Chapter 3: The Descent
The hallway was a nightmare of blistering heat and zero visibility. The overhead sprinklers had failed, leaving the fire to feast on the drywall and ceiling tiles. Liam navigated by memory and the subtle drafts of air, his heavy boots crunching over shattered glass and fallen debris.
Behind him, Sarah held on with a death grip. The heat radiating through her thin beige cardigan was oppressive, but the steady hiss of the oxygen mask kept her moving.
"Almost to the doors, Sarah! You're doing great!" Liam shouted over the roar of the flames, though he couldn't even see her through the thick black smoke.
Suddenly, Sarah let out a muffled cry and stopped dead in her tracks, her grip on Liam’s harness pulling him backward. He spun around, adjusting Mary’s weight on his shoulders. Sarah was doubled over, clutching her swollen belly, her eyes squeezed shut in agony.
The extreme stress had triggered a contraction.
"Sarah, look at me!" Liam yelled, stepping closer to shield her from the ambient heat. "I know it hurts, but we cannot stop here. The stairwell is ten feet away. You have to push through this. For your baby. For Alex."
Hearing her husband's name seemed to ignite a tiny spark of defiance in her exhausted eyes. She nodded slowly, forcing herself to stand upright despite the tightening pain in her abdomen.
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They pushed forward, finally hitting the heavy metal fire door of the stairwell. Liam shoved it open with his hip. The air inside was still hazy, but the temperature dropped significantly, and the smoke was far less dense.
They had fourteen flights of stairs to go, but they were in the safety zone. Liam took a deep breath, adjusted his grip on Mary, and began the long, grueling descent, silently praying that Sarah’s legs would hold out.
