The radio that was previously playing Jazz came to an abrupt halt as the voice of the local radio host came through.
“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news. Moments ago, a powerful earthquake struck the XXX area, causing widespread devastation and chaos. The quake hit at XX:XX local time and early reports suggest a catastrophic magnitude. Buildings have collapsed, roads have been torn apart, and large parts of the city are now unrecognizable.
Emergency services are already on the scene, but the scale of the destruction is overwhelming. Fires have erupted in several areas due to ruptured gas lines, and power outages have left much of the region in darkness. Residents are being urged to remain calm, stay outdoors if possible, and avoid damaged buildings.
Authorities are asking people to leave communication lines open for emergency use and to follow all safety instructions. This is an evolving and dangerous situation, and aftershocks are a real concern.
If you are in the XXX area, please prioritize your safety and seek open ground. We will continue to bring you live updates as we receive them, but for now, the full extent of the damage remains unknown. Our thoughts are with those affected as rescue efforts begin.”
The restaurant fell eerily silent.
Patrons abandoned their meals, hastily pulling out their phones.
Some darted for the exit, desperation etched on their faces, while others stood frozen, waiting for their calls to connect.
In the chaos, the kitchen and serving staff erupted in frantic shouts, panic spreading like wildfire.
Stu and Abe, setting aside their usual disagreements, focused on addressing the crisis.
Ren, however, sat curled up on the floor, his knees drawn to his chest.
His mind raced, overwhelmed, until it finally shut down.
‘Should I call Mom? Is David okay? What if something happened to him? Where even is Mom? Home?’
He didn’t notice when the tears began to fall.
Around him, the restaurant dissolved into chaos—a blur of fear, noise, and disarray.
‘Why is this happening?’
As his hands moved to his head, ready to pull at his hair in frustration, his phone buzzed, lighting up the dim space with a single word: Mom.
His hands trembled as he picked it up, almost dropping it.
“Ren! Honey, are you okay? Where are you? Are you hurt? Please, say something!”
Her voice cracked, frantic, but hearing it steadied him. Ren took a deep breath and forced himself to respond.
“Yes, Mom. I’m okay. Where are you? Is David with you? Are you safe?”
“I’m fine—no, wait, yes! I’m still at the hospital. The earthquake hit just as I was leaving. Ren, it’s chaos here. People are flooding in, injured, scared. We’ve set up beds outside… I can’t leave right now. And David—he’s still at school. Oh, Ren, I—”
“Mom, listen.”
Ren’s voice shook, but he pressed on.
“It’s okay. I’ll find David. Don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe. We’ll wait at the restaurant until it’s safe to come home. I promise. Please, just… take care of yourself. I love you.”
Silence followed, save for the soft hum of the line.
“Okay,” she whispered at last. “I love you too, sweetie. Be safe.”
Ren exhaled slowly, a weight lifting off his chest.
She’s okay. It’s going to be okay.
I just need to find David.
He steadied himself and headed for the door.
“Wait! Kid!”
Stu’s gruff voice stopped him.
Ren turned to see the chef approaching.
“It’s chaos out there. Stay put. Let the officials handle this.”
“My brother’s still at school,” Ren replied firmly.
“I have to get him. I’ll come back once I find him. Promise.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll drive you,” Abe interjected, stepping forward.
Stu raised an eyebrow.
“With live wires and debris, it’s safer if I drive,” she said.
“And faster. Can you handle things here while I’m gone?”
Stu hesitated but gave a nod.
“Alright, let’s go,” Abe said, motioning for Ren to follow.
***
The drive was quiet, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
The devastation was everywhere—cracked roads, crumbled buildings, uprooted trees, and fallen poles.
Sirens wailed in the distance, mingling with the cries of evacuees.
“Ren,” Abe said suddenly, her eyes never leaving the road.
“…Yeah?”
“I owe you an apology. I was out of line this morning.”
“No, Ms. Abe. I was late—”
“Oh, you were,” she interrupted with a hint of a smile.
“You need to work on that. But that’s not what I meant. I shouldn’t have said the things I did.”
She sighed, her tone softening.
“Stu… he cares about you, you know. But he won’t always be there to shield you. People aren’t always as understanding as he is. Most won’t care what you’re going through. They just see the results—or the lack of them.”
“I know,” Ren said quietly.
“Do you?”
Abe glanced at him briefly.
“You’ve got a lot on your plate, kid. But bottling it all up? That’s not the answer. If you don’t let people in, even those who care won’t know how to help.”
The car slowed as they reached the school.
It was being evacuated by the looks of it.
“Are you sure he’s still here?”
Abe asked.
Ren scanned the crowd.
“I’m not sure… Maybe he went home.”
“Should we turn back, then?”
