Template:Featured Articles/42-2016
 Smoke, it was always the smoke that got to you first. It came on faster than you thought, one moment you were ok, watching a lovely red flame crackling away and then you were coughing as the black oily cloud gathered around your lungs. James was coughing up a storm as he forced open a window and sucked in a breath of fresh air. There was already a crowd gathering below. He couldn't stop himself waving at the crowd. This was better than he'd ever dreamed the flame, the crowd. It was perfect. Sharon's eyes narrowed as she caught a window opening from the corner of her eyes. It could not be... there was someone still inside!!! No fire trucks or police were in sight yet as well. Only the sirens could be heard in the distance. Turning her attention to the wall, besides the window. There were several small pipes and window stills she could use. Backing up a few steps, she gained speed and ran up the wall, finally gripping on of the window sills of the second floor of the building. James stared in amazement, there was some kind of monkey woman climbing straight up the side of the building towards him. The can of fuel fell unbidden from his his nerveless hands, that was impossible no-one could move like that. It was impossible, he forgot about running out of hte back fire escape before anyone noticed him and could recognize him. She shouldn't be here, she was ruining his plan. Reaching out with one hand for the pipe next to the window, she gave it one firm tug, to see if it was firmly attached to the wall. Grabbing it with both hands, she transferred her weight, firmly put her feet against the wall and started moving up several floors. From there she could move from window sill to window sill, till she finally arrived at the first open window from which smoke was billowing. "I...ah...How'd you get up here?" he asked stupefied ignoring hte flames that billowed all around them, "You shouldn't be here...it's dangerous." Climbing over the window sill, Sharon pulled her shirt over her mouth. "What does it look like?" She asked shortly. "We need to get you out of here. Can you hold on to me?" "I'm fine," James noted shaking his head "You need to get out of here," Maybe if he was lucky she wouldn't be able to recognize his face. "Don't be stupid. We don't have long. We need to get out of here." She made to reach over for him, but then caught the sight of the tank of gasoline behind him. "You..." James turned to look at what she had been looking at, "Came in here to get everyone out and found a few of these around yeah." he told her fabricating a cover story on the spot, "Like I said I'm fine but," he gestured towards the back of the building, "I need to check to see if anyone else is in here." "No time for that." Sharon shook her head. "The smoke is getting thicker. Smoke inhalation is real, you know?" She spoke hurriedly, coughing once. "I...ah I guess we should head out then. Everyone should have gotten out right?" Perhaps if monkey lady believed him then the people outside would and wouldn't that be something. To be lauded as a hero on top of everything else. "Let's go then." Snatching a piece of cord she spotted somewhere, she moved back to the window. "Give me your wrists." Sharon held out her hands, ignoring the smoke as much as possible. He could do this, pretend to be a hero, and fool everyone, "I'm not into we don't need that." he gestured toward the back, "THere's a fire escape I saw towards the back, we can go down that way." It wouldn't do for a future hero of the city to come down trussed up ike a fresh chicken, but emerging down the escape, on his own two feet, that was better. Hero of hte city, he liked that. Liked it so much infact that he missed the flash of flame and Sharon's warning shout as the ceiling above him finally gave way dropping down on top of him. One moment he was in the burning building, the next he was out cold, wrapped up in a dream of his own parade and future as a city hero. He'd never have to pay for a drink again. |
