Chapter 1
Dwight choked on smoke as he stumbled down from the table and edged away from the roaring light, growing with each second. After a full five seconds he snapped out of horror and charged to the front door with Jim and Pam in quick pursuit. You just had to push it with your shoulder in a particular–
He joined his hands together and jerked his shoulder professionally against a pressure point on the door, his mouth curved downwards in that concentrated expression he drew up for times of leadership. Nothing happened. He did it again, and again. Eyes narrowed. Nothing.
He turned slowly to see strained faces, intense eyes; he could just hear their panicked thoughts as he looked blank. Tension stretching like bow strings from his pelvis up into his chest. It was only when they suddenly withdrew into the thickening fog that he called after them urgently.
"Everybody stay low!"
Lost in the chaos, Kevin stumbled over chairs or his feet or something as a figure fell in front of him. A scream erupted out from his raw throat as a body writhed on the ground. The raided sweets leapt out of his arms and showered the coughing shape of Oscar. As quickly as he could, the small time looter bent and helped up the would-be ninja, both muttering under their short breaths.
A strangled cry for help came from Michael's office, him leaning as close to the broken glass as was possible, voice breaking with fear. He ran around, mouth gaping grotesquely as he ran to lock his door and hid under his desk, pulling his knees up and shaking uncontrollably. Across the office, through the growing mist, Angela was trying to coax her distressed cat from under her desk, panic tightening her already high-pitched voice, all the shouting and the smell of smoke driving it wild.
Pam was watching the men's attempts at breaking the fire escape door with the copier, chest heaving with the weight of fear, when she saw a figure running past. Forcing her eyes to clear, she recognised the running woman and choked a call.
"No Kelly not that way!" Her concern transitioned to someone else and she made to move to the break room but strangled cheers pulled her away; the heaviness lightened as she saw people running through the now open door. Jim called to her from behind several tussling figures, her heart soaring to him. Forgetting all else, she took one hopeful stride before the faint whimper of her boss pulled her away. She knew instinctively that he was hiding in his office and cursed him, but… He was a child, just a scared little boy. A protectiveness she never knew she had swelled in her as she turned and ran back into the smoke.
