Kate could see they were almost there with only a few more steps remaining, when another blast struck from behind. James was knocked off of his feet falling face forward into the steps in front of him. He felt Rye’s hand slip from the loop on his pant leg at the same moment Kate fell from his arms. His feet felt nothing but empty air beneath them as his hands frantically searched for something to grab as he slid downward. Within seconds, James had his arm wrapped around part of the dangling railing and he looked upward to find Kate hanging tightly to the step above him. Quickly, he turned his eyes downward searching for Rye.
Kate was screaming, “James, where’s Rye! Rye! Rye baby where are you!”
“Kate, I see her. Hold on. I’m going to get her … hang on … I’ll be right back!”
There balancing precariously, on what was now the bottom step, he spotted Rye still clutching her baby, barely able to hang on. Slowly, James inched his way from the left side to the right and reached a hand down to her. “Rye, take my hand munchkin.”
But Rye did not respond. “Rye, let the doll go and grab my hand!”
Rye heard people screaming in terror along with the creature’s angry cries. Smoke was burning her eyes from the fires blazing in the pit below, the lights were flickering as if to tease her with complete darkness, and she was now paralyzed with total fear.
The stairs continued to shift and jolt as if at any moment what was left of them was going to catapult to the ground. James held tight while he lowered himself down inch by inch until he was able to grab a hold of Rye’s upper arm. With his left arm securely fastened around a step, he reached down with his right hand, grabbing Rye. At this angle, it felt as though her tiny arm might rip from its socket, but there was no choice but to continue pulling her up. Once he pulled Rye up by his side, James slid his arm up around her chest pulling her close, before climbing back up to Kate.
From the clouds of smoke, their eyes burned and their throats closed causing fits of coughing, but they did not give in. James had Rye, he was almost there, he could see the landing waiting a few yards up. Blocking the path there were still a few people ahead of them trying to make their way to safety, and James frantically searched for an opening. Finding a narrow path near the center, he headed in that direction.
Just as James pulled himself back up to a position across from Kate, he felt the remaining section of the stairs become unhinged, as the entire left connection gave way. One sudden cracking snap, and now, they were left dangling perilously from the right corner.
James witnessed two more individuals fall into the fiery hell pit below while he desperately tried to hold his position. He could hear soldiers from his unit on the top landing yelling for him to reach up as the stairs continued to moan from the unwanted weight pulling tirelessly on the few remaining bolts still holding them to the landing.
Rye hung limply in the crook of his arm, making no sound that he could hear above the insanity going on around them. James held tight to her as he looked up to find Kate barely hanging on. On the back of his jacket, which Kate was wearing, there were now discernable signs of blood soaking through.
He dug deep, pulling all his inner strength to reach her. “Kate, hang on! I’m going to hand Rye up to the guys on the landing, and I’ll be back for you! Don’t let go!”
Kate was hanging on the free flowing left side of the stairs with nothing but space and air between her and the cargo floor below. Excruciating pain ran through her as she clung tightly to the twisted broken metal, which was keeping her from certain death. Kate heard James speaking to her, but she was not able to turn to see his face. The pain was incredible, and she felt the sticky wetness of blood running down her legs from the wound across her back. Rye was all that kept her from giving up as she willed herself to hold on.
James pulled himself and Rye up, ignoring the stairs’ continuous threat to snap under their weight. They were swaying slightly from left to right as he finally moved into position to hand Rye up. With his left foot wedged in and his left hand fixed firmly in place, he slowly exerted all the strength of his right arm to lift Rye up to a friendly hand.