Chapter 79: Chapter 79

This fire was the worst one yet. The elementary school wasn't a huge building, six classrooms and an assembly space that doubled as a gymnasium, but it was built of local timber, and it had been well soaked in gasoline. Thank heavens it was nighttime and none of the students were here.

Eli and the other men - along with the crews from two neighboring towns, worked for two hours and had it mostly out, when the explosion in the nearby storage shed caught them by surprise.

Eli saw the flash, heard the roar, and saw something headed toward Boone, one of the younger men, a newlywed with a baby on the way. Eli threw himself on top of the other man and felt the sear of pure fire enter his thigh. Moments later, Boone pushed him over, spoke anxious words that Eli couldn't hear. Other men gathered round, including Stan, who helped lift Eli onto a stretcher.