Chapter 20 - San Andreas 4/4

The roar of Tsunami's siren flared across the city, echoing like a specter amidst chaos. Since the city is located on the coast and vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, warning systems are activated.— Come on, it's Tsunami's alert! We must get to Daniel's building, — Blake ordered, his mind quickly reacting, having an agile thought under pressure must be a trait of having a rescuing father. This was the closest tall building, their only hope of surviving in the face of the threat looming before them.Ben, ignoring the pain in his leg, and supported by Ethan desperately stepped forward into the incomplete structure. As they approached, they turned to see a white line on the horizon, the tsunami fiercely advancing toward the city. Panic increased when a huge freighter was swept away by the big wave and crashed into the Golden Gate Bridge, which collapsed with a deafening roar. Cars flew through the air like toys, as the wave advanced, sweeping everything in its path.Ethan, his face reddened with effort, dropped Ben when he reached the emergency stairs. He leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Despite his excellent physical condition, carrying a man over 90 kilograms while running for several minutes, dodging obstacles, had almost left him breathless.— Come up, don't stop! I'll catch up with them right away, — yelled at Ben, aware that he was the one slowing down the group. Ben nodded, took Ollie by the hand, and started up the stairs. Blake looked at Ethan with concern, but he gestured to indicate that he was okay. Taking back a little breath, they both started to climb again, quickly reaching Ben and Ollie.They went up relentlessly, floor after floor, until suddenly Ethan stopped dead. Blake, with no time to react, hit his back. Ethan quickly extended his foot to curb the impact, preventing them both from falling. Before them, the stairs had been destroyed by the earthquake, and the corridors were blocked by reinforced concrete rubble.With no other option, they opened an emergency door and entered the building. The hallway was empty, except for thick concrete pillars in the middle. Ben, he was panting, he collapsed on the ground. The wound on his leg had started to bleed again, staining his pants with blood, from the effort, it was evident that he needs emergency treatment.— What is that noise? — Ollie asked, looking out with his eyes wide open. Blake approached the glass wall and saw the sea water rush towards them, tearing down buildings and flooding the streets in their path.  —We are not tall enough. We must seek refuge immediately, hold on to something firm. — quickly calculated the height of the water and, with eyes full of panic.Ethan took Blake's hand tightly and hugged her tightly behind one of the concrete pillars. Ben, took his little brother Ollie, and clung to another pillar. They all looked at each other, waiting for the inevitable.—Everything will be fine, I will protect you. — exclaimed Ethan trying to calm the woman in front of him, since he kept shaking.The roar of the water grew deafening as the building shook violently. Ethan felt his heart beat furiously and tightened the pillar harder. With a deafening roar, the water broke the glass wall, flooding the building with unstoppable force. Ben and Ollie were swept away by the current and, after a brief but desperate effort, Ethan was also dragged along with Blake.They rolled through the water, hit by the rubble that passed them. Blake disappeared from his sight as a car crashed into Ethan, causing him to fall below the surface, he quickly struggled to rise to the surface, swimming with all his might, ignoring the pain of being hit.—Ethan, here. — heard Blake's muffled voice. Thanks to the solidity of the glass wall, the first wave had lost strength, allowing Ethan to emerge and take a breath of air. I quickly look for Blake following his voice, everyone had managed to reach a fire escape on the other side of the building. With the water rising rapidly, Ethan swam towards them.Thanks to the water they were able to climb the sclera two more floors by the one before stopping, the water had not yet reached that floor so they could rest. They opened an emergency door and collapsed on the concrete floor, exhausted and wounded. Ethan felt a sharp pain in his thigh. He took off his jacket and, not caring about Blake's presence, he pulled down one side of his pants to see a bruise on his leg. Blake came up to help him up, but Ethan, while breathing hard, decided to move on.—I'll be fine, I can still walk.