Chapter 22 - It Couldn't Last

— Darren —

It's been a few weeks now, and I've gotten the hang of the new job.

It's actually more demanding than my previous internship. Well, not at first. But they have this weird philosophy here that if you can take more, then you will. So my workload has been steadily increasing. I've been changed office a few times too.

I've seen the CEO, Benedict Gaines, only twice. The first time was the second day of work here. I suppose he was checking on how this was going and all that. It was formal, and short.

The second time was not that long ago. We crossed paths in the cafeteria and we ended up eating together, so we talked a bit more.

He said that the change in departments and workload was mostly until my supervisor found exactly what was right for me. That it wasn't too unusual, and depending on my performance and job availability, a work contract would be emitted after the end of my internship for a long-term position.

Even as an intern, I was getting a bigger salary than when I worked at my father's place, so that was nice. I'd moved into the apartment too. It belonged to friends of Sari, the Gamma's wife, which is how Eva learned about them and their need to have an apartment-sitter. The place was nice, clean, well decorated and fairly spacious.

It was situated in the town of Blakeden on of the Blakemore territories.

It was an old town, compact, with most streets being made of cobblestones. But it was vibrant and eclectic.

Not all residents were members of any of the packs. There were the guests. Which was people like me. My approval as guest came in last week. I believe that my connection to Eva did steamroll the process a bit. As a guest, I was considered a full citizen of Blakeden with all advantages and responsibilities that it enticed, but I was not a member of any of the packs. Then there were visitors. It was a more temporary status that required reviewing to keep it. As a guest of Blakeden, I could vote at townhall on local issues. Visitors couldn't. And then there are the outsiders. Those who goes through the city, as it's not completely close off, even humans could pass through.

Given that status, it became a haven of the supernatural. Most humans in town are clued in too. I've seen so far at least five different types of shifters, one troll, a mermaid, two vampires, and I've been told there's a lot more. Apparently, there are stories of a variety of haunted spots too.

I've never seen anything like this town.

Well, I wanted a change, and I got one. A big one.

Mr. Gaines told me a bit about the company too—the company, Celia, was apparently named after Eva's grandmother. He also told me about his wife who is Delta of Blakemore.

He seemed like a good guy. Competent. Well, dressed, well-mannered, and very respected.

By now I only had three weeks left to my internship and I'd be out of school for good, with a degree, a job, and a girlfriend. I still had over two months in the apartment for free, before I'd have to move. Eva and I were doing pretty well, and we spent most of our time outside of work together. Things were going fairly well for me.

Which is why it couldn't last.

Today was a day like any other.

I was at my computer, it was late in the morning, and my stomach had begun rumbling. Which is when everything began shaking. It's not the first time I'd experience an earthquake, but never one this massive.

Everything on my desk began clanking against one another, as they were on every other desks producing this massive dissonant drumming throughout the entire floor.

A few people yelped in surprise at first, but got quiet really quickly. Some went to hide under their desks, others froze in place.

It lasted a massive fifteen or twenty seconds.

Some things fell, mostly little things, a couple of panels from the ceiling, no real damage. Once the quake had subsided, I got up.

I heard someone yelp looking outside while others assessed the extent of the damage inside.

I checked by the window and screamed.

"Everyone away from the window, quick!" I put in all the authority and force an alpha wolf can. It's not as preternaturally powerful as an actual Alpha official could, but you'd be surprised how a simple tone of voice can be effective.

Not everyone moved in time, or quickly enough, and many just turned around to see what was going on.

I ran on the other side of the building, grabbing two people who weren't fast enough by their sleeve on my way, effectively dragging them.

Those who looked outside saw the next building, which was in construction, have a few of its incomplete floor crumble—mostly on the sidewalks and streets, some debris hitting the side of our building. But the massive crane that was installed for the construction of high-rises, tipped over and crashed straight on us.

When it hit, there was this massive thunder of matter against matter grinding in a howling twisting of metal and concrete. Within the same second, the jingle of broken glass proceeded to rain on us with knife-like shard that sprayed anyone near enough.

Then the metal infrastructure, slowly slid sideways, scraping the entire side of the building in a deafening roar, until it finally smashed against a lower section of the building, and we heard it partially fall to pieces.

And amongst the rubble falling, glass breaking, and the metal twisting in a wail, we also heard something bone chilling.

Screams.

Once some of us got our baring back under us, we began assessing the damage. I heard my supervisor directing people to the emergency stairs, and set about doing the same.

Thanks the heavens, no one was gravely hurt, and I left our floor along with the last of us.

I stopped at every floor, looking around in case someone was left behind before going down one more floor.

Some had gotten more injured than others, but they generally had someone to help them go down. I help set two splinters and wrap a few worrying cuts, before moving along.

Once outside, I could see the true extent of the damage.

Most buildings seemed relatively fine. Some signs had fallen, a few things that were not anchored fell. There was probably a massive mess in every building, but unless a building was in an infrastructural compromised state, I doubt anything crumbled—unless the epicentre was much further and this earthquake had been even more powerful than we felt.

