Page 2 of Hemlock Firestorm (Black Timber Peak Hotshots #3)

My canopy opens and the abrupt deceleration leaves me gasping.

I blink hard, trying to clear the spots from my vision as I take stock of my situation.

The thick smoke is making it hard to see.

The clearing I'd been aiming for is nowhere in sight.

Instead, I'm drifting dangerously close to the fire line itself.

"Shit," I mutter, yanking on my control lines to adjust my trajectory.

The clearing is a half mile Southeast. The heat from the flames is intense even from this height, singeing my exposed skin. Sweat trickles down my spine, soaking into my already damp jumpsuit.

A sudden updraft catches my chute, lifting me higher. For a split second, I feel a surge of relief, and then horror as I realize I'm being pulled towards the fire itself. The flames reach up hungrily, as if trying to pluck me out of the sky.

My training kicks in and I fight against the thermal, using every trick in my arsenal to regain control. It's like wrestling a wild animal, every movement a potential disaster. One wrong move and I'll either be roasted alive or smashed against the unforgiving ground .

Through sheer force of will, I manage to angle myself away from the worst of the flames. The smoke is so thick now that I can barely see ten feet in front of me. My eyes sting and water as I scan desperately for a safe landing zone.

There! A small break in the canopy. It's not ideal, but it's my only shot.

I steer towards it, bracing for impact as the ground rushes up to meet me.

All at once, I wish I had done more than send my parents a quick text to tell them I was heading to this fire.

I should have called. My heart hammers in my chest, adrenaline surging through my veins.

Another gust slams into me, yanking my chute sideways. My stomach lurches as I'm thrown off course, hurtling towards a dense patch of trees. The world spins, a dizzying blur of green and orange.

"No, no, no!" I yank desperately at my control lines, fighting to regain control. But it's too late, there’s not enough time. The treeline looms before me, a wall of branches and needles ready to tear me apart.

I crash through the upper branches, twigs and pine needles whipping across my face. Pain explodes behind my eyes as something catches me across the forehead.

Shit. Where was my helmet? My body jerks violently and I feel a pop as the chute snags, leaving me dangling roughly thirty feet above the forest floor with one arm yanked out of its socket.

For a moment, all I can do is hang there, the breath knocked out of me. The acrid scent of smoke fills my nostrils, a stark reminder of the approaching danger. My head throbs, something warm and sticky trickling down the side of my face. Blood, probably.

Just what I need on top of everything else.

I twist, trying to assess my situation. It's bad.

My chute is a tangled mess, wrapped around multiple branches like some demented spider's web.

The lines are pulled taut, digging into my shoulders even through the protective suit.

Every small movement sends shockwaves of pain through my body as my left arm is twisted up behind me.

"Shit," I mutter, fumbling for my radio with my right hand that shakes more than I'd like to admit.

"This is Jumper Hadley. I'm stuck in the canopy, about.

.." I pause, trying to orient myself. The world seems to tilt and spin around me, and I squeeze my eyes shut against a wave of nausea.

"Half a mile north of the intended drop zone.

Fire is approaching rapidly from the southwest. Requesting immediate assistance. Over."

Static crackles in response, the sound grating against my already frayed nerves. I try again, adjusting the frequency with clumsy fingers, but it's no use. Either the radio's damaged or the terrain mixed with the heavy smoke is blocking the signal. Either way, I'm on my own. "Shit."

Sweat trickles down my spine as I weigh my options. I could try to cut myself free, but from this height, the fall could easily break bones, or my neck - if I'm lucky. And with a wildfire bearing down, luck isn't something I can afford to gamble on.

The faint roar of the fire is growing louder by the second, a hungry beast stalking its prey. I crane my neck, trying to spot the flames through the dense foliage. No sign of them yet, but the increasing heat tells me all I need to know. It's coming, and fast.

I reach for my gear, fingers brushing against my saw. If I can just reach that branch above me, maybe I can-

A resounding crack splits the air. I freeze, heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.

Another crack, closer this time. I catch a glimpse of fire as I hear a tree fall.

The fire's jumping from tree to tree in the distance, moving faster than I'd anticipated.

The wind was being a real bitch today. Panic claws at my throat, threatening to overwhelm me.

I remember my therapist telling me to refocus when the panic gets too strong.

I quickly take stock of my surroundings as I attempt to ground myself.

I see smoke. I hear flames. I taste blood. Damn it. I feel pain. Well, so much for that.

I'm a sitting duck up here, trussed up like a Christmas turkey just waiting to be roasted. The thought sends a panicked hysterical giggle bubbling up in my chest. I clamp down on it, hard. Losing it now is not an option.

"Come on, Hadley," I growl, renewing my efforts to free myself. My muscles scream in protest as I stretch upward with my good arm, trying to reach the branch above me. Any movement makes me hiss in pain as my other arm is also shifting. "You've been in worse spots than this."

But even as I say it, I'm not sure I believe it. At least that night in our house, I had my brother and my parents. Right now my whole team is likely oblivious to what is going on.

The heat is intensifying, the smoke thickening around me like a suffocating blanket. Each breath becomes a struggle, my lungs burning as I fight to draw in air. My eyes water and sting, vision blurring as I blink rapidly to clear them.

A shower of embers rains down, a deadly parody of falling stars. They singe holes in my jumpsuit. One lands on my chute, smoldering dangerously close to the lines holding me aloft. Falling is perhaps my best option now.

Time seems to slow as I watch that tiny ember, knowing that my life literally hangs by a thread. If it burns through...

I close my eyes, Jacob's voice echoing in my head. Clear and strong, just like that night so long ago.

"Just jump!"

But I can't. Not this time. There's nowhere to go, no way out. Dad isn’t there to catch me. I'm trapped, helpless in a way I haven't felt since I was twelve years old.

For the first time in years, I allow myself to feel the full weight of my fear.

The forest around me fades away, and suddenly I'm back in that burning house.

The heat is suffocating, the smoke so thick I can barely see my hand in front of my face.

I can hear Mom screaming, the sound muffled and distant. And Jacob...

I failed you then, Jacob. And now…