Spencer Hotel

Chapter Ten

Struggling to breath and coughing, the black burning smoke filled Samuel's young lungs. Using his shirt to cover his mouth, trying to shield himself from the smoke as best he could.

Samuel picked Lexi up with his free arm, holding her tightly against his body. Without time to grab anything else, he darted out of the apartment. The smoke was thick and disorienting, making it difficult to see and navigate through the hallway. Lexi whimpered in his arms, her small body trembling from fear and the acrid fumes.

Fumbling to unlock the stairwell door, Samuel reached for the handle pushing open the door with his body strength. Stumbling forward, he caught himself on the railing, staring down the stairwell. The red burning flames reflected against the white tiled walls. The raging fire was nearing his floor, eating away the building.

A large explosion ripped through the stairwell, followed by a large orange fireball. Samuel quickly fled, backing away from the intense heat. The old gas stoves in each apartment was likely the cause of the explosion.

Samuel knew he had to get out of the building. Nothing was going to stop the flames from consuming the entire hotel. Frightened and full of adrenaline, Samuel raced down the stairs, tightly holding Lexi under his arm. Running past the raging fire, his skin was sweating profusely under the blazing heat.

His coughing worsened, becoming coarse and dry. With little oxygen in his lungs, Samuel's head became dizzy and tired, his vision blurring. Using the the hot walls as support to keep his body upright, Samuel slowly stepped down the stairwell. His movements were becoming more timid each step. Rubble from over head dangerously tumbled to the ground level, narrowly missing Samuel on his decent.

Eventually Samuel stumbled to the bottom of the stairwell. Crashing through the door, his body collapsed onto the white administrative flooring. Caring for Lexi, he hugged her small furry body tightly to his chest. His exhausted eyes glanced to the front doors, only meters away from his grasp.

Standing to his feet, Samuel hastily stumbled towards the doors. Using his shoulder to push through the glass doors, he nudged his way onto the street. Harshly falling onto his back he finally took in deep breaths, filling his lungs with clean air.

Samuel looked up at the building, watching the black smoke pummelling into the blue sky. Despite the circumstance, the bright red and orange flames were quite beautiful. A single tear escaped from Samuel's eye, running sluggishly down his sweaty face.

Another large explosion shook the ground, debris shot out from the balcony, raining down onto the street below. Samuel laid still, watching the debris narrowly miss him. Lexi timidly sat on Samuel's chest. Scared of the loud noises.

As his vision returned, so did his composure. Samuel sluggishly stood onto his feet. With a slight limp, he stumbled down the street, walking away from the hotel. More explosions rattled the ground beneath him, echoing through the city.

This was the first time Samuel has been outside of the hotel since he checked in with Brooklyn. Taking in the moment Samuel came to a sudden pause, slowly turning his head back towards the burning building. The raging flames quickly spread to the top floor.

One last explosion rattled the tall buildings around him. It was the loudest yet, and was followed by an enormous fireball, bursting out through the fifth story balcony. The building seemed to shudder. Cracks zigzagged across the walls. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning wood, plastic, and other materials.

As the flames danced higher and brighter, the once-proud facade of the hotel started to crumble. Windows shattered with explosive force, glass raining down in shimmering shards onto the street below. The top floors, weakened by the merciless onslaught, began to sag and bow, like a weary giant struggling to stand.