Page 56 of Lucky Night

They hear the toilet seat slam down on the porcelain.

Then, a massive blast. A splash.

A fusillade of wet farts. A piteous groan.

They exchange a look.

Yikes, she whispers.

There’s another sizable splash. Then another.

The poor bastard, he says. Did you learn anything?

A little. She’s studying his phone. He’s been here since last week, in a room on the forty-seventh floor. He heard a bunch of alarms over the weekend, which turned out to be malfunctions, so he wasn’t worried when the announcement to stay in our rooms came over the intercom. But when he heard the shrieks, and thevoices arguing, he realized this was different and rushed out of his room. The nearest stairwell was full of smoke, which spooked him even more, so he decided to go back and wait…which is when he realized he’d left his key in the room.

From the bathroom comes another groan. Then another substantial discharge.

He needs to think about flushing, Nick says. What then?

He started banging on doors. He eventually found another stairwell—the same one we tried, I think. He made it down a few flights when a big cloud of smoke came billowing up. So he escaped onto this floor and kept trying doors, until he got to ours.

They hear a flush. Then another.

Edvin emerges, holding up her phone.

I find plan, he says. Now wego.

He’s pale, but perfectly calm. He moves toward them.

There is way. See?

There is in fact some kind of blueprint on Jenny’s screen.

Where did you find that? Nick asks.

City, Edvin says. All cities has department.

His English has returned, along with his poise. He swipes the screen with steady fingers, expanding the image.

We are here, he points at the diagram. South side of structure. Television say fire on west side of structure.

Nick looks to Jenny. They did say that a minute ago, she says.

I try stairs B, here. Edvin points to one corner. No good. Then stairs A, to get here. You also try A, Jenny say, yes? All close to fire, see? Now we go stairs C, on north side of structure. Safe route.

The fire is almost out, Nick tells him. If we sit tight, we’ll…

Edvin turns and disappears back into the bathroom.

Nick shakes his head. He’s out of his mind.

He seems fine now, she says.

Because he’s found something to feed his delusions. He was literally shitting himself with fear two minutes ago, now he’s seen a single floor plan and he’s Ferdinand Magellan?

He’s an engineer. Maybe he knows what he’s talking about.

She can’t be serious. Jenny, he says. Please don’t tell me you think this is a good idea.

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