ã€ŠThe Empire That Blocked the Sunã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Fallen Empire

    The racing of my heartbeat, running on the adrenaline-high of finally telling my boss to go fuck himself, it was immense. My palms were so clammy they started to darken my blue jeans as I feverously rubbed them down. A ringing noise rang in my ears that combined with the dings of the elevator taking me down the skyscraper¡¯s edge.

    I was mere moments away from resigning, to have my boss beat me to the punch was a bit deflating I must admit. Emotions were high all around, if it weren¡¯t for his glass walls he¡¯d have felt right to hit me there and then for acting against him, a man who had most likely been fed shaved gold and cleaned head to toe by maids his whole life.

    Three years, it started out fine, but they always put on a good front to reel in the easy fish. It didn¡¯t take long to see all the snakes in the fields that were our offices. Rumours of demotions, forced unpaid overtime, under-desk arrangments to let some progress ahead of those who didn¡¯t want to spend five minutes a day on their knees.

    Empire Rize, a shitty company that shovels enough lives and bribes to hide the hypocrisy of their well-mannered charities and fundraisers. My ¡°promotion¡± to analyst only showed how deep they had dug themselves into their vaults of green victories. 30% to the head honcho, another 20% divided out to his underlings and desk goblins, 20% to whatever offshore accounts they used to funnel more money their way, as far as I could tell only a crappy 8% actually went to where it was supposed to.

    Dean Richards, the cunt at the top, with enough money hidden in his couch at home to probably buy a restaurant in the good part of town. His painted-black hair and golden-laden hands were enough to show how much of a prick he was, but little ol'' 20-year-old me needed the cash. I bet none of his current teeth are his own, whiter than snow and straighter than the rulers lining his desk.

    The final ding of the elevator was all that was needed to bring my mind away from the storm that erupted within his office. Forget the jackass, move on, flipping burgers, delivering mail, anything is better than working for a guy who stood in front of a crowd ¡°apologising¡± about his lack of power to save a local business that only saw a grand from its charity run.

    Stepping through the open doors of the elevator, strolling through the entrance hall, it was the last walk of shame I had to do in this building. No more would my sweat and sore ankles be put towards this place shutting places down while they guzzled charity wine.

    I give a final wave to the receptionists that are totally unaware of what goes on above, looking only at security cameras, appointment timers, and signing people in. Snapping my ID off my neck I shove it into my jean pocket, loosen my grey tie and unbutton the top button of my white dress shirt.

    If it weren¡¯t for all the emotions flooding my body, I would have thought my clothes were choking me, but it was just a backlash of my shouting and my heart wanting to exit through my throat.

    Feeling around in my black jacket, I pull out my wallet to see what my menu would be tonight. Declining the last drinking session meant I could afford almost anything as my own notes filled my wallet. I was wise to save in preparation for a rainy day, as today would be a hell of a rain from getting ¡°fired.¡±

    Taking a seat at a nearby bench I take some time to cool off, my head felt a bit fuzzy so I thought it best. Don¡¯t want to collapse on my walk to a nearby fast-food joint to replace my anger with the endorphin rush of oil and salt. Chicken sounds good, fried, heavily spiced, sitting aside curled fries with melted cheese. Hell, milkshake to boot, no need to worry about the backhanded comments about my ¡°presentability¡± anymore.

    It wasn¡¯t that late either, the sun still shone up above as it was nearing 2pm. Looking to my phone I see my own face reflected back at me. My amber eyes shone against the lights, with parts of my black hair dangling down as I stared at my screen. Would this be the moment my greys started to sprout?

    If I remember correctly, there was an underground shopping mall here. Don¡¯t think I had ever visited it, assuming the stairs leading down were to trains. I only ever came into the city for work anyways, and it was often too late afterwards to visit the underground. What better time to visit somewhere new than after leaving somewhere old.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Taking one final look up at the Empire Rize, I think a final slew of swears in its name and that of its owners. Damn this place, damn it all to hell. If it were to crumble to dust from its greed and control over others, I¡¯d feel no sympathy. Tear it down, let their ¡°Empire¡± fall.

    I shouldn¡¯t have thought anything.

    As my feet started to take me towards the stairs to the underground, the ground under my feet began to shake and quiver. Rumbling coursed through my legs and into my torso as the harsh grinding sound of rock could be heard beneath.

    ¡°Earthquake!¡± one person shouted in the distance.

    Followed by cries of fear, shuffling of footsteps as people tried to find a table to hide under, outside.

    It took all I had to stand up as the tremors became worse, the earth-shattering low-rumble sound turned a somewhat dull city into what felt like a haunted hell of demonic voices. The roars of the earth itself yelling at me, maybe even telling me to hide from its anger. Forcing my feet to continue onwards, I stepped here and there, stumbling around but never falling.

    The next catastrophe to add to the earthquake was that of debris from above, the nearby buildings having air conditioners rain down, shattering glass raining death to those below. I couldn¡¯t help but do something to protect myself, whipping my jacket from my back I hung it over my head as a makeshift barrier against smaller debris, especially that of the shivs the windows created.

    Thuds and scrapes against my jackets only told so much of the damage I would have taken otherwise, but my jacket wasn¡¯t big, barely longer than my hip, so my arms still took several shards to the sides.

    Wincing in pain as blood flowed from me to the floor, I continued moving, I remembered reading one time that tunnels and structures underground were the safest during earthquakes. I could only hope my memory didn¡¯t pick it up from a damn anime that lacked realism.

    The low rumbling sound was combined with more shattering of glass, falling debris smashing to the floor, alongside a stampede of feet from those searching for shelter. Now the others near me realised the same as I, the underground would be safer. As if following the lead sheep, the footsteps corralled in my direction.

    It seemed my earlier argument with my ex-boss had rid my body of its energy and adrenaline for the day, as the people coming up from behind me were much faster than I was at this point. Shoulders bumped into shoulders, feet kicked into my legs, and I was finally pushed to the floor as the masses ran to the underground.

    Scrambling to get to my feet, I found that I was now at the back of a crowd that were forcing their way into a cramped stairwell. The rumbling grew fiercer under my feet as I heard eruptions of air and water, crashing through newly-formed cracks in the pavement. Pipe networks getting hit by shattering rock, or crushed under the weight of new debris.

    The situation continued to worsen as the debris from up above fell downwards in larger clumps, a massive shadow forming over me. Darting my head upwards, I saw but a glimmer of the remaining sun as it was blocked by the towering mass of Empire Rize. I had wished for it to fall, and indeed it was going to, right on top of me. Its straight structure turned into the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and proceeded onwards as it continued to rotate itself down to me.

    I started to sprint, only for the floor to open up a new maw to swallow me whole. Large chunks of brick and rock hit against my back, my arms, my legs. Burying me atop a slowly forming hole. Pushing back as best I could I was able to shift some of the rock, but the darkness was approaching quicker and quicker, a final glance to the skies showed to me that blanket of death instead of a vision of heaven.

    The rumbling, the crashing, the cracking, and even the cries of fear. The world was full of disastrous noises as the wave of wind from a falling building pushed me ever deeper into the earth. Before it would have squashed me against the pavement, the ground beneath me finally gave way as it all fell through, including me.

    Falling for what felt like an eternity, I saw my life flash before my eyes, crowded with thoughts of the past three years working for the building that was going to be my death, just as it was the death for many people and companies before me. Only now, it was a murder by their hands, and not by their actions. Hitting my head against a mass of rock I am knocked unconscious.

    When my eyes open next, everything is dark, the sun completely blocked out by the rubble from above. The last action of Empire Rize was to take away the audience for its light, and then the sun went out. A glimmer of hope still shimmered though, a last lick of life, a single beam reflecting off of my ID card that had found itself hung from another part of the debris, my image covered in blood and next to it ¡°Zeke Wilson¡±, still untouched by blood.

    Pinned to the floor from rubble and rock, I was still alive, if not for the pain surging across my body. Broken, bruised, and stabbed. My arm was free to wiggle around, but barely more than that. Coughing and spewing onto the floor a few inches from my face I am just able to yell out.

    ¡°Help! I¡¯m stuck!¡±

    <hr>

 Chapter 2 - That Sinking Feeling

    My voice echoed through the pitch-black chamber, cascading of the earthen walls as well as what still remained of what I could only assume used to be a clothing store. Aside from the lonely sound of only my own voice coming back to me, I could make out the distant faint sound of small rocks rolling down piles to the floor. A continuous dripping noise was also prevalent, possibly a remnant of the water pipes bursting on the surface.

    The sounds were all I could pay attention to, in the hopes that the searing pain I was in would dull. My body was almost entirely pinned under rock and brick, I would have been hungry for pancakes if I hadn¡¯t become one myself. The worst of my pains was that of a burning sensation and tight pincer grip on my left arm, knowing it had been stabbed by either glass or wet rock, as whatever had lodged itself into my limb was ice cold.

    My clothing was drenched in sweat as fears mounted in my head, would I get out? Would I survive? Is my arm even usable anymore? Shifting what parts of my body I could, I found that I had some wiggle room under the wreck of buildings. Whatever faith I had was now placed in whoever chose to pity me and grant me a safe exit.

