Love At The World Trade Centre (A Non-Green Day Story), chapter 3
"Excuse me," someone suddenly pants, hands on either of my shoulders, red in the face and a dusting of dirt sprinkled on top of their hair, just like icing sugar on top of a cake.
"Yeah?" I ask, trying to pull the person from the grasp of my shoulders.
"I...I...." She starts, her words turning into gasps for breath as she tries to tell me something. I stare at Mark, worried that this woman had, obviously, gone into a state of panic and shock.
"Here," offers Mark, pulling her away from me and leading her to the corridor door and pointing for her to head for the stairs. He then walks back over to me, a smile across his face as if to say "We're fine, there's hope."
"Mark?" I ask, walking over to him. "Lets use the elevator, it'll be quicker to get out and I'm--" I stop, not wanting to admit that I'm scared. Not in front of Mark.
"Are you sure? It might be dangerous; they could be stuck." he states.
"I just want to get out and an elevator is the easiest way."
"Hey!" Mark suddenly shouts across the room, ignoring me. He then rushes past me, snatching a chair from a persons grasp.
"Don't break the windows! It could be fatal!" he says, chucking the chair aside.
"We need air!" the woman shrieks. She points up to the air ventilator on the ceiling, "Smoke is coming down from upstairs." she explains.
"Just...grab some clothing, anything to put over your mouths and DON'T break the windows untill we know what the hell is going on." Mark says, walking back over to me.
"Come on," he orders, grabbing my hand and pulling me across the room.
"Mark, where are we going?" I ask, trotting along beside him.
"To find some help and to find the nearest elevator." he says.
"This is a safety annoucment. We have an emergancy and advice ALL persons to remain at their work stations until further notice. This is a safety announcment. We have an emergancy and advice ALL persons to remain at their work stations until further notice." A voice crackles over an intercom, repeating itself continuously. I tug on Mark's hand to make him stop.
"You're not actually going to listen to that thing are you?" he asks, turning round to face me.
"Well somehow I think following the instructions of a safety officer is better than following the instructions of just a workman." I spit. I immediatley regret it.
"Fine. I'm going downstairs to find the nearest help." he says, releasing his grip from mine and heading into an elevator that has just opened up near us. Before I can stop him the doors close.
"Mark!" I screech. rushing over and banging on the elevator doors, willing them to open back up again. But they don't.
For some reason all the screaming, shouts and banging noises become deafeningly louder. People running around become a blur, so much so that many people are barging into me.
My breathing speads up, my palms almost dripping with sweat. I brush my hair from my face and turn back around to go back into room I had come from. I push the door open with force and almost immediatley I have to cough through the amount of smoke that had filled the room. Now it was spreading, whisping it's way past my body and out into the corridor, chasing itself around, snaking up the walls from ceiling to floor.
I need to know what is causing this. Why, my life might be at risk. Why? I speed around the room, trying to find SOMEONE who could at tell me what is happening.
"Excuse me?" I cough, tapping a tall man on the shoulder. He turns around and a gasp escapes from my mouth. A small trail of blood is trickling it's way down the man's cheek. His eye is all mangled, all purple and blood seeping from it.
"I..uh...do you know what's happened?" I ask, drawing my attention from his eye to his mouth, the only part of his face still intact.
"We've been hit, it's terrible! we're all going to die!" he wails, his voice harsh.
"What? Hit? By what?" I ask, blinking.
"A fucking damn plane, that's what!" he shouts. The room goes silent. Well, almost silent. My heart sinks so low I'm afraid it's going to fall out my ass. My head spins and I fill with fear as I think of Mark. Where could he be? For all I know he could have gone straight down, straight out of the building and is tucked up in bed right now.
"Thanks," I choke, my eyes brimming with tears. All of a sudden I feel a pair of arms wrap themselves around my body. I gasp and turn around.
"Mark!" I sigh with relief, squeezing him tight.
"Sally, we've been hit by a plane, we need to get out and fast. Fire has spread across all top six floors. Smoke is uncontrollably filling the air and the building may not hold." he pants.
"I know, I know Mark. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean what I said!" I say, tears running down my face as I cling to his frame.
"It's ok, honestly," he whispers into my ear, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.
