“I can hear you better… you’re close…”

His hand touched soft hair.

“I found you.”

Mia grabbed his wrist with surprising strength. “Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t.”

In the tiny beam of light he saw her: blonde pigtails gray with dust, huge brown eyes, a miniature leather vest with “Daddy’s Girl – Iron Vipers” stitched on the back.

A slab of drywall and splintered joist pinned her legs.

Noah braced his back against one beam and pushed with both feet.

Nothing.

He pushed again — harder.

The slab shifted an inch. Dust sifted down.

Mia whimpered.

“One more time,” Noah said through gritted teeth. “When I say pull, you pull.”

He strained — face red, arms shaking — until the slab slid sideways just enough.

“Pull, Mia — now!”

She dragged herself free, crying out as blood rushed back into her legs.

Noah wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hold on tight. We’re going back the way I came.”

They crawled — Mia whimpering with every movement, Noah whispering, “Almost there… almost there…”

Behind them something deep in the pile groaned.

They crawled faster.

When they reached daylight, Noah half-carried, half-dragged her down the last pile of debris.

Firefighters swarmed. Paramedics took Mia onto a stretcher.