Natural Disaster

Chapter 12

Screams of terror tore Launa from her slumber. Her hand flew back to find Avi, but found nothing but empty air. “Avi?!” she called, turning over to find her partner, and nearly rolled into a gaping pit. She gasped, catching herself just as she was about to roll over the edge. “Avi!” She shrieked into the dark abyss, trying to find her balance against the rocking of the earth.

"Help me!" came his answer. Launa leaned over the edge, finding him dangling precariously from an outstretched rock embedded in the side of the split, eyes wide with fear. She stood quickly, kicking the stuff away from the edge, glancing around to find something to help her.

Nothing nothing there’s nothing.

"Launa!!"

Can I reach him?

She judged the distance in a millisecond.

"Launa, please!"

I can reach him.

She laid down on her stomach, stretching her arm down and holding her hand out to him. “Grab on!” Avi reached up, stretching as best as he could to reach her, brushing his fingers against hers. “Come on, Avi!”

The earth gave a particular violent heave, and he nearly lost his grip, grappling hard on the stone and pulled himself up, wrapping his hand tight around her wrist. Launa brought her other hand down to grasp his wrist and pulled her knees up to plant her feet, grunting with the effort and pulling as hard as she could, his boots scrabbling against the wall.

Avi came up over the edge, the momentum of Launa’s heave sending him falling forward, half on her. “Sorry-“

"Save it!" She scrambled backwards, pulling him with her, putting as much distance between them and the crack in the earth’s surface as possible. The motion of the earthquake had them wobbling and dizzy, trying to pick up the bags smoothly as they passed, and running for the other side of the highway.

Launa’s boot caught on the edge of the asphalt and she stumbled, catching herself on his arm. “Come on!” He helped her right herself and, with one last rumble from the ground beneath them, they were propelled forward onto the highway.

The earth stilled, but they didn’t dare move, holding their breath as the aftershocks started, hearing more cracks spreading in the distance. She gave a yelp of terror as another started just to the side of the road, just a few feet from their boots. Then, just as quickly as the aftershock had started, it stopped, and a deafening boom sounded from where their campsite had been. Avi craned his neck to see what had happened, and let out a shuddering breath. “Oh my god,” he whispered, “Launa.” He pointed in that direction, and she followed his gesture with her eyes.

The crack he had been dangling in had snapped shut.

She got up on her knees, moving her wide-eyed stare from the uneven edges of the pit back to him. Dirt was smeared over his cheek, and his eyes were wide with terror. She flung her arms around his neck, her fingers digging into his shoulders, he immediately returning the embrace. “I almost died,” he murmured into her neck, circling his arms tighter around her and shivering hard, “I almost died.”

Launa held him close, moving a hand to stroke his hair. “It’s okay,” she whispered, “you’re alright, you’re here.” Gods, he’s shaking. “You’re damned lucky I was built sturdy, you heavy son of a bitch.”

Avi coughed out a laugh, but didn’t remove himself from her, his hands shaking on her back. She rocked him gently, feeling the adrenaline slowly drain from her system and waiting for it to do the same for him. She waited patiently- life-threatening situations usually took awhile to recover from. “It’s okay,” she repeated as he sunk down to relax a little, still trembling, “It’s okay.”