Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
I hear glass shatter, splintering, and jingling high above me as the giant buildings start to crumble. They come down on us in a horrible rain of glass, concrete, and steel.
I only realize it’s one hell of an intense earthquake when the ground starts to tear open on the other side of the road.
At first, the crack is small, but as it rips jaggedly through the concrete, it grows bigger until gaping holes appear.
Debilitating fear and panic fill me, and I scramble to my feet, wildly looking around me.
God, I want this vision to stop.
The glass raining down on the mass of people pierces them. There are injured people everywhere, the gaping holes swallowing cars, buildings…everything in its path.
Wake up, Alchera! Wake up.
Horror soaks into my bones as I anxiously search for a way out of this disaster.
One after the other, the tremors grow stronger and they come faster by the second until it becomes near impossible to stay on my feet.
I hope with everything I have in me that one of my chosen ones isn’t here.
A sign crashes down next to me, barely missing me, and I let out a shocked scream as I scurry away from it while reading the words printed in bold.
SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS DISTRICT
ShitShitShit. Doesn’t San Francisco have the worst earthquakes?
I scramble away and start running as fast as I can. When the ground shudders horribly beneath me, I grab hold of the nearest lamp pole and hang on for dear life while letting out a terrified sob.
A huge gorge opens up not even a hundred feet from me, making horror bleed into my soul.
The ground slants upward in such a way that everyone and everything around me is sliding into the gorge, and I cling with all my strength to the pole.
Horrified out of my everloving mind, I can only gasp for air as I watch people plummet to their deaths.
I want to cover my ears. I can’t bear to hear their cries and terrified screams, but I’m forced to listen as I hold on to the pole.
Sobs tear from my chest, and I keep shaking my head, the devastation around me too much to handle.
“Raighne!” I cry, despair soaked into my voice. “Get me out of here.”
The piece of ground that tears loose is so big I can’t see how far it stretches, but I know it’s about to cause devastating destruction.
It’s as if the whole Bay Area is being torn loose from the mainland, becoming its own fiery island of death. I look up at the sky, wanting to scream for help, but my breath gets ripped from my lungs.
Thana is hovering far above us, a light as bright as the sun shining from her.
No.
My sister is the one responsible for all this destruction and death.
While I suffer the experience of this nightmare, she has to suffer the reality of knowing she’s killing so many people.
My mind reels at the thought that this is what Awo wants. The horrible death of millions.
A sob tears through me, and my heart aches for my sister and all these people.
The suffering around me is devastating, and I’m unable to breathe past the sorrow suffocating me.
A crying baby rips my attention back to the chaos happening around me.
People are being crushed, while others simply drop to their deaths. It’s a gruesome sight that changes me forever.
The tremors below me keep coming. It’s like a roaring beast has awakened from its long hibernation and now demands blood.
My arms are tired from the vibrations, but I hold on with all my might.
Suddenly, a woman grabs hold of the same pole I’m hanging onto in an attempt to save herself.
I try to take hold of her, but my hand goes through her.
“God…oh God,” she hyperventilates with terror etched deep into her face. “I don’t want to die!”
Seeing her struggle to keep hold and knowing I can’t do anything to help her, I start to cry violently as an unspeakable heartache crushes my chest.
“No!” Her fingers grow white as she tries to cling to the pole. She screams, and it’s a raw sound filled with absolute dread.
I have to close my eyes when she finally slips away.
Then the unthinkable happens. I begin to feel the racing heartbeats of many and how they’re snuffed one by one.
A strong wind begins to tug and blow as the ground finally tears loose from the mainland.
A thunderous boom echoes through the air, vibrating every particle in the air. Deafening screeches slam against my ears as if a billion fingernails are being scraped across a hellish blackboard.
A strong wind surrounds me, and I struggle to breathe. Wrapping my legs around the metal pole, I try desperately not to be blown away.
Panic and terror stain everything around me as the cries and prayers for mercy of the dying fill my soul.