large crack running the entire length. “Mom, are you okay?”
“What about her bathroom?” I shone the beam over the room and found the door to the bathroom. “She might have hid in the bath, didn’t you say she did that once, when she watched a documentary about the 2012 Mayan prophecy?”
Alec laughed. “Yeah, you’re right.”
He was smiling all the way to the bathroom, but it left his face quickly when we opened up the door and I let the flash show us what was in the bath ... Nothing.
“Shit!”
“Don’t panic, we’ll find her, Alec. Did she say anything about leaving tonight, going to a neighbors, anything like that?” I eyed the broken mirror and then let my eyes move to the floor, it looked like water had shot from the toilet during the quake.
“No. She was staying in, having a few drinks, a few glasses of wine, with her friend. They were going to watch Dirty Dancing for the millionth time.”
“Maybe she went to the store, to get a bottle of wine?”
“Maybe, it’s possible, but I doubt it. She isn’t the last minute type, though. She’s got a rack full in the kitchen, well, I’m sure it’s empty now.”
“Perhaps the best thing to do, is to wait here until she comes back? If we leave and go looking for her, we might miss her, and we’ll most likely end up lost too, she’ll have to come looking for us then, and it will turn into a big cluster-fuck of a situation.”
“Why don’t I just call her?”
“Because it would appear we’re both stupid and don’t think of sensible things like that.” We both smiled. “Your cell in your bedroom?”
“Nope, down the front of my panties.” He pulled his skirt up and removed his cell. He dialed and placed it to his ear. “There’s no dial tone. It’s dead.” He threw it across the room, it clattered somewhere in the dark. “What’s going on here? It seems big, whatever it is.”
“We’ll find your mom, don’t worry.” Fear was starting to grip me every time I had to reassure Alec. “Let’s check on the neighbors, see if they have any idea.” I didn’t want to leave the apartment but I wanted to find his mom. She’d been so good to me. I didn’t like the idea of her being lost in the dark, or injured, a heavy object not tied down enough, fallen on her leg, or some other nightmarish shit like that.
“Okay.” He grabbed my hand and we entered the living room.
I stopped, forcing him to do the same. “Look at the windows, Alec. No lights. This is city wide.” I could make out the outline of the buildings against the night sky; see some flashlights flickering in some of the windows in the distance, people with the same idea as us.
“Yeah, seems like it. I told you it was big. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Terrorist attack?” My heart sunk as I asked it.
“Dear God, I hope not.”
“We’ll find her.”
We opened up the door to the apartment and peeked our heads out; I squeezed my arm through the gap and shone the flash to the left. It was empty, just as dark as everywhere else, more cracks in the walls, dust hanging in the air.
“Hello!” Alec called out. We got no response.
We turned to the right and I angled the beam in that direction. Nothing.
“Hello! Does anyone know what’s going on?” Alec asked.
A door started to open, three down, on the opposite side. It creaked and then we saw a light shine through the gap. “Hello!”
“Mister Harington, is that you?” Alec opened our door fully and we both stepped into the corridor. I bounced on my heels a few times, checking the floor was secure. I didn’t like the look of the cracks. The building suddenly didn’t feel quite as safe.
Then I thought about my little brother. He’d be petrified. My dad would be a useless comfort. He’d just be screaming at him, telling him to pipe down, shut his trap, quit his bitching and crying. I hated that man with a passion.
“Yeah, it’s me. That you, Alec?”
“Yeah, and June.”
“Hi,
“What about her bathroom?” I shone the beam over the room and found the door to the bathroom. “She might have hid in the bath, didn’t you say she did that once, when she watched a documentary about the 2012 Mayan prophecy?”
Alec laughed. “Yeah, you’re right.”
He was smiling all the way to the bathroom, but it left his face quickly when we opened up the door and I let the flash show us what was in the bath ... Nothing.
“Shit!”
“Don’t panic, we’ll find her, Alec. Did she say anything about leaving tonight, going to a neighbors, anything like that?” I eyed the broken mirror and then let my eyes move to the floor, it looked like water had shot from the toilet during the quake.
“No. She was staying in, having a few drinks, a few glasses of wine, with her friend. They were going to watch Dirty Dancing for the millionth time.”
“Maybe she went to the store, to get a bottle of wine?”
“Maybe, it’s possible, but I doubt it. She isn’t the last minute type, though. She’s got a rack full in the kitchen, well, I’m sure it’s empty now.”
“Perhaps the best thing to do, is to wait here until she comes back? If we leave and go looking for her, we might miss her, and we’ll most likely end up lost too, she’ll have to come looking for us then, and it will turn into a big cluster-fuck of a situation.”
“Why don’t I just call her?”
“Because it would appear we’re both stupid and don’t think of sensible things like that.” We both smiled. “Your cell in your bedroom?”
“Nope, down the front of my panties.” He pulled his skirt up and removed his cell. He dialed and placed it to his ear. “There’s no dial tone. It’s dead.” He threw it across the room, it clattered somewhere in the dark. “What’s going on here? It seems big, whatever it is.”
“We’ll find your mom, don’t worry.” Fear was starting to grip me every time I had to reassure Alec. “Let’s check on the neighbors, see if they have any idea.” I didn’t want to leave the apartment but I wanted to find his mom. She’d been so good to me. I didn’t like the idea of her being lost in the dark, or injured, a heavy object not tied down enough, fallen on her leg, or some other nightmarish shit like that.
“Okay.” He grabbed my hand and we entered the living room.
I stopped, forcing him to do the same. “Look at the windows, Alec. No lights. This is city wide.” I could make out the outline of the buildings against the night sky; see some flashlights flickering in some of the windows in the distance, people with the same idea as us.
“Yeah, seems like it. I told you it was big. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Terrorist attack?” My heart sunk as I asked it.
“Dear God, I hope not.”
“We’ll find her.”
We opened up the door to the apartment and peeked our heads out; I squeezed my arm through the gap and shone the flash to the left. It was empty, just as dark as everywhere else, more cracks in the walls, dust hanging in the air.
“Hello!” Alec called out. We got no response.
We turned to the right and I angled the beam in that direction. Nothing.
“Hello! Does anyone know what’s going on?” Alec asked.
A door started to open, three down, on the opposite side. It creaked and then we saw a light shine through the gap. “Hello!”
“Mister Harington, is that you?” Alec opened our door fully and we both stepped into the corridor. I bounced on my heels a few times, checking the floor was secure. I didn’t like the look of the cracks. The building suddenly didn’t feel quite as safe.
Then I thought about my little brother. He’d be petrified. My dad would be a useless comfort. He’d just be screaming at him, telling him to pipe down, shut his trap, quit his bitching and crying. I hated that man with a passion.
“Yeah, it’s me. That you, Alec?”
“Yeah, and June.”
“Hi,
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