He blinked. Was it seconds? Did he fall asleep? No... no she would have woken him if she did. And she wouldn't have wandered off. He felt a primal fear well up in him and he began to question his own sanity. She really was there... wasn't she? She had to be! He could recall her tugging on the strap of his tank. Recall her footsteps. Her voice. She was real!... Right?

It was difficult but he tried not to let the fear get to him. She was real. She must have just... He dozed off and she wandered, the rooms changed! That had to be it. It was the only explanation he could think of that could logically explain what had happened. While that somewhat helped shore up his slipping sanity, it didn't change the fact he was all alone once again. Pushing himself up off the floor, he took a paint marker from his pocket faced the wall as he bit the cap off. 'Rested here- Alicia disappeared. I came in from here-' he scrawled, drawing an arrow to the door he passed through before finishing off by scrawling 'FF Alex B.' followed by the date. He capped the marker and took a step back, then turned around to pull up his hood then strap his helmet back on.

From there he bent down and grabbed his tools. Irons in hand, he stood up and with a roll of his shoulders and set off again, trying to tune out the unending florescent drone from the lights overhead, it seemingly louder than before. He picked a doorway and started off once more, pen in hand and marking each door he came out of. As he was drawing an X next to another door he caught something out of the corner of his eye. It was brief, and when he turned his head to look it was gone. But for a moment he could swear he saw the faint shapes of something crawling and skittering about beneath the dingy wallpaper. He stared at the spot, it flat as it ever was. No sign of the creatures crawling.

At least until he saw it out the corner of his other eye. Part of the painted X on the wall bulging out slightly as something wandered beneath it, and with it the brief sound of faint chittering. Again his head snapped toward it. Again it was gone. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to calm himself down as he reluctantly took in a slow breath of the stale, musty air. Again he opened his eyes only to spy the vague shape of a door to his left. Head snapped in the direction once more. Nothing. Just another wall... "Get a grip, Alex... get a grip..." He muttered to himself, again closing his eyes and shaking his head, trying in vain to chase the mounting paranoia and anxiety away.

He drew another breath to steady his nerves then stepped forward, the damp carpet gently squishing under his boot as he started for another door. Another right turn. Another random number of steps until picking another arbitrary door. All the while he could feel desperation beginning to mount. The oppressive, samey atmosphere of the unending gauntlet of rooms wearing down on his psyche. And much to his dismay things only continued to get worse.

Again he took a right turn and stopped in his tracks when he spotted a bright green X on the floor with an arrow pointing off toward a doorway, the neon tape now loose, it peeling and curling from the moisture in the floor eating away at its adhesiveness. Somehow he had gone full circle. Despite all the twists and turns, the unknown length of time spent walking, the attempts to track his path had all culminated in this. Right back where he started. He just stared at that spot on the floor, letting the weight of the discovery weigh on him as he tried not to give into despair.

He closed his eyes and took a breath. Held it, then let it out. And with a heavy sigh he set off once more. He gave up trying to exclusively go right, instead taking the first door on his left. Continued right turns just brought him back to the start. He was trying to ascribe logic to a place where there didn't seem to be any. Maybe just walking at random would yield some results. So he went on, passing through doors and marking them with a different colored paint marker before continuing on his way. All the while trying to ignore the increasing number of figures seemingly crawling beneath the wallpaper.

He tried to tell them they weren't real. They couldn't be. They were gone every time he looked. It had to be his mind playing tricks on him. A thought he doubled down on when he heard a voice. It sounded far away yet right in his ear. It was barely a whisper, with the subtle sound of his gear being enough to briefly block it out. Whatever it was saying he couldn't understand. He could tell it was another language but he couldn't place what language exactly. All he knew for sure was the sudden appearance of the voice was turning his blood cold. He twisted himself around away from the wall he was marking, his eyes darting every which way as his head moved on a swivel.

The voice was gone. It was only him. Him and the buzzing of the lights that just seemed to keep getting louder. Even through the padding of his hood and the helmet he could still hear it droning on and on. The incessant buzz refusing to go away even as he shook his head and tried to tune it out. It was like having tinnitus. It was always there. Wearing him down, getting into his head. And it just kept getting louder. He was breathing heavily as he staggered toward one of the walls, slumping up against it as he pulled his helmet off. It landed on the wet floor with a muted clatter as he slid down the wall onto his knees.

He dropped his irons with a louder clanging as his hands went up to his head. He pinned them against his ears beneath his hood, his breathing growing more labored and quickening in pace as he tried to make it stop. Make the buzzing stop. "Make it stop- make it stop MAKE IT STOP!" He started to shout, the buzzing growing louder with each passing second. Soon he couldn't even hear his own desperate screaming, pleading for a respite from the noise as he slumped down fully onto the floor, hands clutched tightly over his head as he started to go fetal. By now the buzzing was growing into an unending roar that he was sure was going to blow out his eardrums. And it just kept getting louder. And louder.