    Trying to free my left arm was a disastrous mistake as the shard within it was stabbed both into my limb and into the floor, it tore into my flesh as sinew was pulled apart. Yelling out in pain I knew I had to stop before the whole thing came off. My free right arm, comparatively, was also banged up from falling rocks. I placed my palm flat to the floor to see if what strength I had left would be enough to push myself upwards.

    A desk job had not done my muscles any good, my arm shook as I tried to lift the combined weight of my body, minus too much blood, and the rocks that had piled on top of me. I meekly fell down again, the smaller rocks on my back flowing down to the floor to relieve maybe a couple of pounds of weight.

    Coughing again, I assumed something had hit my back hard enough to hurt my lungs, but I was no doctor. The compression on my torso made it hard to breathe in deep, so short breaths were required and they did seem to help with the pain, but it also made me even more lightheaded.

    That single shaft of light from above, bouncing off of wet surfaces, didn¡¯t give the area enough luminescence to get a good scan, I couldn¡¯t make out anything but the pile of rocks that held my ID and a small area around it. Is that all I would be remembered as? An ID covered in blood and a name. How long can a man bleed before he is lost to whatever vortex awaits when your body gives out?

    No. I wouldn¡¯t simply lay here, I did enough passive waiting at my job as it bled me dry, I won¡¯t do the same with this fucking rock! I lean my forearm on the floor once more to push myself up, it works better this time, possibly due to adrenaline or the fact my anger blocked the pain shooting through me as I did so. Shifting my right leg up I am able to kneel slightly, forcing my hand quickly into my pocket and draw my phone.

    Only one action was permitted it seemed, my body gave out again as I fell to the floor a third time. More rubble had been pushed off of my back, the weight of the world lessening as I fought back against its goal of burying my existence.

    My right arm was still free, clenching my phone as if it were my lifeline rope. I grasped too tightly, however, as the phone had been damaged in the fall and in turn, the shattered glass had pierced my skin. Now was not the time to dread my phone plans, I thumbed the screen and pushed on the side buttons in the hopes it still worked.

    While my thumb had its skin scraped off again and again as I tried to get my phone to work, I was finally able to give life to my device. I could barely make out the widgets and colours of the screen that had split into a hundred pieces. Muscle memory served me well as I fumbled around on the touchscreen to find the torch app. A triumphant press of the screen caused a heavenly light to shine from the other side.

    I gave a wide toothy smile, stained in blood, and let out a hopeful chuckle. Placing my phone on its side, I used the light to investigate my immediate vicinity. It was definitely a clothing store. Rags and pieces of cloth, leather, and wool were strewn about the floor, combined with broken hangers and security tags.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Crawling my fingers across the floor, I am just able to grab at a nearby scarf and drag it closer to me. Using my mouth and my right hand, I fashion the scarf around my injured hand and wrist. Grabbing onto the clothes hangers I make a wide arc to my back, striking the topmost rocks in the hopes to lodge more weight off of me.

    Swinging back and forth I hit both loose, light, rocks into the air as they smash into the nearby walls and glass. I also hit the larger, heavier, rocks that hurt my arm as I bend awkwardly to strike them. Each crack of my joints leads me to a lighter life, though I continue to lose strength as I do so.

    Before it is all gone, I dare to make another escape attempt. I lean my forearm to the floor and push a third time. The third is indeed the charm as it is the easiest so far, sliding my right leg to a kneel I push evermore, the tugging on my left arm getting worse as I do so. Finding a stable position I grab my phone and use the light to inspect what is trapping my left side. My left leg wouldn¡¯t be an issue, the left arm, however, would be.

    A large shard of rock had found a new home in my forearm, just below my elbow. A large Earth-made shiv had dug into the floor and the rock above, with my arm making a lump of lovely meat for the killer sandwich. Thankfully, aided by my light, I saw the rocks were cracked all over, a good whack would probably separate them.

    Looking around I find a nearby metal pole selection, possibly from the display areas of the trouser section. Rolling them closer with my foot, I shove them between the floor and the rock, making support columns for the rock. Using another pole I remove more rubble from my body, leaving only the part that trapped my left arm.

    Grabbing a hold of the lower part of the rock shard, I twist and rotate my hand to snap it off, it was brittle enough, but I was too eager in the rescue of my arm. The supports were a good foresight, as snapping the rock caused a large portion of what was in my arm to snap with it. Wincing in pain I yell once again as I tear my arm out of the upper portion of the rock.

    Kicking my leg and flailing my arm forwards, I scamper from my previous position and land beside the pile that held my ID. The movies always taught me to remove the thing impaling you, but movies are shit for facts and proper science or medical treatments. One thing I did learn in school though, was to wrap up bleeding wounds to slow them.

    Grabbing onto more scarves, I use my mouth and right hand to bandage my left arm at the wound and tourniquet just about it at my elbow. It wasn¡¯t the right pressure, probably too loose, but it would have to do. Breathing fully, I was able to fill my lungs and become elated that my arm was the worst part of the damage, dusty air filled my chest and I thanked whoever smiled upon me.

    Picking my phone up, I shine it around the room. The store would have gone on for a while, if not for all the rock, brick, and glass that created hasty walls that blocked further traversal. In the distance, I could see the faint shimmering of the windows that would allow passing shoppers a glance at false bargains, the exit I needed.

    Checking what I could of my screen, it showed I had no signal, no internet, and 21% battery remaining. Regardless I attempt to call the emergency services or load up a messaging app. A dull tone and an endlessly rotating circle, for fuck sake. The earthquakes and falling buildings must have hit more than just air and water pipes on their descent.

    Thinking about the sheer size this underground shopping centre could have, I fumble around in my broken screen, fuzz from the scarf-glove catching on the serrated edges, until I find the flashlight app. The text ¡°Warning, constant use can damage battery life¡± didn¡¯t do much to assuage me from using it further, though I did turn down its brightness to hopefully grant it a few more moments of life.

    Placing the phone in my chest pocket, I faced the light outwards so that it acted as a chest light. Standing up, I found my left leg had gone dead, so walking with it felt as if I were sinking into my own body. Each step breathed new life into my body, though I knew I didn¡¯t have long with a bleeding wound.

    Reaching the front entrance, all of my limbs were fully active, aside from my left arm. Placing my right hand on the doorframes, I looked around, though oddly, as I had to rotate my chest to move the light. At my guess I was on the first floor, the ground floor beneath me, as the glass barriers of the walkways bled into the darkness beneath them.

    Shuffling to the barriers I grab hold, breathe in deep, and let out the loudest yell since I was a kid.

    ¡°Hello! Is anyone there?!¡±

 Chapter 3 - And Then The Rush

    Another echoing chamber greeted me as my voice came back, reverberating and lacking any sign of salvation. Now out of my pseudo-burial, the true pain of my body started to wash upwards. My legs felt as if I had run a marathon, the right as if I ended my final set of one hundred reps. Then it came to my left arm, poorly bandaged and with a shoddy tourniquet.

    Surging pain roared in my stab wound, an endless needle injection if the needle were just below the size of a fist. I could picture in my head the steps up the stairs, into the bathroom, to find my medicine cabinet and its wealth of painkillers. My mind then clicked, I was in a shopping centre, I could just take some from a local pharmacy, but is there one down here?

    I peered over the edge of the glass barrier that separated my upper walkway from the ground floor, my chest phone light giving a pittance of a vision cone in the distance. I would need to explore for what I needed, medication, food and drink to replenish my energy, or even just an exit to find a paramedic. Then it hit me.

    Where was everyone? It was just past midday, if this was a shopping centre, why were there no other people? I didn¡¯t recall any holiday today, though I didn¡¯t pay much attention to this underground shopping centre before so it may have had previous warnings to today being an off-day. I guess I should be thankful no one else was hurt, but I wished I had some company to help me right now.

    I should really stop wishing for things.

    Another rumble started above me, dust and rocks falling from the ceiling and buildings that had found their way through the rocky heavens. I darted to the side and slide under a bench, hoping to protect myself from any more stalactites of rock. A large crash erupted from the clothing store I escape as more of the building that had pushed me down here came down with me.

    Glass shattered, desks fell and exploded into wooden splinters on impact, and rock created a final burial within the place I was just a few minutes ago trapped within. With the falling of more debris, a wave of dust and thick-grey smoke rushed out of the store, as if a fog machine was turned to 11. The rolling decay swept over the walkway and over the side of the glass barriers as the bench protected me from most of it.

    The rush stopped, the destruction settling in for another few moments. Crawling out from my safety I found myself covered in dust and dirt, though I did not care much about my appearance right now. If Empire Rize was continuing to flood the underground, other buildings could do the same, I need to leave.

    Darting my head to the right, I tried to look for stairs or something of use, but the quick movement of my head caused another wave of dizziness. I had lost too much blood, and was most likely losing more with a gash in my arm. If only I had been in the medical field, by knowledge of first aid only went to the extents of forced seminars, or media.

    Hobbling forwards on the upper catwalk, I turn my body to the left and right every so often to shine my chest light at signs and boards. One such message board had the info I was dreading, reading in big letters, ¡°Closed from 20th January to 20th February for renovation works.¡±

    What a crock of shit, renovations just as a collapse occurs. That timeline is definitely off now, it¡¯s going to take much longer to fix what¡¯s now filling the underground. No wonder this place is desolate, but what about others falling in here, or those running to the stairwells? I hope no one else got hurt, they could be trapped like I was.

