I Never Planned on This (A newsies fanfiction)

Chapter nineteen

Les returned soon with a lead pipe in hand. He and Davey followed Albert back into the cell, and over to the window. Les stood on top of the bed in order to see outside. The bars along the window were as hot as the room was.

Albert looked at Les. "Okay, ya see those bars in the window?" Les nodded. "I want ya to swing at them with the pipe like a baseball bat. Think ya can do that?" Les nodded. "Okay." He and Davey walked back a few steps as Les swung. The pipe smashed against the metal bar, sending a dent into it. He swung again, a bigger dent in the bar. He kept swinging, until the bar was bent in half. "Okay, you can stop!!!!" Albert exclaimed. Les stopped and turned to Albert for further instruction. The smoke got thicker. It became harder to breathe and see. "Now Les, ya think ya can fit through that gap ya made?" Les looked at the gap between the bars and nodded. "Okay. Go through, onto the fire escape." He ordered. Les dropped the bar and climbed through the gap, away from the smoke and onto the fire escape. Albert looked at him through the window. "Okay, Les. Davey's gonna hand you the pipe again. I want you to take it, put one side around one of the bars, grab on to the side, and pull. Understand?" Les nodded.

Davey handed him the pipe, and Les pushed half of it back inside. He then bent his wrist so that the other side would come back to him, only this time, the bent bar was in the way. He grabbed the other side, and pulled as hard as he could.

A few minutes later, there was a gravelly noise, then an exceedingly high-pitched squeak, before the bar broke free and Les was sent tumbling onto the floor of the fire escape.

"You okay?" Albert asked. Les nodded. "Okay." Albert said again, nodding to Les. The fire grew around them, and Albert's lungs burned. But he remained calm. "I'm gonna send Henri out through the gap first. We don't know how hurt she is, yet, so make sure she don't hit her head or anything." Les nodded, and Davey helped Albert push Henri through the gap and outside to Les. Once she was safely on the fire escape, Albert looked at Davey.

"You go out next. I'll follow close behind."

"Me? Why me? I don't want to be the reason if you can't make it out."

"Because you're gonna need a boost with that foot." Albert said, motioning to Davey's right foot. Davey was still unsure. "It's okay." Albert assured him. "I'll follow out as soon as you're safely on the fire escape." Davey nodded and Albert have him a boost to the window. He carefully slid through the window, leaving Albert in the burning room. Les helped him  down until he was sitting safely on the fire escape.

Albert stepped onto the bed and jumped, pulling himself up to the window and sliding out onto the fire escape. He looked over the edge. Crowds were beginning to form. He saw Jack and Katherine down there, looking more terrified than anyone. They were out of The Wall, but not safe just yet. The fire escape was beginning to rust. It was then when Albert realized just how poorly built this fire escape was. It began to moan and creak. Les started to climb down the first ladder as fast as he could. Davey went next, and Albert lowered Henri down to them before coming down himself. They were going too slow. Albert knew that the fire escape would collapse any second. They only had a few more ladders before they would be able to make it to the Firemen, waiting there on their ladders.

They proceeded this slow operation down the next two ladders, but when Les tried to climb down the third one, half of the ladder collapsed as soon as he put his foot on a step. He had to hang on for dear life and have help from Albert and Davey to avoid falling to his death. The rest of the fire escape down collapsed, leaving the four stranded on the fifth floor. The fire ladder only reached up to the third floor. There was a full floor in between the Newsies and the firemen. Too far to jump, and too risky to slide off of the railing of the fire escape.

The bolts groaned. The fire escape began to become detached from the side of the building. Albert knew that they had to do something.

"The Bowery!!!" Davey exclaimed, pointing. He was right. The Bowery theater was close enough to not get hurt if they successfully made it. But it was too far from the building to make a successful jump every time. But from their tours of the Bowery by Medda, Albert knew that there was a trapdoor on the roof that opened into the bowery's attic. If they were successful in this jump, they would be safe. Albert looked at Davey and nodded. Davey nodded back and picked up Les by his arms. He then wrapped his arm around his waist, and got ready. "Try to land on your feet, Les." Davey said. Although Albert could see Les was scared, he nodded, and Davey threw him towards the Bowery roof.

The crowd below screamed as it seemed as though Les flew through the air, but they seemed to calm down when he landed safely. Albert looked at Davey. "Take Henri." He said. "I'll give ya a bit of a shove so you can jump farther." He said. Davey nodded and took Henri from Albert. He stood on the edge, and just as his foot left the metal, Albert shoved him, and not a moment too soon. Davey just barely made it onto the Bowery roof.

The fire escape began to lean underneath Albert's feet. It was now or never. He took a running start and jumped, over the railing and towards the Bowery. Time slowed down. He sailed towards the Bowery roof, feeling the heat of the fire behind him. Not a moment too soon. A massive explosion occured just as Albert jumped, the impact pushing him further towards the Bowery. He landed in a somersault, skidding across the roof a bit. Floor burn.

Medda, Jack, Katherine, Buttons, Finch, and everyone else ran on the roof and towards the four newsies. But the impact hurt Albert so much that he allowed himself to close his eyes, exhausted and in pain. The last thing he remembered before closing his eyes were the sounds of sirens, and Jack, Katherine, and the others yelling his name.