Chapter 7.
Scully placed her hands on the bottom of the kitchen window and briefly glanced backwards at Mulder, before screwing her eyes shut and pulling hard. To her surprise it slid open easily, and she looked down at the fire escape.
"You gonna be okay getting down there Mulder?" She asked as she shrugged out of her jacket.
"Scully," He raised an eyebrow "I broke a finger not my leg."
"Hmmm." She frowned, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor as she walked across the room to get a chair. "Still, I think I should go out first, so I can help you."
"Age before beauty." He cracked and she frowned at him, again.
As Scully positioned the chair Mulder was desperately thinking up explanations for what was going on. He scanned his expert memory for any cases of unexplained deaths or disturbances in his building, but found none. He watched as Scully climbed up onto the side and then scrambled out of the window.
"I wonder who's bright idea it was to fit the sink under the escape window?" He asked, talking more to himself than anything, but just trying to lighten the mood.
There was a loud, hollow clang as Scully's boot heels hit the rusty, steel stairwell fitted to the side of the building and she winced and stood still.
Mulder climbed onto the chair, ready to follow her out, when he heard a crunching noise like crumbling concrete, and part of the fire escape began to fall away from the wall. Scully gasped and grabbed the rail, her eyes wide.
"Scully!" Mulder shouted "Don't move Scully, stay completely still." The structure slowly stopped swaying and hung precariously by one side.
She moved her eyes downwards, not daring to move her head and noticed that the bolts down one side of the steel steps had been ripped from the wall. Her heart punded in her chest and her breath came out in short sharp gasps.
Mulder slid his arm out of his sling and lent out of the kitchen window.
"Grab my hands Scully." He beckoned her towards him.
"Mulder," She said through gritted teeth. "If I move this whole stairwell will go."
He looked at her for a beat and then gestured down at the ground "I don't see that you have all that much choice. On my count just jump, quickly."
Scully now hung a few feet away from the wall and the jump to her seemed impossible. She looked up at Mulder's desperate face and then back down at the swinging stairs.
"Scully please."
She took a deep breath and then closed her eyes.
"Okay." She whispered "On your count."
"One, two .." Before Mulder had finished the steel structure disappeared from underneath her and he had to reach out and grabbed Scully's hands.
"Mulder!" She cried. He clenched his teeth hard and with all his strength began pulling her up through the window. The pain in his broken hand was almost unbearable. Scully's grip was steel and he could feel the broken bones in his fingers scraping together. She grasped hold of the window ledge and Mulder pulled her through by her shoulders. She was deathly pale and her normally deep, bright blue eyes had turned a sickly shade of grey. She clambered over the sink and backed away from the window shaking slightly.
"Oh my God." She whispered, a glassy sheen forming in her eyes.
He walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her petite frame. "Its okay." He muttered into her hair "Its okay." She buried her face in his chest.
The stood like that for a few seconds before Scully pulled away, took a deep composing breath and ran her fingers through her hair. She walked back over to the window and peered out. She could only see the outside rail of the stairwell hanging at a precarious angle, but knew that if she leaned over any further she would see that this was the only part of the escape left. The rest was in a rusty heap on the ground below.
Mulder leant around her and slid the window closed. He winced as his hand bumped the sideboard and Scully turned to face him.
"Oh God Mulder your hand. Are you okay?" she asked concerned.
"Its fine." He lied, slipping his arm back into the sling "Come on, lets try and get out of here."
Its smiled. Fear! Real fear, finally some sustenance, and reassurance that they could be broken. The were still very determined ad as it watched them waking back across the kitchen to the front door it realised that it could have some real fun with these two, never mind slamming doors and loosening fire escape bolts. There was real fear to be had here, it just had to find a way to getting at it.
AN/ for Tasha, because she asked!
Scully placed her hands on the bottom of the kitchen window and briefly glanced backwards at Mulder, before screwing her eyes shut and pulling hard. To her surprise it slid open easily, and she looked down at the fire escape.
"You gonna be okay getting down there Mulder?" She asked as she shrugged out of her jacket.
"Scully," He raised an eyebrow "I broke a finger not my leg."
"Hmmm." She frowned, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor as she walked across the room to get a chair. "Still, I think I should go out first, so I can help you."
"Age before beauty." He cracked and she frowned at him, again.
As Scully positioned the chair Mulder was desperately thinking up explanations for what was going on. He scanned his expert memory for any cases of unexplained deaths or disturbances in his building, but found none. He watched as Scully climbed up onto the side and then scrambled out of the window.
"I wonder who's bright idea it was to fit the sink under the escape window?" He asked, talking more to himself than anything, but just trying to lighten the mood.
There was a loud, hollow clang as Scully's boot heels hit the rusty, steel stairwell fitted to the side of the building and she winced and stood still.
Mulder climbed onto the chair, ready to follow her out, when he heard a crunching noise like crumbling concrete, and part of the fire escape began to fall away from the wall. Scully gasped and grabbed the rail, her eyes wide.
"Scully!" Mulder shouted "Don't move Scully, stay completely still." The structure slowly stopped swaying and hung precariously by one side.
She moved her eyes downwards, not daring to move her head and noticed that the bolts down one side of the steel steps had been ripped from the wall. Her heart punded in her chest and her breath came out in short sharp gasps.
Mulder slid his arm out of his sling and lent out of the kitchen window.
"Grab my hands Scully." He beckoned her towards him.
"Mulder," She said through gritted teeth. "If I move this whole stairwell will go."
He looked at her for a beat and then gestured down at the ground "I don't see that you have all that much choice. On my count just jump, quickly."
Scully now hung a few feet away from the wall and the jump to her seemed impossible. She looked up at Mulder's desperate face and then back down at the swinging stairs.
"Scully please."
She took a deep breath and then closed her eyes.
"Okay." She whispered "On your count."
"One, two .." Before Mulder had finished the steel structure disappeared from underneath her and he had to reach out and grabbed Scully's hands.
"Mulder!" She cried. He clenched his teeth hard and with all his strength began pulling her up through the window. The pain in his broken hand was almost unbearable. Scully's grip was steel and he could feel the broken bones in his fingers scraping together. She grasped hold of the window ledge and Mulder pulled her through by her shoulders. She was deathly pale and her normally deep, bright blue eyes had turned a sickly shade of grey. She clambered over the sink and backed away from the window shaking slightly.
"Oh my God." She whispered, a glassy sheen forming in her eyes.
He walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her petite frame. "Its okay." He muttered into her hair "Its okay." She buried her face in his chest.
The stood like that for a few seconds before Scully pulled away, took a deep composing breath and ran her fingers through her hair. She walked back over to the window and peered out. She could only see the outside rail of the stairwell hanging at a precarious angle, but knew that if she leaned over any further she would see that this was the only part of the escape left. The rest was in a rusty heap on the ground below.
Mulder leant around her and slid the window closed. He winced as his hand bumped the sideboard and Scully turned to face him.
"Oh God Mulder your hand. Are you okay?" she asked concerned.
"Its fine." He lied, slipping his arm back into the sling "Come on, lets try and get out of here."
Its smiled. Fear! Real fear, finally some sustenance, and reassurance that they could be broken. The were still very determined ad as it watched them waking back across the kitchen to the front door it realised that it could have some real fun with these two, never mind slamming doors and loosening fire escape bolts. There was real fear to be had here, it just had to find a way to getting at it.
AN/ for Tasha, because she asked!
