nine-eleven ♡ h.s.

eight

C H A P T E R        E I G H T

09:32am — Harry

The closer they get to floor 80, the thicker the black smoke gets. The air is arid and it is getting hotter and hotter every second which tells them that they are coming closer to the fire. It's getting darker around them the closer they get to the affected floors.

 Luckily, John took the flash light with him that he had found somewhere in the offices. John leads the small group, followed by Harry who has Amy on his back and tries to calm her down every time she starts crying again. Susan walks last and all Harry and John hear from her is the sound of her inhaler or whimpers whenever she stepped on something with her bare feet.

 "Do you think we should take a look if there are still people? Maybe they need help." John asks Harry but he shakes his head.

 "I bet they all left through the other staircase and everything lower is...destroyed. I don't think anyone who worked at floor 77 to 80 survived."

 The image of hundreds of people being burned to death or crushed by the plane creeps its way into Harry's mind and stays there. Amy silently cries into his shoulder as the smell of charred plastic gets worse. Her throat is dry.

 "Water." Her muffled voice is only for Harry audible.

 "We don't have water here, sweetie."

 "Mommy." Amy cries again and tightens her grip around her father. She clings onto him like she has never done before.

 "Mommy waits for us at home. We'll see her very soon, yeah?"

 Pieces of drywall are blocking the group's way. The whole staircase is full with them. Lamps that detached themselves are hanging loosely from the ceiling or have already hit the ground. John has to try to kick them away while they walk with a bent back so they won't inhale too much of the poisonous smoke.

 They all hold their pieces of Harry's jacket in front of their faces, trying to breathe through the thick, wet fabric. It isn't easy to breath through but still better than filling their lungs with the black smoke that slowly rose above them.

 Big black letters on a grey door tell the group they are on floor 80 now. The worst is still going to come. This is not the floor where the plane mainly crashed in.

 Floor 79 looks completely different. Through the grey door is coming an orange light, lightly flickering. "This floor is burning, so you shouldn't touch anything near the door." Harry points out, mainly to inform Susan who is becoming a gasping mess and has to hold tightly onto the banister.

 "Susan you can't walk downstairs with bare foot. If something cuts you and you can't walk we have no way to get you out of here. You already had to walk carefully. Glass is everywhere and we have no clue what is hidden underneath this mess." Harry says as he looks at the next stairhead. John nods.

 "But what if I twist my ankle? I would have to wear high heels, if you haven't noticed."

 At first Harry really wanted to get her out of here, and he still does. He wishes everyone who went upstairs would have come downstairs with them. But Susan seems to only bring more problems.

 The smoke makes it harder for her to breathe because of her having asthma, she can't walk through this catastrophic mess because she either has to wear high heels or walk bare foot and her complains are not helping as well. She may be scared, but everyone from this small group is.

 "Or we have to carry you." Harry says and looks at John who thinks the same thing. This is a crazy idea but they need to get Susan out of here as well. And if that is the only solution to the problem of getting her out of this tower, then they have to do so.

 "I can't carry her through this, Harry." John shakes his head.

 "I don't want to be carried." Susan interjects.

 "If that is the only way, you will be carried." Harry says in a deep voice.

 "But I don't want this!"

 "Goddamn, Susan! Do you not realize in which situation we are? It is already dangerous here and you bring more and more problems. I want to get out of here as quick as possible and we can't waste our time on you having a problem with being carried," Harry flares up, "I have a wife waiting outside. I have a child on my arm. I'm just as scared and as tired as you are, as everyone here is. But if we say something you just have to follow!"

 "Harry, calm down."

 "No, shít no. I want to get out of here. Now. We don't know what is expecting us down there and I'm risking my child's life here. And I swear to God, if we waste another minute on some unnecessary stuff like we do right now, I will go downstairs on my own and then Susan is your problem, John." Harry yells and looks at Susan once more only to see her watery eyes.

 Harry didn't want to offend anyone here. But he is incredibly mad at everything right now, mostly himself. If he had not been such a workaholic, he would have been at home. His baby girl would have been safe at home and she would have had a great birthday and not one where death is waiting behind every door.

 John exhales loudly and nods, "Harry is right. You either put on your shoes or I'll have to carry you."

 "I'm...I'm gonna try it with my shoes." Susan whispers as she wipes away some tears from her cheeks and avoids eye contact with Harry who is still breathing heavily.

 After Susan put on her shoes, they move downstairs. John kicks away the pieces of dry wall. The smoke gets thicker with every step they take and when the group reaches floor 78, the smoke is still thick which they take as a sign that even this floor is burning.

 And it is hot. It is so hot on those destroyed floors, Harry could feel the one side of his face being singed so he tried to protect Amy's bare arms and her face by shielding her with his body and the rest of his jacket that he took with him.

 "It's so hot, Daddy." Amy croaks.

 "It's over soon, Amy, I promise." Harry soothes her and they continue to walk downstairs. Susan is a bit slower than the two men are because she desperately clings onto the banister and tries to walk down the stairs without twisting her ankle.

 "Okay, it's getting better now. There is less smoke and it's not so hot anymore." John calls upstairs, mainly to inform Susan who is slowly following.

 "I can't walk in those shoes anymore." Susan whimpers and Harry has to take a few deep breaths so he won't have an outburst again. He can't listen to her complains anymore.

 They stand in front of the door to floor 77. The air is clear and they all can take away their wet pieces of Harry's jacket. Harry pulls up his tie from Amy's face so it is wrapped around her forehead. He gives her a quick kiss on the nose. It is so relieving to breathe through mouth and nose without inhaling the poisonous smoke from the fire.

 "Are you okay?" Harry asks and Amy shakes her head, coughing, "I know, I know. But it's getting better now."

 Harry knows it himself. They may have passed the most dangerous area but it is still a long way down.