Laura felt her way into one of the bathroom stalls and knelt over the toilet bowl. There was a wham wham wham sound, which gradually made its way, in a domino effect, from the 107th floor to the first floor. It didn't even faze Laura the lights in the bathroom started to flicker and buzz on and off and then completely off. One of the building's volunteer fire marshalls--a male-- ran into the ladies' room and banged hard on the bathroom stall. The marshall yelled, "GET OUT OF HERE NOW!"

Laura yelled back, "YOU'RE A MAN! YOU CAN'T COME IN HERE!"

He yelled back. "THIS PLACE IS ON FIRE. YOU'LL DIE IF YOU DON'T LEAVE NOW!"

Laura got up from her stooping position with some vomit still on her lips. She tried to wipe it away with back of her hand, and flung open the door. He grabbed her, lifted her up and carried her out in the corridor. The lights were out. the marshall stepped over ceiling tiles, nearly tripping over a buckled floor tile. He tried to jump over fallen cable wire, fearing electrocution because one didn't know if the wire was still alive. The walls were torn and jagged as though someone could tear the walls apart like paper covering an open doorway. The building shook as though it were moving and there was nothing for him to grab onto. The two headed for stairwell A. The marshall headed there because it was the one less traveled, but little to his knowledge it was furthest from the impact point. During the trip outside the building, Laura began to have breathing problems that were not just the mere result of her body fluids.

Continues...