    No sense standing around, time to move. Clothes, clothes, clothes, why does this shopping centre have so many clothing shops?

    Continuing onwards I eventually reach an electronics store, hoping to find a better light I pick up a nearby bin and throw it into the glass window displays. With a mighty clash, I am surprised that no alarm plays at my assault, though it is possible they were already set off or damaged from the collapse.

    Stepping through the new entrance, I quickly scrounge up a torch and batteries, using a shard of glass to cut into both packages. Placing the torch between my feet I am able to unscrew the cap with my right hand and insert the batteries. It reminded me of the ones used by security guards, sleek and black.

    Grabbing my phone I see the signal and connectivity icons still empty, turning off the light app as the battery has depleted to 8%. The new torch is brighter, goes further, and will last much longer than my phone emulating it.

    Grabbing a smaller roundish light, I click the button on its side as it lights up, possibly more for rave events, but snapping it to my belt acts as a good enough backup for looking around my person, at my feet, and if I drop my torch.

    Using a sling that would have been used for a camera, I clip it around my neck and place my left arm into it, creating a makeshift sling. I normally see this done for people with injured arms, so who¡¯s to say I shouldn¡¯t do this for a stab wound. It at least helps with the pain a bit as my arm is supported by my neck and not more of my arm. It was getting quite numb anyways, with the tourniquet doing its job, that or I lost more blood than I had thought.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Exiting the electronics store I use my new torch to bash the glass of a nearby vending machine to steal an energetic blue drink and chocolate bars. Hoping they¡¯d aid in my lightheadedness. Light, food and water, and a makeshift sling, the only thing would be to find a pharmacy if an exit didn¡¯t show itself to me beforehand.

    Tearing into the wrapped with my teeth, unscrewing the cap of the bottle with my teeth, I turn into an animal to dig into my resources. It is a slow process as my left arm isn¡¯t going to be used anytime soon. Drinking and eating, one after the other, I continue my walk through the walkway, shouting every so often.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    The returning sound was met with conflicting feelings. Should I have felt happy or worried that it was met with a long and pronounced ¡°Help¡±? No matter my feelings, someone did reply, from below.

    Moving to the edge of the glass barriers I aim my torch below.

    ¡°Hello? Are you ok?¡± I shout over towards the direction of the cry for help.

    ¡°I¡¯m trapped under rubble, I can¡¯t feel my legs!¡± a masculine voice rings out in pain.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see if I can get down to you, can you see any stairs?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s too dark.¡±

    Looking to the left, to the right, and across the gap between the other sides of the catwalks, I search hastily for a set of stairs. Nothing in sight. How do people get around this fucking place?

    Instead of stairs, I do make out a store dedicated to climbing and thrill-seekers, hoping to find a rope or ladder of sorts I make my way to it. Smashing the window with another bin I storm the interior for something of use.

    Luck would have it, a rock-climbing wall at around 15¡¯ tall. Though this shop had another building join with it, so the roof was no longer that tall. Grabbing some rope and clasps I drag them out of the shop and move to attach them to the glass barrier. The barriers had metallic poles to act as bannister railings, so the rope was easy enough to set up.

    Rumbling from above and below caused my feet to slip and slide as I began to mount the rope. Coiling my legs around the rope I start a slow slide down it, only for the rumbles to get worse as more glass is shattered and rock grating against more rock. Parts of the ceiling continue to collapse as I hasten down the rope to the ground floor.

    Landing I dart to underneath the catwalk as a large portion of the ceiling comes down with another building. The loud rumbling is a deafening noise as if the Earth is claiming back its brick. Dust clouds form and roll about, covering my face again I am coated in the surface¡¯s debris.

    As the noise dies down I hear the coughing of my new companion in the deep, so I quickly move to follow the noise. They had found themselves stuck within a food store, the floor littered with crisps, liquids from boxes, as well as a hazardous display of fruit. I am just able to find the victim as my torch highlights a fallen fridge section.

    ¡°Hey! Here!¡± they call out.

    Their face is covered in scrapes and blood, the tears I would ignore as anyone in this situation is sure to be welling up. The worst part was what they were buried underneath. The fridge section was one of those opened versions, with selfing units the hold cheese or meats. Atop the fridge was an insurmountable amount of rubble.

    ¡°Please, I am so cold¡±, they begged.

    I move to the fridge and place my torch on the floor to light up the area well enough. I give a faithless push on the tip of the fridge but it doesn¡¯t budge with a single arm. Looking below I can see that the man¡¯s legs have been crushed under the lower portion of the fridge, probably where all the liquids and gases are held to keep the items cold.

    The fridge itself is badly damaged, cracked all over and seemingly just holding together under the weight.

    ¡°Can you feel or move your arms?¡± I asked the man.

    ¡°Ye-yeah.¡±

    ¡°Ok, you may need to crawl out. I am going to break off some of the fridge, try and dislodge some of this rubble, and give it a good lift, when I say go, you crawl for life, got it?¡±

    ¡°Got it! Ready when you are, just hurry.¡±

    Placing my right hand onto an opposite piece of rubble to brace myself, I give several heavy kicks to the fridge, the man winces a bit as he can probably feel the vibrations from it. Enough attacks are dealt that the fridge snaps almost into a third and two-thirds. The rubble above shakes and rumbles as it starts to flow off to the side. Placing my shoulder into the lip of the fridge I use my whole body to push it upwards.

    The fridge buckles and shakes, as do my legs as the weight hurts as much as my arm.

    ¡°GO!¡± I shout as my voice echoes into the rumbling chamber.

    The man scurries across the floor, and once I see his legs clear of the debris I let it go. However, as I let loose the cold prison, the earth above starts to quake and shake, the rumbling gets louder and deeper.

    ¡°Shit, we gotta go!¡± I shout again as I dart to the floor, cradling the man¡¯s chest in my arm as I hoop it around him.

    He lets out a yell of pain as I try to run with half his body sliding on the floor, he uses his hands as replacement feet to help us along. We get to the entrance of the store as the rubble above his icy-death home is crushed under more rock.

    ¡°Oh fuck, oh fuck. God that was close, fuck, fuck¡±, the man continues to exclaim, either through nerves or a weird tick brought on from his legs.

    I hold out my hand to the man to shake.

    ¡°I was just in time. I¡¯m Zeke.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, man, yeah you were. Thank you, Zeke. I¡¯m Jed¡±, the man responded as he clasped my hand tighter than I would have liked.

    ¡°So, how are the legs?¡±

 Chapter 4 - Up and Down

    Shaking Jed¡¯s hand revealed that he was still shaking from the endeavour, either fear or the chill across his body sent shivers up into my own hand. Looking at his legs didn¡¯t reveal much to me, they looked blue but I wasn¡¯t sure if he had frostbite at all. It looked like some liquid may have landed on him, though bruise marks around the knee area led me to believe the fridge was cutting off his circulation.

    ¡°Can you walk, Jed?¡± I ask my new companion in the dark.

    ¡°I still¡­ can¡¯t feel my legs, my thighs feel cold as hell but below that is all numb.¡±

    Searching around the immediate area, I am able to find my torch that had slid from the rubble. Thankfully it still worked, if a bit caked in dirt and slightly cracked. Shining it over Jed I let him inspect himself, as well as take a closer look myself.

    ¡°Fuck, they¡¯re blue as hell¡±, Jed shouted as he began to rub his legs to warm them up.

    ¡°Jed, have you been in this underground before? Know of any exits or maybe a pharmacy?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Y-yeah. Came here a few times for lunch breaks or clothes shopping. Not sure how many exits will be clear with this collapse, but a pharmacy is a few steps that way¡±, he responded as he pointed down the dark hallways.

    ¡°Ok, it might be best we find some medical supplies there, maybe some crutches if you can¡¯t walk. I need some pain meds and bandages myself, my left arm got shanked by rock.¡±

    As I speak I rotate myself so that Jed can look at my hastily scarf-bandaged arm, I can see a bit of disgust on his face as he imagines the wound underneath.

    ¡°Fuck, I see we both came away with our own scars. See if there isn¡¯t a broom or something to aid me getting over there, I doubt you can carry me with just the one arm.¡±

    Nodding to Jed I stand back up tall and investigate the remains of the food store. No brooms, but even better I find some busted up trolleys. Tearing them away from the familial grasp they find themselves in, I am able to rescue one mesh of metal to use for our own needs.

    Pulling the trolley back to Jed, I wrap my right arm around him to pull him up onto a nearby shelf, allowing him better access to grab onto either side of the trolley and hold himself on its handle side.

    ¡°Alright, let me know if you need me to stop, and give directions if I get lost.¡±

    ¡°Will do, lead on.¡±

    Gripping the end of the trolley I pull it along, Jed doing his best to hold his grip as he almost straddles the pushing side of it. It isn¡¯t overly difficult, but it is an awkward stance to pull the trolley with someone on it. With the torch in the trolley, it becomes a makeshift vehicle, if a bit archaic.

    I would reminisce about times of being a child and using the trolley to ¡°fly¡± across the shop, but now wasn¡¯t the time to think of doing anything for the fun of it. As time went on, the underground shopping centre looked more like that of a battlefield, the buildings the mortar fire and the clothing stores the enemy sides.

