Rain swept across the open bay doors of Station 42 when Senior Firefighter Leo Dunne heard the soft slap of wet sneakers on concrete. He turned from the engine and saw a small boy standing just inside the station, soaked through, pale, and silent.
The boy held a plastic sleeve against his chest like it was something precious. Leo crouched in front of him and asked his name, but the child only stared back with wide, frightened eyes.
Then the boy handed him the sleeve. Inside was an old newspaper clipping, yellowed at the edges. The headline was about the Harren Building fire from ten years ago. The photo showed Leo carrying a badly burned woman from the smoke. His name was printed beneath it. The boy pointed at the woman, then pointed urgently toward the street.