CHAPTER 98

TOMMY WAS A GOOD RANGER, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THAT MOB. He was light on his feet and easily dodged people, although the severe headache and ringing in his ears were making things difficult for him.

He hurriedly crossed the crowd of lunatics and reached the other side of the avenue. He jumped over the fences that marked the division of territory between the event and the Library and advanced in his rescue mission. Some federal agents were on guard near the building's entrance stairs, but with all the commotion, they barely noticed Tommy sneaking around the corners to one of the doors.

Of the three front doors, only the middle one was ajar; the other two had been locked before the event began, when the Library closed. He ran and entered safely. He crossed the lobby and followed the main hall to the corridors that led to Katherine's office.

"Katy!" he shouted repeatedly, looking for his wife.

There were some people inside, library staff and others trying to take refuge from what had happened. He just looked at each of them from afar, looking for Katherine, but she wasn't there.

She must still be in her office...

He ran there, shouting her name nervously.

WHEN HE ARRIVED, HE FOUND only the office empty, but her things were still there.

Katy!

His heart sank even more when he saw his belongings and couldn't find her, but before he turned his back to run frantically in search of her, he was stopped by a faint call:

— Tom? — came a thin, weak voice from behind the huge rustic table, raising a whimper.

— Katy! It's me! — he said, going to find her.

When he got closer, he found her crouched behind the table, hiding from the stranger. She was crying nervously and shaking heavily.

— Everything's okay now — he said, trying to comfort her.

Tommy saw that her pupils were dilated, even in the bright environment they were in. She seemed to be looking at him inaccurately, searching for him in various directions.

What a damn noise! ​​— he thought.

— Tom, everything is strange, I'm feeling really bad... Lilian lost consciousness and started doing nonsensical things and Angie... Angie fainted and...

— Calm down, calm down. Let's go home soon, things are really bad out there.

He picked her up and sat her down for a moment, to recover. He picked up her scattered things and put them in the bag that was lying on the floor.

— Come on, love. Let's go home.

THE HELLISH SOUND HAD STOPPED, but they didn't know what they would find ahead. Each person seemed to react differently to it. With extreme caution, they walked back down the hallway, towards the exit. What they wanted most was to escape from that hell...