The Day From Hell: 9/11 (Shortstory)

Chapter 3: Only One Way Out

We all climbed on the engines and left just as the bell rang, even though we were as far as Columbus Presbyterian in upper Manhattan we still felt the need to go. I automatically reached for my cell phone, that usually would've been in my pocket but I had left it in my locker back at the station, to tell Dani what was happening.  

Was this that pulling sensation I had this morning was telling me to do? 

The ride there felt like it took hours. The streets looked like there were magnets attached to the buildings pulling the cars out of the way for the 15 fire engines on a very serious mission. As we neared there were more cars left on the street in an act of panic. Soon the full building came into view and you could literally hear the astonishment from the other firemen, when we saw the heart of the New York being torn apart as if it was nothing, the building that once showed off a great and powerful country is now begging on its knees in surrender. I was so enraged as I saw the people bellow they were just standing there taking videos and pictures, until I realised something, something that I was stupid to forget.

Dani.

She was working today, in that building, the one that is on fire, the building that is about to collapse, all these thoughts ran through my mind at one time making me process it quick so I could go out there and get her. 

When we came to a stop I ran out of the car taking my team with me to rescue the people that were trapped inside, hopefully Dani wasn't one of them.  

Hopefully.

Dani 

We were being evacuated from the building; the heat was as hot as the Sahara Desert in the middle of summer, I was sweating through my white blouse.  

We were running down the stairs luckily I was only on the 20th floor getting coffee when the whole building got struck by an earthquake but little did I know that the towers had been under attack by a terrorist hijacking an American plane. I was so scared, was Drake going in to work today or did he decide against it?  

All these questions were running through my mind as everyone was pushing and running down the stairs.  

I felt my foot slip on the concrete stairs as it twisted and I fell to the floor, there were so many people running, pushing and screaming I couldn't get up, I was so bruised, there were so many trampling feet. I thought this was it until I felt some arms pick me up and carry me down the stairs, "Drake?" a quiet whisper slipped through my weak lips, as I opened my eyes I was on an ambulance stretcher surrounded by injured survivors as well as doctors and volunteers. Then I saw him running out of the engine towards his death I tried to scream his name but he couldn't hear me no one could I felt hopeless, just lying there.

Drake 

The heat up here was excruciating, I could hear the screams of the trapped people but I couldn't see them. We found one a man he was stuck in a giant heap of rubble just as the heap was about to fall we got to him he looked terrified and wouldn't stop saying "I am innocent, I wave my white flag" like he was surrendering, until we assured him we were here to help not take him away. When we were running up the floors you could hear the screams of the people above feeling like there only option was to jump like they had no way out, like they were trapped.

Dani 

I had to get to him he had gone in there risking his life for people he doesn't know I should at least let him know that he doesn't need to die for me. It was all a blur, a rush of adrenaline one moment I was sitting screaming on the stretcher the next I was sprinting towards the burning building screaming his name I just kept running, I ached so bad for his comforting arms to hold me, telling me it will be alright, I wished that we were at home lying in bed together talking just me and him, I want him to come and tell me to come home, I wanted it to be his arms that brought me to the stretcher, I wanted this to be a terrible nightmare, I wanted to be able to wake up and carry on with my life.