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.

the pain, and kept asking the same question, over

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

she heard that, Esmeralda's hope shrank a

down

stay calm no matter how bad things got. Esmeralda

sounded

spotted Fleming

"Fleming, where did you just come

looked her over. Esmeralda was

was here to report on the

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

he arrived that something

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

care about any of that now. She grabbed his sleeve, gripping so tightly her knuckles

if anyone could fly in and get someone out,

looked down at her wrinkled shirt and answered in his

at

this is

be a

cold professionalism stung like

it were me