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I was walking home after school when the first earthquake hit. Buildings shook and the people around me collapsed to the ground. Japan was home to many earthquakes but this one was out of the ordinary. I recovered from the aftermath and continued on my journey. My family would be there and checking on them was my priority. After making it half a mile or so my phone began to blare with a weather alert reading 'EARTHQUAKE WARNING'. It must've been a late warning.
Seconds later an earthquake stronger than the previous brought me to my knees. Buildings began swaying as the streets cracked in half. In just a second everything had been destroyed. Trees tumbled over, hitting the people on the ground; cars crashed into each other; homes and businesses crumbled. Everything had changed so quickly. By this point, my adrenaline kicked in and I started on my way back home in a sprint. My family could be one of those crushed in the debris and I had no way to contact them. Arriving at my house and seeing everything destroyed pained me. All of my belongings had been crushed by the earthquake. How would we and many others financially recover from this? Now I was lost and alone.
"M/N, F/N"
I cried out hoping they could be nearby. Shoveling through the debris left me empty-handed and relieved. To be honest, finding their corpses would've brought me more closure than not finding them at all. Walking led me to a makeshift camp filled with concerned citizens. Names of those who were dead or missing left a bad taste in my mouth. Searching through the crowd was unsuccessful and I had just about given up for the day. Suddenly a girl around my age collapsed to the floor and I hurried over to check on her. Tears streamed from her eyes as she looked up at me.
"Hey, everything's gonna be okay. I'll help you look for your family while I look for mine."
"Thank you, it's just. What if I can't find them?"
"We'll just have to try."
She nodded and I held my hand out towards her. We decided to stick together and look. A set of lights led up a hill and would be the next closest place to check. They led up a hill not too far away from us. Pointing it out, to the girl I now knew as Ayumu, she gasped.
"Those lights! My dad used to put those up around our house. He has to be up there" I expected her to leave me behind after finding proof of her family's survival but instead, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me along with her. The lights stood out from the debris and felt like the light at the end of the tunnel. After running for a bit, we made it to the top of the stairs. Ayumu left my side and ran to a man who was clearly her father. I was still hopeful that my family could be here too. The only person I recognized was a boy named Koga. He was the kind who you wouldn't notice unless you looked for him. I had always noticed him, I just didn't have the courage to speak up.
"Koga right? Nice to see you."
Removing his headphones and looking up at me he nodded. I decided to sit near him and he scooted over a little to give me space. It wasn't awkward but more of comfortable silence. More people began stumbling up the stairs in search of relatives. Ayumu at this point reunited with her mother, brother, and father. I was envious of them. They had all been reunited while Koga and I were by ourselves. They wouldn't have to travel by themselves, they had people to confide in. I felt like I had nothing. Everything had changed too quickly.
The city now looked like a painting. A work of art depicting a post-apocalyptic world. One you'd never wish to see in your backyard. Suddenly, a string of cell phones turned on and cell service was restored. I quickly went to take out my phone but the battery had died. Of all the fucking times this had to happen. Koga looked over my shoulder and lent me his phone without saying anything. It was subtle but it meant a lot. After multiple missed calls I returned the phone.
"Thank you. Sorry about that," He nodded and turned back but before I could strike up more of a conversation a helicopter was heard overhead. The group began looking up expecting help but instead, bodies began falling from the sky. One landed right in front of Koga and me. His brains splattered on the pavement like ground beef. It was like bodies were falling from the heavens, like the start of a zombie movie. Bodies got stuck in trees and landed on people's things. Disturbed, I pulled Koga away from the man in front of us. He was in a state of shock and so were many others. In trying to run away he fell over, taking me down with him. The helicopter dived and crashed at the makeshift camp I had met Ayumu at. All of those people were now dead too, I could've been one of those people. Koga had curled into a ball next to me and I wish I could've comforted him but shock kept me in place.
