ISAAC'S POV
The sound of voices broke through the ringing in my ears. Multiple voices, shouting instructions I couldn't quite make out. My vision was still blurry from the smoke, but I could see shapes moving toward us. People running.
"Sir, can you hear me?" A woman's voice, close now. Professional. Calm in a way that cut through the chaos in my head. "We're going to help you."
I blinked, trying to focus. Two neighbors stood at the edge of Elijah's property, one of them carrying what looked like an extension ladder. The woman talking to me wore a paramedic uniform. When had she gotten here? When had any of them gotten here?
"There's a ladder," I managed to say, my voice coming out like gravel. "They have a ladder."
The paramedic looked where I was pointing and immediately waved to her partner. They jogged over to the neighbors, who were already positioning the ladder against the side of the house where the flames seemed less intense.
