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After the roar.

devastation

By DeborahPublished 3 years ago 10 min read
1

‘Crash!’ Donna is still sat on her bed, which is now sitting in the basement of her building; having dropped through the ceiling of the floor above. Startled, from the sudden fall, and holding onto the mattress and a pen she was using, gripping both tight. looking up, through a mask of dust she can see a vast hole above with splintered and broken planks where her bedroom floor used to be. Climbing over her bed which is now covered in brick dust, she assesses the damage.

Looking out over the wreckage, which was her home. Discovering remnants of her personal belongings that are scattered everywhere. Photos, some of which were pinned to the wall, others wedged into the grooves on the mirror of her dressing table, and random pieces of paper, are floating down from where her bedroom used to be, resembling dead leaves dropping from a tree.

She searches her bed, for her folder and the loose college papers. That only 10 minutes before the disaster, she had spread across her divan. lifting the sheets and her pillow, causing dust to bellow around her, she coughs,

“No, my papers! Where are they?”

After throwing her pillow in her temper, she momentarily gives up the search and rests on her dusty bed. The billowing powder aggravates her eyes which she rubs, the powder irritates her breathing, she suffers from asthma and coughs more, holding her hand over her mouth. Then rubs her head which is sore. Running her fingers through her hair she discovers a deep gash.

“Ouch!”

Pressing her hand on the spot that hurt, causes a trickle of blood to run down her face. She clambers across her bed, over broken black wooden beams; along brick piles and cracked plasterboard. In search of her mirrored medicine cabinet, which sat on her bathroom wall, just above the sink unit.

“Where is my bathroom?”

Confusion mixed with rage and despair stirs through her mind.

“What happened?”

Moving a sheet of plasterboard off the basement steps, she uncovers her medicine cabinet. The mirrors are broken but the rest of it is intact. Unlocking one of the doors she finds her small plastic medical box, she grabs a band-aid large enough for her wound, and her inhaler, sucking in the life-giving powder. Glancing upwards she sees a hole where her washbasin would stand. The bath is hanging precariously on the edge of the gap, her shower curtain pole is bent and draped over the bath. The pipes have snapped, and water is pouring down into the basement. Following the path of the leak which is streaming onto her favourite cozy armchair that has landed upside down. This raised her rage. This piece of furniture she inherited from her grandmother, who died five years earlier. It provided Donna with many comforting moments. Like the time when she found out that her boyfriend was sneakily cheating with someone else. She could cuddle up in this comfortable chair with a large tub of mint chocolate chip Ben and Jerry’s, in her pj’s and her snug dressing gown, watching movies that would help bring out her emotions. Another time she felt unwell, the softness of the cushions felt like a warm hug, she would fall asleep, all cuddled up in the chair. This beloved piece of furniture lay upside down on top of the remains of her home, all tattered and torn. Saddened by this spectacle she leaves the destruction that was once her life and ventures out into where the street used to be.

Walking around she encounters a mile of rubble, dust, and an array of various personal documents and newspapers flying far and wide. The beautiful blue house that stood opposite; that she admired, had the most outstanding floral displays decorating their garden, which lifted her spirits every time she looked out of her window, has gone. Nothing left, just remnants of a happy home covered in debris, with broken wooden boards sticking up through the wreckage.

Moving the remains of her home from blocking her path, she notices a child’s small teddy bear; that she has never seen before. She bends to pick it up, noticing It has an ear missing and a crack in one of the orange eyes. Donna looks around for the child who has lost this precious toy, hugging it.

One neighbour comes into view as the dust begins to settle. Clambering towards his friend, covered in white powder from the painted brick on his house.

“Oh my God! Harry!” Donna places the stuffed bear inside the pocket of her robe and embraces her friend. Some of the white powder settles on her shoulder. She brushes it off.

“Donna! Are you okay?”

“What happened Harry? I was doing my assignment and then boom! Was it an asteroid, or a bomb?”

“Neither, it was mother nature.” Harry always answered matter-of-factly, giving technical reasons for anything unexplainable.

“Andreas vault plates slipped, and this is what happened. It hit 9.4 on the Richter scale. Also, a freak tornado tore through the state. I bet it has something to do with the ozone and the unexplained weather patterns we have had.” Donna shrugs not following what he is saying. So, in two words, he narrows it down.

“Earthquake, whirlwind!” Donna nods pretending to understand.

He continues, “It was a freak accident, no one knew this was going to happen.” Harry brushes some of the white dust from his clothes and then shakes his head, like a dog drying its coat after a rain shower. “Although, I had an incline that this would happen.” He pushes his glasses up which were sliding down his nose.

Donna smirks, “Of course you did.”

They both clamber over the debris to see if they can find any survivors. While staring out at all the destruction. Donna can hear a muffled cry coming from under one of the collapsed buildings in the distance.

“Shhhh, did you hear that?”

“What?”

“Shhhh, listen.” Harry stops moving.

“Help! Is someone out there, I’m stuck!” Harry recognizes the voice.

“Doris, is that you?”

