The Journal: Fault Line (The Journal Book 5) (5 page)

“May we come with you?” Henry asked. “I think
we would be safer in a group.”

As the three piled in the car with Christine,
Michael tugged on his grandmother’s hand.

“Noona, I’m thirsty.”

Christine looked in the rearview mirror and
met Sadie’s eyes. “There’s bottled water in that suitcase,” she
told her. The old lady smiled and nodded.

“So, Christine, why are you in this dark hole
of humanity? No offense, dear, but a young white girl shouldn’t be
in this neighborhood on her own,” Sadie said while Christine
maneuvered around some debris in the road while Henry guided her
back to the hotel. A blast from another exploding gas tank rocked
the small car and everyone instinctively ducked.

“I was at a training seminar at the Carlyle
when the quake hit,” she explained nervously. Neither adult caught
her faraway look as her thoughts automatically turned to Lois. “I
actually live in Greenwood, about five hours from here, and this
GPS isn’t any help getting around the blocked roads. May I ask why
you’re in such a rough neighborhood?”

“You tell her, Henry,” Sadie said with a
touch of defiance to her strong voice.

“My wife would rather we retired to Florida,”
Henry said. “I’m a veterinarian by profession, and when I got
pushed out of my own practice by partners I reluctantly hired, I
decided to open a new office, one that would be more satisfying.”
He glanced back at his wife. “I offer my services to the poor for
nominal or no fees. Their pets need care too.”

“That’s a generous and noble thing to do,
Mister.. um, Dr. Palazzola,” Christine said.

“I’m just Henry now.”

Christine turned the GPS back on when the
streets were clear and as it guided them back to the hotel, she
could almost hear the disgust in the mechanical voice as they
pulled into the parking lot.

***

“What’s the matter, white girl, you get
lost?” Joey smirked when Christine pushed open the large glass door
of the damaged hotel. The sky was getting dirty from the billowing
oily smoke from all the fires.

“As a matter of fact, Joey, I did,” she
admitted. “In a way it was a good thing. I found three more
survivors. This is Henry and Sadie Palazzola, and their grandson,
Michael.” The trio had followed Christine into the building,
trailing a few minutes behind so she could prepare the others for
the intrusion.

“Hey, Doc!” Jake said with a big smile,
recognizing the veterinarian.

Holly got up from her post next to the
sleeping Katie and made a beeline for the old man, her tail wagging
furiously. She gave a quiet woof as she nuzzled the extended
hand.

“Well, Holly, if I had known you were here I
would have come sooner,” the vet chuckled, kneeling down to pet the
dog and accept the offered dog-kisses. Young Michael joined his
grandfather in the petting and hugs.

Christine smiled at the reunion.

“We’ve got a few more additions, too. Right
after you left, these nice folks came looking for shelter from the
rain,” Jake told her. “Our little community here is quickly
growing.” Christine looked in the direction Jake pointed and was
surprised to see a dozen people huddled in the gloom.

“Where’s Katie?” Henry finally asked. The
young men stepped aside to expose the sleeping girl on the floor.
Henry’s face fell as he took in her paleness and the more obvious
injuries. “How long has she been out?” he asked in concern, lifting
one of her eyelids.

“She comes and goes, Doc. I know she needs
medical care, but I don’t know where to take her, or if there is
anything left.” Joey explained how they found her, then asked, “Is
there anything you can do?”

The old man looked at the concern etched on
Joey’s face. He was well acquainted with the lives of these young
people. Orphaned by the violent death of their mother when Katie
turned eighteen, Joey reluctantly stayed in school at his sister’s
insistence, and she went to work to keep them together. Holly had
only been a pup then, and the old doc treated her for free.

“I don’t know, Joey,” he said honestly. He
pulled a stethoscope from his bag and listened to her breathe. Then
he gently ran his gnarled old hands down her ribcage. “I think she
has a couple of cracked or broken ribs and likely a concussion. I
doubt it’s life threatening, though she really should see a
doctor.”

