Chapter 8 - THE BUILDING THEY COULDN'T ERASE
We had forty-three minutes.
Police were delayed by legal confusion.
The demolition crew had orders.
Victor wanted to block the machines with vehicles.
I had another idea.
I went live.
Phone in hand.
I walked into the building.
“My name is Anna Martinez. Caldwell Properties says this building is empty.”
Doors opened behind me.
Mrs. Alvarez's daughter.
The Cho family.
Mr. Bennett from 6B.
Children.
Grandparents.
Workers.
People Caldwell had erased on paper.
“But we're still here.”
The video exploded online.
Ten thousand viewers.
Then fifty thousand.
News trucks arrived.
The demolition stopped.
Julian appeared across the street.
He was furious.
Victor saw him.
Julian ran.
Victor followed.
I followed Victor.
Terrible decision.
We reached the roof of the neighboring parking structure.
Julian had nowhere left to go.
“You destroyed everything,” he told Victor.
“No.”
Victor looked at me.
“She did.”
Julian pulled a gun.
Victor stepped in front of me.
“No!”
The shot fired.
Victor fell.
Something inside me disappeared.
Julian ran.
Police caught him downstairs.
I dropped beside Victor.
Blood covered his shirt.
“Stay with me.”
He looked at me.
“You're shouting.”
“Yes!”
“You hate shouting.”
“I hate you!”
“That seems premature.”
“Victor!”
His eyes closed.
The ambulance came.
For eleven hours, I sat outside surgery.
Mateo slept against my shoulder.
My father sat beside me.
Ethan Caldwell arrived.
Nobody asked him to leave.
At 4:13 a.m., the surgeon came out.
Victor was alive.
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I cried harder than I had when I thought he was dead.
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