I landed hard on something uneven, the impact forcing the air from my lungs. My ears rang as muffled voices echoed above me, calling out names I couldn't make out. Darkness pressed in, broken only by the flicker of dim emergency lights far above.
"Alexander!" My voice cracked, but there was no response.
I pushed myself up, wincing at the sharp pain in my side. My fingers brushed against rubble—chunks of concrete and twisted metal. "Axel?" I tried again, louder this time.
A faint groan came from somewhere nearby.
I crawled toward the sound, my heart pounding. "Is that you?"
The groan turned into a cough, followed by a voice. "You're heavier than you look."
"Axel?" Relief flooded through me, and I found him pinned under a slab of concrete. His face was smeared with dirt, but his eyes locked onto mine, sharp and alert.
"Help me get this off," he muttered.
