waves never came. At length, the tiny pill relieved more of her pain and her breathing grew less strained, "Good," she whispered.
Abruptly furious again, Jenna's eyes turned wild and the muscles in her jaw tightened, "Good? How can you say that?"
"Calm down, Sugar. I was talking about the pain. It's better."
"Oh."
"And, I think the worst is over," Seely said.
"But the ground keeps moving. What if we fall?"
"I don't think we'll fall. I think this building is going to hold."
"You do?"
Seely didn't answer. Instead she closed her eyes and prayed for the rest of her pain to stop. Her face was smudged with dirt and blood, and the hair on top of her head held a thick layer of plaster dust. It seemed like an eternity but the pain finally let up a little more and her breathing returned to near normal. "I think we're going to survive this, like it or not. Best we get to work."
But Jenna didn't move, "What sort of work?"
This time Seely's eyes held a hint of mischief when she answered, "First, we have to see if anyone else is still up here. Then we need to go get the earthquake kit."
Her whole demeanor rapidly changed and Jenna began to giggle, "You mean the one you and Paul had that awful fight over?"
"Uh huh."
"You bought it anyway?"
"I did. It's not the big one, but it will do." Cautiously, Seely began moving her legs to check for broken bones. They hurt, but they moved and her chest pain didn't come back. "I ended up buying most of it myself." Playfully, she put one hand on her hip, "I hope that old tight wad is alive somewhere and hasn't got a drop of water to drink. And when this is over, I'm going to kick him in the shins."
"Me too," Jenna giggled.
Seely brushed the debris off her lap and straightened her blood stained, white blouse. "We have to get to the earthquake kit before dark. We’ve got flashlights, food, medical supplies, and water." She waited for Jenna to get up, and then tried to get to her knees. Every bone in her body signaled its bruised and battered state and her chest hurt again. Instinctively, she sat back down.
Jenna's face filled with concern, "I can do it by myself. You rest."
"Maybe you're right." Seely eased into a more comfortable sitting position and rested her head against the wall.
"I know, you could lay down on the door." Jenna grabbed the side of the fallen door, groaned as she lifted it, and then leaned it against the wall. Next, she began scooting rubbish out of the way with her feet so she could lay it down flat.
Just then, the muffled sound of a man's voice filled the hallway, "Help! Is anybody there? Help me!"
Seely's mouth dropped, "Timmy? I thought he went home."
In the hallway, loose cables dangled through holes left by missing tiles in the ceiling, broken tiles cluttered the floor and three metal filing cabinets with spilled drawers completely blocked the pathway back to the kitchenette and the large room.
CHAPTER 7
As the crow flies, sixteen-year-old James McClurg lived 140 miles southwest of Seattle, in the small town of Yakima, Washington. Between the farmlands of Yakima and the bustling city, lay the Cascade Mountain range and the dormant volcano, Mt. Rainier. He lived with his parents and fourteen-year old sister in a modest, three-bedroom home surrounded by four acres of land. An array of large trees and well-kept gardens gracefully surrounded the house and lined the two-lane driveway.
Seated in a well-worn easy chair and engrossed in a magazine, James was startled by both the first and the second Seattle earthquake. It was little more than a hard jolt each time, but the foundation of the house creaked and his cat dashed under his bed. With light brown hair and blue eyes, James cautiously got up, walked to his bedroom window and looked toward Mt. Rainier. He saw no rising smoke and no ash filling the hot summer sky. Whatever happened, Mt. Rainier had not erupted -- not yet anyway. He sat back down and returned to his reading.
His was a
Abruptly furious again, Jenna's eyes turned wild and the muscles in her jaw tightened, "Good? How can you say that?"
"Calm down, Sugar. I was talking about the pain. It's better."
"Oh."
"And, I think the worst is over," Seely said.
"But the ground keeps moving. What if we fall?"
"I don't think we'll fall. I think this building is going to hold."
"You do?"
Seely didn't answer. Instead she closed her eyes and prayed for the rest of her pain to stop. Her face was smudged with dirt and blood, and the hair on top of her head held a thick layer of plaster dust. It seemed like an eternity but the pain finally let up a little more and her breathing returned to near normal. "I think we're going to survive this, like it or not. Best we get to work."
But Jenna didn't move, "What sort of work?"
This time Seely's eyes held a hint of mischief when she answered, "First, we have to see if anyone else is still up here. Then we need to go get the earthquake kit."
Her whole demeanor rapidly changed and Jenna began to giggle, "You mean the one you and Paul had that awful fight over?"
"Uh huh."
"You bought it anyway?"
"I did. It's not the big one, but it will do." Cautiously, Seely began moving her legs to check for broken bones. They hurt, but they moved and her chest pain didn't come back. "I ended up buying most of it myself." Playfully, she put one hand on her hip, "I hope that old tight wad is alive somewhere and hasn't got a drop of water to drink. And when this is over, I'm going to kick him in the shins."
"Me too," Jenna giggled.
Seely brushed the debris off her lap and straightened her blood stained, white blouse. "We have to get to the earthquake kit before dark. We’ve got flashlights, food, medical supplies, and water." She waited for Jenna to get up, and then tried to get to her knees. Every bone in her body signaled its bruised and battered state and her chest hurt again. Instinctively, she sat back down.
Jenna's face filled with concern, "I can do it by myself. You rest."
"Maybe you're right." Seely eased into a more comfortable sitting position and rested her head against the wall.
"I know, you could lay down on the door." Jenna grabbed the side of the fallen door, groaned as she lifted it, and then leaned it against the wall. Next, she began scooting rubbish out of the way with her feet so she could lay it down flat.
Just then, the muffled sound of a man's voice filled the hallway, "Help! Is anybody there? Help me!"
Seely's mouth dropped, "Timmy? I thought he went home."
In the hallway, loose cables dangled through holes left by missing tiles in the ceiling, broken tiles cluttered the floor and three metal filing cabinets with spilled drawers completely blocked the pathway back to the kitchenette and the large room.
CHAPTER 7
As the crow flies, sixteen-year-old James McClurg lived 140 miles southwest of Seattle, in the small town of Yakima, Washington. Between the farmlands of Yakima and the bustling city, lay the Cascade Mountain range and the dormant volcano, Mt. Rainier. He lived with his parents and fourteen-year old sister in a modest, three-bedroom home surrounded by four acres of land. An array of large trees and well-kept gardens gracefully surrounded the house and lined the two-lane driveway.
Seated in a well-worn easy chair and engrossed in a magazine, James was startled by both the first and the second Seattle earthquake. It was little more than a hard jolt each time, but the foundation of the house creaked and his cat dashed under his bed. With light brown hair and blue eyes, James cautiously got up, walked to his bedroom window and looked toward Mt. Rainier. He saw no rising smoke and no ash filling the hot summer sky. Whatever happened, Mt. Rainier had not erupted -- not yet anyway. He sat back down and returned to his reading.
His was a
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