    Jed is able to give good enough directions, though they obviously have changed as we need to circumvent larger rubble piles as the trolley isn¡¯t going to make much headway on inclines. We both give out a yell here or there to see if any other survivors could be heard, the returning echoes felt less lonely with Jed¡¯s added in with mine.

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    The last hurdle before reaching a ¡°centre¡± of sorts within the underground is that of a sloped rise within a full line of a makeshift wall between our hallway and the centre. Debris had crashed in such a way that a large sign laid atop it, acting as a ramp and our exit out of our section.

    ¡°Hold on tight, Jed¡±, I called out as I line up the trolley with the sign.

    ¡°Been doing that so far, punch it!¡±

    At his behest, I take a faster jogging pace to the sign, the wheels screech and twist around as they find purchase in the new ground beneath it. My heart rises and falls as my mind races against the chance of success and the outcome of failure.

    It seemed that the sign wasn¡¯t properly stuck, as when we got to the midway point it careened to the floor with such force I had to pull down the trolley, or it would have gone over my head. With a massive slam, we both were sent to the other end quickly as the trolley¡¯s momentum almost picked me up with it.

    Skidding across the floor on the other side, I was able to stop the trolley from taking us too far ahead. Stopping just in front of a large fountain, I saw it would have been lit up in a dazzling display, if not for being shut down for maintenance. No water could be seen or heard from the fountain, possibly having been drained to not waste electricity or something.

    ¡°Phew, that was a ride. We¡¯re not too far now, just¡­ Zeke?¡±

    Jed¡¯s words started to become more echoey and warbly in my head, the speed and rush to the centre had done a world of hurt to my head. Either that or my wound was catching up to me. My head was buzzing and my vision blurred, falling to the side of the fountain to stabilize myself. A rumbling in my stomach led to a rush of fluid to my throat.

    Spewing onto the floor what little left I had inside of me, I almost passed out. My arm ached like fuck, and I could feel an itchy sensation all over. The pins and needles in my lower arm annoyed me as my inhibitions against anger washed away in my sick.

    Jed took up the torch from the trolley and shone it at me, I could only guess at what I looked like at that point.

    ¡°Shit, Zeke, you look terrible. We need to get you out of here¡±, the man said to me.

    I knew it all too well, a wound like mine and the possible hour I had spent down here didn¡¯t spell any happy endings in my imagination. I was lucky if only my arm was lost when I got out, and that was if I made to an exit at this point.

    ¡°Tell me the pharmacy is near¡±, I asked faintly.

    ¡°Yeah. Hey, Zeke! Yeah! There, you can see it right now!¡± Jed shouted as if he was trying to keep me awake.

    Looking to the side I was able to make out a spinning sign that was one part of a triplet, hugging each other in their fuzzy spiralling form. The word PharPharPharmacy was clear to see, at least clear enough to know my head was fucked.

    Standing back up I weakly pulled at the trolley towards the pharmacy, Jed keeping the torch steady on the destination. If I had any luck left it was used at this location, as I did not need to hurl any chairs or bins into the windows, as one side had already collapsed into the store, allowing us to easily roll in through a fallen-in automatic door that gave us a lovely welcoming mat.

    It was quite a large pharmacy, a large chain most likely, it even had some spare wheelchairs at the entrance, the cheap kind with blue canvas seats and backrests, without any motors. Pulling the trolley to the closest wheelchair, I picked it up from the floor and opened it out with my right arm and leg. Picking up Jed by wrapping my arm around his back and into his armpit, I essentially throw him down into the wheelchair.

    Given a new mode of transportation, Jed sped off away from me, his arms circling like a big-league baseball player. I slowly follow, looking around for anything of use, but Jed took the light, so I see jack.

    ¡°Jed! You got the light¡­ Jed¡±, I call out to the distance.

    I hear the returning noise of cardboard boxes hitting the floor, bottles bouncing up and down, alongside the shuffling of a hastened Jed.

    ¡°Coming!¡±

    Speeding towards me, I am sure Jed would have been told off by the guards if they were still working. In his lap is a pile of drugs, bandages, and bottles of water.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get you patched up. Sit down.¡±

 Chapter 5 - Medical Practitioner

    Almost falling into a seated position on a nearby shelving unit that had fallen onto its side, I drag my weary eyes to meet Jed¡¯s gaze. He starts the healing process by taking a cloth and wiping my face, as he does so I suddenly realize how sweaty I had become over my time in the dark underground.

    Running my hands through my hair I could have sworn I had gone swimming down here, or that the fountain truly was active and I decided to take a shower. I still felt sick and my head was still spinning. Taking sips of the water that Jed had brought me did help somewhat.

    Snapping the clip off of my makeshift sling, Jed slowly peels off the crusty scarf that acted as my bandage. I would have preferred to not look at my wound, but for some reason, my head veered towards it.

    Pale skin dyed red closest to the wound, the gaping slash leaking yellow and green, dirt from the collapse had seeped in deep and probably infected the wound faster than normal. With the removal of the shoddy bandage, I saw it begin to bleed again, as I could see bone beneath. My stomach bubbled, but I fought back the urge to purge again.

    ¡°Fuck me, that¡¯s disgusting¡±, Jed rudely spouts. ¡°Hold still, I will try and clean this¡±, he continues as he rotates my arm to lean on his knee, the wound having a clear path to the floor.

    Taking another water bottle he douses the cut, stinging and piercing me with icy daggers as he does so. Dabbing it quickly with a larger towel, Jed then pulls out a roll of wound dressing, a mesh of fabric that would normally be quite thin but with several wraps around and around became thick and constrictive.

    With someone else applying the bandage, as well as using proper materials, I can already feel it is leagues ahead of what I did earlier. Applying a belt around the part just above my elbow, Jed also removes the makeshift tourniquet, stating it was probably doing more harm than good as makeshift ones typically don¡¯t cut off the right parts. With the materials at hand, he couldn¡¯t fashion a new one either.

    Finishing the bandaging process, of which he used the whole roll, he ties two belts on the top and bottom ends of the bandage and straps me into a better sling, though says it would be best if my arm could be raised, that in this situation wouldn¡¯t be a possibility.

    Picking out some antibiotics and painkillers he places them into my palm and tells me to take them. In any other situation I would never take such drugs from another, if they were between a red and blue pill maybe, but now wasn¡¯t the time to be picky. I down the pills and follow them with several chugs of water.

    ¡°That¡¯s the best I can do with this light, this time, and these materials¡±, Jed said comfortingly.

    ¡°You a doctor or something?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I aimed to be, but the hours of studying didn¡¯t mesh well with my living conditions. Had to take a full-time job, which fucked those chances.¡±

    ¡°Know more than me though, and I cannot thank you enough for sorting me out. Do you know if I am going to be able to keep the arm?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say, I remember a lot, but not everything. I know people with arm stab wounds can keep their limbs, but in this situation¡­ it¡¯s hard to tell, sorry.¡±

    I winced at his response slightly, the thought of losing an arm to something far out of my control felt like a big ¡°fuck you¡± from the universe.

    ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s better than nothing. So, where¡¯s the closest exit?¡±

    ¡°A good 5-minute walk from here? May take us a bit more due to wheelchair and all¡±, Jed estimated. His face showed signs of thought alongside his own pain.

    Taking the painkiller bottle, Jed also downed possibly one too many, following it with more water. Watching him, I slowly felt the drugs take effect as I gained more of my senses, though for how long I had no idea. Five minutes would probably be fine, right? I took what drugs, bandages, and water bottles we had left, threw them into a hemp reusable bag, and hooked it over Jed¡¯s wheelchair.

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    Alongside the resources at hand, we also picked up some protein and caffeine heavy snacks, scissors, as well as a few lighters. Sadly the pharmacy didn¡¯t stock any lights, at least not in the side that hadn¡¯t fallen in.

    As we began to make our move out, we could hear and feel the rumble of more shifting rock, but we praised whatever gods we followed as it came from far away, in the direction we had come from. It would have been enough for the sounds to stay distant, so we needn¡¯t pay it much mind. But in the rush of new rubble, as well as old rubble being moved around, it allowed the area to be full of new noise.

    Cries, whimpers, and shouts for help started to echo in the underground chamber. I most likely heard a few more than Jed did as my mind was still stirring a bit from the loss of blood and possible infection.

    ¡°Hey! Can you hear me?!¡± I yelled out into the distance.

    For the first time in what felt like a bleak eternity, my shout was returned by a flurry of different voices. Calling ¡°Hello!¡± or ¡°Help!¡± followed by ¡°Over here¡± and the name of yet another clothing store.

    ¡°We¡¯re coming¡±, Jed added as he started to wheel himself in the direction of the yells.

    Moving closer to the exit, as the calls were in that direction, I began to smell something other than my own blood, sweat, coupled together with the dust in the air. The overpowering stench of other people¡¯s blood and that of death, making me sick to my stomach. If the smell wasn¡¯t bad enough, the sight was even worse as we got to the next clothing store of many.

    Splatters of blood, pools of red water, squashed flesh against rock. The collapse was bad enough imprisoning people down here, but the bloody bricks had now taken lives. My heart raced further as I felt a lump in my throat and a stinging in my eyes. A shiver went across my body as a deep foreboding took over, a kick in the teeth of my mortality.

