Chapter IV
Trapped
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:15 PM
Heatherly slapped her feet against the hard cement streets of New York City. She could see that the Empire State Building was damaged, smoked pouring out of the windows. People were lying dead in the street, the scent of burning flesh avid in the air. It was heinous; everything had died, and the only people that were left standing were either mangled or mutilated or a spectator…she couldn't believe her eyes. This once prestigious arena where high class officials would meet was now an all out war zone, complete with the sizzling corpses of the dead and the rotting scent of burning blood…
"My God…" she gasped, the realization of the atmosphere now setting in. What the hell had happened?
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:17
Ja scratched at the elevator door, hoping to get free. It was useless; they were trapped inside the elevator shaft with no place to go. About twenty minutes ago there had been a huge explosion, something caught fire or something just burst…people began to scream and when all hell broke loose upstairs that was when Hillary just collapsed…
"Don't be afraid, hun. There's no way well be in here forever. Things can only get better. I mean, c'mon we're stuck in a damn elevator. It happens all the time." Ja comforted her.
KSCHSH!
The elevator sank a bit, the cords breaking up straining from the weight of the car. Ja held Hillary close as they prepared for the worst, knowing that at any moment they could plummet from the tenth floor to the basement…
"Someone will come for us…" Hillary shook, "Someone will realize we're in here…someone will come for us."
She clutched Ja's large arms tight, biting her lip and realizing that death could be around the corner. What if something seriously wrong had happened and they would be stuck in here for a long time…no, because if that happened the cords would buckle under the weight of the elevator and they would plummet to their…
KSCHSH!
Another cord broke loose. Ja couldn't understand why no one was coming for them, it was unthinkable. Surely someone would realize that they were in here, "Something had to have happened," He guessed out loud, "We have to get out of this car."
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:20
"Mmmhmm…" Ada grunted as she rolled over onto one side. She ached all over, her body in serious pain. What the hell had happened? "Mmmhmm…"
She pushed herself up, holding her weight under one strained arm. It was charred, like the rest of her body from all the smoke in the lobby. The place was a damn inferno, the bright light in the room shun from the fire that burned ever so brightly all around her. She coughed, smoke rushing into her lungs and blocking her breathing. Standing up she began to rush through the narrow passages allowed by the fire, hoping to find refuge somewhere in the abandoned burned out building.
Fire was all around her, seemingly no means of escape. She tried to push through the fire, only burning herself worse as she finally reached the back wall. The fire seemed to be more towards the middle of the room; surrounding the Central Service Core…maybe something had happened in there, something that caught the building on fire…the wall she was pushed up against was lined with doors leading into the tenant's offices. Ada quickly rushed through the narrow wooden doors, throwing herself onto the ground in a heap of burning tissue and flesh. She screamed as she rolled about, extinguishing the flames from her body. Finally it was calm…
"Ugh…" she moaned out loud, realizing the extent of her burns weren't too bad, only her clothes had been badly destroyed. She was left in tattered rags, her cheap business suit's original color of off white was now a dim grey…her pant legs had been ripped off, exposing her slim legs. Her high boots were still there though…as well as the guns strapped tightly under her waistband. There were two of them, dual Magnums .357's…she equipped them…
Quickly rushing throughout massive amounts of papers and other useless information, Ada summed up her situation as less-than-perfect. She was trapped in the Empire State Building. Something had gone horrifically wrong, and the only way to get out now was to find an alternative exit. The doors in the lobby were sealed off by metal shudders, keeping anyone or anything from leaving the building. Every window seemed to be under the same damn lock and key system, everything sealed off with shudders. She touched against one of them, feeling the cold hard metal against her skin. Her fingers tried prying at the locked window, but it didn't work. It was sealed shut, probably like any other exit in this hell hole. What the hell had happened here? There was only one way to find out…there was one door across the room. Kicking her fears to the curb, Ada confidently approached the large wood door and entered the next room.
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:30
Hastily, Ja hoisted himself up onto the top of the elevator compartment in hopes of finding the reason of its suspension. He had heard the cracking and snapping of the thick metal wires that held the elevator in place, but his stomach dropped when the realization of the severity of his situation settled in…only one wire remained where many had once been. In mere seconds the elevator would drop from its ten story suspension, plummeting down into the bowels of the channel.
"Fuck…" Ja stammered, his legs weak with terror.
Hillary's easy voice was heard down below, as he turned to see her blonde hair pulled back behind her shoulders, "Ja what's going on? What do you see?" She was sweating; the fear and hopelessness in her eyes made him wish he was sure they would survive this.
"Hillary grab my hand quick!" He reached down, one hand on the elevator cable the other on her thin wrist. She was screaming for him to tell her what was happening, when suddenly the elevator that they had once been standing in gave way and skittered down the shaft to its exploding defeat.
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:20
Heatherly stood in front of the Empire State Building, looking up at the once beautiful structure in wide eyed fear. Fire trucks and police cars skidded onto the scene, men in uniforms pouring out of the vehicles to begin an investigation. Bodies were lined up in the streets, obviously those of which had been near the building when it blew up. It was disgusting, mutilated body parts all over the place, the blood of the innocent smeared on the cement.
