But I can’t wait.
Ember’s here? Yes, this must be where she’s staying...
I should’ve known. I should’ve found out where she was. I should’ve made sure she was okay.
And now she’s in trouble. She’s in here. She’s in the flames.
And I’m the only one with the ability to save her.
I dash through an open doorway. I’m running down a motel hallway. There’s so much smoke – much more than can be expected from the sight outside. I can barely breathe.
I can hear the cackling of flames.
I can feel the heat.
Ember is in here somewhere.
I call her name.
“Ember!”
It takes the rest of the air out of my lungs.
I continue running through the place.
“Ember! Ember! Ember!”
And I can hear her.
“Help!”
It’s definitely her... that same voice that has been pestering me for days. She’s calling for me.
I keep running toward the voice, but I can’t find her.
“Ember!”
“Connor!”
She’s calling my own name now. She knows I’m nearby.
I head around a corner, and there are flames. Burning fires that choke the hallway in front of me.
And there’s Ember...
She’s trapped in the fire on the other side of the hallway. Flames flicker violently like an impossible wall to cross.
She’s close, but she feels so far away. The fire is caught between us.
There’s no way I can get to her... unless I burn...
She’s in pain. I can see it. She’s hurt.
And she looks up at me. She’s looking at me with hope. She’s looking at me as if I am the only person on this goddamn planet that can save her.
“Connor...”
Bang!