Not Quite Dead Yet
by Holly Jackson
Contents
Chapter 22
Overview
Mason Construction erupts into a fast-spreading, gas-scented fire while Jet and Billy are still inside, turning their break-in into a fight to survive. Jet loses the incriminating papers to the flames and is separated from Billy by a collapse, forcing her to improvise an escape through her father’s office window.
Billy returns despite Jet ordering him out, and together they flee before the sirens arrive, with Jet noticing what looks like a drone near the fire. Afterward, the near-death experience cracks Jet’s defenses, and she admits she doesn’t want to die, deepening her bond with Billy and sharpening the stakes of the attack against her.
Summary
Smoke seeps up through the office carpet at Mason Construction and the alarm blares. Billy tries to get Jet moving, but Jet doubles back to grab the papers they found in Luke’s office before running with Billy through thickening smoke.
When they reach the main stairwell, flames and intense heat block the exit, and Jet and Billy both notice an acrid smell like gas. They retreat and race for the rear staircase, but the floor splits open into a widening, fiery chasm; Billy jumps it to pull Jet up, and Jet drops the burning papers and flashlight as the floor collapses beneath them.
At the rear door, Billy rams it open into a clear stairwell, but the building breaks apart between them as the floor and wall cave in. Trapped on the office side, Jet forces Billy to leave by insisting she has only three days left and threatening never to forgive him if he stays, even as the collapse worsens.
Jet runs into her father’s office, finds a lean-to roof below the window, and struggles to escape one-handed when the sash window won’t open. With fire closing in, Jet uses a heavy family photo frame to smash through the glass, climbs onto the sill, and drops onto the lean-to roof.
Billy has come back and catches Jet, then helps her climb down via a dumpster and pallets as the building continues collapsing. Convinced someone set the fire while they were inside, they leave before sirens arrive; Jet glimpses a blinking light that looks like a drone near the smoke column. Later, at home, Jet breaks down in tears and admits to Billy she is terrified and doesn’t want to die, and Billy holds her and steadies her while she cries.
Who Appears
- Jet MasonTrapped in a gas-scented fire, escapes alone and later admits she doesn’t want to die.
- BillyHelps Jet flee the burning building, returns to save her, and comforts her afterward.