Ethan shouted into the darkness. «Thor!»
Through the roaring fire and crackling debris, a distant bark rang out, frantic yet unmistakable. Ethan followed it, step by step, his blind cane tapping wildly against the ground. The smoke burned his lungs. Heat pressed against his skin.
«Keep barking, boy!» he yelled, voice breaking. «I’m coming!»
Thor barked again, stronger, louder, guiding him like a beacon in the storm. And though Ethan couldn’t see a thing, he knew one truth with absolute certainty. Thor wasn’t just a dangerous dog anymore. He was calling for him.
The deeper Ethan moved into the burning wing, the thicker the smoke became. Hot air scorched his lungs and his eyes, blind though they were, stung with the intensity of the fire. His cane tapped wildly, searching for safe ground, but the flames roared too loud for thought.
Then, a bark.
Thor’s cry cut through the inferno like a lifeline. Ethan turned toward the sound, stumbling forward until his cane struck something solid. A wall.
He slid his hand across it, feeling the vibrations of Thor slamming against his kennel on the other side. The metal rattled with each desperate hit.
«I’m here, boy,» Ethan shouted over the roar. «I’m right here.»
Thor barked again, claws scraping frantically, the sound growing more desperate. He understood Ethan was close. Close enough that giving up wasn’t an option.
Ethan pushed along the wall until his hand found the heated edge of the kennel gate. The handle was blistering hot. The flames had weakened the lock, but it still held strong.
«Hold on, Thor,» Ethan whispered, coughing violently. «I’ve got you.»
Summoning every ounce of strength left in him, Ethan wrapped his jacket around his hand and yanked the handle. It didn’t budge. Smoke filled his chest. He tried again. Harder. Nothing.
Thor barked wildly, smashing his body against the door from the inside.
«Again!» Ethan rasped. «Do it again!»
Thor hurled himself forward. Ethan pulled with everything he had. The weakened lock finally snapped.
The kennel door burst open and Thor exploded out of the smoke like a missile, knocking Ethan backward. But it wasn’t an attack. Thor circled him frantically, nudging his chest, whining loudly, licking his face as if confirming he was real.
«You found me.» Ethan coughed, gripping Thor’s fur. «Good boy. Good boy.»
A beam collapsed nearby with a violent crash. Thor barked once, sharply, then did something extraordinary. He pressed his body against Ethan’s side and guided him away from the flames. The once-feared, once-broken police dog had become Ethan’s eyes.
Step by step, Thor steered him through the burning hallway, dodging falling debris with uncanny precision. Each time Ethan faltered, Thor braced him with his own weight. They turned a corner just as flames consumed the ceiling behind them.
