As Tim hurtled out the window --unfortunately nailing a plank onto his backside-- the cool air from the broken boards was a welcome change from the searing heat broiling the library from the inside out, but relief was momentary as the rush of oxygen was promptly sucked in and merely encouraged a roar from the fire as it seemed to billow outwards and snatched hungrily at its surroundings. The flames had managed to spread across half the room and were quickly approaching the other side, the patients trapped within could not scramble out of the small opening fast enough.<br/><br/>One by one, soot smudged figures tumbled down the five foot drop. Some managed to land relatively safely, others suffered minor injuries. Kenzie, the second to leap down, rolled and landed gingerly. Although perfectly unharmed from the fall, the cold assaulted her scantily clad figure. Without seeking warmth, she would soon be trading one evil for another. Sarah shot out of the window, missing the snowbank below and skidding across the icy pavement of the parking lot instead before coming to a stop by smacking against the bumper of a car -- now bruised, scratched, and disoriented. Nigel, half-crazed from fear, bolted out of the window in a mad dash. Like Sarah, he missed the snowbank, but landed solidly on the pavement with a breathless groan. Blood trickled out the side of his mouth, a broken tooth from the impact, badly bruised ribs, and scrapes along his palms being his only injuries.<br/><br/>Back in the inferno, Phaedra and Drake attempt to urge the rest of the group out the window. Armed with the small fire extinguisher, they make way for Winter and Alice as the young teen helped the woman through the broken planks and onto the ledge three feet below. After the two had clambered safely down to the ledge, a short hop would have landed them safely on the ground below. Before they could do that, Alice's foot slipped on the icy ledge and she tumbled down the short drop before Winter could grab her. Landing on the balls of her feet, Winter finds that Alice's right ankle is slightly twisted and tender to walk on though otherwise fine.<br/><br/>Glancing around, Isaac seemed to have disappeared. Just as it was about to be assumed that he'd been engulfed by the fire, a hoarse cry for help is heard off to the side. A few feet away, behind flickering flames, Isaac is seen dragging something across the floor towards the open window. As Drake rushes over to help, Phaedra shadowing behind him with her extinguisher, they help Isaac to drag the unconscious bodies of Detrius and Jung over to the opening. After precious minutes of coordinated shouting between those still in the burning room and those below in the freezing cold, Detrius and Jung are slowly lowered down and out of the window before being caught by those below. The two seemed to have suffered smoke inhalation, and aside from an angry burn along Detrius's right arm and shoulder and a similar burn up the side of Jung's left calf, they are fine.<br/><br/>The fire was unbearable now. Isaac quickly scrambled out of the window, Phaedra still clinging to the fire extinguisher as she attempted to keep the flames at bay. Landing clumsily below, dizzy from smoke and short of breath, Isaac is unhurt save for a short coughing fit and some singed hair and clothing. Up above, only Drake and Phaedra are left. Before Phaedra could hand him the extinguisher and hop out the window, a spell of vertigo overtakes Drake and he finds himself stumbling forwards as the floor swims up to meet him. Instead, reaching out at the last minute and one shaky step forward had the two of them falling out of the window together. Landing in the snowbank below, stunned and dazed from the sudden impact, they are left in a similar condition as Isaac. Something in Drake's pocket seemed to crunch ominously as the two landed in a heap.<br/><br/>For a moment, all is still as the realization of escape and safety kick in, followed shortly by a wave of relief. Everyone had managed to make it out alive, some more hurt than others but all still breathing. Heaving coughs are heard and Detrius and Jung sit up gingerly, gulping in the polluted air as they cough the smoke out of their lungs. The blaring screams of the belated fire alarm continues to shriek desperately even as oily clouds of thick smoke billow and seep through various openings of the library and into the dark sky above. It is only now that the the patients meet and notice the three lucky latecomers as Natalie frantically waves as she makes her way towards them, dragging Sam along with her. To the side, Brazil is still standing and watching events unfold expressionlessly. With everyone now gathered at the side of the library, it takes a moment before the group of misfits realize that the sound of the sirens were actually getting<em>louder</em>. Mixed in with the fire alarm, police sirens were rapidly approaching the scene.<br/><br/>Soon, the front of the library is surrounded by squad cars, the flashing of blue and red swiveling lights bathing the immediate surroundings. Orders are barked out as policemen file out and circle the area in an orderly fashion. The squeal of a megaphone slices through the ensuing silence, followed by curt words. "Freeze! Don't move. This is the NYPD and we are armed. We<em>will</em>shoot if necessary. Line up with your hands behind your head." A tense moment of silence, save for the continuous wailing of the fire alarm, stretches out as the police wait for the criminals to obey. Just as the policeman with the megaphone picked it up again to speak, a resounding<em>BOOM!</em>is felt before it's heard. Blasts of fire and shrapnel go flying even as people --both police and criminals-- are pushed back and sprawling from the sheer force of the explosions.<br/><br/>Minutes pass before anyone is able to pick themselves up off the ground. Dazed with ears ringing, a dizzying moment of disorientation prevents anyone from standing immediately. The area around the library looks eerily like a battlefield or a bombing gone wrong. The two vans that had been parked in front of the library were nothing more than burnt out husks, the interior and bottom of the vans still burning somewhat. From the parking lot, two other parked cars had exploded and were left in a similar condition as the vans. Brazil's bike, which had been parked near one of the cars, had flown and skidded across the pavement and was now a tangle of glass and twisted metal with another car. At the front of the library, the circle of cops groaned as some began to slowly stand. Those nearest the van were severely injured as the force of the blast had embedded shrapnel into their bodies, a handful most likely wouldn't make it to the hospital. The rest of the cops were shaken and regarded the cluster of criminals with both intense fear and hate.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Suddenly a familiar voice shouted into the minds of the criminals, his gravelly smoker's voice rising an octave due to the urgency. "RUN! Run you fucking idiot, don't you know what they're going to do to you if you get caught?! Ain't never gonna see the light of day again that's what, first they'll stick you in those labs with the rest and then they're gonna..."<br/><br/>Even as his frantic ravings trailed off, the calm and serene whisper from before replaced it. "There's no need to run, you haven't done anything wrong. Just stay calm and do as the police say and no one will get hurt. They'll understand, they<em>have</em>to understand. And they<em>will</em>. Just give it time..."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Still reeling from the mental onslaught, it isn't until an angry shout and an accusing finger finds them that the criminals snap back to reality. "It's<em>them</em>!", one of the cops shouted, a smear of blood smudging the side of his face. "Don't let 'em escape, get 'em back behind bars before they burn down the whole goddamn neighborhood and kill us all!" That one yell seems to send the entire area around the library swarming with activity. Officers swarmed towards the group, guns at the ready and shouting for them to get down.<br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/><div align="center">Please check out the OOC post (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=133302.msg6032965#msg6032965).</div>