“Can we clear it from the inside?” I asked.

“No,” Daniel said, shaking his head. “The blowers are on the roof of the old carriage house.”

I walked over to the cot where Clara lay.

Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow and dry.

Nora looked up at me, her eyes red but her jaw set.

“She needs clean air, Adrian,” Nora said.

“If they block the exhaust, the carbon dioxide will build up in three hours.”

“I know,” I said.

I knelt down beside Lila and touched her soft cheek.

“Are you scared, baby?” I asked.

“The lights are funny,” Lila said, pointing to the red indicator on the door.

“They look like ladybugs.”

“They are just safety lights,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.

“We are going to play a game of quiet mouse in here.”

She nodded and put her thumb in her mouth.

The overhead intercom suddenly hummed, a sharp burst of static making us all flinch.

“Adrian,” Caleb’s voice came through the speaker, dry and loud.

“I know you are listening.”

“I have the blueprints of the cellar line right here on Elena’s desk.”