Chapter 6: Sophia
He noticed the back door had been partially opened from inside, and a table and some chairs, previously blocking the way, were moved. Peering through the gap, he spotted a young woman lying on the floor, unconscious. Her neat appearance told him she wasn't a gas station worker. From her position, it looked like she'd been trying to push the furniture aside to escape.
"Probably passed out from the smoke," Zack thought. He pulled open the door and cleared the remaining furniture. Turning her over gently, he examined her.
"Looks familiar..."
The girl, about eighteen or nineteen, had a striking appearance. Something about her face sparked a sense of recognition, although he was sure he'd never seen her before.
"Ego?"
Ego quickly responded, "Sophia Monroe, female, 19. Daughter of the late Benjamin Monroe. Mother, Lillian Lane, former CEO of Horizon Corporation."
"Oh, Lillian Lane's daughter. That explains it," Zack realized. He hadn't known the girl, but he had certainly heard of her mother, a prominent businesswoman often in the media. Despite her husband's early death, Lillian Lane had built her struggling company into an empire. And this girl, Sophia Monroe, was her only child.
"What a life, huh?" he muttered, looking down at the unconscious girl. "In a world like this, all those billions mean nothing."
He slapped her cheek gently, trying to wake her. "Come on, wake up."
Her eyelashes fluttered, and a weak voice escaped her lips. "Water..."
Zack rummaged through the store, found a bottle of water, and poured a bit on her face before handing it over. "Drink slowly..."