The breath was knocked from her, and as she gasped for air a cloud of roiling dust enveloped her, filling her mouth and her nose and making her gag. She turned onto her stomach, ignoring the searing pain in her ribs, and dragged herself farther back into the pasture, past splinters of railings and posts. Disoriented, she pushed herself to her knees, and then to her feet, pressing her hands to her ears. The world had gone strangely silent, a distant ringing replacing the shriek of the planes.

The dust was clearing, though flames and smoke still billowed heavenward, smears of horror against what once promised to be a perfect September sky. The space where the hotel had been was just a pile of scattered brick and timbers, only the northern wall jutting up like a broken tooth. Sophie staggered forward. Where was Piotr?

She tripped over a pile of broken brick, a woman’s shoe sticking out incongruously from the mound. Beside it, the matching purse lay, papers spilling from the inside and fluttering back and forth. Around her, people appeared, covered in dust and blood and looking like ghostly spectres. Most were running blindly while some wandered aimlessly, and a few simply cowered on the ground. None were Piotr.

A shadow passed over her head and then another. The ground seemed to vibrate under her feet. To her left, small puffs of smoke and dust were erupting, the bodies of those who had run by her jerking awkwardly and then crumpling to the ground. A pair of hands grabbed her and spun her around. She found herself looking into brilliant blue eyes, and she almost wept with relief.

Piotr was shouting something at her as he pointed toward the dilapidated carriage house, which was still standing. He pushed her toward the building, and Sophie fought to make her legs work, the sensation that she was running underwater making her feel slow and sluggish. The ringing in her ears was starting to dissipate, replaced again by the roaring and shrieking of engines. Behind Sophie, a woman’s scream was abruptly silenced.

Hidden by the wall of swirling smoke that rose from the remnants of the hotel, another plane was approaching unseen, its high-pitched whine filling the air. A thump reverberated through the ground followed by the rattle of more guns. Sophie stumbled as she ran on, panic making her clumsy. Piotr steadied her, urging her faster toward the darkened doorway that had long since lost its door.