in and out of consciousness, and other times he would cry out, a sound that tore through me. I kept talking, a c

I he

und. Voices. Muffled,

gh me, so powerfu

They're here!" I shouted, my voice renewed with

the crunch of boots on rubble, the organized sh

cut through the chaos, a voi

s section! Check for

e city's top emergency room physicians. Of course,

sely my body went limp. She wo

bit of air in my lungs. "SARAH, IT'S

de. Flashing lights, dust motes dancing in the beams of powerful flashlights. I saw a fig

ten fe

h frantic hope. She

ce called out, weake

.. over

re posture changed. She moved with a speed and d

tight with a panic she hadn't s

she'd once drunkenly called him. The reason our marria

her flashlight beam landing on a man pinned by a fallen bookcase. His son, Et

ly began assessing his injuries, her hands moving with professional c

t's broken," he groa

ot two survivors here! Adult male with a suspected broken arm and thoracic t

red my direction. S

e commanded swarmed the area around Mark. They s

ce raw with betrayal. "WE'RE HERE

n. Our eyes might have even met through that tiny opening. There was no recognitio

nd on his uninjured shoulder. "Don't worry, Mark

direction. His eyes, wide and scared, seemed

, "Ethan, sweetie, are there any other

ixed on the rubble pile I was

his voice small

s heavy and suffocating as the c

question. "Okay. Let's foc

carefully lifted the bookcase off Mark, strapped him to a backboard, and carried him away. I wa

past us without

before died, leaving behind the cold, black ash of