The shuddering continued to rumble in the passageways below him, only pierced by the occasional cries of suffering and shattering glass. He could feel the heat radiating through the office, unbearably fierce.
A blast of fire blew out a wall down the hall and he heard the metal of the structure groan and stretch. Somewhere in the next office a woman was whimpering and suddenly stopped.
There was quiet for a moment.
He quickly ran and closed the door, tearing off his shirt and wedging it between the door and the floor to keep out the pouring smoke. Moving backward towards the outer wall, he spied an unmolested telephone lying on the side of an upturned desk and put it to his ear, hoping that at the very least he could tell his family goodbye. The line was dead. He tapped the receiver twice and put it to his ear again. Nothing. He threw it at the door in frustration.
The building began to shudder again, and he could see thick black smoke rising up from all around the city below.
He felt the ground begin to quake, throwing him off balance and into the edge of an upturned chair. He didn't feel the blow, but there was blood covering his hands when he grabbed the side of his head. Outside, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The other tower was crumbling in a whirlwind of dust and smoke. His world went deaf from the rumble as time seemed to slow down. The flashing sirens slowly whirred below him whirred red and blue, painting the city in the colors of chaos.
The building swayed and shuddered again. He could feel the wall of flame creeping closer and noticed his hands were covered in soot. It won't be long now, he thought. He grabbed the overturned chair beside him and hurled it through the window. Glass shattered, and he watched it tumble down for what seemed like an eternity. Halfway down the chair's midair pirouette, something twisted acrobatically in freefall beside it. He recognized it's shape and it horrified him to the core. There were dozens of them.
The room was so hot now, that he couldn't bear it anymore. He removed his pants and laid them over the broken glass on the window ledge. He took off his shoes and placed his socks into them. He took off his wedding band and without thinking twice, swallowed it quickly. He pulled himself onto the ledge and closed his eyes, steadying himself against the outer wall.