The air is filled with terror. I can taste it just as much as I can taste the ash on my tongue. It burns me from the inside out. Everyone, everything is filled with a white coating of dust covering their skin, rivers of tears clearing the ash away as it travels to their chins.
They feel so much terror, so much fear.
I crawl to the glass window, my palms filling with pebbles and dust that I barely feel. I press my hand against the glass, which should feel cool, but it doesn't.
It's hot.
I close my eyes, hoping for any kind of feeling. Anything to tell me he's still here with me.
Anything at all.
Nothing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ROMAN
One hour ago
"Holy shit." My eyes widen when I see the flames billowing out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The sky is turning black because there is so much smoke.
"Terrorist attack." My chief gets off the phone, looking over at us with a grim expression. "A plane was hijacked. Hit straight into the North Tower. There are people stuck in there. We have to get them out."
We all nod, grim expressions on our faces. This isn't how we planned to start our morning, but here we are. We all gear up, sliding our helmets on as the firetruck pulls up right next to the building.
The ground below me shakes, and I look up just as a plane strikes the South Tower. People go crazy, running for their lives and screaming at the top of their lungs. Flames billow from the plane, and my eyes water, thinking of all the lives just lost in a split second.
So many fucking lives.
"Move! We have to move!" Chief shouts.
We hop off the truck, running to the South Tower. The air grows heavy, filled with debris and so much smoke I can barely see. I squint my eyes, running through the smoke and into the side of the building. We can barely get in the door as people bust out, clear panic written all over their faces.
"Upstairs. We need to get upstairs," Dylan shouts.
I look around, seeing a stairwell. "There."
We rush toward it, our uniforms heavy as we race up the stairs. I'm hot instantly, panic, worry, fucking terror eating away at every single bone in my body. We exit onto a floor, and it looks like a warzone. Things tipped over, everything left haphazardly as people left in panic. It smells of smoke in here, the building starting to burn and reaching the lower floors. We rush through the offices, checking for any survivors.
I glance out the window, seeing someone out on the windowsill. My eyes widen, and I rush over to it, attempting to open the window. The woman looks at me, tears running down her cheeks. I can't open the window, though. Nothing will get it to budge.
"Move out of the way." I wave my hands.
She does as she's told, sliding to the side. Then, it’s like slow motion as the toe of her heel slips on the ledge. She looks at me, a look of terror in her eyes before she loses her grip. There's a knowledge in her eyes, like she knows what is about to happen. All I can do is stare at her, watch in horror as she falls backward, her arms windmilling around her as she falls into the sky.
I look away, a choked sob breaking from my chest.
"Holy shit." I wipe my wet eyes, a disassociation to my body and mind.
"We've got to move!" Dylan shouts, and I nod my head. Looking up and over at the North Tower. My eyes widen when I see someone standing on one of the highest floors, standing on the ledge of his window. He barely takes a second to think about it. He looks over his shoulder, fear and terror covering his features before looking below him.
And he jumps.
"Fuck!" I rush away from the window, moving to get other people out. We find people hiding under their desks, hidden away in bathrooms. We move as many people out as we can, telling them to take the stairwells on their way out of the building.
We move for so long, smoke filling the air and covering my lungs. My uniform weighs me down, and it feels claustrophobic, like I've been working for hours, even though I know it hasn't even been an hour.
We rush up the stairs, until the ground is hot and the air is stifling, and we can barely breathe.