by Clare Revell
Time slowed. Screams echoed and hung in the air as people tried in vain to outrun it.
The onslaught moved towards him and picked up both and DC Blondell and himself. Joel was twisted around and tossed into something firm and unyielding. He landed hard, winded. He managed to raise his arm in front of his face to protect his head as much as he could as mud piled up against him.
Joel forced himself to take a deep breath, coughing violently. Pressed against the wall, he could do nothing as the onward tide of destruction moved inexorably around him, moving up his legs, past his waist, towards his chest. His stomach knotted and fear filled him. I’m going to die. Lord, let it be swift. Protect Faith. Don’t let her suffer too much. Fighting to draw in another breath, he closed his eyes. Nothing he could do, but accept his death.
Then there was silence. As frightening as the noise and movement had been, the silence was deafening and eerie. Joel stood there, struggling to take in what happened. Everywhere he looked was black. A thick, damp, smelly mass of mud and debris pinned him to the wall.
Leaning down, Joel tried to scoop away the mass from his legs. The mud had compacted so much under its own weight, he found it almost impossible. Frustration compounded his fear. He had to get out of here. He had to find Faith.
She was out there somewhere. Lord, keep her safe. He had no idea how long he kept digging until he was free enough to move. The one remaining light flickered. Nothing looked like it had a few minutes ago and he had no idea where to go.
Someone cried out and Joel turned to the direction the voice had come from. Was someone else alive in here? “Hello?”
“Over here. I can’t move.” The female voice shook with fear.
He crawled slowly towards the voice. “What’s your name?”
“Sara.”
Joel’s fingers hit something hard and roamed across it until he found an edge. It must be the desk. Grunting with effort he pulled the wood away. The receptionist from last night looked up at him. He stuck a hand into the hole and pulled her free.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His voice muffled in the snow, hung in the thick air. “Let’s get out of here.” He turned in the enclosed space and crawled towards the glimmer of light coming from his right.
His thoughts turned back to Faith and he prayed she was all right. Maybe she got out.
Joel reached the patch of light. He clawed for handholds as he struggled upwards. His feet slid from under him. Gasping for breath he pulled himself out into the damp air and put a hand back inside to pull Sara free.
He straightened and glanced around. His heart stopped and a strangled cry fought its way up and out.
“Noooo.”
Lamp posts lay across the deep mud, or stood broken, sticking up from the devastation. Cars protruded mangled and twisted. Bricks, mortar and trees intermingled in the black mass that covered everything. A doll lay by his feet, its eyes and broken head staring up in a macabre fashion at the misty sky, its owner nowhere in sight. There were no houses, no trees, nothing—just a flat black landscape. Nothing was recognizable in this land of utter devastation.
Joel turned around to face where he’d come. Perhaps there’d be some sign of the lodge, so he could go and find Faith. But there was nothing.
The lodge and the town as far as he could see were gone.
9
Joel blinked hard, trying to make sense of what he could see. A pungent odor of sewage and wet earth hung over the area. Lord God, be with those buried under here. Help me find Faith, please.
Hands trembling, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He expected it to be broken or not have a signal. Relief filled him when neither of those possibilities turned out to be true. Thank you, Lord. He punched 9-9-9 and waited.
“Emergency. Which service do you require?”
“All of them. And mountain rescue. There’s been a landslide in Caergele. Half the town is gone. There are people buried. Tell them to hurry.” He hung up and redialed his home phone to speak to Elliott. It went straight to the answerphone. “El, it’s me. We’re still in Caergele. We got caught in the landslide. I’m fine, but Faith is missing. I’m going to look for her. I love you, bro.”
Joel hung up and started to half scramble, half slide down the debris to where he thought the main part of the Travelodge lay buried. He could hear a few people around.
A heart rending scream hung dully in the misty air.
A child cried out, calling for its mother.
A corner of a window frame protruded at an odd angle. Dropping to his knees, Joel started to pull at the mud, trying to uncover the window.
Please Lord, let her be OK. Let me find her.
Someone knelt beside him, hands reaching to help clear the mud and rubble. Joel glanced up.
An older gentleman, blood trickling from a cut on his head looked at him. Tears glistened in his eyes. “My wife’s here. I only left her for a moment.”
Joel touched his arm in sympathy. “My girlfriend, too.” A bucket appeared beside him and he started to fill it. When it was full, another appeared in its place. Emergency sirens filled the air. More men arrived, choosing to concentrate their efforts on where the school lay buried.
“Everybody quiet!” The digging stopped and silence fell. The same voice called again. “Is anyone there?”
No answering call came and the digging resumed.
His movements became frantic. Faith was under here and if they didn’t find her it’d be too late. He pulled the rest of the mud clear from the window. Scrunching tightly, he brought his knees up and punched his feet hard against the glass several times until it shattered. He kicked the broken glass away and edged himself into the hole.
“Don’t be an idiot, man,” someone yelled. “Let mountain rescue do that.”
Joel glanced up. “No time to wait.” He pushed with his hands, slithering down into the darkness, dropping further than he expected and landing hard. It was pitch dark, wet and cold. Pain shot through him as he hit the ground. “Agh.”
