Read Online False Impression by Jeffrey Archer - Free Book Online Page B

into the sky, causing a dense mountain of flames and fumes that
hovered for a moment, then began to advance indiscriminately through the
crowded streets, engulfing anyone and everyone who stood in its way.
    Anna ran as she
had never run before, but she knew it was hopeless. It could only be a matter
of seconds before the grey ruthless snake was upon her, suffocating all in its
progress. Anna wasn’t in any doubt that she was about to die. She only hoped it
would be quick.
    Fenston stared
across at the World Trade Center from the safety of an office on Wall Street.
    He watched in
disbelief as a second plane flew directly into the South Tower.
    While most New
Yorkers worried about how they could assist their friends, relations and
colleagues at this tragic time, and others what it meant for America, Fenston
had only one thought on his mind.
    He and Leapman
had arrived on Wall Street for their meeting with a prospective client only
moments before the first plane crashed into the North Tower. Fenston abandoned
his appointment and spent the next hour on a public telephone in the corridor
trying to contact someone, anyone, in his office, but no one responded to his
calls. Others would have liked to use the phone, but Fenston didn’t budge.
Leapman was carrying out the same exercise on his cellphone.
    When Fenston
heard a second volcanic eruption, he left the phone dangling and rushed to the
window. Leapman walked quickly across to join him. They both stood in silence
as they watched the South Tower collapse.
    It can’t be long
before the North Tower goes the same way,’ said Fenston.
    “Then I think we
can assume that Petrescu will not survive,’ said Leapman, matter-of-factly.
    ‘I don’t give a
damn about Petrescu,’ said Fenston. ‘If the North Tower goes, then I’ve lost my
Monet, and it isn’t insured.’

12
    A nna began
running flat out, more and more aware, with each step she took, that everything
around her was becoming quieter. One by one the screams were dying, and she
knew she had to be next. There no longer seemed to be anyone behind her, and
for the first time in her life Anna wanted someone to overtake her, anyone,
just so she didn’t feel like the last person on earth.
    She now
understood what it must be like to be pursued by an avalanche at a speed ten
times faster than any human could achieve. This particular avalanche was black.
    Anna took deep
breaths as she forced her body to achieve speeds that she had never experienced
before. She lifted her white silk blouse – now black, sodden and crumpled – and
placed it over her mouth, just moments before she was overtaken by the
relentless, all-enveloping grey cloud.
    A whoosh of
uncontrolled air hurled her forward and threw her onto the ground, but she
still tried desperately to keep moving.
    She hadn’t
managed more than a few feet before she began choking uncontrollably. She
pushed forward for another yard, and then another, until her head suddenly
bumped into something solid. Anna placed a hand on the surface of a wall and
tried to feel her way along. But was she walking away from, or back into, the
grey cloud? Ash, dirt, dust were in her mouth, eyes, ears, nose and hair and
clinging to her skin. It felt as if she was about to be burned alive. Anna
thought about the people she had seen jumping because they felt that must be an
easier way to die. She now understood their feelings, but she had no building
to jump from and could only wonder how much longer it would be before she
suffocated. She took her last step, knelt down on the ground and began to pray.
    Our Father...
She felt peaceful, and was about to close her eyes and give way to deep sleep
when out of nowhere she saw a flashing police light. Who art in Heaven... She
made one last effort to get back on her feet and move towards the blue light.
Hallowed he thy name .. . but the car drifted past, unaware of her plaintive cry for help. Thy Kingdom come...
Anna fell once again and cut her knee on