by Kirby Howell
I stared wide-eyed at the gaping hole in the black glass, now clearly visible. The thought of Connie laying somewhere, hurting and waiting for us, was horrific.
“Let’s go.” Grey nodded, staring at the wreckage.
We joined the few from Vegas at the base of the pyramid on the south side, where there was a small alley between the Egyptian and the adjacent casino and the sand drifts piled against the exterior glass walls were the lowest. Men and women stood in rows in front of the debris, breaking it down with pickaxes and sledgehammers, while others attempted to shovel away the massive dune covering the main entrance to the hotel. A system of horses and mules towed away overflowing wagons of rubble and sand.
Daniel introduced us to a man in his fifties, sporting a full beard streaked with gray. He wore big, wire-rimmed glasses, and he held his shoulders back proudly, giving an impression of authority that juxtaposed the feather jutting out of his cowboy hat.
“I’m Franklin.” He reached out and shook mine and Grey’s hands hurriedly. “Guess you could call me the big noise around here.” Franklin’s voice was warm and deep. “Thank God you guys made it. I wasn’t sure if any of our SOS’s made it to you.”
“We didn’t get a radio transmission. One of your riders made it to us, a young boy named Matt,” Josh replied, re-situating a pile of shovels resting in his arms.
“Well, God bless him.”
“He had some burns from the wind and sand, but aside from that and exhaustion, he’s fine. He’s resting at our medical facility in Hoover,” Grey told Franklin.
“You the doctor?” he asked. Grey nodded, and Franklin skeptically eyed him. “You say so, kid.”
“Kathy and JR have medical training as well.” He pointed to the pair bringing up the rear with another load of supplies.
“All right. We’ll need to get y’all inside as quickly as possible then. We got patients waiting on you. Rest of you should start working on the side entrance. The inside of the casino is pretty trashed, so we need to get a ground level exit clear to get the wounded out of there and to our med facility down the street,” Franklin instructed.
“Sounds good,” Grey said.
“The two folks we had with medical training weren’t so lucky in the accident,” Franklin said. “So you’re the best we’ve got.”
Grey nodded.
“I’m coming too,” I piped up.
“No sense going in if you don’t have to. We need all the strong backs we can get out here excavating,” Franklin said.
“I’m going in, too,” Shad interjected. “I had first aid training last year when I was a lifeguard."
“I can dig,” Ben said. “As long as you’ll let Rissi know I’m here?” Ben asked me. I nodded and squeezed his hand.
“Daniel said she’s asleep right now anyway,” I assured him. “As soon as she wakes up, I’ll get a message out to you, somehow.”
“I can start digging, too,” Josh said. He began passing out shovels to those around him.
“And what about you?” Franklin looked at Sam. “Inside or outside?”
Sam eyed the cracked glass and rotor blade sticking out of the pyramid, and I could feel the exhaustion in her skinny legs. If she’d been one of us, I would have suggested she rest the ankle she hurt on the way here, but I kept silent. Sam tucked a limp lock of blonde hair behind one ear and said, “I suppose I’ll dig.”
Franklin nodded an approval, then sternly eyed the rest of us. “I wish you others would stay outside.”
Grey stepped in, addressing Franklin. “Sounds like I’ll have my hands full in there. Autumn and Shad can help with minor wounds while Kathy and JR help me with the most critical.”
“You’re the doc, doc.”
“We should have made Lydia come along,” I said to Grey.
He grimaced at the sound of her name. “I’m afraid that would have been impossible.”
I waited for him to explain, but he didn’t.
“Where’d all the gas for the generators come from?” Ben asked.
“Leftover from the gas riots,” Franklin said. “We keep our stores in a few tankers out behind the Egyptian, in the parking deck. Normally we wouldn’t use generators, but as you can see, our situation is pretty dire. Figured this warranted a few gallons.” He motioned to the sand dunes piled up against the pyramid’s base, and the gaping hole in the glass right above our heads.
Sam took a step back when she looked up and steadied herself against a rumbling generator. It was dizzying looking up the sloping, sleek black glass to the cloudy, early morning sky behind it.
