“Go to the kitchen and stay down on the floor, behind the island, away from the window,” he said.
Leah raised an eyebrow at him but nodded.
Cecelia had a look of fear on her face, but was standing still, listening.
Ellen really felt for her.
To be blind in a building where people were shooting and starting fires had to be terrifying. It’s frightening enough without being blind.
Chyna’s eyes were wide, and her face was white.
Leah, noticing, reached for her hand. “Take my hand,” she told Cecelia and held her other hand out to touch Cecelia’s.
“It’s going to be okay,” she reassured the group. “This is the safest place for us. We must stay quiet and calm. Hank will let us know when we can come out.”
Ellen knew how important it was to remain calm and to think clearly in a crisis. That had been stressed to her as a teacher, how all the little one’s lives would depend on her if the school ever caught fire. So, she wasn’t panicking now, but deep down she was really scared.
Hank nodded at Leah and then headed toward the front of the building.
After he was gone the fire alarms went off and kept going off.
Gunfire started again and it was loud and frightening between the gunshots and the shouting as the men shot it out with whoever was attacking the center.
Ellen couldn’t tell who was winning the gunfight or if any of the Brotherhood Protectors had been hurt. Not knowing what was going on was so frustrating and added to the deep fear she felt.
Now smoke was spreading from the back of the house toward the front.
Ellen had heard one of the men shout that the roof was on fire. It hadn’t spread to the kitchen yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time.
We need to get out. Every fire drill I’ve ever trained for is about getting everyone out. But how can we do that if people are shooting at us? If we come out of the building, will they shoot us?
CHAPTER5
What should we do?
Ellen wished she had an answer.
Suddenly the shooting stopped.
Barrett and Gunny came into the kitchen and Gunny hollered at the women and waved his arm. “Come on,” he shouted. “Let’s go!”
The women hurried with the men toward the front doors.
The building was quieter now but filling up with smoke.
Then they were all outside, standing and looking back at the building as flames leapt up from the roof into the sky. Those big logs might take a while to burn but burn they would.
Ellen counted heads. What she always did after a fire drill. She’d kept a calm head like she was supposed to.
All eight women were outside, as were all staff and the Brotherhood Protectors.
Good. Everyone is out and safe.
In the distance Ellen could hear fire engine sirens coming closer. She hoped the firemen would be able to put the fire out soon, before too much more damage occurred to the main house.
But what had happened? Who had started shooting and at who? Who had started the fire and why?
Chyna was hanging onto Barrett like her life depended upon it.
