hopelessly at Frank.
‘Saeed, Abu, give it everything you’ve got. Just a couple of seconds . . .’
‘I am doing that already, you fool!’ Saeed cried.
‘COME ON!’ Abu yelled, giving him a contemptuous look. ‘Everything . . . agh.’
The beam rose another centimetre, groaning.
‘Allah!’ Saeed gasped.
Jessica and Carmen pulled.
‘That’s it,’ Jessica shouted. ‘That’s it. Frank, push!’
‘COME ON, FRANK, DARLIN’!’ Carmen shrieked.
And he was free, twisting 90 degrees to escape the beam and heaving himself along the ground. The two women stumbled and fell backwards as the force that had kept Frank pinned down was suddenly released. Carmen landed heavily and screamed as Jessica came down on top of her. The beam fell half a metre, tonnes of steel crushing the pile of concrete beneath it.
Carmen was quick to recover. She scrambled over to her husband, dragging him further away from the beam. ‘Frank, baby . . .’ She threw herself on him.
He hugged her and began to get to his feet, helping Carmen to hers. ‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘Cut and bruised but in one piece, darl’.’ He pulled her into his chest and she sobbed with relief.
Jessica walked over to Abu and the two men, shaking her head, her face a picture of relief. Carmen and Frank followed her.
‘I don’t know how to thank you,’ Frank said.
‘No need,’ Mohammed replied.
Frank shook hands with them. ‘What’s your name, young fella?’ he said, crouching a little to look into Abu’s eyes.
‘Abu Al-Rashid.’
‘Well, Abu, you’re officially a hero.’
The boy gave him a broad smile.
Frank turned back to Saeed and Mohammed. ‘Now, either of you two happen to know a way outta here?’
27
‘We tried the southwest emergency stairs,’ Mohammed explained, his face expressionless. ‘It’s hopeless.’
‘Why?’ Jessica asked.
‘The bomb went off down there. Don’t know where exactly.’
‘Oh hell!’ Frank exclaimed.
‘We came back up from 197. You can’t get onto that level. We’re hoping the other staircase over there will give us another route down.’ Mohammed nodded towards the southeast emergency exit.
He led the way over and without hesitating turned the handle and leaned on the door. It opened onto a stairwell identical to the one they had been in a few minutes earlier. He stared inside. The lights on the levels above had gone but on this floor they were still working, casting an eerie dull haze. Mohammed looked up and saw immediately that they couldn’t go up even if they wanted to. The stairs to 200 were completely blocked with rubble.
Abu was at his elbow and pushed his way into the stairwell. The others came in after him. The first thing that hit them was the stink of burning rubber. Two steps inside the stairwell and the stench was almost unbearable. Leaning over the railings they could all see down half a dozen floors, where flames lapped around piles of rubble and concrete, dull reddish lumps in the gloom.
‘The same,’ Mohammed said, deflated.
The group turned together and streamed back out onto the main floor, gasping for fresher air. Carmen was coughing, her face contorted in pain.
‘My wife’s asthmatic,’ Frank explained.
‘Do you have a ventilator?’ Abu asked.
‘I did, son,’ Carmen said between gasps. ‘In my bag . . . which I guess is now under at least a foot of rubble.’
‘Okay, so what now?’ Saeed asked, staring at each of them in turn, arms folded across his chest.
Frank helped Carmen find somewhere to sit on top of a pile of concrete and settled down next to her, an arm about her shoulder. Jessica was standing close by, gazing around, trying to find some clue to help them but all she could see was abject destruction, everything in pieces, everything shattered. She felt sick.
‘Hey, look at this!’ It was Abu who had wandered a few yards to study something on a metal pillar in what had been the middle of the walkway in front of the
‘Saeed, Abu, give it everything you’ve got. Just a couple of seconds . . .’
‘I am doing that already, you fool!’ Saeed cried.
‘COME ON!’ Abu yelled, giving him a contemptuous look. ‘Everything . . . agh.’
The beam rose another centimetre, groaning.
‘Allah!’ Saeed gasped.
Jessica and Carmen pulled.
‘That’s it,’ Jessica shouted. ‘That’s it. Frank, push!’
‘COME ON, FRANK, DARLIN’!’ Carmen shrieked.
And he was free, twisting 90 degrees to escape the beam and heaving himself along the ground. The two women stumbled and fell backwards as the force that had kept Frank pinned down was suddenly released. Carmen landed heavily and screamed as Jessica came down on top of her. The beam fell half a metre, tonnes of steel crushing the pile of concrete beneath it.
Carmen was quick to recover. She scrambled over to her husband, dragging him further away from the beam. ‘Frank, baby . . .’ She threw herself on him.
He hugged her and began to get to his feet, helping Carmen to hers. ‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘Cut and bruised but in one piece, darl’.’ He pulled her into his chest and she sobbed with relief.
Jessica walked over to Abu and the two men, shaking her head, her face a picture of relief. Carmen and Frank followed her.
‘I don’t know how to thank you,’ Frank said.
‘No need,’ Mohammed replied.
Frank shook hands with them. ‘What’s your name, young fella?’ he said, crouching a little to look into Abu’s eyes.
‘Abu Al-Rashid.’
‘Well, Abu, you’re officially a hero.’
The boy gave him a broad smile.
Frank turned back to Saeed and Mohammed. ‘Now, either of you two happen to know a way outta here?’
27
‘We tried the southwest emergency stairs,’ Mohammed explained, his face expressionless. ‘It’s hopeless.’
‘Why?’ Jessica asked.
‘The bomb went off down there. Don’t know where exactly.’
‘Oh hell!’ Frank exclaimed.
‘We came back up from 197. You can’t get onto that level. We’re hoping the other staircase over there will give us another route down.’ Mohammed nodded towards the southeast emergency exit.
He led the way over and without hesitating turned the handle and leaned on the door. It opened onto a stairwell identical to the one they had been in a few minutes earlier. He stared inside. The lights on the levels above had gone but on this floor they were still working, casting an eerie dull haze. Mohammed looked up and saw immediately that they couldn’t go up even if they wanted to. The stairs to 200 were completely blocked with rubble.
Abu was at his elbow and pushed his way into the stairwell. The others came in after him. The first thing that hit them was the stink of burning rubber. Two steps inside the stairwell and the stench was almost unbearable. Leaning over the railings they could all see down half a dozen floors, where flames lapped around piles of rubble and concrete, dull reddish lumps in the gloom.
‘The same,’ Mohammed said, deflated.
The group turned together and streamed back out onto the main floor, gasping for fresher air. Carmen was coughing, her face contorted in pain.
‘My wife’s asthmatic,’ Frank explained.
‘Do you have a ventilator?’ Abu asked.
‘I did, son,’ Carmen said between gasps. ‘In my bag . . . which I guess is now under at least a foot of rubble.’
‘Okay, so what now?’ Saeed asked, staring at each of them in turn, arms folded across his chest.
Frank helped Carmen find somewhere to sit on top of a pile of concrete and settled down next to her, an arm about her shoulder. Jessica was standing close by, gazing around, trying to find some clue to help them but all she could see was abject destruction, everything in pieces, everything shattered. She felt sick.
‘Hey, look at this!’ It was Abu who had wandered a few yards to study something on a metal pillar in what had been the middle of the walkway in front of the
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