The occupants of the speakeasy are flooding the stairs. There's only one exit and currently every person inside this blood bath is thinking the same thing; leave. There are four men surrounding Marty who looks like a complete mess. The wound on his chest is oozing red and his face is covered in the color as well. Two of the men grab a large table and charge toward Marty. He meets them half way but gets smashed by the wood until they press him against the corner. The other two men move in and shove stools into the side openings. The act continues until the tables and chairs aren't moving. I think they've killed Marty or at the very least they've contained him. I join the crowd trying to escape the speak. All the smiles have been substituted by the frightful look of unknowing. A woman to my left gets pulled and begins to scream. Then another behind me gets yanked. The crowd begins to push and I feel myself surging forward at an angle. I peek behind my shoulder for a split second only to see that there are three, maybe four folks running wild very similar to the way Marty was acting.
I'm near the entrance of the stairs but it's very narrow. Only one person can fit at a time but in this chaotic circumstance there are people bunched in the stairs. They aren't moving which leads me to believe something is going on outside also. Perhaps it's the same thing that's happening in here. I try to shoulder my way into the stairs but everyone is pushing and they have no regard for anyone but themselves. I cannot blame them for this. I'm waiting for an opening when suddenly my dress is yanked and I come crashing to the ground behind me. There's someone tugging on my legs and they mount my body. It's Tara Malcolm.
"Tara! What are you doing?" I scream at her. She doesn't respond. Her hands begin to reach for my face but I cover myself with my jacket. She's slamming her fists down onto me with frightening power. One of the blows lands onto my stomach and I feel the air deplete from my lungs. Just then I watch her head cave to the side under a blow from some sort of weapon. I cough out and didn't realize I had been crying during the attack. I'm helped to my feet by a pair of men.
"Get up doll. We've got to get off this floor. Where's the boss, Tommy?" says the man who saved me.
"He already left. They're crowding the stairs, how do we get out of here West?" says his partner. These men are mobsters, I can see that now but they saved my life. A man comes screaming toward, his mouth drenched in blood. Tommy shoves his boot forward and lands it onto the man's jaw. He crumbles to the floor in front of us and the two mobsters jeer at the event.
"Over here." whispers another man from behind the stage. He's a young looking fellow but he has a kind and honest face.
"You got a way out pally?" says West.
"We're going up the stairs to the other floors." returns the man. The three of us stare at the crowd still forming at the entrance way. They aren't moving at a fast enough pace and the people at the back are getting picked apart by a growing number of attackers.
"Let's go doll you're first." West says to me. I don't argue. I want to get off this floor as soon as I can. The three of us shuffle towards the young man by the back staircase. It's hidden very well and even I never knew it was there despite coming here almost constantly. I reach my hand out and the man takes it into his. We're led a few steps into a dark staircase. If I wasn't scared enough before then I am now.