“What?”
On the nineteenth floor, those that remained all dashed over to the windows, looking at the scene that was unfolding below. Samuel hung back, cautious about his vertigo kicking in but as everyone gasped at the sight he couldn’t resist. Looking down he saw crowds of New Yorkers starting to rally once again around the Trident building, several of them carrying blazing torches which they held aloft, brandishing them dangerously toward the building.
If looking down didn’t make Samuel feel sick enough as it was, the thought of what these people were going to do chilled him to the very bone. With how high up they were inside the skyscraper, they stood little chance of escape if something happened to the building further down. Something needed to happen fast, they had to try and protect themselves.
“We need to get out of here!” A woman cried, dashing toward the stairwell door in an attempt to escape. “Let go of me!” She screamed as someone grabbed her, stopping her from leaving just in time.
“Where is the security team? What happened to them?”
“They’re spread too thinly across the city,” Austin replied, narrowing his eyes and trying to determine whether there was anyone trying to stop the madness outside. “They can’t cover everything.”
“But they’re going to break into the building again. We need to do something.”
“Hang on,” Austin dashed back over to his desk and picked up his phone, dialling the number he had for Brandon Williams. “Come on,” he muttered as the line rang, “pick up.”
“Williams.”
“Where are you?” Austin asked desperately, thankful to finally get the man on the phone. “Things are really heating up here. We need help to get out of the building for good now I think.”
“Sorry son,” Williams replied, the sound of what Austin could only believe to be gunshots echoing down the line. “No can do. You’re gonna have to deal with this one on your own.”
“We can’t,” Austin pleaded, a crash outside making him shudder as he wondered what had caused it. “I think they’re trying to set the building on fire.”
“Use the elevator shafts if you need to,” Williams replied bluntly. “They’re fireproof. I’ll head your way if I can, but I can’t make any promises.”
Williams ended the call before Austin could argue any further, a number of people including Graham and Samuel both watching the conversation, waiting to discover the outcome. “They’re not coming,” Austin shook his head. “What do we do?”
Everyone on the nineteenth floor seemed to pause for a moment, the open plan room becoming almost silent. Samuel looked around, waiting for someone to come up with an explanation or an answer, but every face he looked at was doing the same, deferring to those around them. Outside things seemed to be heating up at an alarming rate, cries echoing through the air and carrying up to them through the open windows. Confusion had turned into anger and while those at Trident had believed the night would grant them a few quiet hours of respite, all it had really done was fueled the fire of discontent below and given the public time to prepare for their final attack on the building.
“We need to give the statement,” Graham declared. “We’ve got to tell them what’s happened. Let them know the truth.”
“I don’t think the truth is going to make any difference now,” another voice called back, disagreeing with Graham. “There’s nothing we can do. We should’ve given up hours ago.”
The disgruntled man headed for the door, shoving away an associate angrily as they tried to stop him. The woman from earlier struggled free of her friend who held her as well, huffing and following the first man to the stairwell.
“Wait!” Graham called after them, “It’s too dangerous out there. You can’t go!”
“Sorry boss,” the man turned around just as he reached the door, holding it open for the woman and several others who had peeled off from the crowd to join them. “But screw this.”
Samuel watched on in horror, fear creeping into his psyche as another cry came from over by the window again.
“They’re inside! They’ve made it into the building!”
“You’ve got to do the statement,” Samuel urged Graham. “We need to give it now.” Looking at the man who Samuel deemed to be the head of the Trident Banking Corporation now, he couldn’t help but notice the pale complexion that Graham wore. The man seemed to be sweating slightly, his eyes darting around the room as everyone shouted questions at him, the situation on the nineteenth floor reaching a boiling point and very nearly bubbling over. “Graham?” Samuel asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at his colleague. “We can’t wait any longer.”
“How were we planning to deliver it?” Austin asked curiously, looking outside again at the amounting chaos. “There are at least three news crews down there.”
“Graham?” Samuel struggled to get a response from his friend, the man pale and swaying slightly from side to side. He didn’t understand what had happened. All throughout the disaster so far, Graham had seemed grounded and in control. He had never once spoken with panic or fear in his voice and always come across relaxed, like he knew how to handle every challenge that was thrown at him.
“I – I can’t do it,” Graham managed to stutter. “They’ll crucify me.”
“What?” Samuel couldn’t believe what he was hearing. If it wasn’t Graham, then who was going to do it? People were tearing through the walls of Trident as they spoke and if they didn’t do something quickly, there was a very real danger the building was going to be burned to the ground. “Graham, come on. We need to do this. We have a duty to fulfil.”
Graham looked at Samuel with
