Tegan realizes escape by stealth is impossible without her pepper spray or a weapon. She decides that help must come to her and focuses on creating a small, controlled fire to set off the basement smoke detector.

She confirms the detector’s red light is active and weighs the risk: a small blaze could summon emergency services, but Polly might try to manage it alone. With no better option, Tegan commits to the plan.

Tegan tears pages from a magazine, uses the high-quality lighter Jackson gave her, and ignites the paper. As the flames grow, she fans the burning pages to build smoke, willing the alarm to sound and force Polly to seek outside help.