Chapter 9 | Athena Hailway

  I don’t know what’s happening anymore.

  I’ve been running from explosions and terrifying people, desperately searching for Dakota; the same Dakota who disappeared from my side just minutes ago. But I can’t find him. I don’t let myself believe anything bad. I just keep running, keep searching.

  People are screaming at me to get out, warning that the banquet hall is going to collapse. I don’t believe them. Not yet. It won’t collapse—not until I find Dakota.

  Everything is on fire. Even things that shouldn’t burn are engulfed in flames. Shards of metal fly across the room, embedding themselves into the walls. I recognize them instantly. They're fragments of the bombshells. Their designs are scorched, barely recognizable. But if I can find an intact piece, maybe I can get the full logo. If I get the full logo, I can track the company that made them. I can find out who supplied the bombs… or maybe even the terrorists themselves.

  I move carefully through the wreckage, ducking beneath collapsing beams and dodging molten debris. The air is thick with smoke, making every breath feel like I’m swallowing fire. My heart pounds against my ribs as I scan the ground for any identifying marks on the bomb fragments.

  Nothing. No logos, no decals, no names. Just scorched metal and destruction.

  The heat is unbearable now. My body aches, a mix of sweat, dust, and fresh cuts from the flying shrapnel. But none of it matters.

  The sweat and blood will be worth it when I find him.

  “Dakota!” I yell, my voice cracking, barely audible over the roar of the flames.

  Somewhere in the distance, I hear faint voices. One of them has to be him. I push forward, stepping over collapsed beams and dodging falling embers, the glow of the inferno reflecting off my sweat-soaked skin.

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  Then-

  A crack. A deep, rumbling groan from above.

  The roof is giving in.

  I run faster.

  “Athena!”

  It’s him. He’s alive.

  My legs burn, but I force myself forward, following the sound of his voice. The smoke makes it nearly impossible to see, but then I turn a corner—and there he is.

  Dakota is trapped. His left leg is pinned beneath a fallen stone pillar.

  I push myself harder, sprinting toward him. I’m almost there, just a few steps away!

  Then, in a single horrifying instant, the ceiling caves in.

  “No!” I scream, watching in horror as the debris crashes down on top of him.

  Dust and smoke explode into the air, momentarily blinding me. My lungs seize, my vision blurs, but I don’t stop. I scramble onto the rubble, hands clawing at the debris. The night sky looms overhead, the fire’s glow flickering against the darkness.

  “He’s under there!” I shout, frantically digging. My fingers burn against the hot stone, but I don’t care.

  The rest of the building has collapsed. Survivors stand in clusters, speaking to law enforcement. Some people are being arrested. Others are staring, stunned.

  But nobody is helping him.

  A uniformed officer rushes toward me. “You’ve got to get out of here, ma’am!”

  His voice is an irritation, a distraction.

  “He’s under there!” I sob, my throat raw from smoke and screaming.

  The officer doesn’t listen. He grabs my arms, dragging me away from the wreckage.

  “No! Please!” My screams are drowned by the crackling flames and the sound of pressurized water dousing the rubble.

  They’re putting out the fire. They’re sealing his grave.

  The world around me becomes a blur of flashing lights and indistinct voices. I’m lifted into an ambulance, but my eyes remain locked on the scene outside. I can’t stop looking. Can’t stop hoping someone will help him. My lips part to scream again, but no sound comes out.

  A voice cuts through the haze. Soft, but firm. “Ma’am? Did you hear me? Do you know your name?”

  I blink, turning my head slightly. A paramedic is looking at me, waiting patiently.

  I barely recognize my own voice when I speak. “A- Athena,” I manage, my breath shaking. “Athena Hailway.”

  She gives me a reassuring smile. “Thank you, Athena. You have a few burns. We’re going to get you to the hospital, alright?”

  I don’t respond. I just lift a trembling hand and point toward the ruins of the banquet hall.

  The words still won’t come.

  Only tears.