Departure

Chapter 6: Tragedy

For a moment I just stood there. Once again, temporarily paralyzed, I didn't know what to do. Then, all at once, the reality of the situation kicked in.
I raced toward the ledge, calling their names as I ran. Well, Maria's name. I never knew the man's.
No answer.
"Maria!" I yelled out. "Please! Respond! Can you hear me?"
No answer.
As I neared the ledge that I lowered Maria down into the ditch, I scanned the catastrophe. I was about to hop down into the fault and try and look for them, but flames within were reaching high.
No. No. No.
This is all my fault.
I did this. They weren't going to leave until I told them to.
It's all my fault.
Sadness drooped over my body, but it was immediately washed away by anger. Anger at myself.

They are down there because of me.

The light from the outside world shone upon the wreckage of the wall. Upon what's visibly left of Maria and her father, broken concrete. Outside, I couldn't immediately see anything. The smoke of the building was creeping out. I stood at their graves. Kneeling down at the ledge, I placed my blackened hands on the floor.
Tears began to fly down my face and onto the ground, making a saltwater puddle.

I'm sorry.

Vibrations beneath my body shook me into focus. I began to stand up as I heard the hideous sound of a falling, flaming beam, heading right towards me. Quickly I scrambled to the right as the enormous pillar of blackened gray and vibrant red came crashing into my previous position. It came down over the entire ditch, snapping in half. From the middle of the fault, the beam created a bridge to get over to the other side. The distance between it and I was reachable, with effort. I scanned it, looking for something to grab hold of. On the left side of the beam lay a bed of mangled wire, tangible enough for my grasp.
BOOM!
The ceiling behind me started to give way. This was no accident. This was an attack.
I hesitated at the edge of the fiery pit. If I was going to go through with this, I would have to act now. For Jenn, I thought.

For Jenn.

I backed up a few meters, conscious to not step on whipping flames. Without second thought, I ran towards the ditch, full speed. Then came the jump. As I launched, I looked forward for all but one second. In that second, below my souring feet lie an audience of flickers and burnt debris.
Gravity was pulling me down before I could reach my desired location, and my body slowly lowered into the pit. Only a few feet in front was the beam. I extended my arms and legs in the direction.
Please. Let me make this. Please.
And then my body collided with it. My hands desperately searching for a handle to withstand my weight. My left hand locked onto a metal wire and left the rest of my body swaying above the fire, like an animal being roasted for a feast.
Quickly, I added my right hand onto the wire and tried to hoist my body up.
The wire began to loosen, sending my body lower into the ditch. I wrapped my legs around the beam, and pulled up on the wire. My left leg instantly felt a sharp, ongoing pain. I tried to ignore it and carry on. My adrenalin gave me the extra strength to land my torso upon level ground. Then, I used my arms to inch my way farther down the floor to fling my legs upon it.
Once my body was completely stable on the ground, I tried to stand up. The pain in my leg sent me straight back to the floor. I looked down to see the damage. My leg had been encased around the vicious grip of a flame, leaving an open, burning wound.
I tried to stand again, this time slower. To my surprise, I managed to pick myself up. Trying to walk was not as successful. When I applied any pressure to my left foot, a sharp pain shot up my leg. I gripped my left pant leg and limped toward the women's bathroom.

"Jenn!" I called out. Once again, I received nothing in return. As I neared the entrance, the ditch I just climbed out of was covered by the remains of the ceiling. Wasting no time, I rushed into the bathroom.
It was a wreck. Doors were detached from their hinges, bits of ceiling tiles fallen to the floor, and water pipes were spraying a constant stream of water.
My eyes gravitated towards the stalls. I began to check them, one by one.
Empty.
Empty.
Empty.
My hope was waning.
Empty.
Empty.
Empty.
There was one more stall left unchecked. I reached for the intact door with a trembling hand.
Jenn.
The door slowly creeped open to reveal a horrific sight. A body lay covered in fallen concrete near the wall. As I came closer, it was clear the body was of a woman. My heart dropped as I realized the body was familiar.

The body was Jenn's.