Trapped by an earthquake, by V.I.

Trapped by an earthquake

                                                        by V.I.

God, I wished this agony would end. How long had I been here? Stuck under this pile of rubbish, the minutes seemed like hours and each minute intensified the searing pain shooting into my body from my right leg, trapped under a fallen beam.

I could feel the dust settling on to my face. The air rasped into my lungs and with each breath I inhaled grit and what felt like shards of glass.

I remember when the earthquake struck, staring in disbelief as the ceiling tiles fell and my colleagues scrambled, as I did, to hide under desks, calling out to each other in fear and amazement.

Now, in the dark, I forced my mind away from the pain, tried to gather myself to call for help.

With a groan the building around me shuddered as another shock rattled the precarious remains. My heart accelerated in panic and I closed my eyes again – my inner darkness was preferable to the stygian blackness of the world around me.

I tried to clear my throat and moisten my lips. ‘Help!” I croaked, my voice a mere whisper in the chaos.

I ran my hands over my body feeling for injuries. A sticky spot on my forehead showed where I had been hurt in my fall. Had I fallen? I didn’t remember. The pain intensified and again I fell once more into darkness.

When I awoke I was warm, hot even. I could smell smoke and hear crackling. How much more fearful would I get? How much more horror could my mind and body stand?

I focused my thoughts on my family. Where was my husband? My son? Had the earthquake caught them too – at home? At school?

Would I ever see them again?