The smoke was thick, filling my lungs with every breath.

I held the device up to my face, squinting through the tears.

The live feed was still active.

I tapped the screen, trying to access the metadata of the video stream.

A coordinate map flashed onto the display for a fraction of a second.

The location was only three miles away, near the abandoned quarry at the edge of the base.

“The quarry,” I gasped, pulling Daniel away from the burning door.

“We have to go.”

“How?” Daniel cried, his eyes wide with panic.

I looked up at the ceiling.

A small ventilation grate was shaking in the wind.

I climbed onto the metal crate, my hands reaching for the rusted screws.

“Give me a boost!” I yelled.

Daniel ran over, cupping his hands to lift my boot.

With a violent shove, I broke the grate free, the cold night air rushing over my face.

I pulled myself up into the narrow metal shaft, the metal scraping my shoulders.

“Come on, Daniel!” I called down.

He reached up, his fingers brushing mine.