I grabbed her wrists, pinning them against the cold concrete.

My muscles burned, but I held down her arms with all the strength I had left.

“It’s over, Beatrice,” I gasped, my face inches from hers.

She thrashed beneath me, spitting and cursing, her hair wild and tangled.

Liam rushed over, kicking the silver lighter far away into the dark corner of the hall.

He then knelt down, quickly grabbing Beatrice’s ankles to stop her from kicking.

“I have her,” Liam said, his breathing heavy as he secured her legs. “Audrey, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I whispered, though my body was shaking uncontrollably.

The phantom heat of the fire still seemed to linger on my skin, though the room was cold.

Beatrice stopped fighting suddenly, her body going limp beneath me as she stared up at the ceiling beams.

She began to laugh, a dry, rattling sound that echoed in the empty hall.

“You think you’ve saved her,” Beatrice wheezed.

“Where is Chloe?” I demanded, leaning down closer.

Beatrice only laughed harder, her chest heaving.

The phone on the floor stopped ringing, the screen going dark.