    It could have been me. If I had run faster, or been in a different state of mind on the surface, I could have died. Whatever fucking fate was steering me into my final destination, I had survived when the unlucky unsuspecting bystanders found themselves dead and buried. As if I was being shrouded in a thick blanket of despair, I fought back against it with clenched fists alongside a willful fight back against the darkness.

    This won¡¯t stop me, I still have to get out and save my arm. I still had to help the ones still alive to get out!

    Catching up with Jed, I push the images of death out from my vision as I turn to face those still breathing. Lit up by torchlight, I counted four other people, three women and another man, all in their 20s to 30s. Shades of brunette hair contrasted with blonde, all muddied by dirt and pooling blood from wounds.

    They were all trampled by large hunks of broken concrete from the streets, plus smaller rocks from the earth itself. The man had several shards of glass impaled into his right arm, deep, severe cuts that made my left arm look fine in comparison. The women were mostly in better sights, though one had their leg impaled by a clothing rack.

    Assessing the situation, Jed and I start to pull rubble away from one of the ladies who had the least amount stopping their exit. Thanking us profusely, she aids the next, and then the next. Jed¡¯s further assessment of their wounds lead him to give out medical advice, though it was dubious if it was all correct.

    For the implement and glass shards, Jed advised that they stay within their bodies as pulling them out could cause further and faster bleeding. Since the foreign objects were so deep within the pair, it was risky to pull any out, despite the pain. Instead, painkillers were handed out alongside more bandage work that hugged the wounds and objects to slow their bleed out.

    Thinking back to my own impalement, it was probably a bad idea that I had snapped the rock shard out of me, I would have been better off leaving it in to slow the bleeding. But how was I supposed to know? Regardless, I was still lucky in comparison to the dead eyes that glistened in the darkness. Lifeless reflections that instilled more fear within me in the dark underground.

    The recovery took a good ten minutes or so, it was hard to tell as I wasn¡¯t bothering to check my phone anymore, the screen was barely readable anyways. The lady with the impaled leg was given aid by one of the other women, while the others could walk fine, even if the man had a bit of a limp.

    Continuous rumbling and roaring in the distance gave us all a reason to worry, the earthquakes may have stopped but that didn¡¯t mean we were safe. The underground was unstable, with more and more debris tumbling down every so often. Jed turned to the group, taking on a leadership role as the others put their lives in his hands after their treatment.

    ¡°These wounds aren¡¯t going to give us much time, we can¡¯t go back to the pharmacy. The exit isn¡¯t far, we may be slowed down, but we can make it.¡±

 Chapter 6 - Eagerness Leads to Error

    Jed¡¯s expertise and words of encouragement were all that our small group needed, something to push us onwards to freedom. Battered, bruised, and impaled, we were all worse for wear but all able to move in our own ways. The screeching of Jed¡¯s wheels, the skipping of footwear against the dusty floors, our journey was a mash of annoying sounds that kept me grounded as pain circulated my body.

    I could complain all day, but seeing the others¡¯ wounds, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like whinging wouldn¡¯t do much help. The feelings were impacted even more as the corpses of the less fortunate continued to rear their ugly, lifeless, faces across the floors. Did I ignore them to this point, or was my spot just clear of any victims?

    Whatever led to these events didn¡¯t matter, it had happened and I had to deal with it. Keeping pace with the others, I was set to walk aside the other man with a fucked arm. We exchanged names, his being Neil. He was a bit shorter than me, and younger at 19, though his hair probably masked both of those points as it was down to his back. Long, dirtied, blonde hair. I could have sworn he was in his 20s at first glance.

    It seemed Neil was going to apply for a new job, though the collapse put a heavy damper on those plans. Thankfully he thought he might be able to apply for reimbursement or ¡°sorry funds¡± for being hurt in the earthquake. I wasn¡¯t too sure he would get much, aside from free medical care. Possibly a disability allowance if his arm came out unusable. We bonded over our limb damage, bringing some laughter into the dark underground.

    The women were all friends, chatting ahead of Neil and myself. Reminiscing their lunch meetup was all they had to worry about was the splitting of the bill at the end. Lending aid to their friend whose leg looked a state worse than my arm, they hobbled forward closer to Jed. The hobbling was similar to my own as I fought back an unconscious state from the loss of blood and the pain of my wounds.

    As we continued on in the abyssal tunnels, a new sound started to fill the cavernous hole we found ourselves within. Instead of rumbling or shifting of rock, we heard the repeated sound of a helicopter¡¯s propeller. Smiles appeared across all our faces at the sound of rescue.

    ¡°Hey! We¡¯re down here!¡± Jed shouted.

    ¡°We¡¯re stuck in the shopping centre!¡± one of the women added.

    ¡°Can you hear us?¡± another continued.

    Instead of an echoey return, we were met with the continued noise of the constant propeller and our own breathing. I could feel a sinking feeling in my chest, which I am sure the others felt the same, as we could only think that our cries went unheard.

    ¡°We¡¯re near an exit, we just need to get there¡±, Jed reassured us all.

    The group all agreed with nods, yeahs, and even hastened steps as they marched onwards. Both Neil and I were the ones who had no idea of the underground¡¯s designs, the others were knowledgeable, so we followed their lead.

    Turning corners, vaulting debris, picking up the wheelchair to clear short walls. We all worked together to get out as a group. Each step caused the propeller noise ahead to get louder and clearer, we were obviously going in the right direction. With incredible tunnel vision, we started to get faster and riskier in our movements.

    I could see that the bandages of the impaled-leg-lady were becoming bloodied as she pushed herself harder than she needed to. I didn¡¯t say anything, why would it matter when we are saved?

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    Steps got louder as we became heavy-footed in our approach to the stairwell to heaven. Large light shafts shone down to us as the rubble-hugging stairs were still clear enough to climb, if a bit difficult for Jed. Our group started to laugh and cheer as escape was within our grasp.

    ¡°Here!¡± one of the women shouted.

    Getting close to the stairwell we could make out the top, the sun shining off the yellow tape of police lines. The blinking red and blue lights of emergency vehicles and the chatter of people above.

    ¡°Get back!¡± a manly voice yelled from above.

    His voice was followed by a stampede of feet and screeching tyres, moving away from the exit.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Jed called out to them.

    They were running for no reason, the rumbling returned. I could hear the sound of cracking concrete ahead, car alarms, alongside the emergency sirens. Another earthquake erupted throughout the underground as we all tumbled to the floor from the shaking. Rocks started to fall from the roof, as well as new buildings crashing into the underground.

    Showing her true colours, one of the healthier ladies ditched her friends as she darted for the stairs. Jumping and clawing her way upwards, she made it halfway before the roofing of the stairwell cracked, crashed, and came tumbling down. Letting out a final shriek of fear, she was crushed under the debris, a loud crunch and crash as she was now one with the earth.

    ¡°Away from the stairs!¡± I called out, pulling Neil to the side.

    Jed pushed fast on his wheels to back away, the two remaining ladies hobbling to a far wall. As we all retreated, the rumbling got worse and worse, the ceiling completely falling in as the stairway was no more. With it came another rush of dust and grey smoke, leaving us all in a choking mess when the shaking finally stopped.

    Coughing out a mess of phlegm and dust, I try to get the others¡¯ attention. ¡°Everyone ok?¡±

    Shoddy replies of hums and coughs are what I get, followed by a shrill scream from one of the women. I quickly scramble for the torch as I move it around to see what is happening. The half-crushed body of one of our fellows could just be seen poking out from a large boulder, lifeless eyes full of tears and spatters of blood from her lower body.

    Looking at her mangled body makes my stomach turn again, irritating me to no end as my head is already a mess from the loss of blood. My knees shake either from shock, or as an aftermath of the earthquake, as I fall to my ass after losing my footing.

    ¡°Shit, shit, shit¡±, Neil repeated over and over.

    Our morale was cut to ribbons at seeing our exit destroyed, even more so after another person lost their life to the quakes and collapses. It hurt on a whole other level, after knowing the person before they had died, alongside the potential of them being able to escape with us.

    Any thought of anger or feelings that she was selfish faded away, as they were covered in mourning and depression. Sure she ran to save her own ass, but who could blame her in this situation, for all we know she was going to get help for us or to let people up top know we were down here. I am sure as hell no mind-reader, so all I can do is hope her intentions were pure.

    ¡°Damnit. Hey! Anyone up there!?¡± Jed yells to the collapsed ceiling.

    The echoes, the fucking echoes are all we get in return. The sound of propellers has long since gone, alongside our hope of escape to the surface before more of it comes down on us.

    ¡°Fucking hell. Fuck!¡± Jed continues to yell in frustration.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna die down here¡±, one of the women starts repeating.

    ¡°There¡¯s gotta be another way out¡±, the impaled-leg lady states.

    Heads dart around, to one another, looks of desperation across all of us. I can¡¯t give any input, I haven¡¯t even seen a damn map to this point, just directions on boards to the shops¡­ Wait, the directions!

    I quickly move to another set of directional arrows, most are useless to me but my eyes lay on one. A homeware store that notes how many floors it contains, going all the way from the underground floors into a taller topside building. I knew I had seen something like that at one point, the wonders of sectioning out your wares to make it easy to find what you need.

