The Glass Inferno

CHAPTER 68

It was quiet in the darkness of the elevator cage, except for the sounds of one person sobbing. It was a full minute before Leroux realized that it was a man crying-the same heavy-set man who had been so belligerent a few moments before. He shivered; outside the snow and sleet spattered against the glass walls of the elevator and he could feel the cold penetrate his thin tuxedo. Somebody was pressing up against him and he knew by the faint fragrance of her perfume that it was Thelma.

“What wig happen, Wyn?”

He hugged her gently and kissed her on the ear. “I don’t know-just hang,here for a while, I guess.”

Thelma lowered her voice. “We don’t stand much of a chance, do we?

He let just the ‘right note of annoyance creep into his voice. “I know what the cables can take, Thelma. if I thought we were going to drop, I wouldn’t have tried to reassure people. Everybody should have a chance to make their peace with God without any kibitzing from me.”

He could feel her relax and thought to himself that the Almighty would forgive him that one white lie. She was absolutely right; they didn’t stand much of a chance.

The heavy winds suddenly caught the cage and swung it away from the building a short distance, then let it swing back against the concrete wall behind him. The cage twisted on its cables as it did so and crashed slightly askew.

One of the glass side walls cracked and a woman standing near him was thrown off her feet, her cry lost in a sudden burst of screaming.

Leroux tensed. The cage couldn’t take much of that, let alone the cables. There were only a few left.

“Listen!” somebody shouted. There was a sharp clatter from overhead and Leroux strained his eyes to peer out into the night.

Seconds later heavy debris fell past the glass walls.

Leroux wasn’t sure but it looked like aluminum sheeting and maybe thin angle iron. He was mystified for a moment, then suddenly remembered the scenic elevator’s housing far above. My God, if it was coming apart …

He suddenly felt Thelma’s grip on his arm. “What’s that, Wyn?”

Leroux cocked his head, then picked up the faint sounds. The distant chop, chop, chop above them.

Not one of the light helicopters he had seen a few minutes earlier, but probably a big mother, maybe a Sikorsky F-106 they had used to lift some of the heavier equipment up to the restaurant during construction.

Trust Barton to think of that. They’d probably try a cable splice and swing them up. He raised his voice.

“Everybody quiet and listen to me! They’ve brought in a sky-hook helicopter and I think they’re going to use it to pull us up. It’ll be bumpy and I’d suggest all of us lie down on the floor.”

“What the hell do you know?” the heavy-set man suddenly shouted.

“You haven’t guessed right on your building so far!

The other passengers had begun to ease themselves to the floor.

Somebody mumbled, “Watch your damned knee,” and finally they were all down except the heavy-set man who was still standing, braced against the one cracked glass wall.

“Get down!” Leroux -warned. “This cage’s going to crash into the wall a dozen times before they get us to the top.”

“Screw you,” the man said.

He couldn’t get to him, Leroux thought. He couldn’t force him down.

“Suit yourself,” he said shortly. He and Thelma were lying together, and he suddenly put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

They would either make it or they wouldn’t, and, if they didn’t he wanted to feel her body against his one last time.

“Listen,” Thelma whispered. The cables overhead were singing in the wind. Suddenly one fell past the cage. The elevator sank an inch and Leroux tightened his hold on his wife. A second cable lashed past the cage and disappeared into the night.

“The next one will be the last one they’ll cut,” he said quietly to Thelma. “Let’s pray their splice is good.”

The last cable parted and the cage dropped for half a foot.

Somewhere in the mass of bodies on the floor a woman choked off a half-scream.

The car swayed alarmingly for a moment and then began to inch up the side of the building. There was a frightening scraping and banging sound and Leroux felt his own heart start to beat uncontrollably. It wouldn’t be long now, he thought. They were almost there. What incredible irony if in the last moment … No, he mustn’t think of that.

They were abreast of the utility floor now and he could see the smoky red of the flames. Then they started to swing out from the building until they seemed to be floating over the city below, wrapped in pounding snow and driving wind. The cage -swung loose in the wind and then a particularly strong gust swung it far enough away from the building so there was a perceptible tip to the floor.

It occurred to Leroux then what was going to happen and he screamed, “Get down, get down!” They had begun to swing back now and they ere still in line with the building. There was an abrupt jolt and a shattering sound and almost immediately afterward a scream that quickly faded away into the distance. A voice shouted, “I’m cut!”

and a sudden gust of cold air told Leroux what had happened. They had hit the building on the side again and the one glass wall had shattered; the heavy-set man who had braced himself against it had nothing to hold onto and had fallen out.

Leroux closed his eyes and whispered to himself, “Oh, my-God.”

Then the cage had stabilized. He could feel it still ascending as the helicopter continued to lift it, then the slight g as the cage was positioned over the roof and finally he could sense it slowly dropping.

He was tired -too damn tired to even watch.

A moment later the cage touched down heavily on the roof. Leroux tumbled forward with the impact, his head hitting the cage wall and momentarily stunning him. Then everything was silent except for the whistling of the wind.

They were safe, he thought. Safe.

There were the sounds of men outside now, gently pulling the remnants of broken glass out of the one side wall. Then people were struggling to their feet and helping hands were pulling them out of the cage.

Thelma said, “We’re safe, Wyn,” and suddenly she began to cry.

He wrapped his arms around her for a moment and then they -were stepping through the shattered side wall.

His mind was already on other things.

They were all safe, he thought. All but himself. On the ground below would be the reporters and the fire inspectors and probably a team flown in from Washington.

All safe, he thought again.

Except for himself.