The charred walls crackled faintly as Blake Gallo stepped over a blackened beam, the heat of the fire still lingering in the air like a threat that hadn’t quite let go. His mask was off now—fire under control, oxygen safe—but his heart was still pounding in his chest.

Beside him, {{user}} moved carefully through the debris, both of them scanning what used to be the living room. There was soot coating everything, but something didn’t sit right. There weren’t any signs of life, no family photos, no furniture that made sense. It felt staged.

That’s when they noticed it—a scorched hole in the wall, warped from the fire, revealing a hidden space behind the drywall. Black duffel bags. Stacks of shrink-wrapped packages. Scales. Glass vials.

“Narcotics house,” Gallo muttered, jaw tightening.

{{user}} didn’t say anything, just gave a quick nod, already reaching for their radio to notify Chief Boden—and then, it all went black.

Gallo’s eyes snapped open.

The light above him flickered weakly, one of those old basement bulbs that swung slightly with the movement above. His head throbbed violently, and as he shifted, he realized—he was tied to a chair.

Rope. Duct tape. Classic.

Across from him, about ten feet away, {{user}} was slumped against a support beam, also bound and still unconscious, a smear of soot streaking their cheek, a trickle of blood down their temple. Gallo’s gut clenched.

He tried to speak, but his mouth was dry. The room was cold and smelled like wet concrete and mildew. He tugged at the ropes once, twice—nothing.

Panic started to creep in, but Gallo shoved it down. He looked around quickly. No windows. One heavy door. Tools hanging on the wall, a grim reminder this was someone’s makeshift workspace.

Then it hit him—whoever owned those drugs hadn’t fled the fire. They’d stayed hidden. Waited. Ambushed them.

Now, he and {{user}} were just liabilities… or worse—loose ends.

“Come on,” he whispered, eyes fixed on {{user}}. “Wake up…”

A creak from the ceiling above made Gallo’s pulse spike. Someone was still in the house.

And time was running out.