Chapter 74
Nick
The Avant & Co building suddenly lurches, the floor rolling and pitching beneath Captain Hyun and me as we wait for an elevator.
We are tossed to the ground as ceiling tiles pop free, dust and plaster rain down on us, and the overhead lights swing wildly, some of them sparking.
“Earthquake!” Captain Hyun shouts.
Then, raising her voice above the deep, groaning roar of the shaking building, she screams, “DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON!”
It’s no use—the office is in chaos.
Glass shatters, windows bursting as the building warps. Filing cabinets tip, lights spark and go out, people scream and start running for exits.
My heart pounds in my throat as I crawl towards the reception desk. The floor bucks and rolls beneath me, leaving me no purchase. A falling ceiling tile catches me on the shoulder, filling my mouth and eyes with plaster dust. I choke and cough and claw at my eyes.
“Nick!” Captain Hyun shouts.
“Cap! I can’t see! Where are you?!”
The building groans, and there is a terrible rumbling, roaring noise from outside—then a deep CRACK sounds from somewhere beneath us.
Strong arms—Cap’s arms—grab me, pull me towards the reception desk.
“I got you,” she says, holding me tightly despite being approximately half my size. “I got you.”
The shaking gets worse. Sprinklers burst, spraying unevenly through the choked air, mixing with plaster dust and debris to make a thick, disgusting slurry.
I wipe at my eyes, trying to clear the dust and water from them. They burn, but I can see a little bit. Not that seeing is much use right now. I can’t move as the floor rocks and ripples beneath us.
Every instinct tells me to get up and run, but I know I can’t. The building is actively shaking itself to pieces.
There’s another terrible, bone-shaking jolt, followed by an ear-splitting crack from deep within the building, and then everything stills.