Chapter 4

I ascended the care center at the corner that didn't collapse in the shockwave. Some of the bricks protruded and made it easy to climb.

My back hurting every time I moved my left arm, but I pushed through. Scratching my hands in the process I reached the top and stood up.

It looked bad. The floor, or ceiling rather, could collapse at any moment. Maybe the momentum of the tonnage could even break through and trap or squash those gathering in the basement.

"I have to hurry!"

Balancing on the edge of the remainder of the brick wall, I reached the canteen. I found that a large hole had collapsed to the kitchen. The ceiling still in one piece, allowing me to slide down, and I avoided the rubble at the end.

My back jolted again, and I clenched my teeth, closing my eyes for a second before I continued.

Pots, pans, and all kind of kitchen gear was spread everywhere in one big mess. A large metal table was firmly fixed into the floor and went all way the down through the long kitchen room. I jumped onto it. Seemed like the easiest way to reach the door into the canteen.

"Anette, can you hear me?" I yelled as I emerged from the kitchen.

"YES! Yes, I can! Come quickly!"

I looked around the canteen and had to turn my gaze back towards Anette, while my stomach turned inside me.

I squeezed my way trough the rubble and reached the door where she was still holding Emil's hand. 

He had opened his eyes and smiled weakly when he saw me. He was very old and looked frail. Even more so, being stuck beneath chairs and tables. The coffee machine was the worst. It was tilted against the furniture, securing it firmly in place.

"How is he?" I asked Anette since Emil didn't seem strong enough to answer.

"I think he is fine, just very weak and his left foot is stuck. He told me he could move his body before he got too tired to talk."

I followed his body with my eyes, ending at his legs, were indeed, his left foot was stuck. The chairs and tables had metal rods between their legs, to make them more solid or stable. His foot was caught between them at the point where the mixed together.

"I have to move the coffee machine to reduce pressure, before I can get him free."

"Just hurry up!!" she said and looked at Emil, "you'll be out soon. Just bear with it. It might hurt when he tries to remove the stuff trapping you."

Emil growled. I took it as a sign to begin. 

The machine was big and heavy, made of metal. I tried to grab it on both sides and tilt it backwards towards me.

"ARRRGH FUCK!" my back jolted so strongly, stars dancing before my eyes.

"What happened?" Anette winched in surprise.

I sat down. My body sweaty.

"I hurt my back when I got hit by the blast."

Anette was quiet for a while, and I regained my posture.

"Can you make it?" She asked.

"Yeah. Ill try to find something to use as a lever."

My eyes quickly scanned the room, purposely skipping the end table where a large flat screen tv used to hang on the wall. 

A metal-broom! That's it. I grabbed the shaft and quickly went back to the machine.

I found a dent and forcibly stuck the metal end of the broom beneath the machine. Pushing upward hard. It finally moved. Holding the broom with one hand, supporting with my left foot, and biting through the pain. I slammed my right hand against the machine and pushing with all my might. It crashed backwards, making all the furniture jump and Emil gave a loud cry of pain.

"Are you okay?!" It was Anette, concerned about Emil, as his face distorted in pain. He didn't answer, eyes and mouth squinted in an ugly grimace.

I quickly removed the table and the chair beneath, freeing his foot.

"Its broken." The ancle bone was clearly visible.

"Why couldn't you do it properly, are you dense?!" Anette sounded mad.

I might just have saved his life! Maybe her personality was as strict as her face.

No. I caught her gaze, as she looked through the door, that had opened. She was just worried, her eyes clearly stated that fact.

"You did good" she said, while looking at me.

"Thank you" I smiled. "I can't carry him alone Anette. You need to grab his legs."

She looked around. "That table you moved. I think there is wheels on it. A lot in the cantina is like that, makes it easier to arrange according to needs."

I quickly moved to the table. She was right. I turned it over and gave it a small push. It worked.

"Grab his legs, let's put him on the table."

She complied. When Emil was firmly on the table, she investigated the cantina and screamed.

"NOOOO!!"

She sat down and cried uncontrollably. She had seen what had happened to her red-haired coworker.

She was trying to cover two of the old people as the shockwave hit. The flatscreen had impaled them all in a grotesque manner.

We were moving in the hallway again, Anette in the lead and Emil on the table. Passed out, from old age and weakness, or just the pain alone, I didn't know. 

*KRUEEEECK* 

A high pinched noise pierced the air, as the zigzag-crack on the wall tore open.

The wall fell half a meter, and some of the doors into the apartments along the wall burst into pieces.

"It's going to collapse; we have to run!" I yelled at Anette.

We ran. Pushing the table with Emil along. Reaching the main entrance, I helped Anette and Emil outside. Telling her to stay there.

I ran back, descending the stairs to the basement in one single jump. Ignoring the pain, I ran towards the chief office. Inside where a lot of people. Mainly old people with gray hair. A few younger in uniforms. 

Spotting Chioma, I gained eye contact; "We must leave, NOW! It's going to collapse!"

She reacted immediately. I admired her for that. No bullshit. Just action.

"Everyone! You heard him. MOVE!"

The people where shocked. But they knew Chioma, she was kind, but didn't kid around when things got serious. So, they listened and quickly started to abandon the room and moving outside. 

There were still a few left inside when it happened.

A huge shock shook the ground as the ceiling started to loosen, falling half a meter. Luckily everyone was already squatting, during the shock in the ground, so no one hurt their heads.

The ceiling continued to bend, a centimeter, then two, five.

"RUN! NOW!" I yelled.

Instantly I grabbed the closest metallic office table and turned it upside down and sideways, pulling it under the bulge of the ceiling. I Had to hold it in place, but already the office table was starting to break under the weight.

Chioma looked back at me, with intense eyes, while supporting the last elderly outside.

"MOVE FREY!!" 

The table was trembling menacingly, I could feel it would splinter any second.

Putting my feet against the wall I kicked hard and slung my body towards the doorway. I barely escaped before the room collapsed.

I started running. Chioma was by the stairs, and I helped her with the elder and we made it outside, just in time to turn around and watched the whole center crumple in a deafening roar.

I went to the grass, just next to the parking space where the people were gathered. Smiled at Chioma as she looked at me. My body trembled and I let myself fall.

I passed out, my strength completely gone.