'90s Problems

Chapter 4

"Adaline Bowman lived a normal life until one cold winter night in 1935 when something incredible happened." - The Age of Adaline, in theaters April 24

The heat was the first thing I noticed, the scorching sensation that drew the oxygen from my lungs. The fear in the room was the second, my fellow SDD-ers shrieking and stumbling in terror. Just because our cells had stopped aging didn't mean we couldn't be killed, and it definitely didn't mean we couldn't be burned alive writhing in agony.

With the doorway enveloped in flame, Todd and Rueben corralled us through the smoke-filled air into an adjoining office. From there we all ran for the staircase only to find it on fire, the wicked red tongues flickering high and devouring the walls.

"We're trapped!" screamed someone.

"No!" Rueben's words sounded like the voice of God, commanding and calm. "There is a second exit. This way!"

The smoke had begun to thicken and everyone was coughing, the hacking sounds a secondary noise layered over the roar and crackle of the fire. My eyes were streaming as I bent as low to the ground as possible, following the feet of the person in front of me and hoping we were going the right way.

My God! What if I die without seeing Matt's face again? A vice gripped my heart as the horror of losing him swept through me. After 98 years, I still wasn't ready to die now I'd finally found the man I loved.

Before the panic could truly destroy my mind, a fire escape door loomed before me. Rueben held the thick door open, counting people as they staggered into the concrete stairwell and down the stairs to freedom. The relatively fresh air flooded into the office and I gulped it greedily.

"People are missing," said Rueben, his tone riddled with concern.

"Who?"

"Wait! Here they come!"

Todd appeared through the smoke, supporting Arjun. "We lost Ria!" cried Todd. "The ceiling collapsed, and burning plaster hit us. I don't know where she is!"

Arjun was bleeding profusely, but still trying to push Todd away. "I must go back for my love! Let me go!"

"Todd, get him to safety," ordered Rueben. "I'll go back for Ria."

Todd nodded, and forced Arjun down the stairs, his anguished wails echoing after them. Rueben touched my shoulder. "Evianna, go with them."

"I'm not leaving you," I said. I was terrified, but there was no way I was leaving without both Rueben and Ria.

Rather than fight me, he nodded. "Stay close. If it gets too dangerous, you must get out."

Together, we dived back into the burning hell. Everything was happening far too quickly; the flames licked up the walls and spread over the ceiling squares, radiating the heat in every direction. The noise was deafening, a roaring crackle that sounded like a monster ingesting the building from the inside out. There wasn't time to feel the fear that should have been there. I just kept moving, praying we weren't too late.

Just outside the adjoining office, the ceiling gaped open above us like a hungry maw, and huge chunks of burning plaster lay scattered everywhere. "There!" I cried, pointing to a crumpled pile of sari, Ria's coloured clothing shielding her head as she lay on the ground.

A huge groan echoed from underneath us and the floor shook violently. "We do not have long," yelled Rueben. "I will jump the debris and carry her back. Wait here!"