It felt small, claustrophobic. If not for the confined space, the heat would make your lungs feel too small, like you could only get relief once you were no longer inside. Like a caged bird or a dog in the car. There were cracks on the floor from where so many had stepped before, as if one wrong step would send the whole place crashing down.

There was only one way out, unless you counted the fire escape. On a hot summer day, and with someone blocking the doorway, the fire escape seemed like the appropriate option.