27 Chapter 26 (1/2)
Wasting no more time, he jumps through, immediately ducking beside Alex and Gillian.
”Whatever you do, do not stand up, okay?” Frank says.
Gillian was getting ready to ask him 'why', but the ominous sound that is rapidly getting louder answers her question.
”What the fuck is that sound?!” Alex exclaims.
”Fire...” Frank answers briefly.
Moments later, the blast reaches them.
”LAY ON THE GROUND!!” Frank yells over the harsh sound of the blaze as it rushed into the room, through the window above them.
It only lasted a few seconds, but to them, it felt like hours.
”Is everyone alright?” Frank asks as now smoke slowly fills the room.
”Yeah...” both Gillian and Alex answer.
They were all abruptly interrupted by cracking above them, small gradients fall from the ceiling, gradually increasing to bigger and bigger chunks of rock.
”Move... MOVE!!” Frank exclaims, lifting both Gillian and Alex by their arm and out of the way of the debris as it tumbles down and blocks the broken window.
”Fuck... thank you, Frank...” Gillian says, letting out a sigh of relief.
”You are both welcome. But now we need to find a new exit...” Frank replies. Reaching back, Frank reached for Alex's bag, grabbing a torch and turning it on to light up the dimly illuminated room. Gillian does the same, while Alex follows behind them both.
”Is there a door anywhere, a window, or something?” Frank asks.
”No,” Gillian replies, illuminating all four walls of the room, but she keeps on looking.
Suddenly she stumbles across something, a broken vent. The barrier was broken, hanging from one of the sides still bolted in the metal frame of the vent.
”I found something...” Gillian says, she can't help but allow uncertainty to rule over any other emotion in her voice.
Moments pass before Frank and Alex reach Gillian.
”A vent?” Alex questions.
”Looks like it might be our only way out at this point...” Frank replies.
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”But what if it breaks?” she asks again.
”Well then...” Frank begins, trying to look for a good excuse. ”... it... breaks...”.
Alex immediately widens her eyes at his answer.
”I mean, it feels stable enough...” Frank says as he tries to move the vent.
”Who is going first?” he asks, pointing to the vent.
”Not me... no way...” Alex raises her hands, shaking her head.
”I just want to get out of here...” Gillian says.
”Here, can you hold this for me?” she adds, handing over the accessories she hands in her hands to Alex.
She then proceeds on walking back, right above the opening.
”I am going to lift you and you are going to pull yourself up and into the vent...” Frank says to Gillian. ”Okay?”.
She nods.
Getting a grip of the metal frame, waiting for Frank to lift her. He does so, seconds later. She tries to do what Frank told her to do.
”Shit... Frank!”. Gillian feels her body slipping back out, she desperately tries to keep herself up but to no success.
”Okay...”. Frank quickly grabs her by the ankles, lowering his hands to the soles of her shoes.
”Push up on my hands, I'll try to push you further up, okay?”.
”Okay...” she replies.
Trying out what Frank said, she begins to feel relief as her and her body manage to get up onto the vent.
”You in?” Frank asks.
”Yeah...” she replies.
”Okay... you are next, Alex...”.
”Do I have to?...” she pouts at Frank.
”Well, if you want to be stuck here...”.
With a roll of her eyes, she proceeds to the opening.
”Okay, so I am going to-” she interrupts him.
”Yeah, yeah. I heard you when you were talking to Gillian, you are going to lift me up and I am going to crawl in...”.
”Pretty much...” Frank replies.
”Okay, get ready...” he adds.
Frank lifts Alex. While doing so, Gillian grabs Alex's hand, pulling her up. Within seconds, she manages to crawl into the vent.
Alex lets out an unexpected sigh of relief, but that relief was not long-lived. Sounds of crackling echoed through the vent, both Gillian and Alex could feel the metal below them quiver.
”Why are we shaking?!” Alex questions, panic ver noticeable in her voice.
”I... I...” Gillian begins, but words stop coming out of her mouth. Suddenly they all get hit by tremors, everything begins to shake, violently.
”Earthquake...” Gillian mutters under her breath. ”Its another earthquake!” she adds, louder.
Moments pass before a loud bang from the vent is heard. A pop echoed through the small, hollow space, right before the metal opening dropped by a centimetre or two. Both Gillian and Alex have their eyes closed, hoping the vent itself will not collapse and fall.
The tremors once again die out. Leaving then with crackles of metal echoing through the vents that both Gillian and Alex are in.
”Are you guys okay?” Frank calls out.
”Yes...” both Gillian and Alex answer simultaneously.
”Is the vent okay?” Gillian asks moments later.
”It's fine,” Frank answers. ”Apparently, the vent itself has a protective frame...” he adds.
”What do you mean?” Alex asks him.
”What I mean is that there is a metal bar running along the bottom of the vent and around the vent itself. The vent did collapse, but it is being held up by its metal frame.”.
Now, both Gillian and Alex sigh with relief.