All Chapters of Oxygen Runs Out, Love Burns Out: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The words had barely left my mouth when my helmet was yanked off with such force that it nearly snapped my neck.Cassadee Flack—the hero I once looked up to—stood before me, her face twisted in fury. She glared at me, her expression livid."Emmett Doherty, have you lost your mind?" Her scream cut through the roar of the fire, crashing into me along with a wave of scalding heat."You're going to use the Incident Command Center's emergency override authority over something this trivial? Do you want the entire station laughing at us?"She raised her hand as if she were about to hurl my helmet—my only means of communication—against a storage rack that was glowing red from the heat.I wanted to stop her, but the lack of oxygen was making my vision go dark. I could barely stand up straight, and my body swayed before I dropped heavily to my knees.Thick smoke was everywhere, burrowing its way into my lungs. Every single breath felt like torture.My consciousness began to fade. As the f

"Cassadee… I really… can't hold on much longer…"I grabbed the corner of Cassadee's turnout coat. My fingers had already begun to cramp and curl from the lack of oxygen.But she just shook me off impatiently."Stop pretending, Emmett. I'm sick of your act," she said, her voice icy and dripping with years of pent-up contempt. "In the past, whenever you couldn't keep up during physical evaluations, you'd fake having heatstroke. Whenever a rescue assignment got too tough, you'd suddenly say your old injuries were flaring up. And now, you're pulling this crap again just to garner sympathy?"Suddenly, a massive concrete panel crashed down beside me with a loud boom, sending shards of debris flying.But she didn't even spare it a glance, instead turning and walking away.From the other side of the wall, I heard her voice—so gentle that it felt almost unfamiliar—as she coached Colin on how to regulate his breathing."Ignore him. He's always had a hero complex. He can't stand seeing s

When I slowly opened my eyes again, I found myself in the ICU. The rhythmic beeping of the monitors was strangely reassuring.Rebecca was sitting right next to my bed, exhaustion etched deep into her features."You're awake?"She turned toward me, the relief in her voice obvious."Another five minutes, and your brain would've suffered irreversible damage."I wanted to say something, but nothing came out."Your vocal cords are burned. Don't talk."She grabbed a damp cotton swab and gently moistened my cracked lips. I gave her a grateful look."Just doing my job," she said, setting down her clipboard. "It was my oversight that allowed my men to suffer such an injustice."A sharp edge flashed in her eyes."Cassadee Flack has been suspended. Her disciplinary report, along with Colin Halfpenny's, will be submitted to headquarters tomorrow."The words had barely left her mouth when the ICU room door was flung open with a bang. Cassadee rushed in, her eyes bloodshot.A nurse was f

The searing pain in my lungs made me almost forget how to breathe.When Colin saw me stay silent, he grew even more agitated."You think you're so incredible? Without you, Cassadee would still be a hero! She was already sick and tired of living in your shadow!"He dashed forward a few steps, his voice rising with a vicious kind of satisfaction."If you hadn't been hogging the position of tactical rescue team leader, she wouldn't have been the subject of all that gossip!"Cassadee's face turned ashen as she shot up from the floor."Col! What nonsense are you saying?""Nonsense?"Colin scoffed coldly, but even more tears glistened in his eyes, as if he'd suffered the greatest grievance. "Is it nonsense? How many times have you complained to me, saying that Emmett was too talented and that it made you look bad as his captain? "Didn't you say that once you earned credit for this last rescue, you'd transfer him to logistics—""Enough!" Cassadee cut him off, her voice trembling un

"Em! I was wrong," Cassadee rasped out.A deathly silence fell over the entire auditorium, and every camera in the room swiveled to focus on us.I looked at her, my face completely expressionless."I can't get a job! No company will even interview me anymore!"She clawed at the red-carpeted steps leading up to the stage. "I'm nothing without you! That bastard Colin was sent overseas by his family ages ago. They were all lying to me!"From below the stage, whispers rippled through the crowd."Emmett, I'm begging you. Forgive me. Let's get married! Let's start over!"Her voice grew increasingly frantic, laced with a desperate sob that echoed harshly through the vast auditorium. "I swear I'll listen to you from now on! I won't mess up again!""Security," I said into the microphone, my voice devoid of any emotion."No!" Cassadee yelped, shaking her head in panic.She crawled forward on her knees and tried to grab the hem of my pants. "Em, let me finish! We used to be the best par