2
510words
"Dispatch, the fire on the ridge is too strong—our squad can't break through!"
I heard his panicked, coughing voice over the radio.
I walked away in a light mood, humming "Happy."
A few hours later, drone footage showed the ridge charred and barren, just like in my previous life.
This time, I drove straight to the base of the hill to meet him.
When Chris saw me, he charged over like I was his worst enemy,
"Shirley, what the hell are you doing as senior dispatcher? Is this how you pull your weight?"
Hearing that, I replied calmly,
"I dispatched every available resources to protect lives and property."
"Then why did you misreport the fire? I was boxed in almost as soon as I got there."
Then his iron hand came down on me—I stumbled and hit the ground hard.
He stared coldly as I lay there, then pointed at me, vicious, in front of all the orchard owners,
"She's the one who lied about the blaze! We didn't have enough gear—my team almost burned to death because of her!"
The firefighters who died before—they didn\t deserve to be sacrificed for Chris and Lily.
This second chance let me try to change their fate.
But the orchard still couldn't be saved—everything burned.
I watched the locals ready their tools, then finally looked at Chris's grim face.
"I've been in the service for 10 years. I've fought countless fires—I don't make mistakes like that. Besides, my husband was in there—of course I wanted the fire put out."
After I said that, crowd paused, waiting to hear more.
Before I could speak again, Lily cut in,
"Shirley, we've known each other for more than a decade, but as a first responder, I can't cover for you."
She sighed, heavy.
"No one can fully predict how a fire will behave—but your choices affect this whole town's livelihood and the lives of firefighters. These families depend on this land, and every firefighter has someone waiting at home."
Watching Lily play the righteous card, one of the villagers shouted,
"Wait, are you saying she made the blaze worse on purpose?"
"You might not know this, but she won $10 million in the lottery yesterday. That's shared marital property. Who wouldn't want to keep that kind of money?"
Lily seemed to say nothing, but really, she said everything.
She even dabbed at her eyes and drew a deep breath,
"If Captain Chris hadn't risked his life with the crew to dig a firebreak, she would've gotten her wish—and we'd all be gone."
At that, dozens of townspeople erupted, hoisting branches and clubs toward me,
"You witch! You monster! Let's take her down!"
I turned and ran for the station, barely keeping ahead of the mob.
Chris and Lily stood with their arms folded, smirking like they were watching a show.
But just then, the main crew coming back from cleanup rolled toward us.
Several engines flashed red and blue, sirens wailing.
