Smoke burned my eyes as I maneuvered around the small fires that turned the office into a maze.
I kept searching.
“Madi’s in the center of the warehouse, south end of the ground floor.” Cate’s voice crackled over my comms. “Pamela set fire to the perimeter, so we can’t get in until the fire department contains the blaze.”
Pamela yelled in the background, “That bitch got what she deserved!”
I coughed out a rough, “Copy that.”
Madi’s life was in my hands. When I’d promised to scorch the world to protect her, I hadn’t expected I’d literally have to brave the flames to save her.
I’d entered through the north door, at the front of the former office space. Which meant I had to work my way through the office and its hundreds of obstacles, many of them burning.
Relying on my training, I worked my way towards Madi. Burning piles of collapsed ceiling debris created more challenges along my path.
Up ahead, red double doors marked the entrance to the warehouse.
I didn’t have a direct path, so I searched for the safest route. The fire burned brighter to my left, so I turned to my right.
Fire cracked above.
I looked up.
The ceiling’s deep groan warned me I was in trouble.
I moved, but not fast enough.
A burning desk crashed through.
My left arm was directly in its path.
In slow motion, the desk collided with my forearm.
Skin sizzled.
Bones broke.
A vomit-inducing stench filled my nose.
I screamed.
My good hand slapped at the flames on my arm to smother them while I instinctively moved away from the too-close-for-comfort burning pile.
Someone screamed.
Chapter 39
Madi
Iwill not sit here and wait for death.
Faces flashed before my eyes: my loving parents, my obnoxiously over protective brothers, my new sisters.
The three new faces I wanted to watch change as they grew up.
As soon as her back was turned to me, I started wiggling my wrists again.
The thick ropes rubbed my wrists raw.
