Chapter 8 - The Rescue
“Lily, run!” Elena shouted.
Lily broke free from Daniel’s grip and sprinted down the narrow catwalk toward the emergency fire stairs.
“Lily! Come back!” Daniel screamed, lunging after her.
He grabbed her purple backpack, pulling her backward. Lily unbuckled the chest strap of her backpack, slipping out of the straps and leaving Daniel clutching only the empty bag. The sudden loss of resistance caused Daniel to stumble backward, tripping over a rusted iron beam on the catwalk platform.
He fell hard against the guardrail. The old, corroded metal groaned under his weight, snapped with a violent screech, and gave way.
Daniel tumbled off the edge of the catwalk, crashing through the wooden roof of a boxcar below before hitting the concrete floor with a heavy thud.
Elena rushed up the stairs, sweeping Lily into her arms. “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you. You're safe.”
Lily buried her face into Elena’s tactical vest, sobbing uncontrollably. “I want my mommy... please take me to my mommy...”
“I will,” Elena whispered, kissing the top of the child's wet head. “I promise you, I will.”
Officers rushed into the building, securing the area and calling for medical assistance. Daniel lay groaning on the concrete floor, his leg severely broken and his spine injured from the fall, but alive.
Elena handed Lily to a paramedic wrapped in a warm blanket, then walked over to where Daniel lay pinned by the officers.
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Daniel looked up through the pain, his face twisted in defeat. “She... she was supposed to be mine...”
Elena looked down at him with quiet disgust. “She was never yours to own, Daniel. And you will never see her again.”