-Leaning against Blake, he walked to the glass windows. Before them stretched a vast ocean, with tall buildings protruding like lonely islands in the middle of the sea. The water was full of rubble, and the devastation was evident.Ben hugged Ollie tightly, watched the scene in fear. If they had followed the crowd and left the city, the tsunami would have ruthlessly killed them, thank God for surviving.The floor they were on had been mostly renovated, with office supplies scattered everywhere. They searched among themselves, but found nothing useful. Without knowing how long they would have to wait to be rescued, they decided to rest and regain strength.Ollie slept soundly in Ben's arms. Ethan, leaning against a pillar, took out a wet cigarette and a walkie-talkie from his pocket. He squeezed the cigarette, squeezing the water, and then tried to turn on the radio, but nothing happened. Frustrated, he threw it aside, resigned to wait.Blake, with his hair soaked and trembling slightly, sat next to him. Ethan took out a piece of chocolate that he had put in his pocket, a memory of a patrol with Siobhan. Despite the circumstances, he offered it to Blake, who accepted it with a smile.Blake broke the chocolate, throwing a piece at Ben and Ollie. Then, without hesitation, he broke the remaining piece in two and offered one to Ethan. He tried to reject it, but Blake insisted, forcing him to accept the candy. With no further options, Ethan chewed it slowly, surprised by the taste.Everyone slowly closed their eyes, for now they could only wait. There was nothing they could do, the radio was not working and they were trapped. They quickly fell asleep, since the beginning of the incident they had not had a moment to rest.— Wake up! I saw someone driving a boat out there. — It wasn't long before Ollie screamed excitedly.Ethan stayed awake, alert. When Ollie's screams broke the silence, he quickly woke Blake up with a slap. Outside, in the water, a small speedboat advanced slowly, dodging debris.The boat was driven by a burly, middle-aged bald man whose intimidating appearance made anyone shudder. Beside him, a black-haired woman scrutinized the surroundings as if she were looking for something.— It can't be! They are my parents! — Blake exclaimed in disbelief.The surprise completely invaded her. He did not expect to see his family again, much less in this chaotic setting. Tears filled her eyes as she understood the effort they had made to find her, she knew that they would never abandon her, but finding her in this chaos was a miracle. With both hands he covered his mouth, trying to contain the emotion, and he hit the thick glass with enthusiasm, but it was useless; the curtain wall did not let the sound pass and the distance was too great.The boat drew a bow and began to drift away to the other side. Desperate, Blake watched the opportunity to reunite with his family fade away.Ethan took his gun but I hesitate a second to use it since if an accident happened now it would be a tragedy, feeling the same frustration, he took a few steps back and then, with all the force he could muster, he launched himself against the glass wall. But the impact only aggravated his injuries. Blake suddenly remembered something. Hoping resurfacing, he grabbed Ollie —Today at the electronics store, I remember you took a laser pointer, right? .-Ollie, who had been downcast, was immediately encouraged. He removed a rope around his neck and pulled a black laser pointer out of his clothes. Blake took it, took a deep breath, and activated the switch. A ray of green light pierced the glass and hit the boat. As his hand trembled, the laser beam slipped over the boat, drawing the attention of his parents.—Please look at it. —, Ollie muttered.Proto the Ray and Emma Blake's parents saw the laser turned to see the large windows of the ruined building, they could see their daughter with several young people, they felt as if their soul returned to their body when they saw their daughter alive, after they had all lost a daughter.Blake, seeing the boat turn back, jumped on Ethan, surrounding his waist with long legs as he waved his arms towards his parents. Ethan's expression changed when he felt the pressure, he held his thighs firmly with both hands, taking a deep breath to contain the pain. Blake, flushed, stuck out his tongue before trying to get away shyly.In the middle of the celebration, the building shook violently, knocking them to the ground. The building began to sink and the water level rose rapidly outside. In a short time, the water reached two or three meters, on the floor where they were.Before they could react, the glass wall gave way with a loud bang, and the sea water burst in hard. Blake was swept away by the current, and the water level in the ground began to rise rapidly. Ollie floated past Ethan, splashing desperately.Ethan quickly grabbed Ollie and pushed him onto the fire escape. Ben was also swimming in a panic, but Blake was nowhere to be found."You guys go up first, I'll go get Blake," Ethan ordered.The water had already submerged the fire door, so Ethan held his breath and plunged in search of Blake. Ben wanted to help, but seeing Ollie's tears, he decided to prioritize his safety and lifted him up to run down the stairs.Ethan searched underwater without success, emerging for air. Suddenly, he heard a blow in the distance and swam quickly towards the sound. Blake was trapped in an office cubicle, desperately hitting the glass. Seeing Ethan, his eyes lit up, stopping hitting to look at him in surprise.Ethan lunged at the glass, creating a series of splashes that failed to move the thick tempered glass. Blake shook his head and, pointing underwater, indicated that he follow her.Both submerged. The debris obstructing the door of the cubicle was firmly jammed, preventing Blake from escaping. Together, they began to push and pull until the debris slowly loosened.Ethan suddenly felt a pat on the feet, scaring him enough to almost lose his breath. Turning, he saw a bald man swimming towards them. Recognizing it, Blake gestured for everyone to surface.The water was dangerously close to the ceiling. Ethan pressed his face against the ceiling, breathing hard as the water splashed his ears. The bald man hit the glass several times, but Ethan pushed it back.