Flashing red strobe lights cut through the thick smoke in the room.

The red light cast long, shifting shadows across the burning laboratory benches.

I looked back at the room.

The fire had reached the chemical storage cabinets, and small explosions began to pop inside the metal shelves.

A bottle of solvent shattered, sending a fresh wave of flames toward the ceiling.

I slumped against the locked door, holding the hard drive tightly against my chest.

The heat at my back was becoming unbearable, singeing the fabric of my dress.

I tried to breathe through the collar of my dress, but each breath brought only hot, toxic air.

My vision began to blur around the edges, dark spots dancing in my eyes.

Through the red flashes of the strobe light in the hallway, I saw a shadow appear.

A figure was running toward the laboratory door, coughing into his elbow.

He stopped at the glass, his face pressed against the window.

It was Andrew.

His eyes widened as he saw me slumped against the frame.

He slammed his shoulder against the heavy glass, but the door did not budge.