    ¡°Here! We can go through this store to the surface if it¡¯s still there!¡±

 Chapter 7 - A Final Hope

    It was all I could to stay sane, surrounded by darkness, filled with pain. Repeating in my head over and over, ¡°you¡¯re going to make it¡±. The horrors to this point would fill any sort of quota that my life would require, sure I had seen fake corpses in movies or real ones in documentaries, but not like this.

    Our broken and battered party was getting more tired by the second, especially those of us with any form of hazardous wounds. Jed couldn¡¯t walk still, my arm continued to have a searing pain where the hole was located, Neil¡¯s arm started to go numb, and Ashely, the lady whose leg was impaled, had pain just as bad as mine. Meghan, the lady who had little wounds to her name, was helping Ashely keep a quicker pace.

    As well as our bodies having been pushed through a grinder, our minds were also wrecked. Wracked with guilt over our losses, alongside being pushed to the brink of insanity over the death we had witnessed in such a short time. None of us were used to this, Jed maybe saw some gore in his time spent to become a doctor, but this was too much.

    Jed did agree with me that the homeware store could lead us up above, and if it didn¡¯t, we may need to make sacrifices. The next stairwell to the surface he knew of was a good 20-minute walk, maybe more with the collapses. A closer one would have been possible, but the hallways were either buried under rubble or behind flooded sections that half of us couldn¡¯t get through.

    We eventually did find a map that showed off the underground mall, but a fat lot of good it did us when checking the nearby paths we could have taken were inaccessible to all but Meghan. If I could punch the walls in frustration, I would, but with only one good arm, and that was pushing it, I didn¡¯t want to risk any more injuries.

    Jed¡¯s wheels started to squeak after the hell they had been put through in such a short time, adding to the annoyance I already found myself trying to ignore. Cascading rocks from rubble piles, the rumble here and there. It was a soundscape that grated on what nerves I still had.

    It was getting close to possibly two hours since my impalement, each passing minute caused me more agony and exhaustion. Confiding in Jed who had become my quick physician, his estimates of me staying conscious didn¡¯t bode well for our progress. It was a miracle I was still standing without proper treatment, let alone the blood loss leading to some severe side effects.

    Drinking water, taking meds, and eating protein gave me precious minutes that I couldn¡¯t do without. If any of us were to fall, we would not be able to take them any further. Half of us had half our arms, another without his legs. Meghan could drag someone, but it¡¯d be so slow that it would risk another falling.

    Playing the endings in my head, thinking of each path I could take, or just making sure everyone else was still able to walk, I filled my mind with repeatable actions to take my attention away.

    Time passed quickly as I whittled away the walk in my head, almost hitting a wall as we reached the cross-junction of hallways. Smashed down upper walkways, leaking pipes of both water and gas, complete disarray across the floor. It was certainly a sight to see and smell, but we made it, the large homeware store was in front of us.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be it. Fuck, hope it¡¯s clear inside¡±, Jed spoke.

    ¡°Fucking hope so, I can¡¯t feel my arm¡±, Neil responded.

    Meghan and Ashely responded by readjusting themselves for further movement, Meghan had slowly been giving more and more aid to Ashely since losing their earlier friend. I could tell we were all at the end of our ropes, Jed¡¯s hand had turned red from turning his wheels almost constantly, so I offered to push him through the store.

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    As we entered the store, a new surprise was awaiting us in the form of a dinging noise. The electricity was working?

    Looking side to side, we could see that the lights on the doors were fading in and out, alongside some local screens showing static. Looking back, it seemed some of the other electronics in the centre had come to life. Lit up arrows, signs of neon, and the whirring of arcade machines in the distance breathed energy back into the dead underground.

    ¡°Think they fixed the generators or power lines?¡± Meghan put forth.

    Digging my phone out of my pocket I was eager to see if I could call out to any emergency services, though as bad luck would have it, my phone was dead.

    The others did the same as they saw my sad gaze. Neil¡¯s was snapped in two, Jed¡¯s was frozen and fucked beyond repair, Meghan and Ashely had their phones on their lunch table and lost them in the collapse. Well, there goes that idea.

    ¡°Fuck sake, I¡¯d try the phones on display if they actually worked¡±, I spoke, looking over the nearby aisles.

    ¡°Our best bet is to use what we got, with power the escalators may work, I don¡¯t trust the elevators¡±, Jed added.

    Oh god, the idea of being trapped in an elevator whilst also being trapped in an underground shopping centre was terrifying, I agreed wholeheartedly to stay far from any death traps like that.

    The beginning portion of the homeware store seemed to be mostly electronics like phones, tablets and televisions. The whirring of static filled the floor with the sounds of a horror movie, though there was a certain lack of blood or dust to accompany it. A somewhat dazzling display of colours was on show as displays worked their advertising magic to get you to buy their merchandise.

    I thanked whatever decided the homeware store was to be left untouched by the disaster. Though untouched was relative, there was still some damage here or there from plenty of items having fallen over. There weren¡¯t any other buildings deciding to rent space with their walls and ceiling collapsing into the store.

    Pushing Jed along I could see the others regain pep to their steps, hopping faster and dragging their feet at a pace that would be great for dusting the floors. It wasn¡¯t long till we got to the escalators within the middle of the store, a grand display of crisscrossing diagonal stairs that ascended upwards into the higher floors. Sadly, our hope of a quick ascent was dashed as we heard no sound.

    Moving to the upwards escalator we looked down at it with disappointment, it was as dead as we were going to be if we couldn¡¯t get up quick enough. The nearby boards noted it would be a good 4 levels to climb to get to the surface, not a lot normally, but only three of us had good legs under us. We were all tired and at the end of any adrenaline left in our systems.

    Kneeling down to the side of the escalator, I almost collapsed. I need to start this fucking thing. Fumbling around with the torch in my mouth I am able to thumb thin lines made in a rectangular shape. The control box.

    ¡°Jed¡­ Hand me the scissors¡±, I ask weakly.

    ¡°You alright, Zeke?¡±

    ¡°C''mon, I need to get into the¡­ the controls.¡±

    Taking the scissors from Jed¡¯s outstretched arm I start to stab at the sides of the panel, and in its keyhole. C''mon! Fucking open!

    Each strike leaves me weaker and weaker, my hand growing limp as I try in vain to get the latch open. I hear the distant steps of Neil going off in a different direction, did I miss something he said?

    ¡°Hey, where is Neil going?¡±

    ¡°He said he¡¯s going to look for a staff room¡±, Ashely responds.

    ¡°A key¡­ a key would do better work than this fucking thing¡±, I respond, my words slurring slightly.

    As I continue to do my best at opening the latch I can feel myself slipping into a deep sleep. My body grows numb, the pain subsides, and my arm flails against the metal protecting the controls of the escalator. I would have been thankful if only the pain went away, but with it, so did my consciousness.

    The last thing I could hear was a ringing in my ears combined with the sound of my friends calling out my name, the words warping as if they were in a tumble dryer a mile away from me. As my back hits the floor beneath me, I could find solace in the fact that I was already in a seated position, though a hard surface was never a good thing to land on.

    I just¡­ need to sleep¡­ just for a bit.

    ¡°Zeke! Zeke!¡±

 Chapter 8 - Here Come the Drums

    A slow throbbing was felt all across my body, as if I was being compressed and decompressing almost instantly. Had I been put into one of those machines that pounded dough and come out the other end? No matter what brought me here, I could not recall any other time in my life where I had felt such exhaustion, not even my 48-hour study sessions back at education.

    ¡°Z¡±, a voice echoed.

    A twitch shot up my left arm, that¡¯s right, I was wounded. Had I passed out? Was I taken to the surface? Or¡­ fuck¡­ did I?

    ¡°Ze¡±, the voice echoed again.

    A sudden realisation that my last act alive was telling my boss to fuck himself. The last page in my book was standing up to a brute, though no one would know it. I was young, I had so much more to do¡­ But what did I want to do? Now, now it¡¯s just cold.

    ¡°Zeke!¡± the voice shouted, saliva spattering across my face.

    Darting my eyes open I am met by the face of Meghan, beside her I can see Jed looking on in worry. I guess this wasn¡¯t the worst situation I was thinking of.

    ¡°Thank god your eyes opened. We were worried about you, you just collapsed¡±, Jed added.

    Meghan placed a hand behind my head and grasped my hand with the other, aiding me to a sitting position.

    ¡°Slow now, he didn¡¯t hit his head hard but he may still be disorientated¡±, Jed continued.

    Looking around slowly, I felt the world vibrate as my heart was thumping in my ears, replicating the rhythmic drums of a song. Zooming in and out, my vision shifted sporadically. Neil wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen, and Ashely was sitting on a wooden shelf caressing her leg.

    ¡°Urgh, how long was I out?¡± I ask as I shuffled to lean my back against another shelving unit.

    ¡°A few minutes, we dragged you to a more comfortable spot but we didn¡¯t want to move you too much¡±, Meghan responded.

    ¡°My best guess was it was a vasovagal syncope¡±, Jed spoke in medical terms.

    ¡°English?¡±

    ¡°You fainted, probably due to the stress of the situation or your blood loss.¡±

    ¡°The term makes it sound worse than it is, think it¡¯s a good idea to keep going?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t hear or see any rescue teams, I¡¯d put my money on getting out of here over waiting for help¡±, Jed replied with a concerned look on his face.

    ¡°Fuck sake. Where is Neil anyway?¡±

    ¡°He went to look for a security room, staff room, somewhere that may have a key¡±, Ashely chimed in.