"Come on. We're going home." he says cheerily, walking proudly out of the door with me in toe. If only those words were true.
"Yeah?" I ask, trying to pull the person from the grasp of my shoulders.
"I...I...." She starts, her words turning into gasps for breath as she tries to tell me something. I stare at Mark, worried that this woman had, obviously, gone into a state of panic and shock.
"Here," offers Mark, pulling her away from me and leading her to the corridor door and pointing for her to head for the stairs. He then walks back over to me, a smile across his face as if to say "We're fine, there's hope."
"Mark?" I ask, walking over to him. "Lets use the elevator, it'll be quicker to get out and I'm--" I stop, not wanting to admit that I'm scared. Not in front of Mark.
"Are you sure? It might be dangerous; they could be stuck." he states.
"I just want to get out and an elevator is the easiest way."
"Hey!" Mark suddenly shouts across the room, ignoring me. He then rushes past me, snatching a chair from a persons grasp.
"Don't break the windows! It could be fatal!" he says, chucking the chair aside.
"We need air!" the woman shrieks. She points up to the air ventilator on the ceiling, "Smoke is coming down from upstairs." she explains.
"Just...grab some clothing, anything to put over your mouths and DON'T break the windows untill we know what the hell is going on." Mark says, walking back over to me.
"Come on," he orders, grabbing my hand and pulling me across the room.
"Mark, where are we going?" I ask, trotting along beside him.
"To find some help and to find the nearest elevator." he says.
"This is a safety annoucment. We have an emergancy and advice ALL persons to remain at their work stations until further notice. This is a safety announcment. We have an emergancy and advice ALL persons to remain at their work stations until further notice." A voice crackles over an intercom, repeating itself continuously. I tug on Mark's hand to make him stop.
"You're not actually going to listen to that thing are you?" he asks, turning round to face me.
"Well somehow I think following the instructions of a safety officer is better than following the instructions of just a workman." I spit. I immediatley regret it.
"Fine. I'm going downstairs to find the nearest help." he says, releasing his grip from mine and heading into an elevator that has just opened up near us. Before I can stop him the doors close.
"Mark!" I screech. rushing over and banging on the elevator doors, willing them to open back up again. But they don't.
For some reason all the screaming, shouts and banging noises become deafeningly louder. People running around become a blur, so much so that many people are barging into me.
My breathing speads up, my palms almost dripping with sweat. I brush my hair from my face and turn back around to go back into room I had come from. I push the door open with force and almost immediatley I have to cough through the amount of smoke that had filled the room. Now it was spreading, whisping it's way past my body and out into the corridor, chasing itself around, snaking up the walls from ceiling to floor.
I need to know what is causing this. Why, my life might be at risk. Why? I speed around the room, trying to find SOMEONE who could at tell me what is happening.
"Excuse me?" I cough, tapping a tall man on the shoulder. He turns around and a gasp escapes from my mouth. A small trail of blood is trickling it's way down the man's cheek. His eye is all mangled, all purple and blood seeping from it.
"I..uh...do you know what's happened?" I ask, drawing my attention from his eye to his mouth, the only part of his face still intact.
"We've been hit, it's terrible! we're all going to die!" he wails, his voice harsh.
"What? Hit? By what?" I ask, blinking.
"A fucking damn plane, that's what!" he shouts. The room goes silent. Well, almost silent. My heart sinks so low I'm afraid it's going to fall out my ass. My head spins and I fill with fear as I think of Mark. Where could he be? For all I know he could have gone straight down, straight out of the building and is tucked up in bed right now.
"Thanks," I choke, my eyes brimming with tears. All of a sudden I feel a pair of arms wrap themselves around my body. I gasp and turn around.
"Mark!" I sigh with relief, squeezing him tight.
"Sally, we've been hit by a plane, we need to get out and fast. Fire has spread across all top six floors. Smoke is uncontrollably filling the air and the building may not hold." he pants.
"I know, I know Mark. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean what I said!" I say, tears running down my face as I cling to his frame.
"It's ok, honestly," he whispers into my ear, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.
"Come on. We're going home." he says cheerily, walking proudly out of the door with me in toe. If only those words were true.
