I had just gone to bed. It was maybe 1am but I was still up. I was
watching something on the laptop near my bed, like I usually do to
fall asleep. I couldn't quite fall completely asleep though. As I
tossed and turned the fire alarm in the hallway went off. I groaned
and covered my head with a pillow.

From so many years of living in dorms with constant false alarms, I
acquired the bad habit of often ignoring them. I guess they've cried
wolf a few times too many.

Then knocking on my door. "gahh I'm tired let me sleep!"

I crawl out of bed and go to the door and peer out. A few people
walking around, but the alarm suddenly shuts off. "thank god" and I
close the door and climb back in bed.

More knocking. "fuuuck" I walk over and this time a cop is there.
"there's a fire upstairs. Everyone needs to get out.".

Wow its not a drill. I put shoes on, grab a coat and hat, my wallet
and keys, and my camera off the table. I figure ill take some
pictures of the fire and then wait this out in the heat in my car.

For some reason I thought to go back and grab my fire safe. I don't
know why. At this point I believed this would be some small kitchen
fire that would be out in 10 minutes. But I grabbed it. The one
fireproof thing in my apt and I took it with me.

But I knew it had important papers in it. A couple backup dvds. Some
notes and photos from girls I've loved. So I grabbed it. Nothing
else.

My most important things in my possesion were in a fireproof safe that
I moved into my car as I started snapping photos of a blown out window
which was spewing a bright stream of fire into the cold winter night.

I'm really tired so ill continue this later.