How Little You Care

Chapter 5.

Time stood deathly still. The sickening fear Rachel endured, robbed her ability to breathe, piercing into her spine and disabling her instincts to react. Her parched throat made it difficult to scream out her daughter's name. The warm hues from her motherly face drained, leaving a pale and sickly visage, as the blood in her veins froze.

Whether it was real, or a terrible fantasy conjured by her fears, it was as if her body confined her to where she stood only allowing her vision to behold the horror happening before her.

And there was nothing she could do.

Ba-Dum! Ba-Dum! Ba-Dum!

Rachel's motherly instincts jolted her to return to her reality, jump-starting her body's response, and berating her to act quickly. She begged that the pounding in her chest would calm down, easing her distressed heart, forcing herself to think clearly. She could not accept the impending fate taking place right before her eyes. Those same instincts fueled everything within her to reach out and save the small child. Desperate fingertips stretched out as she finally found her voice, forcing her daughter's name out of her throat.

"Isabel—!"

Before Rachel could take another step, thunderous quakes with enough force to collapse a bustling metropolitan city knocked everyone off their feet. Light fixtures above them shook violently. The tall windows vibrated and threatened to shatter at any moment. Metal rails collided and bent inward. Decimated concrete walls exposed gravel and steel beams. Like the sounds of a demolition up close, their ears battered by the loudness that took place overhead.

Rachel tumbled onto a smooth surface closest to the wall, looking over to Keith, who latched himself onto a railing and was holding on as best as he could. Clouds full of debris filled the air, smaller fragments of plaster and grout drizzled onto them, causing both Rachel and Keith to duck and cover.

It wasn't long before the air ducts above them circulated clean cool air into the space, dissipating the dust clouds and improving visibility within the compound. Keith let out a groan, thrusting his eyes upward, finding Micah's makeshift breast pocket overhead. Trailing up his stature, his gaze settled on the massive left hand imprinted in the wall adjacent to the platform where Rachel stood. He hunched over, clutching something protectively and desperately trying to keep his balance.

Keith staggered to his feet, looking to Rachel, who was already making her way toward the remaining rail where she spotted Micah wavering where he stood.

"I-I need you guys to move..." Micah ordered, straining to maintain his balance.

"W-where's Isabel! What did you do with her?" Rachel shouted up at him, disregarding his instruction and trying to investigate what he was clutching in his hand.

Keith appeared behind her, grabbing her shoulders and, under physical protest, moved her away from her towering husband.

"That wasn't a suggestion! Move!" He voiced urgently.

Staff members ran past them with various equipment and remained a safe distance from the scene. Micah diverted all his strength into his left arm and slowly pushed himself back where he'd carefully shift his balance to his legs. He couldn't rush this and was not going to move his right hand at all; not until Isabel was safe. Gradually, he was able to lower himself into a kneeling position and gently removed his right hand away from his chest, seeing a frightened little body curled up in his palm.

"...Isabel?" Micah whispered anxiously, steadily bringing his hand up to his face.

Trembling, Isabel stirred after hearing a familiar voice rumbled above her. Little brown eyes remained shut even when a pale light suddenly illuminated over her. The warm surface under her shuffled beneath, causing her to cower further. The little girl wasn't sure what had happened and what got her in this position. She knew for certain she heard her father and couldn't help herself but run and see him.