“I just… I need to check inside first.”
Abe killed the engine and unlocked the doors.
“Fine. But be careful. I’ll wait here.”
Ren stepped out but paused when Abe called after him.
“And Ren—about what I said earlier… just let us know, okay? If something’s wrong. Don’t keep it to yourself.”
He offered a small smile.
“I will. Thank you, Ms. Abe.”
“Good. Now go get your brother.”
And with that, Ren turned toward the school, determination steadying his steps.
***
Ren pushed through the crowd, his breath ragged.
Parents gathered to pick up their children, while those whose parents couldn’t make it were being herded onto buses.
His eyes darted toward the buses, and he ran, desperation fueling his every step.
As he tried to board one, a first responder blocked his path.
“Sir. Stop. This is for children only,” the officer said, her voice firm.
Ren’s voice broke through the tension.
“Yes, but my brother… I can’t find him.”
The officer’s face contorted with concern as she pulled out a clipboard with a list attached.
Her eyes scanned the paper, and Ren’s panic grew.
His gaze frantically searched the crowd.
‘Where are you, David? Where are you?’
“Sir, there’s no David on the list,” the officer said flatly.
Ren’s heart dropped.
“What? No—he should be on there! Can you check again?”
“I will, but you need to step back and let us do our job.”
“Try not panicking, sir,” the officer replied, her voice steady, though tinged with urgency.
Ren felt his mind fracture, a surge of white-hot panic cutting through him like a knife.
‘What do you mean he’s not on the list? Isn’t it your job to make sure all the students are accounted for? He’s not just some item you forgot to check off your grocery list! Why isn’t he here? Did you even bother checking all the rooms?’
The officer’s words blurred into a distant hum, her attempts at reassurance falling on deaf ears.
Ren’s breath quickened, and in that moment, the world around him seemed to freeze, his pulse pounding in his ears.
Without thinking, he took a step back, then another.
His legs moved before his brain could catch up.
“Sir, you can’t go in there!” one of the officers shouted, grabbing Ren’s arm. Ren yanked it free, his eyes wild with determination.
“I’m looking for my brother!” he snapped, his voice rising with a mix of fear and frustration.
“David wasn’t on the bus. He wasn’t with the others. I need to find him!”
His words trembled with desperation.
“You don’t understand! He’s not with them, and I’m not leaving without him!”
The officer’s face hardened, his grip tightening as he tried to hold Ren back.
“We can’t let you go in there. It’s too dangerous. The building’s unstable. And can collapse any minute”
Ren’s heart pounded in his chest.
Anger and desperation rose together, hot and wild.
He shoved past the officer, ignoring the shout of protest that followed him.
His gaze locked on the wreckage, the twisted remains of the school looming ahead.
It was overwhelming, but he wouldn’t stop.
Not until he found David.
Inside, the hallways were eerily silent except for the faint tremor of aftershocks.
Broken furniture and debris cluttered the floor, while the walls were cracked and the ceiling tiles had fallen like rain, creating an obstacle course of destruction.
Ren’s eyes flicked from room to room, his breath shallow, his pulse racing.
Each passing second felt like a lifetime.
‘Where is he? Where is he? Where IS HE?’
Room after room.
Empty.
Silence.
Just as the last embers of hope began to flicker out, Ren saw it: a flash of something bright amid the ruin.
David’s new shoe.
His stomach dropped.
He rushed forward, every muscle in his body screaming for him to move faster.
“David?”
Ren called, his voice thick with emotion.
“David, where are you?”
A faint groan echoed from behind a pile of debris.
Ren’s heart stopped.
He turned toward the sound and saw David—barely visible—huddled against a cracked wall, clutching his leg.
“David!” Ren breathed, rushing over to him.
Relief flooded through him like a wave.
“David!” Ren knelt beside him, his hands trembling as he lifted David’s face to meet his.
David’s eyes were wide with fear and pain, his breath shallow.
“I—I tried to run,” he whispered, his voice strained.
“I thought I could make it, but I tripped on something… my leg… it hurts…”
Ren’s eyes dropped to David’s foot.
His left ankle was purple, swollen to twice its size.
Ren clenched his teeth as he added two and two together.
Not being used to the new shows, David must have twisted his ankle when he tried to run.
His feeling of despair second only to the anger he felt towards the rescuers who didn’t even bother trying to get his brother out.
“David, you’re okay, you’re going to be okay,” Ren said, trying to steady his brother’s shaking form.
“I’ve got you.”
David clutched at Ren’s shirt, his breath coming faster.
“The ceiling… it was falling… I didn’t know where to go…”
Ren didn’t answer.
His heart was pounding in his chest, and the world around him seemed to grow quieter.
The building groaned above them.
