"Following the Sirens"
Zack had just finished his lunch and stepped outside for some air when he heard the sirens passing through town. Curious about what could possibly be going on, he decided to hop into his car and follow the sound down the road. Even though he was no longer with the FBI or law enforcement, he could still lend a helping hand if needed, he thought, as he made his way through the winding roads.
Finally, he realized where the sirens were heading and a sudden fear shuttered through his body. The Mill. It was on fire. No! Not them...not Alistair and Ahnna!
Zack pulled up along the side of the road just down a bit from where the rescue vehicles had all converged, and quickly jumped out of his car and ran over to see what he might do to help.
An ambulance had arrived and the EMT’s had Alistair on a stretcher and were putting him in the back of their vehicle. Ahnna was being consoled by Joimus and Maximus... this didn’t look good from Zack’s point of view. Shit.
Alistair and Ahnna had so graciously offered him a place to stay the night of the Wade Wedding – when he arrived in the Glen. In fact, it was because of that one simple act of kindness that Zack found himself wanting to stay here in this town, even had begun looking for a permanent residence. He never imagined he’d be watching the good Reverend being carried out on a stretcher just a few short days later. Just wasn’t right.
Zack watched as the couch he had slept on that night was carried out – completely destroyed by the fire, and tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "Christ, that could have been me... should have been me... not Alistair, not him."
The fire was out quickly, and the clean-up seemed to be under control as well, so Zack decided to head back to the boarding house. Nothing more to do here than wait for news and pray, he thought to himself, walking back to his car. Later, he’d put in a call to the hospital in Coff’s, check on how Alistair was doing.