He could feel the hum in his bones. Reverberating through his muscles. Feel the buzz threatening to rip him apart. And still it grew in intensity. By now words had left him. All he could do was scream. A scream lost to him as his world devolved into a world of blackness from his clenched shut eyes and that maddening, never ending drone. He could feel it stripping his sanity away, feel his mind starting to crumble, and when he thought he could endure no more... it stopped.

He laid there in the fetal position, hands clutched tightly over his head as he whimpered like an abused puppy. He didn't know how long he was on the floor for. Didn't know if he had passed out or fallen asleep. Eventually though his eyes started to flutter open, and all he could do was stare, utterly dumbfounded.

The rooms were gone... The buzz of the lights, the stale, damp smell, the sickly greenish yellow wallpaper and the soaking wet carpet. He was on a tile floor... and through the haze of smoke he could begin to make out the features of a restroom... pulling his hands from his ears he was expecting to hear the shrill, tri-tone call of the fire alarms and the faint crackling of flame from somewhere in the distance... yet he heard nothing. And as he drew in a breath through his nose he was greeted with the scent of stale smoke and long burnt electronics and drywall.

He couldn't being to understand what had happened. And he fought the urge to try. Despite the psychological toll that was still weighing on mind, he pushed himself back onto his feet. He was still in a burning building... was he? As he stood and looked around he realized the haze of smoke was gone. As he looked around he pulled out his radio and switched, it still transmitting nothing but static. "Portable 3 to Engine 7, how do you copy?" He looked at the radio and waited. Still no answer. Stuffing it back into his pocket, he decided to venture out and get his bearings.

He went to gather his irons again only to see they were gone, as was his helmet. No doubt still sitting on the floor in that hellish place. He didn't try to look for him. He just started for the bathroom door, pushing it open to reveal a hallway that had been blackened by soot and char and was completely clear of smoke. The carpet had been burned away and the paint peeled and roasted from the walls. Slowly he stepped out into the open and looked around. He was indeed back in an office building. And as he stepped into the hall and started to walk he noticed a glow from around a corner up ahead.

Walking slowly he braced himself against the wall and crept forward, his heart hammering away as his tormented mind flooded him with thoughts of just what it could be. Though none of those thoughts were anywhere near the reality of the situation.

As he rounded the corner he came into view of a burned out cube farm and a number of broken windows that looked out into daylight, letting in a cool breeze. He felt a sense of relief wash over him as he saw he was home and that it was daytime. He made his way over to one of the windows and looked out it, drawing in some fresh air for the first time since the ordeal started. Down below he could see the parking lot. Though what he couldn't see were any of his fellow firefighters.

What he did see left him with a newfound wave of anxiety and confusion. The first thing he noticed were the leaves on the trees and small forest surrounding the parking were beginning to turn, their once green leaves now mixed with hues of yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. In the lot itself several construction vehicles and dumpsters were strewn about the parking lot while men in high-vis vests and hardhats wandered around. None seemed to notice them, the workers going about their business as he just stared and tried to make sense of the sight.

His train of thought was interrupted however when he heard a voice from behind him, it simply asking "What the fuck...?"

He turned around and spotted a hyena in a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, him lifting his hardhat off to scratch his head. "Who the fuck are you? How did you get up here?" He went on to ask as a lion stepped around from beside him. "Hey-" The lion began to ask, eyeing the collie up and down. "Isn't that the guy? The one who bought it?"

Alex could only stare, his unease growing as he listened to the pair speak. "Holy shit... I think it is! That-... t-that's the guy! The one they said had died!" Alex's blood froze once again as he listened to that. They thought he was dead? Did everyone think he had died? He drew in a few shaky breaths as he leaned up against the wall beside the broken window, his gear clinking as his irons dropped to the floor with a soft clatter against the burned carpet. "How... how long..." was all he could manage out as the two workers looked at each other, then back at him.

"My guy... its been three months since the fire... how did you get here? Where've you been?"

Alex didn't have an answer. He just slid down the wall, eventually coming to sit on the singed floor as his tortured mind, unable to cope with the latest round of information, simply began to shut off. He didn't even react as the two came rushing over to check on him. Barely able to hear their concerned voices as he started to hear a ringing in his ears. Much to his dismay it reminded him of the accursed humming of those overhead lights. And all he could do was sit there and dwell on that thought as the duo called for help and tried to rouse him to his senses...