Page 84 of For Love & Torture
The people murmur around us as we make our way through the crowded room. The banner that hangs high above the crowd starts to billow, making loud popping sounds, and everyone points their flashlights up to see what’s happening.
A cracking sound fills the room and the banner, which is so big it spans the entire room, begins to fall. Moving faster with Bell, I manage to get out from under the heavy material before it falls on the crowd, covering the majority of the people in the room.
Panicked cries call out for help and the rest of us who aren’t under the banner grab at the material to pull it off them. I have to let go of Isabel as we both grab the thing and pull it.
Isabel shouts, “Stop pulling from the other sides. We’re just pulling against each other. Let go, and only those on this side pull the banner.”
“Good thinking, Bell.” We start to make some progress now that the others have stopped pulling. But the people underneath are now making it harder on us as they freak out, trying to get out from under the suffocating weight of the fabric.
I feel hands, pushing at me and Bell shouts, “Please, stop pushing! We’ll have this off in a minute. Please.”
But it’s no use. They all panic and now we’re in danger of being run over. I reach out for Bell but find there are too many people between us. She looks at me with a frantic expression. “Just get out, Grant. I’ll meet you outside.”
Everyone is going for the exits and chaos has taken over. I can’t stand the fact that I can’t grab Bell and I fight my way to her as she’s moved along with the crowd.
Suddenly, I realize there’s another man who’s trying to get to her too—a tall man, wearing a wolf mask to hide his face. A black cloak is tied around his broad shoulders. He’s making a bee-line for her, and I shout, “Bell, it’s Bart.”
She has to keep moving as the crowd won’t allow her to stop and she looks around. “Where?”
“Just keep going, Bell.” I have to push people out of my way as my shouting has alerted Bart, and now he’s looking at me and hurrying to get to her first. He’s closer than I am and he’s more ruthless, too, I find out.
Tossing people out of his way, bodies fly up and fall on each other. “Stop him!” I shout out.
A few of the men near me see what I’m talking about and we all head toward Bart as he continues to fling people out of his way.
The stairwell that leads everyone up to the top of the club could become very dangerous to these people if I can’t calm this crowd down. Something has to give. Something has to happen to help this situation.
“Mom, help us,” I say under my breath. “I’ve never needed you more than I do right now.”
An explosion rocks us all, and for a moment everyone stops and looks back. Orange and red licks of fire are coming out of the door that leads to the private rooms. Someone must’ve put a bomb in one of them. Then another explosion rocks us, and the panic takes everyone over as we all realize there might be one inside the main room too.
In the mad rush, I completely lose sight of Isabel and terror fills me. “Bell? Bell? Where are you?”
My body is crushed by the throngs of people who are pushing at each other, desperately trying to get out of the club and up to safety. People are pouring up the stairs and into the hallway where the offices are. I hope Bell is going that way, and that’s the direction I head.
There are only three entrances and exits. The one our guests use, the one the employees use, and one where the apartments are located. But it seems that way out has been destroyed. Some five hundred people are having to leave this place by only two exits.
Suddenly, the sprinkler system comes on, spraying us all. And then I feel the cold in the air. My breath forms a white cloud in front of me. “What now?”
