“Look, do you want to get out of here alive?”
Austin’s question was blunt and brash, the man getting increasingly frustrated by his situation. He wished he had left Trident like everyone else when he had the chance. Suddenly the idea of being in Poughkeepsie with his husband and son lingered in front of him like a tempting carrot, teasing him for not taking the opportunity to go when he had the chance.
Sandy didn’t know how to respond. There was only one answer to Austin’s question and yet she was still reluctant to hand over the camera equipment. It was worth thousands of dollars and the fact that all money was wiped out now still hadn’t really sunk in with her. She didn’t want to damage the gear; despite how much she knew they needed to get out of the building. She hadn’t seen the lobby in the same way that Eric had – waiting for him by the door for the sixth floor – perhaps if she had, things might be a little different.
They certainly were for Eric, who stepped around Sandy and detached the tripod from the camera. “Here,” he handed it to Austin, “what do you need us to do?”
Taking the tripod, Austin opened it up so one leg was pointing outwards from the others and shoved it as hard as he could into the tiny gap between the elevator doors. It took two attempts to get it to stay there, Austin using all his strength and might to create a proper angle for leverage. “We need to push,” he announced, turning to Samuel, Eric and Devon behind him. Sandy still stood a little to the side next to the camera itself, glancing between the elevator shaft and the stairwell door as she panicked about what to do.
“Ready?” Austin couldn’t care less about Sandy and whether she helped or not. His main focus now was getting into the elevator shaft and away from the fire. He wasn’t sure whether he was imagining it or not, but the air around him seemed to be getting hotter. The doors to each floor were fireproof, but he also knew that fire always found a way. The angry mob outside was only fueling it and if they didn’t get out soon, they were not going to have many options left.
“Push! Push!”
Together, the four men heaved against the tripod, gradually forcing the elevator doors to inch apart. It was slow going and it took several minutes before they had a gap large enough for Devon to let go of the tripod and grab onto a door instead, pushing against that and widening the gap even further. Samuel peeled off and did the same with the other door, Austin and Eric both joining them once it was possible. In just over five minutes they had secured the elevator doors, revealing the dark shaft that ran all the way down to the basement. An empty chasm that looked frighteningly deep and dangerous.
“Okay, who’s first?”
Austin lit up the flashlight on Eric’s phone, shining it into the elevator shaft and looking around to see how possible it was for them to climb down. Just as he had hoped – and prayed – there was an indented ladder that ran down one side, going down as far as he could make out. The steps were carved out of the wall and placed just the right distance apart to climb down. Grabbing one with his free hand he held on and tested his grip, checking whether they would be able to make it down.
“Should be okay,” he nodded, turning to look back at the four others who stood with him. “Come on. Let’s go.”
There wasn’t any time for hesitation now. Austin held Eric’s phone between his teeth in an attempt to have some light to guide his way down the ladder, and stood at the edge of the elevator shaft, looking down. It took just a couple of seconds for him to work up the courage to go for it, grabbing hold of one of the steps with both hands, then carefully inching forward onto one further down. It was a bit of a stretch with his arms, but the ladder held him in place firmly, his body as close to the wall as he could manage it.
Samuel watched, nervous about the climb ahead of him. Devon was rummaging around in the camera bag until he eventually pulled out a tiny flashlight that would attach to his camera if needed, using a handy clip he attached it to his shirt just below the lapel and turned it on. Samuel pulled out his own cell phone and switched the flashlight on, placing it in the breast pocket of his own shirt. It didn’t feel very secure, but if it offered him a bit of guidance on the way down then he was happy for it.
Eric stepped up to follow Austin, climbing onto the makeshift ladder with ease despite not having a light of his own. Devon followed immediately behind, leaving Samuel and Sandy standing out on the sixth floor still, waiting for their turn. Even in his moment of terror, Samuel simply couldn’t shake his manners and found himself stepping aside to allow Sandy to climb down ahead of him. But the woman didn’t move. She stood frozen in place, shaking her head slightly from side to side as she gazed into the elevator shaft.
“Come on Sandy, you go next,” Samuel encouraged her, seeing that the woman was struggling with what she needed to do.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “What if I fall?”
“You won’t fall,” Samuel tried to calm her down, though the same fear was bouncing around his head too. “Just take it nice and easy. One step at a time.”
Sandy shook her head more vigorously. “No,” her voice was barely audible. “I can’t do it.”
“You have to,” Samuel argued, anxious
