It was strange how my entire world suddenly tilted. Up became down, and down became up. And the screams- so many screams, one of them I faintly recognized as mine. The earth rumbled and there was shrill rending sound and a horrible snap.

______________________

A shudder, a twitch and a gasp.

I awoke to darkness and- were those car alarms in the distance? Yes. Muted but those were certainly car alarms. Now, where was I? Why was it so dark and-

Pain. Pain! PAIN! My legs! My back! I tried to scream, but a painful cough wrenched it's way out of my parched throat. I tried to swallow but my throat felt like sandpaper. Tears stung my eyes, the sharp pain was unlike any I had ever felt.

Oh God. Oh God. Oh God, it hurts so much! What happened to my legs?!

After what could've been an hour, the pain had subsided to a dull throb and a 'sizzle'. My mind had finally turned to thoughts other than the pain and the panic. What was happening? Where was I? Why was it so dark?

My phone's flashlight! I can use that! I found that I could move my aching arms, but it was a struggle. They shook and trembled something fierce. What was wrong with me? I steeled myself and persisted. I patted my jean pockets and aha! There it was!

I tapped the screen and the dull light of the lockscreen blinded me. Hm. Flashlight, flashlight. There we go-

Oh.

The white light illuminated the large shattered concrete piece two feet above me. Occasionally streams of dust cascaded down from between the cracked seams.

Oh no. I moved my trembling sweaty hand around and found nothing but rubble to my right, that and shattered pieces of wood and marble. That way seemed closed off.

I turned my torch towards my legs- they were crushed. Oh God. They were stuck beneath rock and rebar and whatever else was on top of it.

Oh fuck, oh fuck. I began to hyperventilate. I was trapped and my legs were stuck. Oh fuck, I could feel shards of my bones wetly scratching against my flesh.

There was no use. Pulling them out would only hurt more. I don't think my mind could survive another major flash of pain. It might even knock me out. I couldn't have that. Too dangerous to be unconcious in such a situation.

My dread was kept under a tight leash- one I held onto just barely. I forced my mind away from the pain and turned my phone to look around.

Nothing but rubble. Blocked on all sides.

I looked up at the ceiling and shuddered. My reality had been upturned in but a moment. What could've done this?

A bomb? An earthquake?

Well, fuck. Knowing what it was, couldn't exactly help me now.

Alright, escape first. Death comes to all, but I wasn't willing to give up and wait around for it.

'But where would you go, even if you could?' A part of me sneered at my foolish thoughts. 'You're trapped here. Someone might come, but what if they're too late? You're bleeding. You're a dead m-'

I shook my head. No! I couldn't give into despair.

I tapped the phone and squinted at the top right corner. The signal bars had a tiny red cross over them. No signal.

Huffing in frustration, I swiped the screen and selected the 'Emergency' option.

'911' showed up in the bar. I called.

The call dropped.

So I called again. Another unsuccessful attempt.

Desperate, I was about to call again when I felt the earth rumble.

It started with a few shakes that made the large collapsed concrete above me groan.

No please. No. Not like this!

Then the earth shook violently. I felt whatever was beneath me crack. My body lurched on reflex and pain as it lost any support from the surface it was lying on. I fell and the concrete rubble above me finally gave in to gravity.

Terror and panic seized me in a tighter grip than it had ever had in my entire life.

It was so strange, a part of me thought, as I saw the concrete slab crack apart and fall down in slow motion. The earth opened up wide, and I fell into its dark depths. There was a loud, maddening, grating sound. For a moment I saw the jagged edges of the crack I had fallen through grow apart and wobble back and forth as if they were a ship in a storm.

'This would be my tomb', I thought to myself. 'I would be buried into the earth with no escape. I would die here in the darkness.'

As my life flashed before my eyes and the world swallowed me, a mad part of me raged. It raged against the encroaching hands of death and defeat. It wanted to live.

I wanted to live!

In that moment, between clarity, desperation, fear and rage- I felt a pleasant, calming warmth whose source I could not pinpoint to any specific part of my body.

This warmth spread through my body, and I felt it infuse every cell and every atom of my being with- something. There was a sudden flash of strange indescribable colours over my vision and then darkness.