Page 27 of Fractured Future

Grabbing the window ledge to hold myself up, I clutch the phone hard enough to crack the plastic case.

“Ember?”

Shock, panic and disbelief battle for supremacy inside my misfiring brain as footsteps behind me abruptly still.

“Fuck. Em? Is that really you?”

“I n-need help.” The line crackles, relaying movement on the other end. “He told me to call you.”

My heart somersaults, twisting and turning faster than a fucking laundry machine. It takes great effort to unlock my jaw and suck in a breath.

“It is you.”

“Yeah,” she wheezes. “Surprise.”

“I… Shit. Shit!”

Her breathing catches, pushing me to focus up.

“Are you safe?” The words escape me in a rush.

When she doesn’t immediately respond, I feel like my mind is on the verge of a cataclysmic implosion. I’m struggling to remain upright as it is.

“Answer me! Fuck!”

“N-No.” Ember releases a painful-sounding hiss. “Need h-help. Please.”

“Jesus Christ, Em. I can’t believe it’s you.”

Tapping my shoulder, Hyland frantically waves to gain my attention. Axel has set his laptop atop the cramped bar connected to the kitchenette, his fingertips already racing.

“We can track this call. Stay connected. Where are you?”

Placing the phone on speaker, I rush over to Axel so he can plug it into his laptop. We’re all linked to Sabre’s secure server, giving us access to its vast wealth of shady technical capabilities.

“Something about an airport,” she replies faintly. “Acapulco.”

“Acapulco?” Hyland repeats.

I offer him a jerky nod.

“That’s southern Mexico,” he confirms. “Not far from where that trouble they’re all talking about online went down.”

Axel keeps his attention focused on the laptop screen. “They’re searching for her.”

Terror razes through my extremities. “Fucking hell. Ember, what happened?”

When she doesn’t respond again, I shout her name into the phone. The terror blooming inside me has grown legs and arms. Now it’s climbing into my internal cavities to launch a full-scale invasion.

“They’re coming for me.” Her voice sounds so strained and raw. “I’m not safe here.”

“Hold tight, Em. We’re going to find you.”

“Please hurry,” she begs, sounding so unlike herself.

“I’ve got you. Are you hurt?”

Endless possibilities ping-pong around the inner confines of my skull. I can’t begin to think about what might have happened to her. Or what price she paid to escape long enough to call me.