    Drinking what little water we had left, I can easily tell that my body is slowly shutting down, it takes so much time to swallow. The low-strength meds I was on weren''t going to last me long. The four levels to climb felt daunting, god I hope Neil finds a key for the escalator control hatch.

    It¡¯d be better if it were a normal four levels, but these stores had those obnoxiously tall ceilings, a good 20'' tall or goddamn close to that. Thinking about maths made my head hurt even more than it already did, aside from feeling lightheaded. Fighting back the bile in my stomach was taking the last remnants of my resolve.

    Scrapping footsteps started to echo from the distance, deeper in the store. Slowly turning my head I saw the phasing image of Neil returning, a ring of kings dangling in his titan grip, obviously not wanting to lose our lifeline.

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    ¡°Hey! Got ''em¡±, Neil shouted over to us.

    ¡°Great! Meghan, help me help Zeke up¡±, Jed responded as he wheeled over to me.

    With the aid of two people, I am able to get back to my feet, even if my left arm throbs as Jed pulls at my armpit. We take it slow, as it is plain to see that any sort of speed will lead me back to the floor. Taking a break by sitting on the shelf, I observe Neil kneeling down to the control latch.

    We all hear the joyous high-pitch click of a lock, Neil got it on the first fucking try. Giving out a universal breath of relief, our team shares hopeful smiles once again. Neil presses a few buttons and flicks a small nub lever. With a roar of life, rusty cogs, and the weird gear transmission shift of a car, the escalator is brought back into action.

    The whirring of the belts and pulley systems sets my heart ablaze, the drumming fading into the background of what would be a circus display of sound effects when compared to what I have been subject to down here.

    We all agree on the procedure to go upwards, Neil would be the lead with Jed¡¯s wheelchair collapsed under his arm. Next would be Meghan side-by-side with Ashely in case the impaled-leg lady would fall in either direction. Behind them would be Jed and then me, Jed would be sitting on the escalator as the wheelchair would make mounting and dismounting a pain due to the size of the steps.

    Simple enough. As are the first steps onto the escalator. My body jerks forward awkwardly as it¡¯s kind of imprinted to climb stairs, but escalators do like 99% of the work. The ascent is bliss, if not for the searing pain all over my body. I readjust my left arm in its strap to find it is almost entirely numb, or pins and needles, or feeling like I have a massive fist stuck in it.

    After adjusting my arm I cling onto the handrail for dear life, using it to steady my rise to the top. This is for sure a cheaper way to get that weird buzz of alcohol, though the damage it has done to me may be more long-lasting than a simple hangover.

    ¡°You good, Zeke?¡± Jed asks me as his face is almost lined up with mine in his sitting position.

    ¡°Conscious, that¡¯s the main thing.¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s a shitty question to ask, but we gotta keep our brains active to not fall down in this situation.¡±

    ¡°Well if it helps, I feel like shit. My head is light, my arm is fucked, and I can¡¯t throw up anything else but my body keeps telling me I need to.¡±

    ¡°Shit indeed. My legs are still numb, I don¡¯t hold much hope for them.¡±

    ¡°Think we¡¯ll see daylight anytime soon?¡± I ask hopefully.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re on 1 of 4. I thought we would have at least heard the rescue teams from where we were. But¡­ shit, the shakes may be stalling them?¡±

    ¡°How long has it been since the last earthquake?¡± I ask hoping they had stopped.

    ¡°Hard to say, all our phones are trashed. Maybe a few minutes by now. I¡¯m no specialist, so hard to say if they¡¯ve stopped now. It may just be buildings collapsing after stress or something.¡±

    ¡°Same here, disaster movies are all I have to go off.¡±

    As Jed and I talk, I notice that the ladies are dismounting, so I nod to my friend to get ready to dismount too. Just like we planned, Neil slows the escalator to a halt as Jed gets to the top. After it has stopped, Neil helps from behind, and me the front, getting Jed to sit on the floor in front of the escalator. I take the final steps to the next level.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Neil yells to the levels above, hoping they reach someone topside.

    Nothing comes back, not even an echo. Though that may be more due to the fact that this floor is full of furniture, from long couches to thick drapes. There¡¯s more than enough fabric in here to soak up the soundwaves, stopping them from rebounding back to us.

    With the whirring of the escalator dying down, the drumming in my ears returns. As if someone is stopping just before they punch my head in, the rush of the wind creating a small pressure burst into my eardrums. I¡¯d probably take a punch to the head over how my arm feels right now.

    I hear the clicking and tinking sound of Neil thumbing through his ring of keys on the latch for the next set of escalators. No first-try entry for him this time, but as long as he gets there in the end I won¡¯t complain.

    Taking some time to browse the wares on offer, I notice that this floor has received a bit more in the way of damage. A portion of the ceiling had collapsed and a far wall showed signs of an adjoining or topside building having crashed through it. The sight didn¡¯t bode well for what was awaiting us above, the lights were even flickering more as we got higher up. Maybe the power lines had been hit further up?

    Regardless of the damage the store was in, Neil got the next escalator set up, our small group preparing to ascend the second flight. Almost halfway there, please, please, don¡¯t fucking break on me.

    ¡°Would be nice to take a nap on these steps, right?¡± I jokingly announce, with a return of chuckles.

 Chapter 9 - The Light at the End of the Tunnel

    My previous joke may have turned into an actuality, my head drooping so low from exhaustion and fatigue that Jed had to click his fingers a few inches from my face to get my attention.

    ¡°Hey, Zeke, no sleeping on the job¡±, he spoke authoritatively.

    I would have shaken my head side-to-side if I didn¡¯t think it would cause me to become even sicker. Rotating my head upwards, my vision is greeted by the worried gaze of the man who may very well lose the use of his legs.

    ¡°Yeah, got it. Been a long day, drained the life outta me¡±, I reply with a chuckle.

    ¡°Almost free, hang in there man.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to sleep a whole week after all of this¡±, I reply as I try to push myself more upright.

    ¡°We may very well-¡± Jed starts, but is then cut off.

    The escalator comes to a dead halt as the gears and belts give out a disheartening grinding noise as if a car had stalled at the top of a ramp. We all jerk forward at the stop of the motion, our bodies keeping some form of momentum from the ride.

    Shit, shit, shit!

    ¡°What happened?¡± Meghan asks.

    ¡°No idea, maybe the wires got cut? I¡¯ll see if I can get it to move from the top!¡± Neil shouts down to us.

    It wasn¡¯t much further to the top, maybe twenty steps or so, but it¡¯d be a pain for Jed and Ashely to climb. Jed would have to push up on each stair and slam his ass on each one as he went up, whereas Ashely would either be hopping up with Meghan, or doing the same as Jed but with the aid of one leg.

    The sound of tinkering could be heard at the top as Neil was fidgeting with the controls, every so often I could hear the chugging of an engine that has had enough of its poor treatment. It didn¡¯t take long for him to bring us the bad news.

    ¡°Sorry, I think this one is busted. Fucking hunk of crap¡±, he shouted down as he kicked the panel closed.

    We all gave out a round of heavy signs, mine was a bit more shallow and hastened, probably due to my weakened condition. With the bad news upon us, we did just as we had planned. Hops and lifts up and heavy landings on each step. It was lucky that none of us was too overweight or this would have been a lot slower and difficult to pull off.

    I could easily see the pressure this was putting on both Jed and Ashely, their wounds causing the most issue on our ascent. We got there in the end, but it took longer, alongside taking from what little energy we had left in reserve. Neil spent his time sorting out the next escalator, hoping he could at least get that working ahead of time for us.

    The new floor seemed to be awash with home electronics. From fancy lights that changed colours to personal assistant devices that you¡¯d shout recipes and shopping lists at. The same flickering of dead monitors or static from sound outputs was again prevalent.

    ¡°Hey, if they are still getting power you think one of those home helpers uses the same jack as your phone, Zeke?¡± Meghan called over, helping Ashely to lean against a nearby shelving unit.

    ¡°Maybe, let¡¯s check¡±, I reply as I dig my dead phone from my pocket.

    I show the input to Meghan so that she can get a good look at it, leading to both of us scouring the small column devices for some power to steal away. We had hope, though I was unsure how useful it would be. I couldn¡¯t get any service in the underground, even when I met Jed or the women. Maybe since we were higher up I could find something?

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    We spent a good few minutes scouring the shelves, Meghan calling me over every now and then when she found a close-enough jack for my phone. Eventually, we are able to find a jack that works for my phone, pushing it in out of desperation for any form of contact with the outside.

    A bright light shone from my phone as the glorious sight of a green battery symbol appeared, showing that it was indeed charging. Meghan and I shared an eye-to-eye smile at our success. We inform the others as I turn my phone back on, the initial startup feeling like it was taking an eternity.

    With my phone back on, I immediately call the emergency services, and to my surprise and elation it is picked up

    ¡°--- what is --- emergency?¡± the woman on the other side says through a static line.

    ¡°Hello!? We¡¯re trapped in the underground, near Empire Rize!¡± I shout into the phone as if the lady was hard of hearing.

    ¡°--- calm, we are currently securing the area ---. Where are you currently located? Is there anyone with injuries?¡± she continues to ask through static.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a homeware store, two floors up from the bottom. We have several injuries, my arm was impaled, a lady has a pole through her leg, a man has large shards of glass in his arm, and the last man had his legs crushed and frozen by a freezer¡±, I recount hastily.

