Desperate, Ella called Charles again. This time, she didn’t have to wait long. The call connected immediately.
“Charles! Help me!” Ella’s voice cracked amid the billowing smoke.
She pressed the phone tightly to her ear. Her breathing came in ragged gasps, her throat felt scorched, and the fire behind the door was growing larger by the second.
On the other end of the line, Charles fell silent. For the first time since the call connected, there was no sarcasm in his voice—only heavy breathing.
“Ella?”
“Yes!” Ella coughed violently. “Help me. I’m locked inside the storage room!”
Charles stood in the hallway of another building, his phone pressed to his ear. The fire alarm screamed all around him.
“There’s a fire!” Ella continued. “The door was locked from the outside!”
Charles stiffened. “What?”
“I can’t get out.”
“Where exactly?”
“The storage room backstage.”
Charles immediately turned around. “How long have you been in there? Were you spying on me?”
“I’ll explain later. Just help me first.”
Charles let out a harsh breath. “How many times have I told you not to cause trouble?”
“But this isn’t my fault. Please, help me.”
Charles clicked his tongue irritably. “Hmph. Fine. Don’t move. I’m coming.”
Ella closed her eyes. That simple sentence nearly made her knees give out. “I’m waiting for you.”
“I’ll—”
Suddenly, Charles’s phone vibrated. An incoming call appeared on the screen.
MADISON.
Charles stared at the name as the first call ended. A few seconds later, Madison called again, and Charles ignored it.
“Charles?” Ella’s voice sounded weak.
“I’m still here.”
Charles started running toward the back corridor. “Hang in there.”
But before Charles could get any farther, his phone rang again. He looked at the screen.
MADISON IS CALLING.
Charles stopped running.
“Charles!” Ella’s voice came through again.
“I hear you.”
“Hurry!”
Charles stared at the two incoming calls ringing at the same time. His thumb moved, but not toward Ella’s call.
He chose to answer Madison’s call. “Madison?”
The sound of sobbing came through immediately. “Charles!”
Charles’s expression changed. “What happened?”
“Snowy!”
Charles froze. “What’s wrong with Snowy?”
“I don’t know!” Madison sounded panicked. “Snowy chased something behind the building. I just found Snowy in the construction area!”
Charles frowned. “Don’t go any closer. Call security.”
“I did!” Madison cried. “But they’re not here yet!”
Charles closed his eyes for a moment. In his left ear, the building’s alarm was still screaming. In his right, Madison continued to sob.
Then he heard a tiny sound.
“Meow!”
Snowy.
Charles opened his eyes. “Where exactly?”
“Behind the building! There’s a huge excavation pit!”
“Don’t move from where you are.”
“I’m afraid Snowy will fall even deeper!”
Charles clenched his teeth. “I’m coming.”
He ended the call with Ella without saying a word, unaware that Ella was still holding her phone on the other end of the line.
“Charles?”
There was no answer.
“Charles?”
The screen showed that the call had ended. Ella stared at it for several seconds before a fit of coughing burst out of her.
“Khuk!”
Ella covered her mouth. The smoke had grown even thicker. Her vision was beginning to blur. She tried to stand, but her body swayed.
“Charles...”
There was no answer. Charles ran out of the building. The night air struck his face. But instead of heading toward the storage room where Ella was trapped, he turned toward the construction area behind the building.
“Madison!”
“I’m here!”
Madison stood several yards from the excavation pit. Her face was pale, her hair disheveled, and she pointed downward. “Down there!”
Charles ran closer. At the bottom of the pit, Snowy was curled up between the dirt and several pieces of material.
“Meow!”
Charles looked down into the pit. It was deep enough for someone to be seriously injured if they fell carelessly. “Why wasn’t this pit covered?”
Madison cried. “I don’t know.”
Charles took off his jacket. “Step back.”
“But Snowy—”