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Fuck it, I can’t wait If Aida’s in there, I have to get her out now

I run toward the house, trying to stay low I’ve gotit in the dark, without knohere Aida is Even a stray bullet through a wall could accidentally hit her

I go around the back of the house, trying to peer in the s I can’t see shit So, I try the back door, finding it unlocked Theout, and I have to drop even lower, stifling h in the crook of my arm

The infusion of fresh air invigorates the fire I hear it sucking up the oxygen, expanding in heat and size The kitchen is ablaze, the cabinets, countertops, floor, and ceiling all burning

As I try to skirt the fire, I trip over so on the floor It’s relatively soft For a second, I hope that it’s Aida, but then I realize it’s just an old mattress

I want to call out for her, but I can’t risk alerting Oliver, wherever he ht be I try to search the o anywhere near the kitchen, or the hallway beyond

She’s got to be upstairs She’s got to be, because otherwise this whole place is going to burn down before I find her, and I can’t think about that

So I pullonly of Aida

I let un up

As soon as I reach the head of the stairs, Oliver charges me from the side, with all the speed and technique of the athlete he once was He barrels intointo the drywall My gun goes spinning off down the hallway, hitting the doorja into one of the rooms

Oliver is hittingwild haymakers and body shots By bad luck, one of his blows lands directly onme roar with pain

He’s an inch shorter than me, but probably thirty pounds heavier Plus, he’s been in plenty of frat-boy brawls

He’s not a trained fighter, though After the initial shock and the wild onslaught, I gethim in the stomach and jaw

The hits barely seenizable—his hair is a tangled leam in his eyes, and dried blood has run frooatee

“Where is she, you fucking psychopath?” I shout, fists up