    The operator on the other side starts to list off a long speech of how to deal with each of our injuries, thankfully Jed was on the nose for a lot of what he told us.

    ¡°We have a team moving to your location ---, try to remain calm ---. The ground may still be unstable so move slowly ---.¡±

    I can feel a rush of life from my stomach to my heart, flowing over my limbs. The others seem just as giddy as help is only a few steps away. I talk with the lady for a bit longer as my phone continues to charge in the outlet.

    It seems the quakes have indeed stopped, though the ground is currently weak from the event. Some buildings are in precarious positions, so we are advised to be careful as we get to the exit. From what they can tell from observation, the homeware store¡¯s entrance is mostly clear, a few cars crashed into it, but we should be able to get out well enough.

    In the background, I hear the whirring of the escalator coming into life, as Neil finally gets it working. It seems like our last section might be another bumpy ride, but with the hope filling all of us, we¡¯re determined to see it through to the top. I ask the operator if we should try and get to the ground level of the store, to which she says our injuries would have caused her to say yes, but with the instability of the area, it is actually safer if we get as close to the exit as possible.

    Relaying the information to the others, they all agree it would be better to move ahead. Since Meghan is the least injured she stays with the phone currently plugged in, she could climb the escalator stairs without any real issue. So all of us, except for Meghan, mount the escalators and continue the rise to the third of four floors.

    ¡°Almost there, we¡¯re gonna make it!¡± Jed says to me eye-to-eye with his wheelchair on his lap.

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to take an hour-long hot bath!¡± Neil comments from above, now aiding Ashely.

    ¡°Lazing around in bed for a month at least¡±, Ashely adds.

    Our voices are complemented by the returning sound of the propeller blades of a helicopter above. A single ring of a police siren to turn on the lights lets us know that they aren¡¯t far. The next thing that greets our ears is that of a voice over a megaphone, a man ordering onlookers to keep a safe distance, as well as another woman¡¯s voice giving orders to move rubble.

    We reach the next floor as Neil helps Ashely to rest on the glass barrier of the escalators, before moving to start up the next lot of our stairway to freedom.

    ¡°Meghan, come on¡±, I call down to our operator.

    ¡°Coming!¡± she replies with jubilation.

    Her steps on the still-working escalator echo upwards, showing her enthusiasm to catch up with us. Alongside that, we all see the rolling wave from the light beams of a car up above. Detailing to us that the rescue team is moments away from entering into the building to come find us.

    The chug of the next machine coming into life is all that is needed to bring us away from the floor that contained kitchen supplies. I would have taken a souvenir from this whole trip, if it wasn¡¯t a travesty from the get-go. The one thing I would be taking with me would be scars, both physical and mental. And maybe, a few new friends forged in travesty.

    ¡°Hey, I can see shadows in the light! Hey, over here!¡± Ashely calls over to the next floor.

 Chapter 10 - Empirical Escape

    The final escalator roared into life as the belts and steps did their rhythmic rotations and rises. Jed, Neil, Ashely, Meghan, and I all mounted the final set of stairs that would take us out of the underground. A place I had once planned to visit to get a bite to eat for lunch after swearing at my boss during my leave.

    Life had fucked me so hard down here, my arm was destroyed, my organs probably going into overdrive, and my psyche taking several years of torment in a single day. But it was all about to be over, just 20'' of a climb to go, I was raring to start walking but I was trapped behind those that couldn¡¯t.

    Jed easily saw my facial expression, probably one of glee, a happy sight to be sure. We shared a toothy smile with one another, Jed holding out his right hand to shake my good hand. A firm grasp of one another solidifies our friendship as we plan to meet up after we¡¯re seen to be professionals.

    Shouting to the others we all exchange our full names and agree to meet up at whatever hospital we¡¯re going to, and if not to ask for our contact info later on. I push their numbers into my phone as it¡¯s the only one that works, hopefully, they can all keep their original numbers with their phones destroyed, it¡¯d be a simple contract thing to do.

    ¡°Hey, they¡¯re coming up the escalator!¡± a dominant man shouts over in our direction.

    ¡°Stretchers!¡± another calls out.

    The slow and careful footsteps of oncoming aid cascade over to us, Neil being the first to see the emergency services.

    ¡°You found us!¡± Neil calls out, as he prepares to help Ashely to the helpers.

    A fair few paramedics are on sight, snapping out wheelchairs and stretchers to aid both Ashely and Jed out of the building. The others wrap an arm around Neil and me, helping to straighten our walks to the exit. Blinding light shines on through the smashed window doors that still hold their metallic frames.

    ¡°Watch her leg, we don¡¯t want to agitate that foreign object¡±, one of the paramedics states as they put Ashely onto a stretcher.

    ¡°How are you feeling? Has you wound---¡± another woman questions Neil up ahead.

    Bombarded with questions and aid, the approach to the doors occurs almost instantly. I shield my eyes with my good hand against the low sun in the background, an orange haze cast over the plaza I had fallen down within. In the distance I see Empire Rize¡¯s bottom section in a jagged design, the top part cracked and crashed through the earth beneath.

    On either side of the plaza, I can see walls of tape and cars blocking an onslaught of onlookers and reports trying to get an eye into the chaos. Aside from our small group I also make out a few other survivors in the distance from other buildings or stairways that didn¡¯t collapse.

    The plaza is a mess of people, debris, dust, and sadly, corpses. A hotpot of luck and disaster all at once, I was drenched in both. Our group were escorted to different ambulances, the slams of the doors sealing our new brotherhood away in the hopes we¡¯ll all come out of this endeavour not worse for wear.

    The beginning of my recovery begins, the light of a small torch shining into my eyes as the paramedic does a basic on-site appraisal of my condition. Questions bombard me of how I was injured, how it feels, what drugs did I take in the underground, any allergies I might have. Again and again, I answer what I can until I peer at my reflection in a mirror that sits atop the side of the van.

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    I am deathly pale, sweat all across my face. I looked drained of life and energy, and for sure I felt that way. The softness of the bed in the back of the ambulance brings me comfort, but it also entices me to sleep once more. I lay my head down gently as the paramedic wants me to stay awake¡­ but I have been awake enough. Now is the time for sleep. I deserve a good nap.

    <hr>

    Awaking in a bed with wheels, I notice I am being moved through a sterile hospital hall. The sounds of beeps in the background, heart rate monitors, skipping of heels against clean floors, it¡¯s all so comforting. The paramedic notices my eyes open as the questions and answers stage happens again, they say that I need to be operated on to save my arm, I give the ok to do so. And then I sleep.

    I sleep for a long time.

    - 1 month later -

    The recovery was long, but I probably had it better off than some of my friends in the underground. My arm was saved, though I was told I couldn¡¯t be a professional sportsman even if I tried. I wasn¡¯t going to try, so no loss there. Alongside that, I got a medical reason to get me out of any sort of lifting work alongside compensation for damage inflicted in the event.

    Empire Rize, the corporation, also lost a lot of access to files and data in the earthquake that I was able to sell to a local law house that approached me. A lot was stored off their main site, so employees that worked there could access it in case of emergency. I knew the passwords, who got paid what, as well as plenty of codes to their charities. It was all too easy for the company to fall even further with their main building going down as it did.

    With that, I was settled for money. I sent some to my new friends, who are all doing better, and even saved some local businesses that got screwed out of their funds. I would still need to work a bit in my life with what was left, but an easy job would suit me well, I couldn¡¯t just sit around for the rest of my life.

    I don¡¯t want to talk much about the death toll of the event, but it was in the thousands. Aside from the deaths, the businesses in the plaza and underground all suffered heavy losses. Our group wasn¡¯t sued for what damage or theft that happened in the underground, not as if they could prove any of it if they tried.

    I was allowed full leave from the hospital second after Meghan, followed by Neil, Ashely, and finally Jed. Neil lost full use of his arm but was able to keep it for sentimentality sake. The glass cut too deep so he had no control over his fingers. Ashely was told her leg would heal in time, though was stuck with crutches for a while.

    Jed was the worst off, his legs were too far gone. He had feeling down to his knees, but below that was all dead. He was happy enough to keep them at all, though I am sure when he is alone his anger is on full display over what happened. Due to his loss, he got the most in the way of compensation, alongside a disability allowance.

    The plaza is still cordoned off, the research about the quakes is taking a long time as well as making sure places are safe before reconstruction can start. Thinking about that place brings a chill to my spine and a dark pit in my stomach, so I try to not picture it at all. It¡¯s a new sensation, having a fear that can bring on anxiety or panic attacks, but at least with this one, I can stay far away. I didn¡¯t live in the city anyway.

    As planned, our small group were able to share our contact details with our new phones, and a month after being admitted we set up a meeting outside. A small restaurant that served amazing food and drinks at a high price, which I happily took the tab for. We all met, wrapped in bandages and slings, though with the colour returned to our faces.

    With the sun shining through the glass windows, I squint my eyes as tears form in the corner of my vision. At least the sun came back, at least we survived. We cheer to those we lost on the way, in their memory, and then to the future where the Empire had fallen and took us with it. But where the Empire laid on the ground, we all rose to the surface, together.

    - The End -