Ean’s Rare Gift – Chapter 13

Ean

As soon as Yuri takes off, I hear a rumble. It starts low and distant but quickly grows in intensity as it comes closer.

“Shit, go!”

My heart races, pounding in my chest. Karina is already on her feet and running away from the growing sound, calling out for everyone to follow her lead.

I race behind her with my heart in my throat. The rumble is growing louder by the second, like thunder amplified a hundred times over. As I run, the ground shakes beneath me, vibrating with each passing step.

The wind whips around us, and the rain pours down harder than ever as we try desperately to get away from the landslide coming our way. Trees along the boulevard into town tremble in the wind, and lightning illuminates the sky with a brilliant flash of white light.

The ground is wet and slippery, making it challenging to run. The noise of the landslide grows louder as it gets closer and closer. Trees fall as chunks of mud and rocks come tumbling behind them. If we can make it to the first streets of town, we may get out of this alive. But landslides are powerful. I’ve seen footage of them from Old Earth taking out entire city blocks and burying houses and people under meters of mud.

Adrenaline pumps through me, and my heart races as I glance around, pushing the group to go faster, yet uncertain of the consequences of what we’re doing. Fear and anticipation rise within me. Will this be a success or an utter disaster? We’re so close to safety but far from achieving our goal.

With Karina in tow, I desperately search for somewhere safe to hide.

“Head for the cross streets,” Yuri yells, peeling off one block before my street. That’s where his family lives, right on the edge of the danger zone.

“What about Ume?” Karina calls over her shoulder, her voice breaking.

“No time!”

I only just met my pair, and now I may lose her. Please, gods. Keep her safe.

We continue running until the cross streets finally appear.

“I can’t go… much farther,” Karina pants, grabbing at her side.

The injured woman and the two others we rescued are a block behind us.

“Come on!” I yell, waving my arm. They limp a little faster.

Water rushes ahead of the landslide, filling the street with a raging river.

Turning down the next street, I catch sight of an abandoned building, a stark reminder of the aftermath of the war thirty years ago. We’ve done our best to rehabilitate buildings, but there are only so many resources to go around. Its windows are boarded up, and vines snake up its walls, leaving it untouched by time.

We dash for it and burst through its doors, gasping for breath as we try to avoid what’s coming our way. Inside is surprisingly dry, considering how wet we are from running in the storm outside. Even though it is dark and musty smelling, there still seems to be some level of protection from the elements inside this old building.

I pace by the entrance. I want to go back out and get Ume. What if I lose her now that I just found her?

Karina stays at the door, looking out down the street. “It’s coming. We were lucky enough to be at the mid-point of the hill.”

I lean out the door next to her, and my mind blanks, watching the side of the mountain come down. The crash of the landslide is deafening. Trees and rocks are thrown in all directions as the earth shakes. Water gushes down the street and floods our way, swirling around us as we cling to the doorway of the building for safety. It rushes into the building, and Karina and I hold on to the entrance with both hands.

“Get up!” I yell back into the room. A kitchen counter dripping with spiderwebs gives the three other people with us an added boost away from the destruction. They scramble up and out of the muddy water.

I watch helplessly as the landslide takes out large portions of the estate in the distance, tearing apart ancient buildings, destroying homes, and taking memories with it. My stomach sinks as I realize what this has done to our town. Mud and debris have turned my world into something different from how it was only five minutes before. My heart aches at the destruction I am witnessing before me.

The raging flood continues until finally coming to a stop, leaving only destruction in its wake.

Karina is now covered from the waist down in mud, and her eyes are filled with terrified tears. Weren’t we just sharing a passionate night together not long ago? I’d give anything to go back to that and relive it without this new nightmare in my head.

I wade through the muddy water between us and pull her into my arms. Her skin is clammy and cold, but I squeeze her, and the warmth returns, wrapping around us. Her body shakes with sobs, finally letting go after being so strong for everyone else.

“We’re lucky to be alive,” I murmur into her hair. “So lucky.”

“I…” She chokes up as her lips move against my chest. “Charlie… Lydia.”

“I know. I know.” I’m worried about my family too, my friends, my pair. Did my new place survive? God, I hope so. So much of my life is there now. What if I’ve lost it all?

But this woman in my arms survived. I would have been too devastated to go on without her if she had died.

I draw back and look at her. Her reddened eyes gaze up at me, and my heart warms. We went from friends to lovers in a few days, and I never want to go back. Smoothing down her hair, I lean forward and lay my lips on her forehead before I touch my forehead to hers. Her lower lip quivers for a moment before calming down. Lightning and thunder rip through the air and cause her to jump. I pull her to me again, and the weight of our bodies together is comforting.

