At first people thought it was collapsing shelves.
But the shape grew clearer.
Low to the ground.
Stumbling forward.
The stray dog burst out of the entrance coughing violently, ash clinging to his fur and eyes wide with effort. Clamped carefully in his mouth was the sleeve of a small girl whose legs dragged weakly behind him as he pulled her step by step toward the outside air.
The parking lot froze.
A firefighter lunged forward and scooped the child into his arms just as she collapsed onto the pavement.
Paramedics rushed over immediately.
The girl couldn’t have been older than seven. Her bare feet were blackened with soot, and streaks of smoke ran across her cheeks where tears had cut thin paths through the grime.
The dog staggered beside them.
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