“Yes, it’s Doris. I’m stuck!”

“Okay, I’m coming.” Harry runs towards the plea for help, with Donna in tow. Calling out.

“Doris, keep shouting!”

“I’m over here! I’m under my house.” Alarmed, He looks at his friend, who is following closely behind, climbing over beams and boulders and things you would never expect to see on a regular day.

“We’re coming Doris, keep talking, shout out a nursery rhyme or sing!” He stops dead to listen.

“Incey wincey spider came up the waterspout!” He points in the direction of the sound.

“She’s over there.” “Keep talking Doris, we are getting close!”

Donna moves a large sheet of plasterboard, and sitting underneath is Doris’s painted yellow front door, which, somehow is still intact attached to the frame. The rest of the house was gone, flattened by the seismic activity. Harry shouts to Doris.

“We are at your front door!”

“Excellent! I have no idea where I am. I was in the kitchen, now I’m somewhere underneath.”

“This is Donna from down the road. Are you hurt?”

“I am pinned under something heavy; I don’t feel any pain.” Then randomly asks. “Have you seen my dog, Benny?” Donna answers

“No, we haven’t seen him, or anyone else on the street yet.”

They walk through the door and into remnants of a kitchen, not Doris's, but her friends upstairs. Doris lived in a two-storey apartment on the ground floor. Luckily, her neighbour above was not around during the destruction. She was away visiting her family.

Donna carefully follows Harry, she steps on something brittle, it cracks under her weight. Looking down and raising her foot, she uncovers a wooden frame with a photo Doris had taken many years ago. The glass is cracked. The picture is of her husband, who died a few years earlier, and her only son, who perished in a motorcycle accident. Harry knew through volunteering at the local hospice, that this old woman’s life has been far from kind to her, and they became close friends after she lost her husband.

Doris is quiet. Harry shouts.

“Are you okay?” There’s no response. “Doris! Call out if you can hear me!”

They hear a groan coming from under a pile of rubble and a toppled small refrigerator. Homing in on the sound, they each clear their way. Donna moves a heavy beam with the help of her friend. Underneath, barely conscious is Doris. The small refrigerator has her pinned. Harry smiles relieved.

“You gave me a scare then, are you okay?” He moves the small appliance off her legs with Donna’s help quietly stating.

“She must be in shock; both her legs are badly bruised. Could be broken?” Harry finds two long planks and a strip of wire and binds them together making a stretcher. They each take Doris’s arm, lifting her onto the rough-and-ready bed. As they raise her off the rubble, she lets out a groan. Donna looks at Harry,

“Do you have your phone? I lost mine.”

“No, I think it is under a pile of bricks.”

The old woman unexpectedly passes out from the pain, increasing her body weight by one hundred. They both struggle, lowering the old woman onto the wood. Harry signals,

“After 3, we will lift her!” His friend nods agreeing. He counts.

“One, two and three.” They both grunt as they raise the patient. Donna has a small frame, not a strong build like Harry, and she battles to balance Doris at the same height as her friend. He realises that she is in distress.

“We will put her down on the pavement outside, do you think you will make it?” Donna looks up,

“I will try.” They each climb over the debris, trying to keep the old woman from falling off the homemade stretcher. Donna is struggling.

“She is too heavy.” Harry gives her some encouragement.

“We are nearly there, just by the steps.”

They each carefully lower the patient down, placing her on a clear patch of grass, which somehow the freakish destruction missed. Harry stands, announcing.

“I will go in search of help; we need to find a way to contact the emergency services! There might be others out there that need assistance.” Donna agrees. Harry leaves Doris in the care of his friend.

The flying debris and the dust finally settled; Donna views the destruction. All her memories of the houses in the neighbourhood have been stolen by the natural disaster. A few of the neighbours in the street have emerged from under their wreckage. All battered, and bruised, some needing hospital treatment. Harry returns with two neighbours who Donna recognises. Then he sprints off to see if he can find any more survivors.

“Hi Bill, Hi Frank.” They nod, acknowledging. Bill kneels next to the patient, Frank hovers, observing by her feet. He spots the bloody plaster stuck to Donna’s hairline.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” He gestures to the wound on her head. Frank is a friend of the family. He has watched Donna grow from a child into an accomplished adult.

“I’m fine thank you, Frank, a bit battered. I am worried about Doris though.” Bill takes the old lady’s hand. Her eyelids flicker.

“Hey, I think she is coming around.”

She opens her eyes, and sees three friendly faces, smiling down at her.

“What happened?” Donna steps up.

“It was an earthquake, Doris. You were trapped in your home. Do you remember?” Confused, the patient attempts to stand.

“Ouch!” The old woman grabs Donna’s arm for support. Frank stops her from getting up.

“You need to lie still Doris; you may have broken your leg.” She nods and rests. A helicopter flies above circling the disaster site. Accidentally disturbing the debris causing the dust and papers to flurry. Harry raises his arms above his head flagging them down. Then runs back to where he left his friends. Optimistically announcing.

“Help is on the way.”

Nature
1

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