nine-eleven ♡ h.s.

eleven

C H A P T E R        E L E V E N

10:04am — Valerie

It is so loud. Valerie hears screaming and sobbing, sirens and shouting. She watches the pieces that once belonged to the enormous South tower. Paper, dust and ashes trickle down and remain in her hair.

 Valerie wasn't hit by any of the pieces that are flying around because she kept a decent distance to the South tower. But she is not far enough from all the heartbroken people. She cannot escape the deep sorrow and grief that is flooding through the air.

 She hears her phone ringing and stiffly takes it out of the pocket of her beige coat and sees that Harry is calling.

 "Harry? My God, I thought you were...I thought—"

 "Is that Valerie Styles?" A voice which doesn't belong to Harry speaks.

 Valerie clears her throat, "Y—Yes, why? Why is this not Harry? Why do you have his phone?"

 "Harry gave it to me so I can find you. I have your child on my back."

 "Amy? But where is....where is my hus—What about Harry?"

 "If you could tell me where you are, we could talk better. Your daughter is crying and she wants to see you." The guy, whose name Valerie still doesn't know, says and she nods.

 "Yeah...yeah, I'm in front of the entrance. I mean where the entrance once was and I'm a few feet away from it so...I'll wave or something when I see you." Valerie says confused and is on the lookout for a small child with a flowery dress on someone else's back.

 A few minutes later and she recognizes Amy. Without hesitation she runs over to them and without a greeting she takes Amy from the stranger's back and hugs her tightly.

 "My baby....oh God, you're alive. Amy Amy Amy. I love you so much." Valerie whispers and places kisses all over Amy's dirty face. She has never been in such a state as she is right now, between happiness and worry. She is so happy that her daughter came out alive but she is so worried about Harry.

 "My name is John Weaver. Your husband is my boss." The man introduces himself and Valerie stands up whilst wiping away the tears from her cheeks.

 "Where is Harry?"

 John hesitates for a second, "He told me to leave the South tower and...I'm so sorry, Mrs.Styles."

 "Is he...No. No no no no." Valerie shakes her head.

 "Susan Parker, his assistant, fell and apparently twisted her ankle. Harry stopped to carry her out of the tower. I don't know if they managed to come out in time. Maybe he was stopped by a paramedic, that's why he isn't here yet," John tries to find the right words, "Mrs.Styles, I'm so sorry but he might be...It is very unlikely that he came out alive. Even I had trouble to not be hit by pieces that fell down when the tower...collapsed."

 Valerie listens but her mind is not really here. She stares right through John and her face becomes pale.

 "But he...Harry promised," Valerie whispers and her shaky hand tries to cover her mouth, "He promised me to be out before ten o'clock. He wanted to...Harry promised."

 "He wanted me to tell you he'll be out in a second but after this...I'm not sure, Mrs.Styles. But I know he loved you. He was worried about you the whole time."

 "Worried about me? But he was the one trapped in this tower," Valerie whispers, "Harry promised me to get out of this tower."

 Her legs aren't strong enough to carry her weight anymore so she breaks down. Valerie sits on the dirty ground and joins all the other people that are grieving for the people they have lost. She can't even cry because she is so in shock.

 "Mommy," Amy stutters desperately and tears at the sleeve of Valerie's coat but she can't react, "Mommy stand up. Stand up, please."

 "Mrs.Styles, I will...I better take Amy to a paramedic to let them check if she's okay." John says and lifts Amy from the ground.

 Amy screams for her mother but Valerie doesn't really hear it. Valerie watches the mess that is right in front of her. There is nothing left of the South tower.

 Only smoke and ashes and hidden underneath this destroyed building are dead bodies. Harry's dead body.

 All of a sudden, Valerie gets up and she runs. She runs through the mass of people that all hold each other and cry together.

 Valerie asks everyone if they have seen him but no one has. Fire fighters try to stop her as she climbs over the barrier to get to the other paramedics that take care of the victims that came out in time. People reach out for her and try to stop her but she doesn't let that happen. She runs and she escapes until she arrives at the ambulance that is the closest to where the South tower once stood.

 "Is here...Sir, Sir, please, hello," Valerie tries to get the attention of a male who is currently taking care of a short, blonde women who has a swollen ankle and a huge laceration on her head, "Sir, I'm sorry. Hey!"

 The man turns around, "How can I help you?"

 "Is here...Have you seen...Harry Styles? He's tall and...and—"

 "Harry Styles?" The woman asks and she tucks a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear, "I'm Susan Parker. You're his wife?"

 "I am. Do you know him? Do you know where he is?" Valerie rambles and remembers that John mentioned a Susan, "Wait, Susan Parker? He carried you. Harry...where is he? Where is my Harry? Is he alive...is he—"

 "Yes, he stopped for me and carried me out there. He was a hero. That was—" Susan says but is interrupted by Valerie.

 "Was?" She whispers in shock.

Before Susan can reply anything, Valerie spins around, multiple times in hope to find him. The thick cloud of smoke and dust doesn't make it very easy to see anything. Eventually, Valerie stops spinning around. She stands with the back to the short woman.

 And then she sees him.