Apò Mēkhanês Theós (30's Style Serial)

The wind blew mercilessly against the small outcropping of restaurant that remained nestled against the cliffside. The wind whipped about, and caught my sweater, hanging as it did near the edge of the abyss. The woolen cloth floated up, the flaming hairs now giving the sweater the appearance of a flaming ball of pitch. It hung there a moment as the three of us watched, before falling down after the helicopter, the wedding party, and half the restaurant.

Another explosion rocked the restaurant from somewhere, as the the triumphant sound of the boat horn again sounded. It felt almost mocking, an echo of triumph from some assailant that had been after me forever, but somehow, I had never seen.

"Ok, of all the things that could have happened today, I can safely say I did NOT expect to be hanging off the side of a cliff on a date with two incredible women who weren't my wife." I remarked, grabbing onto the nearest nailed down piece of furniture, which seemed to be a bar stool.

"What exactly did you expect today?" Nikki asked, shoving a piece of debris out of the way and grimacing with frustration as it revealed another smashed cell phone.

"Oh I don't know, figured I'd wake up, hit on my wife's lover a bit, maybe go for a walk, make dinner, watch some television and go to bed."

"Ya gotta admit this is more interestin'." Maria remarked, trying to find some way through the flaming debris that now blocked the door fully.

"Imminent potential incineration is more interesting than... well, yes, actually." I cut off the thought, trying to think when the last time I'd actually enjoyed something on the idiot box. The process was cut off by a sound of crumbling stone and rebar, as another pillar buckled under the newly redistributed weight. The reaction caused another rumble to shudder through the remaining structure, causing us all to hold steady.

"Did you see if anybody got out?" Nikki asked, her eyes once again on the hole, and the various personal items that had been scattered by the impact.

"I don't know." I replied honestly, wincing against another explosion. We were totally trapped, no way out as the flames continued to creep closer and pieces continued to drop into off, cascading down the cliff to impact on the road below. "Just think we should have probably gone that walk on the beach instead, Nikki."

"You were gonna walk on the beach at night? Oh that was... shoot, I should have gone for that. I love doing that. Next time... if there is a next time." Maria yanked her hand back from a piece of metal she was trying to dislodge from its place blocking the door. It clattered to the ground with a ringing sound, and she made a quick hiss as she shook her hand at the heat.

"I'll take a rain check." I remarked, looking at the spreading flames. "Actually, That's what we could really use right now... a rainstorm."

"Water doesn't magically drop out of the sky on a clear night, Brent." Nikki groaned. "You'd be better off wishing for something useful... like that rope ladder."

The three of us stopped talking, and our gaze neatly turned to the rope ladder that hung down from the hole in the restaurant's roof.