People around us began cleaning up the bodies on the ground and lining them up in order. It was a gruesome reminder that we had to leave soon. Getting set up to sleep, I found a spot away from everyone. Everything had changed too quickly. Sleep had never been so difficult, all I could imagine was being the next to die. Finally, I exhausted the thought and dozed off.
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I woke up to the ground shaking as an explosion set off in the distance. It was an alarming wake-up call. Our camp has begun to pack up and get ready because we couldn't stay here. The water from the ocean had reached the steps of our camp. It was left up to the group to decide what to do.
"Anyone with a phone should look it up, there has to be some information."
"Calm down, I can pull it up."
Everyone scrambled for their phone and tried to find out what was going on but proved almost impossible. Japan hadn't released any information on the disaster. We were left to fend for ourselves.
"Come see this!"
The video showed Okinawa sinking below the surface. The people around me began to panic but I was in shock. If Okinawa really did sink, does that mean we are next? Is there really any way for us to escape? Was the video even true?
"Y/N, do you believe it?" Ayumu asked, her skepticism was understandable. Watching a whole island sink was something out of a disaster movie. I shook my head, there was no way that all of Okinawa was gone.
"It's been established that Japan will be lifted by the tectonic plates, but there's no way it will sink."
"So it has to be a hoax!"
"You can't trust the media these days."
Even with everyone doubting the claims our group decided it would be best to head out. Staying at the camp could be a death trap from rising waters. Deciding to help out I started to move boxes and help others pack for the journey. Would I ever return here? Would I ever want to? This place felt like a hellhole but it was still home. Just as we were about to leave Ayumu pointed out Koga all by himself.
"We shouldn't leave him here by himself. Let's get him to come with us."Acting on the idea, we approached the boy. He sat alone and unmoving.
"You should come with us Koga, it's dangerous out here." He didn't even glance up at us so she continued, "Are you waiting for your mother? We can look for her together. Six eyes are better than two!"
He stood up and glanced at Ayumu and then me.
"She's dead," He stood up and left in front of us. Clearly, he didn't need the company right now but it encouraged me to make him not feel so alone.
At the end of the stairs was about ankle-deep water which was a telling sign that Japan was in trouble. Ayumu and I had stuck together after talking and as we entered the water Ayumu gasped.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah don't worry about me."
It probably wasn't anything serious but it never hurt to check. The soggy shoes and socks really put me in the mood to walk for miles. It was uncomfortable and added on to the idea that we were in hell.
"Ayumu where were you when the earthquakes hit?"
"I had just gotten out of practice, we were down in the locker rooms. Everyone had been crushed by lockers beside me. And I left them, I ran. It's all my fault they're dead cause I left them!"
Tears pooled in her eyes as she looked down. The guilt she was feeling was understandable but it truly wasn't her fault. Anyone in that situation probably would've run too.
"Hey, don't blame yourself. I would've done the same thing. Your teammates wouldn't blame you either."
She nodded at the idea and half-assed smiled.
"Thanks, Y/N, now what's' your story?"
"Nothing interesting, just walking home from school." I shrugged. The small talk helped make this walk more bearable. The streets I used to walk every day were now unrecognizable and the bodies that lay in the water were disturbing reminders of how our lives had changed. Our group now had to make a big decision Go left or go right. Either way leads to death.
"Since the epicenter was in Okinawa, the West is dangerous."
"But there are reports that Ibaraki is sinking. The East wouldn't be good."
I was conflicted. The rest of the group was guaranteed to go East but my only friend was going to go West. Which option truly seemed better?
"That nutcase submarine pilot, Onadera, was the one who claimed Japan was sinking. East is also home to distribution centers."
"Well, we're going west. Anyone who wants to come with us can." Ayumu's mom announced. Ayumu motioned for me to join them. It felt nice to be wanted with them so I walked over.
"Let's take a photo before we leave."
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A/N - Sorry this took so long, my wattpad was down for like a week!! Also, I'm trying to improve my passive voice misuse so if you notice anything please point it out! - not edited - Rach