Surviving an explosion

Flames roared behind us as we dashed through the crumbling hallway, the searing heat licking at our backs. Every step felt like it might be the last as the building threatened to collapse around us.

The air was thick with smoke and dust, making it hard to see or breathe. My lungs burned, my legs were weak, and all I could hear was the crashing of debris and the crackling fire, swallowing everything in its path.

"Lydia! Isabel!" I shouted, barely able to hear myself over the noise. Lydia was ahead of me, her pace relentless, and Isabel was right behind me, her hand pressed firmly on my back, urging me forward.

"Keep moving!" Lydia yelled, her voice hoarse from the smoke. "We're almost out!"

Almost out, I thought, clinging to those words like a lifeline. But with each step, it felt like the world was crumbling faster. The ceiling above us groaned ominously, a beam breaking free and slamming to the ground in front of us, blocking our path.