Crumble.

Crumble.

Not again.” I whimpered, the floor starting to shake beneath me, rumbling like waves on an uneasy ocean. I grasped the locket around my neck, my fingers finding the pointed end of the heart and the two half circles of the top and clasping it tightly in my palm as I leaned against the corner of the room, pulling my legs into my chest. I clenched my teeth, tears springing to my eyes as I felt the feeling of the building move around me.

“One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.” That was the longest I had ever counted. The quakes were starting to get worse and last longer. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and swallowed. I had to be brave. That was what my mom said. I needed to be her brave girl. I leaned against the wall, watching the smashed clock that no longer ticked along. How many more seconds would there be until the next one, sixty? A thousand? I didn’t want to get up, too scared to move along the walls, with thin cracks running in all different directions. Except that the next time the ground became angry, could be the time that the building fell apart. I took a deep breath in, telling myself that my mom would want me to keep going, to be brave for her.

I adjusted my backpack around my shoulders and scooted away from the wall, reaching for my radio. I was trying not to use it as much, but this is the first time I’ve been in a some-what populated area. Or, I guess what was once populated and there have been rescue teams going out to search for individuals. I listened to the crackling sound as the light on top lit up. Each little station clicked by and each time, my heart sunk lower and lower. Nothing but silence. Next station, for a second, I swear I hear a woman speak.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me? My name is Ellie Spaulding and I am 17 years old. I am located at Cornerstone Middle School on the cross streets of Alger and Wallis Road. Can anyone hear me??” I gulped, inhaling sharply. I can’t cry. I have to be strong. I touched my locket and tried once again.

Click. Another station and nothing. Click, dead air. Click. “This is Anna, we have rescue vehicles available, please send us your name and location.”

“Anna?! Anna?! Can you hear me?!” I yelled desperately into the radio. “My name is Ellie, please I am at Cornerstone Elementary school, this place is falling around me. Please send help!” I gulped back a sob yet again.

“Ellie? I can hear you! Where is your family, Ellie?”

The radio made a loud buzzing sound and fell silent, the red light no longer on. I pressed the button to speak. “Hello? Anna, hello?? Can you hear me?”

“No, no, please, please. Damn it work, PLEASE.” I clung to the radio and pressed the button again and again. “Please Anna, hello?” Tears streamed freely down my face, leaving trails behind the dirt on my skin. “Anna, can you hear me?? I’m all alone! Please help!”

There was no use. I dropped my hands to the floor, still holding the radio as little droplets fell around them. This was it. My last hope and now I was going to end up just like everyone else I loved. I laid down, and stared at nothing, there was a hollow space inside me, I was numb, I almost hoped the building would crumble around me, at the very least then I would finally get to see my mom again.

***

The sound of tires spitting gravel around jolted me awake, I could see the headlights of a car lighting up different parts of the room, I frantically stood up, running to the window and screaming out to the car. “I’m here! My name is Ellie!!! Help me!” I waved my arms with all my might, they had to notice me, I was screaming my head off as loud as I could. Bouncing on the balls of my feet as I continued to yell for their attention. This was it, Anna heard me! I was able to get out my message after all!

The car stopped for a moment idling and I yelled once again, but no one got out of the truck, it just sat running, did they not hear me or see me? I knew the school was dark and so I scrambled to my bag and grabbed my flashlight, it was on its last legs too but this was maybe the last chance I would get. I ran to the window and started flashing my light across the hood of the truck. Seconds later the engine turned off and what looked like two men stepped out of car. The man on the passenger side was holding something long and straight, maybe a pole? I tried hard to peer into the near pitch darkness and see what he was holding. I was starting to get a sinking feeling in my stomach and I very quickly waved my flashlight over the man. It glinted over metal and immediately I knew what that was. I shrunk back, turning off my light and rushing over to my things and packing them as fast as I could. I could feel my heart racing as I whispered “hurry, hurry” to myself. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I smushed everything in my bag best that I could and closed it up. It didn’t matter at the moment, I needed to get out of there.

Dread was spreading over me as I hurried as fast as I could, swinging my backpack over my shoulders as I started to rush out of the door and tiptoed down the hallway. Each step made me feel like my teeth were on edge. If I stepped on just one piece of fallen ceiling, they would know where my exact location was. I scurried along the walls towards the exit, praying silently that they wouldn’t know where I was, my palms were damp and I felt like I could hardly catch my breath, my lungs were constricted in my chest.

The one thing I couldn’t get out of my mind as my feet hit the dirt and I started to run; is why would a rescue team need a rifle?