"I have to get in there…" she grunted, realizing that it would be impossible nearly the minute she spoke it.
CLINK!
Her keys dropped, and when she kneeled down to pick them up she was looking face to face with a sewer drain…a manhole. It probably led directly to the Empire State Building…if she could get inside, then it might take her inside the building.
Jetting from her crouched position Heatherly bolted through the panic and chaos in hopes of finding something to open the hole with. That's when she saw the abandoned mechanics cart, tipped over on one of the street corners. Breathing smoke in and out, she maneuvered through the chaos to find a metal bar suitable to open the hole. Darting back to the drain, she quickly pried it open and looked down the dark, dank tunnel.
She gave it no second thought, "…I started it…" she lept down the drain, screaming, "…I'll finish it…" as she plummeted into the bowels of the New York City sewer.
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:32
"Oh my God! Oh my God!"
Hillary screamed as she hung tightly onto Ja's business suit, praying for her life that she didn't fall towards the mangled wreckage below. He was holding on for dear life, with one hand…she clutched his other…she was beginning to sweat…
"…shit! Hillary, damnit don't move! Calm down!" Ja screamed at her, in hopes of calming his friend down but it was no use. She continued to holler and scream in the desolate chamber that they hung in the center of…he had only one choice. They had made it up to nearly the eleventh floor, and where the elevator would have stopped was a small platform extending out about half a foot. If he could swing to it, Hillary could jump off and climb to safety…it could probably only hold one of them though.
"Ja please get us out of here…" she moved her other hand up to grasp his arm, hoping to allow herself more time, "…please…"
"I have an idea, but I need you to be brave Hillary. You'll have one chance, if you don't make it the first time you wont have a second chance." his voice was raspy, full of sweat and fear, "I'll swing us over to that ledge, and when I tell you to, let go of my arm and grab it…if you miss…" he looked down… "…well, you won't miss."
"Oh fuck…Ja how the hell can you ask me to do that?!" she screamed, her blonde hair beginning to drape over her face, "…please say there is another choice."
"Glad to know you agree…" He began to swing himself, moving them closer and closer to the ledge. When they were in reach, he screamed out his signal, "NOW!"
And with that, Hillary let go, screaming out in fear. Flying through the massive elevator channel, she let out her hands and prayed to God that she grabbed the ledge. She had one chance to do it…this was her one chance…
*
Trapped
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:15 PM
Heatherly slapped her feet against the hard cement streets of New York City. She could see that the Empire State Building was damaged, smoked pouring out of the windows. People were lying dead in the street, the scent of burning flesh avid in the air. It was heinous; everything had died, and the only people that were left standing were either mangled or mutilated or a spectator…she couldn't believe her eyes. This once prestigious arena where high class officials would meet was now an all out war zone, complete with the sizzling corpses of the dead and the rotting scent of burning blood…
"My God…" she gasped, the realization of the atmosphere now setting in. What the hell had happened?
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:17
Ja scratched at the elevator door, hoping to get free. It was useless; they were trapped inside the elevator shaft with no place to go. About twenty minutes ago there had been a huge explosion, something caught fire or something just burst…people began to scream and when all hell broke loose upstairs that was when Hillary just collapsed…
"Don't be afraid, hun. There's no way well be in here forever. Things can only get better. I mean, c'mon we're stuck in a damn elevator. It happens all the time." Ja comforted her.
KSCHSH!
The elevator sank a bit, the cords breaking up straining from the weight of the car. Ja held Hillary close as they prepared for the worst, knowing that at any moment they could plummet from the tenth floor to the basement…
"Someone will come for us…" Hillary shook, "Someone will realize we're in here…someone will come for us."
She clutched Ja's large arms tight, biting her lip and realizing that death could be around the corner. What if something seriously wrong had happened and they would be stuck in here for a long time…no, because if that happened the cords would buckle under the weight of the elevator and they would plummet to their…
KSCHSH!
Another cord broke loose. Ja couldn't understand why no one was coming for them, it was unthinkable. Surely someone would realize that they were in here, "Something had to have happened," He guessed out loud, "We have to get out of this car."
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:20
"Mmmhmm…" Ada grunted as she rolled over onto one side. She ached all over, her body in serious pain. What the hell had happened? "Mmmhmm…"
She pushed herself up, holding her weight under one strained arm. It was charred, like the rest of her body from all the smoke in the lobby. The place was a damn inferno, the bright light in the room shun from the fire that burned ever so brightly all around her. She coughed, smoke rushing into her lungs and blocking her breathing. Standing up she began to rush through the narrow passages allowed by the fire, hoping to find refuge somewhere in the abandoned burned out building.
