Chapter 78 Taylor
Taylor
The men hoist Vivian up, and the group slips into the hall.
Smoke has begun seeping through to this building, the air now hazy like smog.
They trip and stumble as they descend the stairs.
The lower they go, the murkier and more acrid the air becomes.
They are mostly quiet, consumed with the sheer effort.
Occasionally there’s a check-in, “You okay?” or a warning, “Turning the bend now!” Heat flares against their faces.
Taylor tries not to think about the possibility that they are walking directly into the inferno.
And she waits, with dread, for claustrophobia to revisit. But somehow it doesn’t happen. Somehow, as they teeter down the steps like a group who’s just closed the bar, Taylor feels oddly safe, protected.
It’s such a strange sensation that she wonders for a moment if she’s still high.
“Last set of stairs!” Jerry yells. Then he turns to the blue-haired woman who’s trailing closely behind. “You okay, Tara?”
Her response is drowned out by a loud crackling.
“Almost there!” Eduardo shouts, as a cough begins bubbling in Taylor.
And then they’re on flat surface—the foyer floor—moving in the direction of the front door. The heat and smoke suddenly surge; Taylor can’t hold it in any longer—she bends over, exploding in a coughing fit. When she recovers, she reaches out, but all she grasps is air.
No one’s there. She’s lost them.
She’s alone.
Then, like a magician’s sleight of hand, someone clasps Taylor’s arm, leading her forward.