“It’s probably not a good idea to keep all of your gas in one place,” Grey said.
“Yeah, we’ve been clearing another couple parking garages so we can spread it out, but for now, the dig takes priority,” Franklin said. “I’ll show your team how to get in. Gotta be careful though. It ain’t no cake walk. We don’t want to add any of you to the wounded list.”
We followed Franklin past the generators and lights, and finally stopped at a rope coiled at the base of the pyramid.
“Only way in right now’s through the hole you see up there,” Franklin said, motioning to the jagged opening above us.
“Through the wreckage?” I questioned. I hadn’t anticipated having to climb up the side of the enormous building to get inside.
“We’re working round the clock to clear the middle entrance on this side, but for now, only the daring are climbing around the wreckage and rappelling down the glass walls to get outside. Real pain in the ass. Damned helicopter took out the above-ground tunnel that attaches this hotel to the Hanauma Bay Hotel across the street. We’ll have an entrance clear soon enough, but we only just got the excavation process started a few hours ago. For now, this is the only way in.”
I studied the rope stretching between the ground and the entrance above us. It wasn’t straight up. It was closer to a forty-five degree angle, though I didn’t like the thought of sliding back down if my grip on the rope wasn’t tight enough.
“Sure you don’t want to stay outside and dig?” Franklin asked, lifting his hat to scratch his forehead.
“No. I can do it,” I said before I could back out.
“I’ve got the rest of the folks who weren’t injured in the blast trying to clear the interior so we can move around a little easier. It’s one helluva mess in there, I tell you. But it’ll be a lot easier when we get the main entrance open again so we can start getting everyone out and into the Palmetto. We’re officially moving out of the Egyptian. She’s been good to us, but we can’t repair her after this,” he said, staring up the slope of black glass.
Franklin grabbed a handful of rope. “All right, I’m going first, then Doogie Howser,” he said, pointing at Grey. “Then you guys,” he said, pointing at JR and Kathy. “You two can bring up the rear,” he said to me and Shad. “We’re gonna take this one at a time, but as long as you’re sure-footed, y’all should be fine. Don’t rush yourself.”
Grey handed a duffel to Shad and the other to Franklin. “Think you guys can manage these with your climb?” he asked, tightening the straps of his own backpack.
Shad slung the duffel on his back and secured his arms in the straps. “Not a problem, boss.”
I watched as Franklin planted his feet against the glass and used the rope to pull his torso up until it looked like he was walking sideways. Franklin pressed his cowboy hat more firmly onto his head and then began a slow climb. He called instructions back down to us as he continued his vertical walk. “Then just step and pull, step and pull, like so.”
He was surprisingly nimble for a man of his size, and it wasn’t long before he disappeared inside the hole. Then it was Grey’s turn to follow him. I unintentionally held my breath when he took hold of the rope.
“Be careful,” I whispered under my breath. I secretly wished he could just astral project inside and skip the harrowing climb, but I knew that wasn’t an option with so many people around.
Grey also
moved surprisingly fast up the slope, and once he disappeared through the hole and into the pyramid, I released the breath I’d been holding. Kathy and JR went next.
“I’ll go now,” I said to Shad, as I secured the bag of medical supplies tightly onto my backpack of clothes from home. They were surprisingly light. The medical bag must have been stuffed with bandages. I rubbed my hands on my jeans, wiping the nervous sweat from them.
Shad judged me skeptically. “You don’t have to do this, you know. I could find Rissi and let her know you and Ben are out here.”
Daniel jogged over, an extra shovel in his hand. “Hey, why don’t you stay out here with us, kid?”
I looked between Shad and Daniel, almost tempted to agree with them both, but shook my head. “Grey said he’d need me to help. Besides, he needs what’s in my bag.” I glanced up at the expanse of black glass. “I just wish someone had made a new hole a little closer to the ground,” I said. “I’m a better crawler than a climber.”
“I suggested that already, but was overruled,” Daniel said. “No one’s too keen on making another hole and further weakening the structure, especially with so many trapped inside.” He gave me another skeptical look. “Better stay outside with us, Autumn.”
