A siren sounded. Lights flickered. The smoke was like a fog. A jolt of cold, crisp air came through the car. People separated, flowed. More smoke came. We had room now to move. I made Ruella get down on her hands and knees with me, and we crawled along the floor, crawled among crumpled papers, brown paper bags, chewing-gum wrappers. We went from one car to the next, crawling, sucking for air, fumbling blindly in a silent mass. We reached the last car and the door was open onto air and darkness. Then the flicker of more lights. People straightened up and moved toward the flickering lights. “Subway tracks are dangerous,” I repeated to myself. Then louder, “Are you with me, Ruella?”

“Yes, Jesse, I’m all right.”

From nowhere appeared a motorman with a lantern. He told us to stand up against the wall and follow the line of riders. Farther ahead was another lantern signaling the first. I felt another gust of air. It was an open manhole cover. One by one people inched up the hot metal rungs and went out into the bristling air. I pulled Ruella ahead of me and pushed her up the ladder from behind.

Outside there were police and firemen everywhere. Several ambulances stood by. I found Ruella’s hand and held her close to me. Her eyes were red. Mine were red. “What happened?” I asked an officer next to me.

“Just a small electrical fire. Nothing big.”

“Anybody hurt?” asked Ruella.

“None too bad.”

“I’m glad we’re O.K.,” I said, holding Ruella again. She looked at me and I couldn’t tell whether she was glad to be out of that tunnel and train and turmoil or glad simply to be in my arms.

“Thanks, Jesse.”

“For what?”

“Leading me out.”

“You found me, remember. In the warehouse. You pulled me from the splinters. And we danced.”

“You were so calm, Jesse. It’ll be a long time till I can take another train,” she said.

That’s when I knew I could leave her.

PART FOUR

PART FOUR

Ruella

Ruella

There was smoke everywhere on me. There was smoke all in my clothes and all in my hair, like I had a head full of burning wires. I tasted smoke on my tongue and teeth. My whole body felt smelly and thick.

We were lucky, though. Some people had to spend the night in the hospital. No one was killed, thank God. Truth is, I felt like it was the end of something I couldn’t quite name. It took me two whole days to get my nerves back. When I had to go out, I took the bus. No subway was going to wreck my nerves. And not my last nerve, for sure.