Page 84

In the suit, my breathing sounds too loud and fast.

I struggle to slow it down. I don’t want to use up my air supply.

Pushing through the blackened door, I can barely see through the drifting smoke.

My anger pushes me forward, as I swing the flashlight from side to side.

The fool Beta who is risking her life said that the cat would likely be hiding behind the cabinets at the back.

I step through the burned debris, careful on the slippery floor.

I kick a hose out of the way. A wooden beam is still smoldering like a lit match. My heavy coat pulls at my shoulders.

Sweat runs between my shoulder blades.

The building is wrecked, eerie with food bowls floating in black puddles. It is quiet now that all but one of the animals have been rescued.

When I glance up, my mouth tightens.

The ceiling is sagging.

We need to get the hell out of here.

I move further into the darkness.

My flashlight catches something through the smoke.

Someone is crouching in a puddle.

The Beta looks vulnerable in only her T-shirt and jeans.

I must get her out of here.

Then she coughs, holding her arm desperately over her mouth. At the same time, she reaches beneath a cabinet like she’s trying to coax something out.

When I stand over Sophie, holding my light on her, she looks up at me.

She startles, not recognizing me through my suit. “Why are you here?”

I don’t bother answering, I only point toward the exit.

She shakes her head. “I almost have her.”

She coughs again, as if she’s unable to stop.

My shoulders tighten.

Sophie has inhaled too much smoke.

I crouch down, struggling to make her understand me through my mask. “We’re leaving.”

“Rhett?”

“Chief,” I correct. “Now.”

Sophie only points under the cabinet. “Cornbread.”

Suddenly, I hear a startlingly loud crack overhead.