—Glass cannot be broken. We tried and the door was jammed. We have to move the debris. — Ethan explained.The man nodded and, after a signal from Blake, they submerged again. This time, with the combined strength of the two men, the debris finally gave way. Blake swam to freedom, moving with the grace of a mermaid.Ethan waved his hands for the two of them to follow him and swam to the fire escape. Finally, they emerged to the surface. Blake and his father also came after him, breathing fresh air eagerly.—Blake, Ethan, are you okay? — Ollie's cry of surprise was heard from the fire door.—Yes, we are fine, and my dad is also here. — Blake replied.The water reached their waist. They struggled to get out of the water, moving toward the door. Ben approached with Ollie in his arms, who threw himself into Blake's arms, still with tears on his face.—I thought I would never see you again. — Ollie sobbed.—Don't worry, I'm fine. — Blake replied, hugging him tightly and smiling happily.—The building continues to collapse. We are not safe yet. We have to get out of here. — But Ethan, noticing how the building was still creaking and the water level was rising, interrupted the celebration. — Watch out! — Blake's father shouted a warning, guiding them aside. With a loud roar, the boat went through the glass window, making its way towards them.— Quick, come up! — Emma ordered Blake's mother.They all rushed to the boat. After turning, they quickly moved away through the newly created space, before it was covered by water.Two days later.Ethan was standing on the side of a hill, wearing a coat covering his back, looking at downtown San Francisco from a distance. Sea water had slowly begun to recede, and numerous large, small boats were sailing inland, searching for survivors.Watching the sunset, he threw the cigarette butt in his hand and limped back towards the store. A gust of sea breeze took the opportunity to enter after him, causing a chill. Blake, who was watching him as he entered, quickly covered himself with the quilt, protecting his body. The breeze ended at the zipper of the tent,— Will you return to Pennsylvania tomorrow? — Blake asked, removing the splint from his thigh reluctantly.—Yes, your father helped me get a flight through his connections. — Ethan replied.Blake wasted no time. With a mischievous smile, she gently pushed him onto the inflatable mattress, making it clear that there was still time for one last farewell. — Then we have to take advantage of the time we have together. —Lake, slowly removing the splint from his thigh, watched Ethan with eyes that glowed with desire. Despite the circumstances, their attraction to each other was undeniable, and at the time, nothing else mattered. The proximity in the store, the intimacy of the small space, intensified each of its movements and looks.Ethan approached Blake, his hands gently running down the soft skin. She let out a sigh when Ethan's fingers slipped down her thigh, causing a shudder that ran all over her body. The accumulated tension erupted when Blake leaned forward and caught Ethan's lips in a deep and passionate kiss.The kiss intensified rapidly, his hands exploring every corner of the other's body, with the despair of those who have been holding back their desire for too long. Blake's fingers slipped down Ethan's back, pulling on his shirt to take it off. He responded with the same urgency, slowly unbuttoning the buttons on Blake's shirt, revealing her soft, warm skin, leaving her large breasts exposed in front of him.The two fell on the inflatable mattress, their bodies tangled in a tangle of passion. Blake was carried away for the moment, moving sensually over Ethan as his lips ran down his neck, leaving a trail of burning kisses.Holding Blake's hips tightly, Ethan guided her as she slipped over him, both panting with pleasure as their bodies moved in unison. Sighs and moans filled the store, whispers drowned with desire as they gave each other up.The intensity of the moment grew, the shared desire pushing them to the edge. Blake arched his back, clinging to Ethan as they both climaxed together, their bodies trembling with a mixture of satisfaction and relief.With hearts still pounding, Blake dropped onto Ethan's chest, panting as he tried to catch his breath. Ethan wrapped her in his arms, holding her close while calm filled the store. The outside world, with its dangers and chaos, momentarily vanished, leaving you in that little oasis of intimacy and connection—Promise that you will see me at the University when you have time. —It is a promise. — commented while stroking Blake's hair. She smiled, exhausted but satisfied, huddling against him.For a moment, time seemed to stop as they enjoyed each other's warmth, knowing that although the outside world called them, at that moment, they were exactly where they wanted to be at that moment.