Life Without a Safety Net

Walking in the opposite direction, I located what I presumed were the service stairs, but that, too, sustained heavy damage. About half of the stairs were gone, but surrealistically stair railings were hanging between floors. I climbed down using the railing as an impromptu ladder, and by some miracle I reached the ground floor.

Eventually I found my way to the cellar. Some people who were already there, informed me that the cellar was not bomb proof and if hit we'd be buried alive. What followed were hours of sheer terror. I imagine soldiers are exposed to something like that on the battlefield, but I was not a trained soldier. I was scared. In a situation like this with no prior exposure, I suppose self preservation takes over and rationalization no longer kicks in."