By the time they reach the intersection with the main hall, they’re all hugging the wall. After miming what she is about to do, Miranda drops to her knees. Ignoring the screen full of texts from people asking if she’s okay, she puts her phone on video mode, then slides it along the floor and a few inches out into the hall. Although it seems unlikely the killers will notice a tiny rectangle on the floor fifty yards away, her hand is shaking. She tilts the phone back and forth and then brings it in.

They move farther back, and the other three crowd around her as she replays the video. It shows the empty main hall, which looks like a larger version of the one they are in now. The only difference is that farther down some of the storefront windows are broken, blown out by the bomb.

The video doesn’t show the security gate Parker talked about. It must be set back where the side hall narrows. But it does show the most important thing: two killers in profile, facing the hostages. They’re dressed all in black, just like the man who came down the escalator, calmly shooting as he went. In fact, the way one of them holds himself makes Miranda think it is the same man.

“There’s still only two of them on this side,” Grace whispers.

“Now we just need to figure out how to make one of them come down here. And then we jump him.” As she says the words, Miranda feels them in her body. She needs to move. To scream and jump and hit something really, really hard.

“But we don’t kill him,” Cole says. “Or it will make us just as bad as them.” His mouth twists.

“No it wouldn’t.” Grace spits the words. “We’ll never be like them.” She shakes her head. “I wish we knew for sure that’s where they took Amina. And how are we going to get one of them to come down here?”

“Look—we can take care of both birds.” Javier’s whisper sparks with excitement. He’s pointing at the nearer of the two kiosks, the RC Zone. Miranda has walked by it dozens of times. The guys who work there are always demo-ing toys, hoping to snag some kid who will bug a parent for an impulse purchase.

“Even if we hide behind that, I don’t think the angle’s right to let us see if Amina’s with the other hostages,” Miranda whispers.

“That’s not what I mean. Look at what they sell.” Javier nods at her. “You gave me the idea with your phone.”

Cole gets it first. “Great idea, dude!”

“What?” Grace looks just as lost as Miranda.

Cole makes a driving motion with his hands. “We start recording video on one of our phones. Then we put it in a remote-control car and drive it down there!”