“Are you all right?” the voice called down to him.
“Yeah.” A flashlight landed at Joel’s feet. “Thanks.” He turned it on and shone it first one way and then the other.
The floor twisted and writhed under his feet. The building creaked and groaned.
He knew he had to move fast, but which way did he go?
He gasped as the light fell on the plaque on the wall. Second floor? Was the mud that deep? Where were the other two floors and how did he get down to the ground floor from here?
Another man dropped down beside him. Joel looked at him. He wore caving gear and had a helmet on his head.
“Cave rescue. I need you out of here, mate.”
Joel shook his head. “I have to find my girlfriend. She’s trapped in here.”
“A lot of people are trapped, but the building’s not safe.”
“All the more reason to let me help you search. The more people looking the faster it will be.” Joel looked at the other man. “I’m not leaving without her. Please…”
~*~
Faith struggled to open her eyes, only to find it pitch dark. Her head hurt. Something heavy lay on her legs, pinning them to the floor. A trickle of water ran down into her eyes and she wiped it away, trying to push upright. At least she wasn’t blindfolded. A groan came from somewhere to her right. “Joel?” Her voice was husky and her throat hurt.
“Not Joel.” Damien’s voice snarled and hissed.
Terror flooded her. It wasn’t a dream. It was real.
Damien had hurt her again, this time not being careful about the marks showing. Was that why she couldn’t move? Had he gone too far and really hurt her this time? It didn’t matter. She was tired of giving into him.
Sitting up, she moved her hands and felt around her. Without her sight, she had to rely on touch and hearing. Whatever was under her fingers was wet, slimy and stank. Feeling further, she tried to move what was on her le
gs, but it was too heavy. “What happened?”
“I don’t know—earthquake maybe. Either way we’re trapped in here.” A crash accompanied his voice. “This torch doesn’t give enough light to see anything by.”
If he had a torch why couldn’t she see the light of it? Had something happened to her eyes? They were sore, as if there were a load of grit or sleepy dust in them. Faith felt around her. Lifting some of the wet stuff to her lips, she tasted it. Mud with grit and …
She spat it out, the earthy, metallic taste staying in her mouth. “I can’t see.”
“Me, me, me—that’s all you think about. There must be a way out.”
Faith listened as he moved, trying to gauge where he was. Was Damien actually afraid of something? She prayed as she sat trapped. God was with her, who could stand against her? She wasn’t going to be scared of Damien any longer. Nor was she going to let him hurt her again, at least not without a fight. She felt around her for something to protect herself with.
Her fingers closed on something cold and hard. Her nose wrinkled as she tried to work out what it was. Piping? She squinted and then gasped as red, hot burning pain stabbed through her eyes.
She took a deep breath. OK, I hurt my eyes. That’s why I can’t see. I have four other senses—use those.
A clock ticked to her right. Damien was swearing again to her left. Faith could see the layout of the room in her mind, but it didn’t match what her ears were telling her. The clock had been in front of her, yet she was definitely on the floor and to the side where there had been no floor space before. Whatever happened must have been big and either thrown her across the room or flattened the whole room somehow. She’d seen a film where that happened—all three stories ended up flat on the ground like a pack of cards, with small air pockets or tunnels where rooms and corridors had once been.
Damien’s footsteps grew closer.
Her fingers gripped the pipe tightly. “If you help free me, we’d get out of here faster.”
“I was going to kill you, Faith, but I’ll leave you buried as a victim of the disaster. I’ll even help bury you further.”
Something creaked and the weight on top of her legs increased. She screamed.
Damien’s hand cradled her face. “Shh. No one can hear you. Nobody cares.”
She turned away. “Don’t touch me.”
“You’re not listening to me, are you? You never listen.”
“You’re the one not listening to me.” The words were out before she could stop them, but it felt good to finally not kowtow to him.
A string of expletives followed as Damien’s hand connected hard with her face, forcing it sideways. Pain shot through her eyes and she cried out.
“What did you say?”
She turned towards him, her hand tightening on the pipe. “I said you’re the one who doesn’t listen.” She lifted the pipe knowing where he was from his aftershave. She lashed out hearing a thud and cry of pain as it connected with his body.
He swore loudly. “You’ll pay for that.” He wrenched the pipe from her hand. It clattered to the floor some distance away. His fingers ran down her arm and pulled up her sleeve. Cold air brushed her skin, followed by swift pain as he cut her.
She cried out, tears burning in her eyes. Something wet trickled the length of her arm as Damien yanked her sleeve back down to hide what he’d done.
“It won’t take long, Faith. You’ll fall asleep, be dead before you know it.”
“If you say so.” Faith’s voice shook, her left hand continuing to push at the mud covering her. “I can hear someone talking. To the right.”
Damien moved away, banging on the wall. “In here. Help.”
Faith’s fingers touched something sticky. She raised her fingers to her nose. Blood. She shivered, her thoughts turning to Joel. Was he alive or dead?
I’m so cold and so scared. It’s so dark. Please, let Joel get out, let him be OK. It doesn’t matter what happens to me, I’m dying anyway, but keep Joel safe. Thank You that I worked with someone I admired and got to know him and love him. Be with Grace and Rick and Mum and Dad…and Hope.
