Part 4: Doug
I hear the screams all around me fill my ears. And I hear her. I stand still in the chaos, tightly gripping my god-daughter's hand. She is pulling on me, trying to get me to exit the chamber.
I suddenly hear a hissing noise. I look behind me and see that the large metal doors of the chamber are closing, and people are screaming louder, crowding at the exit.
I already see bodies on the ground. The neurotoxin killed them. I turn around with Chell's hand still in my grip, and start to walk toward the door, where everyone is pushing and shoving. The door is halfway closed, sliding from the top and making its way down to the floor. People have to bend over to make it under.
I make it to the crowd of people and push through it as hard as I can. I tell Chell to do the same, and that I will never let her go.
We finally make it to the door. It is about two thirds down now. Chell and I will have to squeeze underneath. It is difficult for me, but not for Chell because she's smaller, but I manage to fully slide outside. And from out there I can hear more and more thumps on the floor. I watch the crack between the door and floor, people's faces peeking under, hands reaching out, and screams, but there is no more room to escape. The door finally closes shut, and I can see blood spreading out here from inside.
There's a decent amount of people who made it out alive, but the majority is trapped in that gas chamber with only seconds to survive.
Everyone is in the long corridor on the way to the chamber, gasping for clean oxygen.
I don't know what to do once we're out here, so I find an empty spot toward the end of the hallway.
"Daddy," Chell says, tears in her eyes, "What's going on?"
I take a deep breath. "Look," I say. Her head hangs down. I touch her chin and slightly push it up so she would look me in the eye. "You're not safe," I say.
"Why?" is all she got out.
"I have to get you somewhere she can't touch us."
"Daddy. Why won't you answer my questions? What's going on? Why am I not safe? Why do I feel so scared?"
She has always been so determined. She never just goes with the flow. And right now it is a bad time for that.
"Just come with me. Someday-" but before I could finish, there was another hissing from the floor. I look down and see green gas coming from cracks between the floor tiles.
"Daddy!" She says, scared.
"It's okay," I say. I grab her hand and start running down the hall. I know where to go.
I yell back behind me, "Anyone who wants to live, follow me!" I can see out of the corner of my eye that employees and little girls are running to catch up.
We run down the maze of halls and finally enter a room which has never been used. There are no security cameras. No neurotoxin coming from the ground. Just four walls, a floor, and a ceiling.
I make sure everyone has safely made it inside, then close and lock the door.
"Daddy. Please. I want to know."
"This is a really bad time to explain." I say as I bring her to an empty corner of the room.
She let's out an angered sigh and rolls her eyes.
I kneel down so I am at her height. "I can't tell you now. But as I was trying to say before, maybe someday when you are older you will understand." I felt the emotion come to me. "But for right now we're safe."
