Morning all. less awake today, but still need to get the day started so lets kick it off with the morning prompt. Timers set for fifteen minutes and off we go.
I like the idea of two strangers in a strange place faced with a natural disaster, I have only been through one earthquake though, hurricanes are the natural disaster I understand. I would have to look up more earthquake related info or use my own knowledge and shift the disaster to a hurricane. But I like the idea.
Wednesday, September 23rd: The aftershocks were severe.
The aftershocks were severe. As great as the damage was in the initial quake it felt like they were worse. Sam thought it might be because the things the quake shook loose were loose and therefore more mobile with the quake. She and Jay found a secure spot to wait it out. They huddled together under the heavy support beams and Sam found she was absurdly grateful not to be on her own. They rode out the quates and the aftershocks together.
Only when the world stopped moving, the earth once again feeling stable beneath their feet, did either of them move. They stood and for a moment, neither knew what to do.
Neither of them were local. Both she and Jay were brought in to consult on a project. They consulted and were on their way back to the hotel when everything started trembling. They were on foot, both of them wanting a breath of fresh air after hours of being cooped up in the conference room. They were talking about getting dinner together.
Since neither of them knew anyone in the city and the company had no further plans for them it seemed like a good idea.
They managed to discover that neither of them had food allergies or any real food restrictions when the world started shaking and they sought shelter. It wasn’t much of an association.
“Should we try to get back to the hotel?” Jay asked.
“That seems like it might be out best option,” Sam replied slowly. Jay nodded and took a deep breath. He stepped out from their shelter and looked up at the sky and then down at the ground before looking at the destruction.
Sam found herself hesitant to leave the shelter as well. It took more effort than was pretty to force herself out of this safe space and into the open of the sidewalk. All around them was chaos. The roads were buckled and sidewalks cracked. There were some slumped buildings and a few that looked moments away from crashing down.
“Our hotel is supposed to be earthquake proof,” Jay said as they started forward. While both of them managed to leave the shelter, neither felt like lingering.
“That’s good,” Sam said. She could hear the tension in her own voice. Jay nodded but said nothing. Together they slowly picked their way through the debris that was scattered around them. It was more of a hike than either of them planned and Sam was glad she chose ballet flats for today.
She was certain she would have blisters, but she was also sure that it would be much worse had she chosen the heels she brought with her. ‘Not that I could,’ she thought. The heels weren’t an option today. One of them snapped that morning when she put them on. Looking at it, she could see the tooth marks she hadn’t noticed before and knew the dog had been chewing on them again. Lucas’s dog seemed obsessed with her footwear. It caused many arguments and she was certain that it would be part of the reason she and Lucas broke up.
She knew they were heading there before he got the dog, but his inability to train or clean up after his dog was not helping matters. Today she was willing to look kindly on the dog as it meant she wasn’t hiking along a busted sidewalk in heels. She had sneakers in her bag and used them that morning in the hotel gym. While a better option, she knew they weren’t appropriate for the meeting.
