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

time, we can't confirm anything. I'm

that, Esmeralda's hope shrank a

streamed down

stay calm no matter how bad things got. Esmeralda couldn't

then, voices sounded

spotted Fleming at the front of the

moment, it was as if she'd seen a lifeline. Limping, she hurried toward him. "Fleming, where

and steady as he looked her over. Esmeralda was a mess-tear streaks mingled with the

report on

his head at her question. "It's pretty serious over

he arrived that something had gone

were the norm, but this time

now. She grabbed his sleeve, gripping so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Can you help me? Please, can

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

he looked down at her wrinkled shirt and answered in his usual official tone: "That's not allowed. I

at all required

"But this

it would still be a personal action,"

professionalism stung like

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