Sophie lay slumped on the stairs in despair, she could feel the heat from the doorway above her and smell the smoke now finding its way under the door. She coughed and slid down a couple of steps retreating from the danger. She felt lethargic, her eyes closing and her breath coming in gasps. The sound of the door handle rattling roused her, she listened, the handle rattled again and something solid banged against it. It wasn't coming from above her it was from further away, from the outside door she realised. She needed to find her way to it and out, out from the trap. She felt her way carefully, bumping against barrels and empty crates banging against her shins. She found the stairs at the far side and climbed tripping over in her haste. She tried the handle and found it locked, she banged hard on the door but her would be rescuer had gone, tears slid down her cheeks and she slid to the ground. She closed her eyes and waited, she had nothing else left to do.
Darren scrambled over the boxes Justin in his wake, he sorted through the keys and found the one for the bar, "Anyone upstairs?" he asked! "I don't know, I don't think so, we just arrived as it blew" "We?" he asked "Me and Nicole" In answer to Darren's enquiring look he elaborated "We were looking for Sophie, Nicole thought she might be here waiting for Russ, the blast knocked her over but she's OK she's waiting for the fire brigade and the ambulance" Finally the key turned in the lock and he opened the door; smoke and flames billowed towards them at the sudden inrush of air, Justin rapidly found it difficult to breath, the hot air searing his face and down into his lungs. Darren coughing and holding his hand over his mouth surged forward darting around checking for signs of life "Here Justin quick help!" Darren crouched over a body half buried under chairs, flames licking ever closer, the heat now intense. Darren grabbed the arms and he caught hold of the legs and together they staggered back the way they had come. Outside in the daylight Justin recognised Joe "Is he breathing?" Darren held his ear close to the face "Just about, have you rung for help?" Justin nodded and tugged at Darren's arm "We've got to go back in, Sophie could be in there!" "You saw it, we'd be insane to go back in, we've got to leave it now to the fire brigade they've got the equipment!" Justin shook his head and started back to the pub at a run before he could be stopped, Darren left behind cradling the injured Joe. He pushed his way through the debris, the fire moving closer now to the doorway this was the only way out. He tripped over a bundle on the floor and checking down at his feet he recognised a body, crouching down to check he gagged as he looked at the face or what was left of it, whoever it was it was too late for them. "Sophie! Sophie!" he shouted desperately but the noise from the blaze drowned him out. A crunch from above warned him that debris was about to come down and glancing up saw the ceiling was ablaze and would soon pass overhead cutting off any kind of retreat. He started to move away back towards the doorway, an enormous crackle from above made him glance up as part of the ceiling came down, just giving him time to throw up his hands before the blackness enveloped him.
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