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Jackson came over and gave Patrick a bro-fist pump. ‘Thanks for doing those shots of that stunt for me. And that video of the inside of the temple? It’s already got over two thousand views.’

‘Really?’ Patrick beamed, and they both gave Caleb a sidelong look that he ignored. He didn’t give a shit what their latest stunt was; in Caleb’s opinion, it was reducing their craft to ridiculous pranks. Something he might have considered in his early twenties, but he’d seen it go wrong enough times to know you didn’t play around when it came to work.

‘All checks done?’ asked the AD, and Jackson raised his head from his phone for only a moment to grunt an acknowledgement.

Jerry frowned, but also gave the nod of approval.

‘Action!’ Franco shouted, and everyone focused on their attention on the temple.

‘Go for pyro,’ shouted the AD.

Jerry pressed the first button on his handheld control panel. The detonations were perfect, with air and wooden panels flying from the innards of the temple as if a bomb had been released in its centre. Several people gasped in awe and shuffled a few feet back.

‘Go for fire,’ said Jerry, as he began to flick switches. Slowly flames began to build at the windows and doorway of the temple. They built quickly, until they were great torches of flame rippling out and causing the innards of the building to glow with pure, violent fury.

Zach came strolling over. ‘So awesome,’ he said, and then frowned, looking around at the people gathered in confusion. ‘Everyone’s out, right?’

Caleb’s heart began to race, although his mind was too slow to realise why. ‘What?’

‘Well, Hannah said she’d take some pics of the inside.’ He gave a nervous chuckle. ‘She’s out, right?’

Pain and horror slammed into his chest. Caleb grabbed Jackson by his shirt and yanked him towards him, Jackson’s phone clattering to the ground at his feet. ‘You did a clearance check, right?’

‘What?’

Caleb shook him, panic causing his whole body to shake. ‘The building is clear, right?’

Jackson went pale with fear. ‘I did a check. No one could get in there – the fire boxes were in the way.’

‘Boxes?’ Jerry’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke. ‘They should have been at the sides, not in the entrance.’

Patrick stepped forward. ‘Fuck, I think you’re right. Hannah could still be in there! She posted these only a few mins ago.’

The screen he showed was of Hannah in the centre of the temple. The boxes were all carefully positioned at the sides.

Caleb didn’t have time to think. He burst forward in a sprint, screaming Hannah’s name.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Hannah posted her pictures of the inside of the temple and then lifted her phone to video its destruction.

She’d missed the initial explosion, but seeing to Emma had been more important. After suffering under Bianca’s horrific tantrum, it was understandable that she’d become unwell. Hannah glanced at everyone watching the pyrotechnics burst to life. Bianca was stood beside Lucas, smiling up at him like she hadn’t thrown a glass bottle at two people less than half an hour ago.

Hannah rolled her eyes and went back to filming the temple. She was surprised when she saw a blur of black movement fly across her screen.

Was this a new stunt? A last-minute tweak to the script? She recognised Caleb immediately, running in full costume towards the burning building. He was screaming something, but she couldn’t quite hear it properly. Something was off; she wasn’t sure if it was the confused and horrified expressions of the crew, or the lone man running towards the burning temple, but it didn’t feel the same as it usually did when they were filming. She made her way through the crowd.

Jerry was sobbing and wringing his hands. ‘I can’t stop it! I can’t!’

‘What is he doing?’ yelled Franco, and the stunned crew were all staring at each other like frightened deer.

‘What’s happened?’ asked Hannah, as she moved forward to stand beside Jackson and Jerry.

Jackson took one look at her and then sprinted forward himself, while Jerry wrapped her in a bear hug. ‘Thank God! I thought I’d killed you!’

Over Jerry’s shoulder, she could see Caleb kicking at the entrance of the flaming temple, grabbing pieces of burning wood with his bare hands and ripping them from the doorway.

‘Oh my God! I never expected him to actually try and rescue you!’ Patrick laughed, and he held up his phone, pinching with his fingers to zoom in on Caleb.