out, she saw sparks shooting from the front door, so she ran to the rear entrance. The weathered wood splintered as she kicked the door in. Smoke clogged the air, and flames were crawling along the door edge.
Hesitating to get her bearings, she searched for the door to the basement. The hallway. It was partially ablaze, but she dodged the burning embers and opened the door. Heat scalded her, and she was pitched into the dark.
Her breath caught. Her head swam. She clutched the wall to steady herself, then raked her hands across it in search of a light switch. She almost cried with joy when she found one and flicked it on.
Her body throbbed as she rushed down the steps, and nausea flooded her as she passed the first room with the cage where he’d held her. Upstairs, she heard wood splintering and the fire hissing as it spread.
Racing to where Shondra was trapped, she dropped to her knees, opened the cage door and dragged her friend out.
An explosion upstairs made her rush into motion. She yanked at Shondra’s arms and pulled her through the room toward the steps. But the fire had spread to the doorway and she didn’t think she could carry her up the steps.
Mind racing, she ran back through the basement and, to her relief, found a crawl space that would lead to the outside.
Ellie struggled against her fear of the tight space, but it was the only way out. Adrenaline firing her up, she pulled Shondra’s limp body into the narrow tunnel.
Panic nearly overpowered her and she had to close her eyes to regain control. She didn’t have time to break down.
She managed to slide herself to the doorway. She pushed and shoved at it, but it seemed stuck. A dizzy spell overcame her, and she lifted her head to the ceiling of the tiny space for air.
Ellie gave herself to the count of three before twisting around and kicking at the wooden cover with all her might.
One Hundred Forty-Four
Terror for Ellie forced Derrick into motion. The front of the house was completely ablaze. He had to go around back.
Two of the windows exploded on the side as he ran past. Wood crackled as the roof collapsed. The smoke stung his eyes. “Ellie!” he called.
Another sound broke through the roar of fire and the collapsing house.
Senses alert, he blinked through the smoke. A few feet away from the house he noticed a wooden board covering a crawl space. A fallen tree had partially blocked it.
Pulse hammering, and rain thrashing him, he rushed toward it, and heard the sound again.
Dropping to his knees, he shouted Ellie’s name. “Ellie? Ellie?”
“Help!” a muffled cry echoed through the wooden barrier. Fear fueled his strength, and he pushed through the pain, tugging and yanking until he dragged the tree away from the doorway.
Ignoring the pain in his ribs, he wrenched the hatch open. The opening was quickly filling with smoke.
“Ellie!” Leaning over the edge, he made out Ellie’s figure a few feet below.
“Shondra’s in here.” A coughing fit seized her. They had to hurry. “I have to get her body out.”
Precious seconds passed as the blaze reached toward the sky, black smoke pouring from the crawl space. He heard Ellie grunting as she pushed Shondra toward the opening.
Grabbing Shondra’s shoulders, Derrick pulled her out. He settled her on the ground, then returned to help Ellie. Her hands were already gripping the opening, and he dragged her the rest of the way out.
She rushed to her friend, gasping for air, eyes blurring with tears as she lay down beside her.
Ellie laid her head against Shondra for a moment, her tears dampening her friend. Suddenly she raised her head, a wild look in her eyes. “She’s alive, Derrick!”
“What?”
Ellie looked up at him imploringly. “She’s breathing. Let’s get her away from here.”
Scooping Shondra up, Derrick carried her across the yard away from the burning house, then laid her on the ground.
Ellie wiped soot from her battered face then pressed her hands on her friend’s chest, starting CPR. “She needs an ambulance.”
“So do you.”
“I’m fine, just make the call.”
Derrick punched 911 and gave the address, before turning to Ellie. “Where’s Burton?”
“In the woods near the old well,” she said. “I shot him.”
But Derrick’s relief was short-lived, as suddenly a gunshot echoed from the direction of the barn, loud and jarring. “Stay down and take cover,” he ordered Ellie.
She lowered her head, but continued CPR while Derrick gripped his gun and turned in the