World Apocalypse: Apocalust

Chapter 30: Chapter XXX - Fire Escape

The three turned away from the window, their attention falling on the restrained man sitting in the chair.

Another muted crack echoed down the hallway. Sooner or later, the shots would drive the woman through the door—and when she came, she wouldn’t be happy.

"We need to move," Noah said.

"And before she gets through that door," Sage added.

Levy gestured toward Kirk. "What about him?"

"We can leave him. He’s not important."

Kirk cleared his throat. "I’m right here, you know."

None of them acknowledged him.

Noah crossed to the window and glanced through the curtains. "Stay low and keep quiet. If anyone’s watching the fire escape, we can handle them."

"Preferably without drawing attention," Levy said.

"Obviously."

Levy looked back at Kirk. The man sat rigidly in the chair, his wrists bound and his eyes darting between them.

"So we’re really just leaving him here?"

Kirk shifted against his restraints. "I’d rather you didn’t."

Before anyone could answer, something metallic struck the foyer floor with a sharp clang causing everyone to stop.

The sound seemed to hang in the air when a woman’s voice rolled through the silence, drifting down the hallway.

"How about we start talking now?"

"Shit."

Sage lunged for the bedroom door. She pressed it shut, locked it, and immediately backed away, putting as much distance between herself and the wood as the room allowed.

"If she’s made it through the foyer, she’ll be here any second."

"I’m leaving." Sage pointed toward the window. "You two can come with me or stay here. I don’t care."

Levy gave a quick nod. "I’m coming."

He turned to Noah. "Come on."

Noah’s gaze shifted to Kirk. The restrained man saw it and began to struggle against the chair.

"Wait," he pleaded. "You’re not seriously going to leave me here, are you? I can—"

Noah crossed the room in two strides and struck him across the side of the head. Kirk’s plea broke off. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped unconscious in the chair.

Levy stared at Noah. "Did you just knock him out?"

"He talks too much."

Sage pulled the curtain aside, revealing the narrow fire escape beyond the window.

"Lets hope that fixes the problem long enough."

Another crack echoed from the hallway. This one was closer.

Sage climbed through the window first. Levy followed, then Noah cast one last glance at Kirk before joining them.

They barely had escaped through the window when Noah reached back inside and pulled the curtains shut. He grabbed the edge of the window frame and tried to force it closed behind them, but there wasn’t much to hold onto from the outside. After a few attempts, he managed to pull it down until the latch caught.

A sharp crack reverberated through the glass.

Noah didn’t bother looking back.

"Come on!"

The three hurried down the fire escape, their shoes clanging against the old metal steps as they descended. Years of neglect had left the structure rusted and weather-worn, and the platform groaned beneath their combined weight, trembling with every hurried step.

Sage grabbed the railing to steady herself as the entire platform gave a concerning shudder.

"Careful," she warned.

"Not exactly planning on stopping," Levy replied.

They continued down, keeping their heads low as they moved from one level to the next. Every creak and groan made Noah wonder whether the aging metal would hold, but compared to the woman inside—with a gun and seemingly no hesitation about using it—the fire escape felt like the lesser of two evils.

They descended two floors before Sage stopped at another window. She grabbed the bottom of the frame and tried to lift it, but it refused to budge.

"Locked," she muttered.

Levy leaned closer to the glass, peering through the narrow gap between the frame and the sill. "The latch is on."

Sage gave it another tug anyway, but the window didn’t move.

"Keep going," Noah said. "We’ll try the next one."

They continued down another floor, the fire escape groaning beneath them as they reached the next platform. Sage immediately moved to the window and tried the latch.

This time, it gave. With a quick shove, the window rose.

"Finally."

Sage climbed through first, disappearing into the room before turning around to help clear the way. Levy followed close behind, then Noah stepped through last, carefully lowering the window behind them.

They found themselves in a dimly lit bedroom after Noah slid the curtains together.

A neatly made bed sat against the far wall, its gray comforter undisturbed beneath a row of framed photographs hanging above the headboard. A wooden dresser stood opposite it, covered with a few scattered pieces of jewelry, a half-empty bottle of perfume, and a small lamp that had been left on.

The rest of the room was surprisingly orderly. A desk sat beneath another window, covered in notebooks and loose papers, while a pair of shoes rested beside the closet as if someone had kicked them off moments before the world ended.

Levy looked around.

"Think anyone’s home?"

Sage glanced toward the bedroom door.

"Let’s hope not."

The three made their way toward the bedroom door, each of them moving carefully as they listened for any indication that the apartment’s ’occupant’ might be nearby. Noah reached the handle first and slowly turned it.

The hinges answered with a long, grating creak that seemed far too loud in the otherwise quiet apartment.

Levy winced. "Guess nobody’s bothered to oil that thing in the last decade."

Sage shot him a look. "You think?"

"What? I’m just saying."

Noah eased the door open a little farther before stepping into the hallway. He glanced in both directions, his enhanced senses already reaching beyond what his eyes could see.

"I’ll go first," he whispered.

Sage raised an eyebrow.

"Enhanced senses," Noah said.

"Were they enhanced when you two fell for the oldest trick in the book?" she asked.

Noah paused and cleared his throat. "That was a fluke."

"Yeah, right."

Levy snickered behind them.

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