Water in Shaft 37

The woman snatched the paper. Lin caught only one line before it disappeared into her hand: Outer ring residents, standby list. Standby. Not a rescue list. Not a clearance list. Standby. In that instant the whole concourse changed. People who had been willing to wait started pushing forward. Two volunteers with ice packs were knocked sideways. Someone shouted, “They’re lying to us!” Someone else screamed, “My kid is out there!” A man lunged for the sign-in sheets. Marcus moved in front of Erin and the child. Daniel suddenly grabbed Lin by the sleeve. “Look there.” Lin followed his gaze and saw a steel door at the far end partially hidden by a tarp. A yellow sign hung over it: Ventilation Maintenance, No Entry. “What’s behind that?” he asked.