Chapter 22
Romeo
My ears are ringing as I slowly blink my eyes back open. What the hell just happened? One minute I was talking with Hedi, the next…
I cough, waving my hand to try and dispel some of the dust swirling in front of my face. I can’t tell exactly what I’m looking at through the smoke. But there seems to be beams crisscrossing at weird angles and rubble piled up right where the stage was seconds ago.
Oh, fuck! I gasp, which only makes me cough violently with all the debris floating in the air.
My models were just standing there taking their bows.
Are they all right? What about everyone in the audience?
The smoke is getting thicker, and judging by the way I’m sweating through my shirt, I’d say the temperature is rising.
Just because I can’t see the fire doesn’t mean it isn’t close.
We have to get out of here.
“Hedi?” I call out, still spluttering. “Hedi, where are you?”
“Here, darling!” she moans. A hand appears from the other side of the overturned table. My boss wiggles her fingers, the many bangles jangling on her wrist. Relief rushes through me and I scramble toward her. At least I know she’s alive.
I’m shaking from head to toe, but I seem to be unharmed as I fumble my way around the table. Hedi wasn’t so lucky, and I don’t do very well concealing the breath I suck in when I see the gash on her leg.
“It’s just a flesh wound,” she tells me with a scowl. “Come on, help me up.”
I dive over to her and gingerly help her to stand.
All around us, people are groaning and shuffling as they also get their bearings.
Someone’s calling out for help but I can’t tell from where.
I assume other people will have called 9-1-1…
but then I stop in my tracks. What if they haven’t?
I shouldn’t assume that someone else is going to take charge.
I’m perfectly capable of helping myself. I’m not injured, after all. People like Hedi might be relying on me to do the right thing.
“Hang on,” I tell her while she’s leaning on me.
Rather than blindly pushing our way through the chaos, I hug her to me with one arm then reach into my pocket with the other hand to get my phone out.
Mercifully, it’s not cracked and seems to be working fine, so I hastily dial the three-digit number.
A voice answers almost immediately. “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“I’m at the Belleview Hotel,” I tell him urgently. “I think there’s been some kind of explosion.” I suddenly think of my apartment building. Could it be the same issue? Julian said that there have been problems with the gas lines since the quake.
“Yes, we’re aware of the issue, sir. Help is already on the way. Are you inside the building?”
“Yeah, I think the ceiling collapsed,” I say, glancing at Hedi.
She’s wearing a mulish look of determination, but her skin is looking a little gray.
She points and I look over to where a section of the rubble is definitely glowing brighter than it was before.
“I think there’s a fire, too. There’s a lot of smoke. ”
“Okay, sir. Let’s get you out of there. My name’s Sachin, what’s yours?”
“Romeo,” I reply, feeling my anxiety rising.
There are people trying to move all around us and some are crying. I see the injured being helped by those more fortunate, and several people are trying to lift a slab of drywall together, presumably because someone is trapped underneath it.
“A lot of people are hurt,” I tell him, my voice wavering. “My boss has a cut on her leg that’s bleeding a lot.”
“I’m fine,” Hedi snaps, but she’s leaning heavily on me and her eyelids are drooping.
“Where on her leg?” Sachin asks urgently. “Is she conscious?”
“Just above her knee,” I inform him. “And she’s conscious but she’s getting sluggish.”
“Okay, Romeo,” the dispatcher says firmly. “I need you to slow the bleeding. Do you have anything you can use as a bandage and maybe something to tie around it to keep it in place?”
“Uhh…yeah! My belt! And—” I raise my eyebrows at my boss. “Can I use your scarf?”
“Sure,” she says with a shrug. “It’s probably ruined anyway.”
She removes it as I guide her to perch on a chair that still has all four legs. Once I’ve shaken out the scarf, I fold it several times.
“How are you doing, Romeo?” Sachin asks through the phone. It might be my imagination, but I swear I can hear sirens over all the commotion around us.
I wish Julian was here right now so badly.
A sob threatens to escape my chest, but I clamp it down. Hedi needs me and I don’t know what’s happened to my models or the rest of my colleagues. I can’t fall apart now.
“Just putting a scarf on the cut,” I tell Sachin.
“Press it as hard as your friend can handle, then tie the belt around. It needs to be tight, but not so tight it stops the circulation. We just want to keep the scarf in place, all right?”
“Okay, got it.” I jam my phone between my ear and my shoulder and get to work. Hedi grits her teeth, but other than a small grunt when I fasten the belt, she just puts on a brave face. “Do you think you can walk?” I ask her once I’m done.