“I found a way out. I can see daylight.” Damien’s voice rose in excitement.
Faith turned her head towards him. “Take me with you.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Damien snapped. “I’m getting out of here alone. I’ve had enough of you. I’ll—” His voice broke off as the ground moved once more.
A crashing, rumbling filled the air and a rush of wind pressed down on her, pushing her flat onto the floor. She instinctively closed her eyes and flung an arm over her face as the ceiling cracked above her, and fell. A scream came from her left, cut off suddenly and then there was silence.
Faith opened her eyes. More red hot pain pierced her face. “Damien?”
There was no answer. Where was he? Had he left her after all? She could no longer feel her legs which was a blessing. Silence pressed down on her. The clock no longer ticked. A trickling came from her left. Breathing hurt, but she was alive.
She was alone and blind in the dark.
No, not alone. Never alone.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want... Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me… Not alone, never alone...”
10
Joel kept moving forwards slowly. His insistence had paid off and he’d been paired with a pretty red-headed mountain rescuer called Alba. He didn’t think she liked the arrangement, but too bad—in fact he hadn’t expected any of the mountain rescue people to be female, but Alba certainly knew what she was doing.
Joel wasn’t about to leave without finding Faith, no matter how long it took. They should have left at eight o’clock and stopped for food on the way, like he’d wanted. Not allowed DC Blondell to talk him into shopping and leaving at nine-thirty to avoid the rush hour traffic.
The gap narrowed and they had to crawl on their bellies for several feet until the opening widened. His flashlight illuminated part of a green sign with a white letter ‘G’.
“Look.” Joel shone the light over the sign. “We seem to be on the ground floor. Hopefully not much further.”
Alba nodded. “I’ve seen this before, several years ago. The force of an avalanche knocked the whole building onto its side. Pancaked the floors in places so we didn’t know which level we were on. We didn’t find anyone alive in that.”
Joel pulled open a door, jumping back as a slew of mud and debris slid out. He gasped as a body landed at his feet, the vacant eyes staring up at him. He turned away, praying for the man’s family.
The building creaked and rocked, sending both Joel and Alba to the floor. Ceiling tiles crashed around them, and Joel put his hands over his head in an effort to protect himself. The rumbling faded and the two of them checked themselves over.
“Team two, report.” The urgent voice crackled from the radio.
Alba pulled the radio from her jacket. “We’re fine, Bill. Seem to be on the ground floor now.”
“We’re pulling everyone out. It’s not safe.”
Joel shook his head. “I’m not going. We’re almost there.”
On the other end of the radio, Bill didn’t hide his irritation. “Tell him I heard that. This is a direct order. Pull out now.”
Alba looked at Joel. “OK, on our way.” She let go of the transmit button and winked. “As soon as we check the rest of this corridor, but no further.”
Joel shot her a grateful smile. “It’s not far, or shouldn’t be. Its room fifteen.” He shone the torch on the wall. “See that’s twenty.”
Alba nodded. “If it were my husband, I’d feel the same way. Need to make it really fast though. The whole place is unstable. The weight of the mud could crush it at any time.”
Joel jerked his head, moving carefully down the hallway. There was a definite slant to the floor now, which hadn’t been there a few minutes before. He he’d lived with Elliott long enough to know that wasn�
��t a good sign.
The flashlight lit the numbers on the doors. He wondered if many were trapped, but didn’t stop. Alba was checking as they went, but so far they’d found no one alive. Please, God, let her be OK.
The flashlight found seventeen... sixteen...fifteen. Finally. “Here!”
The door bowed outwards. “Faith!” Joel tugged on the handle. Was he too late? Had Damien killed her before the landslide hit or had that just done the job for him?
Lord, let me find her. Please. I can’t lose someone else. You can’t have brought her into my life, let her melt the ice around my heart, only to take her away. Not like this, please.
Joel pulled hard on the door. The building shook again, and his efforts became more frantic.
Alba appeared at his side. “We have to get out now.”
“Two minutes!” Joel pulled at the door. “Help me, don’t just stand there.” He slid his fingers between the door and jamb and pulled with all his might.
Alba helped tug and inch by inch the door moved. A shaft of sunlight streamed through it.
Blinking in the brightness, Joel and Alba forced the door open. Joel stepped through into a scene of utter devastation. Nothing was recognizable from the room he’d left a few short hours ago. Mud and broken furniture filled the room, spilling inwards from where the wall used to be. The broken window let in the sunlight. Someone had obviously started to clear it.
“Faith!”
Where was she?
“Joel, over here. I found someone.”
Joel followed Alba’s voice and clambered over to her. He looked down at Damien, a piece of metal piping sticking upright from his leg.
“Help me…” Damien groaned.
Joel bent down and grabbed Damien’s collar tightly, shaking him. “Where’s Faith? What have you done with her?”
“She’s dead. Help me.”
Joel snarled, biting back what he longed to say. He let go and turned frantically scouring the room with his gaze. “Faith? Faith, answer me. Where are you?”
A faint moan came from his left.