Chapter Eleven: Surviving
Alex stared at the door as the footsteps echoed from further down the hall. Then he crossed the room and stared out of the open window. He could see people hurrying from the building as the alarm sounded. 'He wasn't lying' He turned away and remembered the files he was still holding. 'Might as well hold onto these.' he said to himself and tucked the folder into his jacket.
He looked frantically around the room for another way out, and his eyes fell back onto the door. The glass panel. He grinned 'You think they would have noticed that.' He started to rummage through the desk drawer, looking for something to smash the panel with. Finding nothing he moved to the bookcase and looked it over. Nothing.
Sighing he looked at the door and pulled the sleeve of his jacket over his hand. Sharply, he punched the glass panel in the centre and it cracked, small shards of glass falling out, but the rest remained intact. He punched it again, higher up and this time, most of the glass fell out.
Sweeping the fragments of glass out of the way, he put one hand on the frame, wincing as the sharp edges cut into his palm and vaulted over. Landing on the other side he glanced at his hand. 'Great now I'm bleeding' He spoke out loud as he wiped his palm on his trousers, trying to ignore the stinging pain and made for the stairs. The alarm had been going for at least five minutes now and he knew he had to get out. Racing down the last flight of stairs he sprinted down the corridor. He had almost reached the door to the weapons room when the explosion happened.
Alex drew back from the heat and crouched down by the wall, as the heat exploded and the walls around him started to collapse. He covered his head with his arms and shut his eyes against the pain as the falling debris glanced off him and the flames got closer. There was a loud crash and he looked behind him to see a large section of the ceiling fall to the ground.
One singular thought was running through his mind. 'I've got to get out of here.' He stood up carefully and moved slowly around the weapons room door, with his back against the opposite wall, trying to avoid the flames, shutting his eyes against the smoke which was filling the room, mking it harder to breathe. The flames persisted though and the smoke just grew thicker.
He cried out in pain as the flames licked the front of his jacket. His first thought was for the files. He slipped them out of his jacket and held them behind him. Edging along the wall he managed to get past the door and out into the corridor where the fire was less severe, although the smoke escaped from the room. Coughing violently he made his to the exit, but before he got there, another loud crash drew his attention and he cried out as the rest of the ceiling caved in on him, knocking him unconscious.