Even the neighbouring under-construction building was still standing up, and the amount of damage was repairable, I speculated.

But the crane had done the worst damage by far on this street. The side facade of the Celia office had been mostly skinned off, pieces of the floor missing at places where it hit harder. The damage went probably as far as the twentieth or twenty-fifth floor. But the smaller section that was perpendicular to the building that only had seven floors, had the crane completely buried inside it, and the entire middle section was mostly collapsed.

There were tears all around me, moans of pain, complains, bafflement, anxious murmurs, but the worst came from the crushed section—screams, wailing, pleadings, and cries for help.

I didn't think about it. I didn't think about anything. I just walked straight to the fallen building, and slowly made my way amongst the rubble.

I tried to help anyone out of there.

It wasn't long before others joined in.

I oriented a few of them to start a chain getting rubble out, and rapidly, others in the street joined us, moving massive amount of material out of the way, and creating a second chain guiding the survivors out without having too many people constantly moving on unstable structures.

A few wolves helped with the bigger pieces. Given my ancestry, I could pull up more than any present without shifting, and I would lift sections slowly, then tell others to move in and grab whoever was stuck.

They were all covered in a thick layer of dust, making their skin and clothes concrete grey.

I had to be careful of what I was doing, because in the metropolis, there were human eyes everywhere, and cameras, and the emergency crew was on its way.

When we moved to more dangerous section deeper inside, I insisted on keeping the human Samaritans at bay. If me or any of the shifters would get injured, we had a better chance at healing than a plain human. It also meant that if they didn't see, I could let some of my wolf out to help me.

The few wolves helping out had rallied behind me and did what I asked.

I was used to doing this, ordering people around. Even though I had never technically been in charge at home, my relationship to my family did automatically give me gravitas. And though not much was asked of me, when things went sideways, people rapidly relied on me and let me take charge.

Though, here, those wolves probably knew nothing of my family background, they quickly realized the confidence I had and let me guide them.

I didn't feel like a leader though. I mostly felt shock. My movements automatic, my words instinctive, but my mind reeling still.

Twice, I asked for blankets, or coats, or something to help move out some who couldn't move themselves. And while I waited, I held their hands, tried to reassure them. One lost consciousness on the way. But the four other wolves with me, helped me take her out of the destruction.

The third one didn't move. When I got closer, I saw the skull partially caved in. There was so much blood. There were a few bubbles forming where the mouth and nose should be. I screamed for another blanket or anything to support him out of there, and moved everything out of the way. But by the time it came, I'd heard the rattling of death bubbling out of his throat.

There was nothing that could have saved him.

This thought didn't help me feel better regardless.

We slowly moved the body out, and I asked the guys to cover him as soon as possible not to expose him to the public and cameras.

I had a good nose. Better than most, and I tried to track any possible survivors out. It was so hard. There were so many smells—blood, piss, dust, the water from damaged pipes, metal, splintered wood. The air was thick with dust. It was everywhere and at times, I could barely blink it out of my eyes. I listened too. Any sounds, anything that could be a sign of life.

I heard a firefighter distantly tell me to get out.

I didn't.

I found signs of life in what was left of the lower levels. I had to crawl most of the way there. I moved excruciatingly slow, both because of lack of access and because I didn't want to move the wrong way and trigger a small avalanche of debris. I could hear the occasional tumble of matter around us. A few times I put pressure on something unstable, and I got tossed down, or sideways. I was sure I had a series of nasty bruises forming on my back and sides.

I reached three people, two women and a man. The man was unable to move, his path blocked. One of the women was pressed down by a massive piece of concrete that had probably been a floor at some point, and the third was trying her best, and failing, at retrieving the wailing woman on the ground. The man contorted in pain, probably more at the sound of agony from the woman, than from pain from injuries.

I made my way to him first.

"Help her first," he pleaded.

"I can't, I'm gonna need your help."

He nodded.

It took all I had to move the metal pieces away from him, and I felt my wolf surface at the extent of the effort required of me.

I distantly saw him gulp. My eyes had probably changed colours at this point, my nails lengthened. And the grunt I couldn't stop coming out, turned into a growl. I could barely stop before it became a roar.

Everyone froze. Even the crying woman stopped for a moment, and I got the man free.

He looked at me carefully, moving slowly and around me, at arm's length.

The woman kneeling by the other was a shifter, cat I believe. She recognized immediately what I was, but said nothing. The others were human.

I knew I should be more careful, but I didn't know how to save them otherwise.

I told the woman to be ready to drag her out of there the moment she could, and there was another piece that needed to be held up so I could reach the biggest piece. So I raised it and asked the man to hold it.

Then I went to the massive pieces of concrete to try and lift the heaviest thing I've ever lifted. And with every step I took towards her, I felt the floor shake slightly, unstable, and dangerous.