“The storm will go on for several more hours,” I say over the top of her head. “We need to hunker down.” My voice breaks, and tears well up in my eyes as I think of all those affected by the landslide — people who lost loved ones and whose homes were destroyed. This terrible event will forever change their lives.

I take a deep breath and turn us away from the scene outside, knowing there’s nothing more we can do now but mourn. There’s still a lot of rain coming our way, possibly even more flooding and landslides. We need to be prepared.

“Let’s try to find a dry spot,” I say, coaxing her away from the door.

She nods, blows out a breath, and straightens. I can see the strong woman in those gestures like she’s pulling on an armored suit and preparing for battle. A different person may have broken down in despair. Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed them. Not one bit. But Karina is a unique soul. She’s seen death; it took her husband. She knows what she’s dealing with.

She glances down at her body and chuckles. “I don’t think these pants will ever be the same.”

I grimace and shrug. “Looks like we’ll have to go shopping after this is done.”

She laughs harder, dragging her dirty hand across her cheek. “It’s going to be one hell of a shopping spree.”

Karina sighs and turns away from the doors. She quickly takes control, directing everyone to gather themselves for a climb up the stairs. There’s not much in this place for supplies — it’s been abandoned for almost three decades now — so it’s best to move to higher ground and wait out the storm.

We trudge up the steps, my heart pounding in anticipation, each step creaking and groaning under our weight. The walls are cracked and discolored, spider webs draped across every corner. What will we find up here? Will it be livable? I cross my fingers and hope this will be our refuge until morning.

As we approach the top of the stairs, a tiny room greets us. The walls are covered in peeling paint, and the broken glass windows are fogged over with moisture from the storm outside. The roof is caving in at certain spots, and there’s a chill in the air as water droplets fall from above. A large crack in the ceiling is oozing water onto a ratty rug on the floor. It’s barely enough to stand in, but a rickety bed lies against one wall, and two damaged chairs lurk in another corner.

Karina finds a discarded bucket to collect water from the roof and another old futon mattress in the crawl space. It’s not much, but we only need to get through the next few hours.

Gita, the woman who insisted on staying in the estate earlier before the storm, collapses onto the floor with a sob. “I wish we had never come here,” she mumbles through her tears.

Despite all the trouble they caused, I still feel bad for her. This is not her fault, and I can’t say how the rest of the night would have gone had we not run to the estate to rescue her and her friends.

I squat down next to her and lay a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. Try not to think about what you wish you had never done. It’s over for now.” I touch her leg. “Let’s take a look at your leg. I’m going to rip your pants open. Sorry.”

She nods. “Do it.”

With a swift yank, I tear her pants and reveal a superficial wound on her mid-thigh area. I sigh with relief.

“It’s okay. Not too bad.” I smile at her to reassure her.

“It hurts like hell.” Gita winces as she sits up to look at it and then lies down with a thump. “I thought it would be worse.”

“It’s probably pretty bruised, and you may have a fracture too? I don’t know.” I search around, hoping for some fabric I can use to stop the bleeding, but there’s nothing here.

Grabbing her hand, I place her palm on the wound. “Here. Put pressure on it until the bleeding stops. We’ll have to clean it out later and get you to the hospital for antibiotics.”

“If the hospital survived,” she mumbles.

“The hospital should be fine. It’s further into town from the landslide. Though I’m sure they’re overworked by now. I bet we’re not the only injured ones hoping for rescue.”

I stand up and get a closer look at this floor. There are two rooms, and we’re in the front room of the house. The room smells musty and moldy. The cracked walls are barely holding together, but it’s a solid structure. One wall in the back room has collapsed, but it could serve as an emergency escape route if needed. It’s just big enough to fit maybe three people. Sighing, I knew this wouldn’t be the best place to shelter, but it’s better than nothing.

I turn away from the shattered wall and examine the slanted roof on the other side. That should hold the night.

When I rejoin everyone, I approach Karina standing and staring into space. Her hands are cold and wet from the rain, and her hair has deflated and sticks to her head.

“Come,” I say, tugging her hand. I lead her over to the edge of the room, sit down with my back to the wall, and bring her into the space between my legs. In a few moments, we’re both warmer, so I wrap my arms around her. “Let’s try to sleep until morning. I’m sure tomorrow is going to be…”

“Hectic? Harrowing?” She yawns.

“Both.”

She nods into my shoulder, closes her eyes, and within a few breaths, she’s asleep. I drift off not long after.