Christine looked out the glass wall at the
rapidly fading light. “Will she be okay until the morning? She
might be worse off if we try to get out of here right now without
being able to see where we’re going.”

“I agree with Christine. Let’s wait until
daylight.”

“Anna, we need more light, blankets, and
food. Can you guide us around here?” Jake asked the young
housekeeper. She grabbed the now empty cart and headed back into
the bowels of the hotel, Jake leading the way with the flashlight
and Sadie and Christine following.

***

“I think more light should be our priority,”
Sadie said, taking charge. “Next would be water and food.”

“There are supposed to be flashlights in
every room,” Anna said. “We always keep extras because people tend
to take them.” She guided them back to the housekeeping complex.
After loading up with a flashlight and extra batteries for each
person, Anna led them to the kitchens.

“Wow,” Jake said. “Look at the mess this
place is in!” Cans had been knocked off shelves and burst; pots
were on the floor, the contents spilled everywhere; long metal work
tables were tipped over.

“At least someone was smart enough to turn
off all the burners!” Sadie exclaimed, sniffing the air for leaking
gas.

With the cart now loaded down with more
blankets, a couple of cases of water, snacks meant for restocking
the vending machines, and an assortment of bread, cheese, and
lunchmeats from the now silent cooler, the foursome made their way
back to the lobby. Their trek had taken a half hour and during that
short of time, the lobby had plunged into darkness. The outside was
aglow with the distant brilliance of a city on fire.

Flashlights were passed out to everyone,
especially a nervous twelve year old Michael. With blankets and
pillows to sit on, the ragtag group settled in a circle for a much
appreciated dinner of sandwiches.

“For some reason, this tastes extra good,”
Christine commented, “and I don’t really care for salami!” She took
a healthy bite and closed her eyes in contentment.

“Stress ramps up the metabolism and makes you
extra hungry,” Henry explained.

“What are we going to do now?” Joey asked,
turning to his sister so she could read his lips. She signed back
to him:
We wait until morning. I’m deaf; in the dark I’m also
blind, just like the rest of you,
Joey translated.

“She’s right,” Jake said. “We risk getting
hurt not seeing the obstacles in our path.”

Christine’s digital watch read 5:15 in the
fading daylight, just as the next big quake hit them. Several of
the new women screamed when the plate glass window cracked down the
middle and splintered without shattering, effectively distorting
the view to outside. Everyone standing quickly sat or stooped to
the floor to prevent themselves from falling. Holly whined and
snuggled closer to Katie. Everyone looked on in horror as the
building across the road crumbled into a pile of bricks, glass, and
dust.

When the shaking stopped, Doc Palazzola was
the first to stand. “Well, I guess we’re not quite done with
tremors. Everyone okay? We’re lucky this window didn’t shatter. I
say we line up a couple of flashlights in the window just in case
help drives by,” he suggested.

“What if it’s not help, but a gang that comes
by?” Christine voiced nervously.

“We can barricade the door if that makes you
feel better, white girl,” Joey snickered. Jake slapped him hard on
the shoulder.

“Knock it off!”

“Hey, I was only teasing her. Christine is
okay.”

With flashlights propped up in the big window
sending out beams of hope for rescue, the odd group settled down
for the night. Christine took her pillow and blanket to lean
against the check-in desk.

“You afraid of us, white girl?” Joey asked in
the stillness of the dark. His voice was laced with humor and he
sat down next to her.

She let out a soft chuckle. “No, Joey, I’m
not afraid. I’m a light sleeper and I don’t want to disturb anyone.
Besides, someone should stay awake, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he admitted. “Tell me
about yourself, Christine. What were you doing here in the bad part
of town?”

“I was here for a training session, didn’t I
mention that? I’m a dental hygienist, and I’m stuck filling out
insurance forms right now in Greenwood.” She sighed. “I really want
to go home.”

***

The following morning, Christine was startled
awake by flashing blue and red strobe lights bathing the lobby. She
jumped to her feet, grabbing her flashlight. Flicking it on, she
moved the beam back and forth to signal.

“Hey, wake up! We’re being rescued!” she
yelled to her companions.