“I’ll be fine. Just get that entrance opened so we can get out. I’m not doing this in reverse.”
Daniel ran his hands through his flaming red hair and rubbed his eyes. “I’ll try coming back inside soon enough myself. Can’t seem to stay away from her for too long.”
I detected a much stronger note of worry in his voice. He often came to our house in Hoover to visit. At first, I suspected it was because he was grieving over the loss of his friend, Todd, who had been the leader of our ragtag underground group in Los Angeles. Todd had been killed by a grenade when Karl and The Front discovered our hideout. We all felt the loss of his leadership, especially Daniel. As time wore on and his visits continued, I wondered if there was something growing between him and Connie. I was glad he’d been here for her in Vegas, just as she’d been there for him in Hoover.
“I’m sure it helps her to see you,” I said, getting a good hold on the rope. I mentally repeated Franklin’s instructions. Step and pull, step and pull.
I stared at the peak of the pyramid above me as I made my way up the glass. From this angle, it was hard to make out the dark hole. The sun was rising now, and glints of orange light reflected off the rotor blade. I tried not to be blinded by it as I climbed closer, feeling every step was a step closer to my family.
Step and pull. Inhale. Step and pull. Exhale. My rhythm was steady, and more importantly, focusing on it kept fear from immobilizing me.
I neared the chasm in the glass, and the edge reminded me of an open shark’s mouth, jagged with teeth.
“Careful, Autumn,” Grey’s voice called. He held his hand out to me from inside the hole. I held the rope tightly with one hand and took Grey’s hand with the other, and he gently pulled me inside. I was amazed Franklin had made it in and out more than once.
After dropping the rope, I put my hand on the massive rotor blade to balance myself. It creaked and twisted slightly under my weight. I froze, terrified. Before I knew what happened, Grey plucked me off the edge and pulled me inside the room and into his arms. The blade slowly stopped rocking, and Grey’s arms loosened around me.
I stepped back quickly, out of reach. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have touched it.”
“It’s all right, that’s just another reason for us all to get out of here that much sooner,” Franklin said. His voice was assuring, but his face was white under his hat.
I realized we were all standing on a bed. The space around me was gutted, the walls disintegrated, the furniture mangled. What probably used to be three or more hotel rooms were now all part of the same space. Rubble was shoveled into heaps, some of it against a still-standing doorframe. Beyond it were the remains of the bathroom, the white marble now blackened and the mirror above it cracked and fogged with smoke. I couldn’t imagine the size of the blast that would have made this mess. And worse, I couldn’t imagine Connie and Rissi being so close to it.
“Where are JR and Kathy?” I asked Grey.
“I sent them ahead with my bag. I wanted to make sure you got in safely.”
“That wasn’t necessary. You should have gone on with them.” I jumped down from the bed and stared in awe at what used to be a wooden wardrobe. It was burned completely black and reduced to a shriveled skeleton.
Grey was behind me suddenly, lifting the top bag full of medical supplies off my back. Startled, I jumped, then slipped my arms out of the straps and turned away to cover my embarrassment.
“Thanks for carrying this for me,” he said.
I nodded, staring ahead at what used to be the entrance to the hallway. Except there was no doorway. The side of the room was open to where the hall should be, but there wasn’t a hallway either. Instead, several stories below us, the casino floor was visible through another large hole.
I stared down into the casino. The fuselage of the helicopter, or what was left of it, lay among wreckage. Everything surrounding it had been blown backwards by the blast. The entire area was heavily burned, and reeked of smoke and fuel. The belly of the pyramid was completely open, dwarfing the smaller buildings on the ground floor that housed several exhibitions and restaurants. I looked up at the rest of the hotel. Rooms lined the four sloping walls, the hallways all open to the inside of the pyramid. The tiered floors reminded me of wedding cake layers, every level smaller than the one below it.
