Read Online Breakdown: Season One by Jordon Quattlebaum - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jordon Quattlebaum
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her weary veins.
Taking a moment, she really looked at her “attacker.” He was a good-looking guy, about her age, wearing a dark hoodie with a yellow tiger’s paw on it. His steel grey eyes had a look of mischief to them, but right now they were filled with pain. Stubble marred his face, and he held his left wrist with his right hand.
“Name’s Anna…sorry, I thought you were here to rape and kill me.”
“Rape and…? No! I’m in charge of floor safety for emergency drills! The sirens weren’t going off, so I had to go door to door. I knew someone was in here, and when you didn’t answer, I was worried you’d passed out or something!”
She eyed him skeptically. “You…live here?”
“Haven’t you been to any of the floor meetings? Yes, I live here. My name is Brian. I live right around the corner from you. You’re Anna, right?”
She nodded, still a bit on guard. “Yes…how do you know that?”
He pointed to the paper tiger paw on her door that had “ANNA” printed in a cheery, bubbly script.
She hung her head and started to laugh, her defense mechanism whenever she felt embarrassed.
“Get your head in the game, Anna. We’ve got to get out of here.”
“I didn’t survive whatever the heck just happened just to die in a fire. That would make too many Internet trolls way too happy,” she muttered under her breath.
Thankfully, she’d already packed her backpack full of clothes and personal hygiene items to use during break. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized she wasn’t sure when, or where, she’d have food again so readily at her disposal. Opening the mini-fridge, she tore through it with abandon, scooping boxes of protein bars, a couple of cans of soda, and some day-old pizza that she’d kept from the pizza place up the street. Turning to her nightstand, she spotted a white bottle of caffeine pills, something she only rarely used as a study aid when she needed to pull an all-nighter, and she opted to dump them into her bag as well.
“What the heck are you doing? We need to leave, now! This building is on fire, and no emergency crews are coming to help. We get hurt, or stuck, and we’re going to die here.”
She nodded, satisfied, and hefted her bag onto her shoulders. Looking down, she noted she was still wearing her flip-flops from earlier in the day. She took a minute to swap out to some more comfortable shoes and a thick pair of socks, then she headed into the hallway.
The smoke started to get thicker as she neared the elevator, and out of habit she pressed the button. Immediately, she realized how foolish that was and began to head to the stairwell. Her hand reached out, gingerly hovering over the doorknob, feeling for heat. It was warm, but not hot, so she went ahead and opened it.
When she did, thick, black smoke poured out, blocking her vision completely. Brian quickly pulled the door closed with his good hand and ran to the opposite end of the hall to try the door there.
Feet pounding against the floor, Anna ran like the wind to follow him, knowing that their time was running short.
Brian yanked open the door, and smoke poured out, breaking her heart. She was close enough to feel the heat from the flames in the stairwell below them.
Yanking the door closed, Brian blitzed back into Anna’s room.
“Hey! What’re you doing!” she snarled, chasing him back into her room.
He was tearing the sheets and blankets from her bed. “Making a rope! We’ve got to get out of here, Anna. Help me tie these together!”
Brian frantically worked at tying the sheets together, frustrated when he was unable to get the knots tight enough.
Anna reached into her backpack and pulled out a length of thick nylon rope.
“Hope this’ll do,” she said, glad that she and her father were about to go hiking.
He just stared at her like she was some sort of alien creature.
“Who has rope in their backpack?”
“People who like to rappel, that’s who.”
“You rappel?” he asked
Taking a moment, she really looked at her “attacker.” He was a good-looking guy, about her age, wearing a dark hoodie with a yellow tiger’s paw on it. His steel grey eyes had a look of mischief to them, but right now they were filled with pain. Stubble marred his face, and he held his left wrist with his right hand.
“Name’s Anna…sorry, I thought you were here to rape and kill me.”
“Rape and…? No! I’m in charge of floor safety for emergency drills! The sirens weren’t going off, so I had to go door to door. I knew someone was in here, and when you didn’t answer, I was worried you’d passed out or something!”
She eyed him skeptically. “You…live here?”
“Haven’t you been to any of the floor meetings? Yes, I live here. My name is Brian. I live right around the corner from you. You’re Anna, right?”
She nodded, still a bit on guard. “Yes…how do you know that?”
He pointed to the paper tiger paw on her door that had “ANNA” printed in a cheery, bubbly script.
She hung her head and started to laugh, her defense mechanism whenever she felt embarrassed.
“Get your head in the game, Anna. We’ve got to get out of here.”
“I didn’t survive whatever the heck just happened just to die in a fire. That would make too many Internet trolls way too happy,” she muttered under her breath.
Thankfully, she’d already packed her backpack full of clothes and personal hygiene items to use during break. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized she wasn’t sure when, or where, she’d have food again so readily at her disposal. Opening the mini-fridge, she tore through it with abandon, scooping boxes of protein bars, a couple of cans of soda, and some day-old pizza that she’d kept from the pizza place up the street. Turning to her nightstand, she spotted a white bottle of caffeine pills, something she only rarely used as a study aid when she needed to pull an all-nighter, and she opted to dump them into her bag as well.
“What the heck are you doing? We need to leave, now! This building is on fire, and no emergency crews are coming to help. We get hurt, or stuck, and we’re going to die here.”
She nodded, satisfied, and hefted her bag onto her shoulders. Looking down, she noted she was still wearing her flip-flops from earlier in the day. She took a minute to swap out to some more comfortable shoes and a thick pair of socks, then she headed into the hallway.
The smoke started to get thicker as she neared the elevator, and out of habit she pressed the button. Immediately, she realized how foolish that was and began to head to the stairwell. Her hand reached out, gingerly hovering over the doorknob, feeling for heat. It was warm, but not hot, so she went ahead and opened it.
When she did, thick, black smoke poured out, blocking her vision completely. Brian quickly pulled the door closed with his good hand and ran to the opposite end of the hall to try the door there.
Feet pounding against the floor, Anna ran like the wind to follow him, knowing that their time was running short.
Brian yanked open the door, and smoke poured out, breaking her heart. She was close enough to feel the heat from the flames in the stairwell below them.
Yanking the door closed, Brian blitzed back into Anna’s room.
“Hey! What’re you doing!” she snarled, chasing him back into her room.
He was tearing the sheets and blankets from her bed. “Making a rope! We’ve got to get out of here, Anna. Help me tie these together!”
Brian frantically worked at tying the sheets together, frustrated when he was unable to get the knots tight enough.
Anna reached into her backpack and pulled out a length of thick nylon rope.
“Hope this’ll do,” she said, glad that she and her father were about to go hiking.
He just stared at her like she was some sort of alien creature.
“Who has rope in their backpack?”
“People who like to rappel, that’s who.”
“You rappel?” he asked
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