Page 105 of Serial Burn

The drug was taking effect. “How much did you give me?” Would this be the way her life ended? An overdose?

“Not too much. Just enough for you to follow my direction.”

“No,” she said, but found herself doing as he bid. He kept an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the back exit ... or what used to be a back exit. It was now a gaping hole. Her body refused to obey her brain’s commands to fight back. Resist.

She simply couldn’t.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because it needed to be done.”

JESSLYN HAD BEEN INSIDEthe scene for a while and Nathan was ready to lay eyes on her again. Just as he was about to, someone dressed in the same gear as Jesslyn came stumbling out and went to his knees.

“Hey!” Nathan raced over to the man and pulled off the helmet. “Who are you? What happened?”

“I was at the back waiting on Jesslyn McCormick when I was attacked.” He pressed a hand to the side of his neck and groaned.

“Did you get a look at him?”

“No, he came up from behind me.”

Nathan motioned to a nearby officer and the woman hurried over. “Call an ambulance.”

“On it.”

He turned back to the firefighter. “What’s your name?”

“Carson Tillman.” He slipped out of his coat and lay back. “Sorry, feeling sick. They jabbed me with something.”

“It’s all right. Just lay there until the paramedics get here.” He paused. “Your PASS alarm didn’t go off?”

The guy checked his gear. “I didn’t have my air tank on. Didn’t need it.”

“Where’s Jesslyn?”

“I don’t know. I never saw her.”

That familiar bad feeling crept into his gut and settled there. He raced toward the burned shell that still had a few charred walls and places where someone could hide.

Or come in from the back.

He stopped at the threshold, knowing he shouldn’t go in without the protective gear, but Jesslyn—

“Nathan?”

He turned. “Andrew. What are you doing here? I thought you were helping your parents.”

“I was. I did. Then decided to swing by here to check on the scene, talk to the chief. What’s going on?”

“We’re looking for Jesslyn. She was supposed to meet with one of the firefighters and went in to find him.” He glanced into what had once been the interior of the general store. “Someone knocked the guy out and I haven’t seen Jess in a while.”

Nathan waved over a firefighter who still had his gear on. “Can you see if anyone is in there?”

“Sure thing.” He stepped into the mess and Nathan paced while the minutes ticked past.

Finally, the guy returned and pulled off his helmet. “No one’s in there.”

Nathan stilled. “That’s not possible.”

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