They quickly removed the barricade from the
doors and were about to welcome in the ambulance crew when some
gunshots rang out in the distance. They all took cover and the big
vehicle jumped the curb and stopped close to the doors. One of the
medics ran inside, leaving the other at the wheel.

“Is there anyone injured?” the medic
asked.

“Yes, my sister was buried in bricks,” Joey
was quick to respond.

“I believe she has a concussion and several
fractured ribs,” Henry added. “She’s deaf and really needs a
medical assessment.” The medic eyed him in question. “I’m a
veterinarian. Most of my patients can’t talk either.”

They helped Katie to the ambulance.

“The hospital has withstood the quake and is
being used as a central gathering place so I think you all should
get there somehow,” The medic said. He looked around at the group.
“We don’t have enough room to take everyone with us.”

“I’ll follow you in my car and bring who I
can,” Christine said, glancing out the broken window at the rising
sun.

“Holly is her service dog, and should stay
with her,” Henry told the driver. “As should her brother so he can
interpret.”

“I noticed some keys hanging behind the front
desk,” Jake said. “Okay, so I was being nosey. I think there’s a
shuttle van somewhere that the hotel uses. I can drive the rest of
the people in that.” Jake and one of the older men went in search
of the vehicle.

Henry, Joey, Holly, and Katie were loaded
into the waiting ambulance, while Michael and Anna wedged
themselves in the back seat of Christine’s car. Sadie sat in front,
with Christine driving close behind the flashing lights, the second
hotel shuttle following as they dodged additional gunfire.

The ambulance wove through
the dark predawn streets, slowing then speeding up as it dodged
fallen buildings and burning cars.

“I’m sure glad that driver knows where he’s
going,” Christine mumbled to break the silence and the tension in
the car. They all stared in disbelief as they watched a bulldozer
push cars off the street, sending up more plumes of dust into the
emerging morning.

“Sometimes I think those drivers have sonar
in their heads,” Sadie laughed. “Look!” She pointed to the bright
lights coming into view: a large hospital lit up with generators
and car headlights. There must have been a hundred people milling
about the hospital entrance.

The ambulance driver pulled under the
emergency room portico into frantic activity. People were rushing
in every direction, though no one was coming to help unload their
injured. Christine swerved around a few cars and parked on the
grass next to the busy parking lot with Jake following her lead.
People emerged from the shuttle van and rushed to the hospital
doors.

“I’m going to give Henry a hand,” Sadie said,
heading for the ambulance with Anna right behind her, tightly
holding onto Michael’s hand.

Christine hung back. Crowds had always made
her nervous, and she shivered at the sight of all the people, most
of them hurt and bleeding. She inched closer to the large dirt
smudged glass doors, took a deep breath, and pushed it open into…
chaos.

***

“Triage is in the next room,” a bedraggled
nurse said to Christine, pointing to her left.

“I’m not injured. I’m just looking for some
people I came with,” Christine answered.

The nurse looked her over. “You haven’t
looked in a mirror, have you? Your hair is matted with blood from a
laceration at your hairline, and there’s deep bruising on your
forehead. Go to triage! If it’s not too bad, they will treat it
quickly and send you on.” The nurse hurried off.

Christine slipped into a crowded bathroom to
look at herself. She was stunned at the image staring back from the
mirror. A large bruise had formed above her left eye, just below a
crusty line of dried blood. “I guess that’s answers the headache
question,” she said aloud, touching the tender skin. She grabbed a
handful of paper towels, folded them into a compress, wet it, and
pressed it to the center of the clotting blood. While she held the
tissues in place she looked more carefully at herself. Her hair was
in disarray, her face was dirty with concrete dust and god only
knew what else, and her clothes were filthy and torn. She was a
mess. The stress caught up with her all at once and the tears slid
down her cheeks, leaving tracks in the dirt.

With an uncontrolled sob, she dropped the
paper towels and turned the water back on to wash her face, letting
it run to get cold.

“The water is limited! Don’t leave it
running!” the same nurse said, entering the bathroom. She reached
around Christine and turned off the water.