Chapter 2

The heat intensified, the air growing thick and unbreathable. The low hum of the backup power units was escalating into a high-pitched whine. I knew I had minutes, maybe seconds, before they blew.

Just as I started to lose hope, the door burst open again. It wasn't Liam.

"Chloe!" Maya screamed, her face pale with terror.

"Maya, get out of here!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "The batteries are going to explode!"

"I'm not leaving you!" she shot back, her eyes scanning for a way to help me. She grabbed a discarded fire extinguisher.

"It's too heavy!" I gasped, trying to push against the rack. The movement sent a fresh wave of agony through my leg.

"We don't have time to argue!" Maya wedged the base of the extinguisher under the rack, using it as a lever. She grunted, her muscles straining. "On three, push with your good leg! One... two... THREE!"

I screamed, shoving with all my might. The rack lifted, just an inch, but it was enough. I scrambled backward, dragging my mangled leg behind me. It left a smear of blood on the floor.

"Go, go, go!" Maya yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the door.

We stumbled out into the corridor just as a deafening boom shook the entire building. A wave of heat and force slammed the server room door shut behind us. The lights in the hallway flickered and died, plunging us into emergency lighting.

My leg gave out completely. I collapsed, the pain finally overwhelming me. Maya was crouched beside me, her hand on my back, her whole body trembling.

"You're okay," she whispered, more to herself than to me. "You're okay."

I was alive. This time, I was alive. And I owed it all to her.