"Hey. Brandy."

"Lena. Stop calling me that. It's Brandon."

"I know."

"And what on earth do you want at this time?"

He sunk his head back into his pillow, hoping for a few more hours of rest.

"Brandy, do you trust me?"

"To wake me up at the crack of dawn."

"Brandy. " Lena whined, holding out the y.

"Yes, I trust you. Can I have my eight hours now?"

"No. We have to go."

"What do you mean we have to go? We're at a safe house."

"We're not safe. This is the part where you have to trust me."

"I trust you, I told you, but why aren't we safe?"

"Fire. It's going to happen soon."

She tugged hard at his sleeve.

"Brandy!"

He finally got up, but he was still being a slug.

"We have to go now. Quickly."

At those words, he finally sensed the panic in her voice and followed her out one the fire escapes.

"Shouldn't we get the others if we're in danger?" Brandon asked.

"No time. They wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Are they gonna die?"

"Probably."

A single tear slid down her best friend's face.

"Any chance of you ever pulling punches?"

Lena ignored that. "Pulling punches" was not something that she ever did or ever would do, and he knew that.

"I could have saved around half of them," Lena admitted.

"Why didn't you?"

"That half didn't include you."

She pulled her phone out of her bag and called 911, and tried her best to sound terrified and shocked.

"Hello, 911, what is your emergency?"

"Fire."

"Where are you?"

"I don't know."

"Are you safe?"

"Yes."

"Are there people in the fire?"

"Yes."

"Okay, we have located your address. We're on our way. Sit tight."

"Okay," She said, and hung up.

"We need to help them, Lena."

The smoke burned at their eyes.

"It's too late. Don't you hear their screams?"