Ahead was another rope secured to an exposed metal support above us. I could clearly see the intent of the rope. We were going to have to swing from the wreckage of this hotel room to the less affected area fifteen feet away. I rubbed my already rope-burned hands against my pants, preparing them for one more trial.
Shad appeared outside the hole and teetered for a moment when his foot caught a loose pile of wreckage, but Franklin grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.
“Careful, son. First step’s a doozy.”
“I hope they get that door open soon,” he said. “Because I never want to do that climb again.”
“One more obstacle and we can take the stairwell down to the main floor,” Franklin warned us, as he moved to the rope.
I looked down one more time, wondering where I’d land if I lost my hold on the rope. Below, people carved paths through the heaps of sand with wheelbarrows. A sign at the base of a small building touted it to be the largest display of freshwater fish in the state. It was the exhibit the school children had been coming to visit.
Franklin swung himself across the gap in the hotel room floor to the hallway lining this side of the building. When he made it across safely, he threw the rope back and Grey followed suit.
“I’ll go next,” I said, as bravely as I could muster.
“Want me to give you a push?” Shad asked.
“No, I can do this. Thanks, though,” I said, as I grabbed high on the rope and jumped. The swing across reminded me of an old tree in Sarah’s backyard that her father had tied a rope to. We’d spent hours every summer trying to swing higher and higher, making ever-larger splashes into her parents’ oval shaped pool.
I threw out a hand when I realized I didn’t have enough velocity to make it to the ledge. Grey grabbed me and pulled me in tightly, and I let out a sigh of relief. He held onto me for a moment longer than necessary.
I took a step away from him, but he stayed close as he swung the rope back over to Shad. It took only a few seconds for Shad to swing across and make a perfect landing.
We followed Franklin down a stairwell and into the belly of the pyramid.
We passed several people, either shoveling sand or taking stock of supplies. Some of them looked relieved to see us, others suspicious. Thankfully, there were more of the former than the latter. I hoped that while we were here helping, those who were still leery of Hoover folk would come around and see us as the allies w
e really were.
“How many people do you have here?” Grey asked.
“Three hundred twenty-two before the accident. Two hundred ninety-four after,” Franklin replied quietly. “We’ve lost twenty-eight so far. And I don’t aim to lose anymore. That’s where you come in.”
I was starting to see why people stayed here. The rooms were perfect living quarters, and the restaurants in the bottom were ideal cafeterias. It was an ingenious design, and more than adequate for long-term living, barring a helicopter falling through the side of the building and getting buried inside during a sandstorm. Historically, pyramids were more than sufficient to sustain harsh desert climates. After all, the Great Pyramid of Giza survived in the deserts of Egypt for centuries. The fresh water aquarium exhibit was a bonus with its sustainable food source and thousands of gallons of fresh water in reserve.
We followed Franklin out of the casino, down a dark hallway and into a large foyer with a bank of double doors along one wall. One of the doors was open, and inside, I saw part of a ballroom. Magnificent though it was, I heard moans of pain and muffled sobbing from just within. A strong smell of rubbing alcohol and something else I couldn’t place hung in the air. It felt thick inside my lungs and made my stomach uneasy.
I knew Connie was inside, among the sick and the dying, somewhere.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The carpets were golden, and the massive chandelier took up nearly the entire ceiling, but even its tremendous beauty wasn’t enough to overshadow what this former reception room had become – a hospital. The amount of suffering was paralyzing. JR and Kathy moved among at least fifty people stretched out on cots on the floor. There were bandages on their heads, arms and legs. It looked like they’d been in a war. I saw the man whose crying I’d heard from the foyer. Both hands covered his face, and his sobs shook the cot he was cradled in.
Shad took off, walking swiftly up the first aisle, and I quickly began scanning the area for Connie’s blonde hair. But my eyes fell on the crying man again.
“Autumn, are you going to be able to do this?” I noticed Grey’s hand on my shoulder and looked up at him. My eyes betrayed everything. “I can take you back outside, if you can’t stay,” he said as he gripped my shoulder ever so slightly, his meaning clear. He was offering to astral project me back outside. I blinked once and then twice, before the fog in my head started to clear.