By Zephyria 
“Stop, I said stop!”
Joshua shouted repeatedly, trying to stop Grayson. But that only seemed to provoke him more, having no effect at all.
“Get out of my way, don’t interfere.”
Grayson violently pushed Joshua aside and immediately started climbing the mountain. Joshua, frustrated by Grayson’s persistence despite his considerable injuries and staggering gait, finally snapped.
“Goddamn it, I said stop!”
He finally swore. He grabbed Grayson’s arm and yanked him back, causing the large man to teeter and stumble backward. Not missing the opportunity, Joshua grabbed him and threw him to the ground, straddling him and grabbing his collar.
“How many times do I have to tell you that you’re useless? Your job is to wait safely behind and pray for our safety!”
“Don’t talk shit!”
Grayson pushed Joshua away again and tried to get up. Joshua grabbed him as he tried to climb the mountain again.
“Get a grip, you crazy bastard! You can’t go, you mustn’t go!”
“Why!”
Grayson turned to him and yelled.
“Why didn’t you stop him? Why did you just let Dane go!”
At the harsh accusation, Joshua paused for the first time. The guilt he had tried so hard to ignore reared its head and gnawed at his heart. Joshua, who had been biting his lip and looking down, finally confessed.
“I couldn’t stop him.”
His face contorted, he shouted and lashed out.
“If a landslide happens, everyone dies. Dane had to go stop it. You know that bastard, he’s always the first to throw himself into danger, he doesn’t listen to anyone! What could I do? I couldn’t just let all those people under the mountain die!”
“Who cares!”
Grayson roared.
“What does it matter, I don’t care if everyone in the world dies!”
Only Dane. The only thing that mattered to Grayson was that man. Other people? Who? Why should Dane risk his life for them? Why.
Don’t talk shit.
Joshua’s face turned pale. Grayson, breathing heavily, and Joshua, frozen in place, stared at each other for a moment. A chilling silence fell between them, and not long after…
Suddenly, a faint tremor was felt beneath their feet. Joshua instinctively looked down at the ground. Grayson seemed to sway, then lost his balance and collapsed.
Uh.
They both looked at each other at the same time, then turned their eyes in another direction. Behind Grayson, further up the mountain they had come down from. And the next moment…
Kwaaaang, the earth shook with a deafening roar. The vibrating air made their heads spin, and their whole bodies trembled.
“Ugh!”
Joshua screamed and fell to the ground. A fierce wind seemed to sweep over them. The immense gale, so powerful it was painful, made them dizzy. Then they saw white smoke rising from somewhere on the mountain. And slowly forming, a huge crack.
“Dane…”
Grayson murmured blankly. Another explosion sounded from inside. Red flames shot out in all directions. Soon after, he seemed to regain his senses and shouted hoarsely.
“Dane! Daaaane!”
“Stop!”
Joshua grabbed him again as he desperately tried to run up the mountain. This time, it was really impossible. If he got caught in the explosion, or even hit by a falling rock, it would be the end.
Dane entrusted this to me.
Joshua had to do it, even if it cost him his life. He grabbed Grayson around the waist with all his strength and clung to him. At the same time, he connected to the team with the watch on his wrist and shouted frantically.
“Here, I’m with Grayson Miller. Send anything! A helicopter, people, anything…!”
“Let go, let go of me! Dane, Daaaane!”
Grayson continued to scream. The mountain roared and slowly collapsed. Flames flickered beyond the rising black and white smoke.
My puppy.
Dane’s voice from the dream echoed in his ear.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaack…!”
Grayson finally screamed in despair. He barely remembered what happened after that. In his fragmented memories, he remembered frantically lifting the collapsed piles of dirt and rocks. He didn’t know if he had shaken off Joshua or if he had gone there with Joshua, but he vaguely remembered him and the team coming and going. And he kept digging up rocks, shoveling dirt, on and on, on and on.
And finally, when they found Dane, covered in blood and unconscious, in the pile of rocks they had been frantically digging through, Grayson completely lost his mind.
“Dane, Dane…”
He called his name repeatedly, but he didn’t answer. He couldn’t even feel his breath. Had he ever seen him so quiet? Why doesn’t he look at me? Why doesn’t he call me with a smirk? Pretty, you have to say that. Why don’t you say anything, why.
Joshua, who suddenly appeared in front of Grayson, who was holding Dane’s limp body and was out of his mind, shouted.
“Get a grip, Dane isn’t dead yet!”
Grayson blinked and looked down at him at the thunderous shout. Joshua quickly continued.
“The helicopter is here now. We’re going to take Dane to the hospital as he is. So don’t think nonsense, okay?”
“But.”
Grayson stammered.
“There’s so much blood… and he’s unconscious…”
Then he looked down at Dane’s face.
“He should be cursing at me and throwing punches by now, but he’s just still…”
Grayson’s voice trembled. With a pale face, he murmured.
“What should I do? What if Dane really… dies? What should I do?”
Joshua looked at him in surprise. Was this man the Grayson Miller he knew? It was unbelievable, but it was true. There couldn’t be another face and physique like this. But that Grayson Miller was saying these things now? Really? This looks like…
Just as he thought that, Grayson whispered.
Should I die?
Joshua completely froze. But this man was serious. He could say with certainty. Grayson was really going to die. If Dane wasn’t there, he had no reason to live.
He’s going to follow him to the grave.
Just as he thought that, Team leader came over and said.
“We need to transport him right now, let’s load him up quickly.”
“Grayson.”
Joshua called his name again. Seeing Grayson still out of his mind, Joshua raised his voice and continued.
“It’ll be okay, Dane is still alive, don’t think strange things and let’s get him treated quickly. We can think about what to do later. Let’s get Dane to the hospital quickly first.”
“……”
“Hurry.”
At the repeated urging, Grayson finally moved. As if he had belatedly come to his senses, this time he ran to the waiting paramedics in an instant. Soon after, the helicopter carrying Dane left, and Grayson stood there watching it disappear.
“It’ll be okay.”
Joshua patted him on the arm, offering words of comfort. It was when he felt a sense of futility and wondered why he was bothering to say such things to this guy. Suddenly, he felt as if the large body standing next to him was collapsing.
“Grayson!”
Joshua hurriedly called his name in panic. But Grayson had lost consciousness and collapsed, not responding at all.
On the transport bed that had rushed into the emergency room lay a man covered in blood and in a terrible state. The medical staff immediately laid him on the bed and busily connected machines, each talking to each other.
“He was caught in an explosion, it’s an emergency. Prepare for surgery right now!”
“What are his vitals? Let’s start with the urgent tests first.”
“His blood pressure keeps dropping, get blood ready!”
“His injuries are severe, we need to take action quickly!”
“What’s this patient’s name? Do we have his identity?”
“Dane Striker!”
One of them shouted in the midst of the hurried conversation.
“He’s a firefighter!”