Fire was all around her, seemingly no means of escape. She tried to push through the fire, only burning herself worse as she finally reached the back wall. The fire seemed to be more towards the middle of the room; surrounding the Central Service Core…maybe something had happened in there, something that caught the building on fire…the wall she was pushed up against was lined with doors leading into the tenant's offices. Ada quickly rushed through the narrow wooden doors, throwing herself onto the ground in a heap of burning tissue and flesh. She screamed as she rolled about, extinguishing the flames from her body. Finally it was calm…
"Ugh…" she moaned out loud, realizing the extent of her burns weren't too bad, only her clothes had been badly destroyed. She was left in tattered rags, her cheap business suit's original color of off white was now a dim grey…her pant legs had been ripped off, exposing her slim legs. Her high boots were still there though…as well as the guns strapped tightly under her waistband. There were two of them, dual Magnums .357's…she equipped them…
Quickly rushing throughout massive amounts of papers and other useless information, Ada summed up her situation as less-than-perfect. She was trapped in the Empire State Building. Something had gone horrifically wrong, and the only way to get out now was to find an alternative exit. The doors in the lobby were sealed off by metal shudders, keeping anyone or anything from leaving the building. Every window seemed to be under the same damn lock and key system, everything sealed off with shudders. She touched against one of them, feeling the cold hard metal against her skin. Her fingers tried prying at the locked window, but it didn't work. It was sealed shut, probably like any other exit in this hell hole. What the hell had happened here? There was only one way to find out…there was one door across the room. Kicking her fears to the curb, Ada confidently approached the large wood door and entered the next room.
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:30
Hastily, Ja hoisted himself up onto the top of the elevator compartment in hopes of finding the reason of its suspension. He had heard the cracking and snapping of the thick metal wires that held the elevator in place, but his stomach dropped when the realization of the severity of his situation settled in…only one wire remained where many had once been. In mere seconds the elevator would drop from its ten story suspension, plummeting down into the bowels of the channel.
"Fuck…" Ja stammered, his legs weak with terror.
Hillary's easy voice was heard down below, as he turned to see her blonde hair pulled back behind her shoulders, "Ja what's going on? What do you see?" She was sweating; the fear and hopelessness in her eyes made him wish he was sure they would survive this.
"Hillary grab my hand quick!" He reached down, one hand on the elevator cable the other on her thin wrist. She was screaming for him to tell her what was happening, when suddenly the elevator that they had once been standing in gave way and skittered down the shaft to its exploding defeat.
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:20
Heatherly stood in front of the Empire State Building, looking up at the once beautiful structure in wide eyed fear. Fire trucks and police cars skidded onto the scene, men in uniforms pouring out of the vehicles to begin an investigation. Bodies were lined up in the streets, obviously those of which had been near the building when it blew up. It was disgusting, mutilated body parts all over the place, the blood of the innocent smeared on the cement.
"I have to get in there…" she grunted, realizing that it would be impossible nearly the minute she spoke it.
CLINK!
Her keys dropped, and when she kneeled down to pick them up she was looking face to face with a sewer drain…a manhole. It probably led directly to the Empire State Building…if she could get inside, then it might take her inside the building.
Jetting from her crouched position Heatherly bolted through the panic and chaos in hopes of finding something to open the hole with. That's when she saw the abandoned mechanics cart, tipped over on one of the street corners. Breathing smoke in and out, she maneuvered through the chaos to find a metal bar suitable to open the hole. Darting back to the drain, she quickly pried it open and looked down the dark, dank tunnel.
She gave it no second thought, "…I started it…" she lept down the drain, screaming, "…I'll finish it…" as she plummeted into the bowels of the New York City sewer.
*
September 23rd – New York City – Mid Day – 5:32
"Oh my God! Oh my God!"
Hillary screamed as she hung tightly onto Ja's business suit, praying for her life that she didn't fall towards the mangled wreckage below. He was holding on for dear life, with one hand…she clutched his other…she was beginning to sweat…
"…shit! Hillary, damnit don't move! Calm down!" Ja screamed at her, in hopes of calming his friend down but it was no use. She continued to holler and scream in the desolate chamber that they hung in the center of…he had only one choice. They had made it up to nearly the eleventh floor, and where the elevator would have stopped was a small platform extending out about half a foot. If he could swing to it, Hillary could jump off and climb to safety…it could probably only hold one of them though.
"Ja please get us out of here…" she moved her other hand up to grasp his arm, hoping to allow herself more time, "…please…"
"I have an idea, but I need you to be brave Hillary. You'll have one chance, if you don't make it the first time you wont have a second chance." his voice was raspy, full of sweat and fear, "I'll swing us over to that ledge, and when I tell you to, let go of my arm and grab it…if you miss…" he looked down… "…well, you won't miss."
"Oh fuck…Ja how the hell can you ask me to do that?!" she screamed, her blonde hair beginning to drape over her face, "…please say there is another choice."
"Glad to know you agree…" He began to swing himself, moving them closer and closer to the ledge. When they were in reach, he screamed out his signal, "NOW!"
And with that, Hillary let go, screaming out in fear. Flying through the massive elevator channel, she let out her hands and prayed to God that she grabbed the ledge. She had one chance to do it…this was her one chance…
*