CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Where are we?" Teresa cried.

"I don't know, honey," Callie panted. "But I'm gonna find our way, okay?"

'Callie, come back! Just follow my voice! Follow my voice!'

The both of them froze in their step, in the middle of the darkness, as that voice washed over them. Echoing.

"Do you hear that?" Teresa asked, sniffling.

'Callie Lambert, follow my voice and come back to us!'

"Yeah, I hear it. That's my friend, Nathan," Callie told the little girl. "We have to follow his voice. He's where home is."

'Teresa, come back to us! Find us!' Marco's voice echoed over them.

"That's Marco!" Teresa said with excitement, tugging Callie towards the sound. "We have to hurry!"

Callie mustered up all of her strength and picked Teresa up. "Hold on as tight as you can without choking me!" She strung Teresa onto her back and raced towards the familiar voices.

'Follow my voice!' Raul's voice added to the echoing. 'Just follow my voice!'

Callie panted heavily as she supported Teresa's weight and raced as fast as she could towards the voices calling for them.

'Follow my voice!' Raul called.

She could hear other voices, and feel other presences nipping on her heels. She could feel herself getting tired. But she powered through it all. She had to.

She held back her feeling of relief when the apartment building came into view.

'Follow my voice, Callie! Teresa!' Raul's voice echoed.

'Follow our voice!' Nathan echoed too.

'Follow my voice!' Raul, again.

"We're coming!" Teresa shouted into the void as they grew closer to the entrance of the building. "We have to hurry, Callie!"

"I know, honey," Callie panted. She didn't stop for the ceremony of opening up the doors. She ran right through them as if they weren't there. Fortunately, that worked for her. She took one pause to catch her breath and look around for that nasty man but saw nothing. She got her bearings as quickly as she could and ran for the stairwell. She wasn't taking any chances with the elevator.

She was slowing as she carried Teresa up the stairs. She'd only made it to the second floor when she got too tired and fell to her knees.

Teresa got off her back and tugged at her hand. "Come on, we need to keep going! We need to get home! We need to hurry!"

Callie crawled to her feet, pulling herself up by the railing. "Teresa, you need to run as fast as you can! Get to your bed!"

"You too!" Teresa whined, still pulling on her hand.

"I'm right behind you, honey," Callie promised. "Run!"

With one last look, Teresa dropped Callie's hand, turned, and ran up the stairs. Callie, slower, took off after her. She tried to keep up, and always keep an eye on Teresa. Never let her out of her sight. She managed it just as Teresa got to the door that would lead to the third-floor hallway.

"Callie, come on!"

"I'm here," Callie panted as she finally caught up.

"Teresa!" a little voice called behind them. They whipped around to see Carmela chasing after them. "Don't leave me, sister!"

"Teresa, go!" Callie shouted, pushing the door open for them. Once in the hallway, she slammed it shut. The door shook with repeated bangs as Carmela tried to follow them.

Callie grabbed Teresa's hand and ran down the hall, scanning each door for the Sanchez apartment.

'Follow my voice! Please, come back!'

"Don't you dare stop until you get back in your room and into bed, Teresa!" Callie said sternly, pushing Teresa to run in front of her.

"She's my sister!" they heard Carmela roar behind them.

"Run, Teresa!" Callie cried out. She kept urging the little girl ahead of her. "Don't you dare stop!"

They heard another voice ahead of them. A little boy. "Hurry, hurry! You can't let her get you!"

Callie saw a little boy, whose photo she recognized from the article she'd read about Maria and her children. "Tomas!?"

The boy nodded, hopping in one place at the Sanchez's door. "Hurry!"

"My sister!"

Once Callie and Teresa reached the apartment, Callie shoved Teresa through the door.