How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

The convoy turned and drove away.

Elodie watched the lead car up ahead, realizing they had no idea where they were being taken.

But...

She glanced at her colleague's basic phone-not the smartest device, but good enough. She quickly sent Jarrod a few updates: their real-time location, the route, anything that could help.

To be safe, she sent some of the information to Esmeralda as well.

As soon as they got a signal, the messages would be delivered automatically.

On Esmeralda's end.

She'd been among the first group evacuated.

The chaos happened so suddenly she hadn't even gotten a chance to look for Elodie.

Now, anxiety kept her pacing, unable to sit still.

Elodie's phone had gone dark. Esmeralda had asked the person in charge here, but the answer was always the same: "Sorry, we're still coordinating and checking. The moment we have any news, you'll know right away."

"So, you're saying Elodie might still be trapped inside?" Her breath came quick and shallow, her eyes red from worry.

She was so agitated that the gash on her lower leg-scraped in her frantic escape -had started bleeding again.

about the pain, and kept asking the same question,

can't confirm

heard that, Esmeralda's

down her

Elodie, who could stay calm no matter how bad things got.

sounded

Fleming

him. "Fleming, where did

he looked her over. Esmeralda was a mess-tear streaks mingled with the dust on

report on the training

his head at her question. "It's

before he arrived that something

this country, emergencies were the norm, but this time was different—a terrorist attack, right next to a major

now. She grabbed his sleeve, gripping so tightly her knuckles turned

pilot; if anyone could fly in and get someone out, it

her wrinkled shirt and answered in his usual official

at all required

pale. "But this

would still be a personal action," Fleming replied, not giving

stung

his sleeve loosened. "If it were me trapped in there,