“Only one way to find out,” she says, reaching for my hand. Carefully, I pull her up. She flinches and favors her other leg but manages to remain upright. I still wrap my arm around her back for support, but we’re in a better position than we were a few minutes ago.
“Right, I think we can walk,” I inform the dispatcher. “But it’s such a mess here, I don’t know which way to go. Are the firefighters here yet?” I close my eyes briefly and send out a silent prayer, urging Julian to find us.
“Almost, Romeo,” Sachin assures me. “They’re outside trying to find the best way inside. What can you see? Any emergency exit lights?”
“Look for emergency lights,” I tell Hedi, and we both squint through the smoke. Sweat is dripping down my back, and I’m scared the fire is getting closer.
“There!” Hedi shouts, jabbing a finger. I can just about make out the glowing red letters. “I think that’s back toward the dressing room. I’m sure there was a fire door near us there.”
“Nice work,” I tell her. “Okay, Sachin. We think we can see an exit sign, so we’re going toward it.”
“I’m right here with you, Romeo,” he says, his voice strong and reassuring. “I won’t leave you. You’re going to get through this.”
For a second, I’m close to losing it again. I’m aware that it’s his job to care, but knowing I’m not alone is overwhelming for me. There’s no time for that, though. I absolutely refuse to hang around and see which gets us first: the fire or more of the roof on our heads.
“Thank you,” I utter into my phone, then hug Hedi to my side. “Let’s get the hell out of here, okay?”
“About damn time,” she grumbles. “It’s like an oven in here.”
We start picking our way through the rubble, and I look up.
I guess there might be something left of the rafters, or the thick smoke could be venting out into the sky.
But I figure the sprinkler system came crashing down with the rest of it, and that’s why we don’t have anything trying to put out the flames. At least not where we are.
“Where are you guys headed?” a woman asks me.
An older lady is clinging to her arm, and I assume they were here together getting inspiration for an upcoming wedding.
This was supposed to be such a gorgeous day for so many people.
I can’t believe I’m here dealing with yet another building threatening to crash down around me.
I point up ahead. “There’s an emergency exit up that way, or at least there should be. Did you want to try and get through there with us?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” the younger woman mutters, shaking her head. “Come on, Mom.”
“This is all very unacceptable!” the older lady wails. “I want to speak to a manager! What kind of building just falls on people’s heads?”
“Yes, Mom, I know,” the daughter says, patting her mom’s hand and rolling her eyes. “There will be plenty of time for you to complain once we get out of here.”
“Are you still there, Romeo?”
“Yeah, Sachin,” I reply into my phone. “Just picking up some stragglers. This way, guys! Follow us!” Our group is growing rapidly as people see we’re moving with purpose.
For the love of everything good and fluffy and glittery in this world, please let me leading them to safety.
Sachin’s voice pipes up again. “I’ve directed the first responders to that emergency exit,” he tells. “They’re doing their best to clear a path. Just keep going, Romeo.”
“Oh, nothing’s stopping this parade, hon,” I say earnestly as we start climbing over some chunks of rubble blocking our way. “Um, you don’t happen to know if the firefighters are the One-Thirteen, do you?”
“I’m not sure which unit is where,” Sachin says. “We’ve got additional help from the San Clemente houses as well. But the One-Thirteen is with you guys somewhere, yeah.”
“Good,” I tell him sincerely. Knowing that Julian is nearby is enough to keep me going.
My dispatcher pauses. “Is there someone you’d like me to contact for you, Romeo?” he asks quietly.
My heart flips in my chest. It’s tempting, but I’m not the only one who needs help here. There are hundreds of people in danger, and I don’t want Julian to be distracted. “No, that’s okay, sweetie. I’ll find him when this is all over.”
“Damn right you will,” Sachin agrees earnestly.
I’m just helping some of the people we’ve collected climb down from the debris when something catches my ear. I freeze and concentrate.
“Did anyone else hear that?”
“Hear what?” Hedi asks. She still looks awful, but thanks to the dressing Sachin helped me put on her, she’s able to limp reasonably well by herself. She’s currently standing mostly on her uninjured leg while she also helps people scramble down this side of the rubble.
“I thought—there!”
I definitely heard someone calling for help.
“I’m coming!” I yell back before turning to Hedi. “Keep heading toward the exit, I’ll be right behind you.”
“Don’t you do anything stupid, Quincy,” she tells me with a scowl. “I’m quite fond of you, you know.”
