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

that, Esmeralda's hope shrank a little

down her

matter how bad

then, voices sounded outside the

instantly spotted Fleming

if she'd seen a lifeline. Limping, she hurried toward him. "Fleming, where did you

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

here to report on the training

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

he arrived that something had gone

this country, emergencies were the norm, but this time was different—a terrorist

gripping so tightly her knuckles

fly in and

looked down at her wrinkled shirt and answered in his usual official

at all

this is an emergency, isn't

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

professionalism stung like a

"If it were me trapped in there, would