Survive The Fall | Book 4 | Total Collapse

in their direction, lighting the way.
Max barked, then trotted down to greet his handler with a lick to her hand and rub against her leg. Cathy wiggled her fingers against his long, pink tongue.
Clyde stepped inside the stairwell and held the door open. He trained the bright-white light at the landing, then down the steps.
Max led the way, trotting inside and sniffing about before heading down the stairs.
Russell turned and walked through the opening sideways with Cathy fixed to his hip. They moved past the door and paused at the edge of the landing.
Clyde closed the door, skirted past Russell, and made his way to the landing at the bottom of the flight of stairs. As he hit the landing, he turned, and trained the light at the steps.
Cathy removed her arm from Russell’s shoulder and hobbled down each step, one at a time.
Russell kept a hold on her arm, helping her.
Clyde moved toward the next flight. He glanced at the entrance on the bottom floor, then back up to them.
Cathy sighed with each step she took. She grumbled under her breath, venting the frustration of having to deal with such an inconvenience when she needed to be at her best.
“One more to go,” Russell ventured.
Clyde took the remaining flight of stairs two at a time and advanced on the entrance. He pressed his back to the wall and trained the light on the landing as they rounded the steel railing and continued on the last flight.
“I’m smelling a bit of smoke,” Clyde said, sniffing at the door. “Whatever happened, something’s burning.”
“Yeah. I’m picking it up as well.” Russell helped Cathy down. “That door isn’t hot, is it?”
Clyde pressed the back of his hand to the door, then removed it. “It doesn’t feel warm even.”
“We’re going through that door either way,” Cathy said in a huff. “I’m not going back up those damn stairs.”
Russell hit the landing first, followed by Cathy. He approached the door, then said, “Yeah. I don’t see any smoke coming from under the door or around the jamb. When you open it, do it slowly, though.” Russell stepped away and stood next to Cathy.
Max sat on his haunches at her side, then stood, facing the exit of the stairwell.
Clyde pulled the heavy steel door away from the jamb. Light shone through the narrow opening–washing over his sweaty face. He paused, looked, then continued on.
“What do you see?” Russell asked, straining his neck to see where the light was coming from.
“Looks like a car crashed through the front of the building here.” Clyde pushed the door toward the wall, allowing the others to see the carnage. He moved out into the dust and smoke-filled lobby with Russell and Cathy following him.
Max walked out, paused, tilted his head back, then tested the air. He groaned and shook his coat.
Sunlight from outside shone through the gaping hole left by the red sedan. Debris and rubble covered the top of the car and the ground around the vehicle. Smoke vented from the crumpled hood. Fluids leaked from the engine, dripping to the floor.
Cathy scrunched her nose, waved her arm in front of her face, and squinted, trying to see through the cracked windshield. “Are you seeing any movement inside the car? I can’t tell from here.”
“I can’t either,” Russell said, moving his head to get a better view of the driver.
“We need to leave before any police show up or more of those thugs.” Clyde coughed and waved his hand in front of him.
“Agreed, but we need to check to see if they’re okay in the car first,” Russell shot back. “There’s a ton of smoke coming from the engine, and I’m picking up gasoline as well.”
“Let’s make it fast.” Clyde advanced across the lobby toward the wreckage with Max and the others following behind him. He kept the pistol down at his side, head on a swivel.
Max sniffed at the busted chunks of reddish-brown brick and other rubble that carpeted the floor. His front paw lifted off the ground, ears standing on end as he investigated the scene.
Russell helped Cathy past the driver’s side of the car to the small opening that led through the damaged building, and out onto the sidewalk. She leaned against the wall, coughed, then pressed the back of her hand to her nose.
“You good?” Russell asked, looking at her.
Cathy nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to give Clyde a hand.”
Cathy gave a thumbs up.
Max emerged from the blind corner of the busted edges of the brick wall and came to her side. He sniffed the sidewalk, then sat on his haunches near her legs.
The sound of tortured metal loomed from inside.
Russell headed back inside to check on the driver.
Clyde tapped the driver’s side window with his knuckles. He bent over and leaned forward, peering inside the car. “She’s not moving.”
Russell stood at Clyde’s side, studying the wreckage. He looked inside the car at the deflated airbag that had splotches of blood painted on it.
“What about the door?” Russell asked, pointing at the handle.
“I tried it, but it wouldn’t budge much,” Clyde answered. He grabbed the handle and tugged.
The door opened a scant inch, then stopped.
Russell wedged his fingers in the small gap and pulled. Both men forced the door all the way open.
The red-haired woman had a gash above her brow. A line of blood ran the length of her face and past her chin. Her lids were closed. Both hands rested in her lap. She showed no signs of life other than her chest expanding.
Russell touched her shoulder. “Ma’am, can you hear me?”
Clyde pointed at the seat belt. “We can probably unbuckle her and pull her out of the car.”
“She might have a neck injury and