Despite everything, I laugh and snap my fingers at her. “Don’t you worry, babe. I’ll be back for you to fire some other day, all right?”
Her face is tense, but she nods once. “Go find them,” she tells me.
“Romeo, you need to get out of there,” Sachin urges me. “The fire department have the right equipment for search and rescue.”
“I can’t leave whoever it is,” I shoot back. “I’d never forgive myself. Just stay on the line with me, okay?”
“Okay, Romeo,” he mercifully agrees. I know he’s right, but the firefighters might not arrive in time and I’m here right now. “Just please be careful. Don’t do anything reckless. You don’t have anything to prove. If you get in trouble, you just become another person they have to rescue.”
“I understand,” I promise.
But I’m done being helpless. It’s my turn to come to the rescue now.
Adrenaline surges through me as I’m soon enveloped by way thicker smoke than before. Coughing, I quickly pull off my jacket and wad it up in front of my face to try and filter the air I’m breathing. My eyes are streaming, but I’m more concerned about the damage to my lungs right now.
“Hello?” I scream.
“Over here!” the voice calls back, louder this time. “I’m stuck!” Relief floods me that I at least have a location now, and I hurry toward a pile of boards and metal beams.
“I think I’ve almost found them,” I tell Sachin. “But I’m going to need my hands, so I’ll put you down for a minute.”
“I won’t hang up,” he promises me.
“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely.
Once my phone is safe in my breast pocket, I pause to tie my jacket around my head so I can use both my hands. My clothes are drenched with sweat, and I can hear the crackling flames, but I can’t see them.
“Keep talking to me,” I tell the person as I start moving debris. “I’m trying to get you out.”
“I’m pinned down!” they reply. Now I’m closer, I’m pretty confident I recognize the voice from this afternoon. It’s got to be one of my models.
“The fire department are on their way,” I tell her. “Just hang on. We’ll make it out of this together.”
I grunt as I use all my strength to lift another slab, and suddenly I see a face before me. I’d recognize that make-up anywhere, because it’s my work.
“Alice!” I cry in distress, dropping down to the model I was giving a pep talk to before the show. It felt like days ago, but it was probably less than an hour.
“Romeo?” she croaks, squinting at me.
“I’m here,” I say, trying to shift some of the crap piled on top of the lower half of her body. But she cries out in pain, and I don’t think it’s safe for me to fuck around when it could hurt her more. “Are you injured?”
“I’m not sure,” she says, sounding so scared it makes me feel sick. “I just can’t get myself free.”
Abandoning my attempts to try and shift anything else, I crouch down instead and grab her hand. Tears stream down both our faces.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” With my free hand, I fish out my phone. “Sachin! I found her, but she’s trapped. We need help.”
“Okay, Romeo,” he says, sounding like he’s typing frantically on the other end of the line. “Do you have any idea where you are? I’m looking at the floor plan right now.”
“Uh…” I glance around then look down at Alice. “Any idea where we are, hon?”
“I’d just gotten off the stage when all hell broke loose,” she says.
I squeeze her hand. “That’s great. Sachin, we’re by the stage. Or at least where it used to be. To the left if you’re looking from the audience.”
“Okay, good. I’ll inform—”
Whatever he was going to say is lost as I’m suddenly thrown on my ass and the world becomes a hell of a lot brighter. My phone flies out of my hand, but I barely notice. Flames are all around us, and Alice screams.
Without thinking, I scramble back and grab her face. “Look at me, hon.” Our eyes meet and she stares helplessly at me. “It’s going to be okay. They know where we are. Help is coming.”
“You need to go,” she whispers between sobs. “You can’t get me out. Save yourself.”
“No,” I growl, shaking my head. “I won’t leave you. You’re not alone. Take my hand and shout with me, okay?” I take a huge breath and bellow at the top of my lungs. “HELP!”
“HELP!” Alice joins in. But the smoke is getting worse and the flames are so close my skin is starting to prickle. We’re both coughing between yelling, but I give Alice my jacket to cover her mouth. I can breathe through my shirt at the elbow.
It’s not enough, though. I’m feeling dizzy and my voice is getting fainter.
“We’re here,” I still try. “Somebody…anybody…help us…”
Despite the roaring flames, my vision is getting dark. I drape myself over Alice, determined to protect her no matter what.
“Julian,” I murmur, wondering if he’s close.
So near, yet so far.
I keep his name on my lips, though. Right until the end.