Ren could feel the vibrations beneath his feet.
An after shock was coming.
“We need to get out of here,” Ren said urgently, picking his younger brother up, supporting him as best he could.
David winced, the pain from his sprained ankle sending sharp jolts of discomfort through him, but he nodded, tears in his eyes.
Together, they staggered through the corridor, Ren carefully carrying his brother along the rubble-strewn path.
But the ground shook again—harder this time.
The building’s structure creaked and moaned, a terrible sound, as if it were ready to collapse in on itself.
Ren could feel the walls trembling, the floor buckling beneath them.
“I am scared,” David whispered, panic creeping into his voice.
“Keep your head close to me!” Ren urged, tightening his grip on David.
David too held on with all he had.
They were almost at the exit.
Almost free.
But then, just as they reached the doorway, the building gave a sickening lurch.
The ceiling above them cracked, and with a violent crash, part of the roof came down.
Ren with David ducked to the ground, throwing himself on top of him, shielding his brother as rubble rained down.
“Ren!”
David cried, his voice breaking.
“No!”
Ren gritted his teeth, using every ounce of strength to shield David.
The heavy rubble pinned him down, but he refused to yield.
‘I have to keep him safe. I won’t-”
With a groan of effort, Ren twisted beneath the rubble, trying to shield David with his own body.
He felt a sharp pain as something pierced into his back.
The pain was accompanied by something warm.
He could hear snaps, no longer sure if it was the rubble from the collapsing ceiling or his bones.
Dust and debris filled the air, choking their breaths.
Ren could feel the weight of the wreckage pinning him to the ground, but his eyes never left David.
He tried to move, but the pain was excruciating as if his body was being torn from waist down.
Looking back, Ren tried to assess the damage.
Only to see rubble piled up on his body.
An attempt was made to move his legs but that bore no fruit other than stabs of jolting pain.
David was comparatively unharmed.
His busted leg did make it hard for him to move but he had no other external injuries.
Ren knew he had to make his leave.
“The exit is- is so close. You can make it- Go- Go NOW! GO!”
David, tears streaking down his dusty face, shook his head furiously.
“No, I’m not leaving you! I’m not going without you!”
Ren’s heart twisted at the sight of his younger brother, his voice desperate with fear.
David’s body trembled, his sprained leg shaking as he crouched beside Ren, too terrified to move.
“David,” Ren whispered, trying to keep his tone steady.
The sound of crumbling walls and falling concrete grew louder, threatening to drown out his words.
“You have to go. You can still make it out—”
“No!”
David cried out, his hands shaking as he gripped Ren’s arm.
“I’m not leaving you! I can’t… I won’t!”
Ren’s chest tightened with emotion, but he forced himself to smile, even though the effort felt like a kick to the gut.
“Hey… I’ll be fine. You’ve got to go.”
David’s eyes were wide with panic, his breath hitching as he shook his head.
“But you’re hurt! I can’t leave you like this…”
Ren’s smile wavered, but he held it, despite the searing pain in his chest.
“David, listen to me,” he said, his voice low but firm.
“You’ve got to run. Get to the exit. Don’t look back. Promise me.”
David hesitated, his face a mixture of fear and disbelief.
He opened his mouth to argue, but Ren placed a hand gently on his shoulder, though his body was trapped beneath the weight of the rubble, his grip was firm.
David’s eyes welled with tears, his entire body shaking with the weight of what his brother was asking.
“I won’t leave you… I can’t.”
Ren’s smile became softer, almost like a memory.
He had to convince him to go before this entire building collapsed on top of them.
“Mom is waiting for you. You need to go.”
“She is waiting for you too! We have to get out together-”
Ren felt his throat tightening.
He had to convince David anyhow.
“Yes. Yes, She is. But she doesn’t know that I am here- So can you-”
His sight was blacking out but he pulled himself together.
“Can you go tell her that I am here-? Please?”
David’s lip trembled, his feet unwilling to move, but the sound of the building shifting, the walls cracking and groaning with every second, pushed him into action.
“…ok. I will.”
He wiped his face with his sleeve, his eyes lingering on Ren for a moment longer.
“I’ll come back for you,” David whispered, his voice barely audible, but Ren shook his head.
David’s breath hitched, his hands trembling as he stood up, unable to say anything more.
He took a few hesitant steps backward, but just before he turned to run, he looked at Ren one last time.
Ren forced himself to smile through the dust and pain, the kind smile he had worn so many times in the past—one that promised David that everything would be okay, even when he knew it wouldn’t.
“Go,” Ren urged gently.
With one final tear-filled glance, David turned and ran, his footsteps faltering as he disappeared into the chaos of the collapsing building.
Ren closed his eyes, the dust swirling around him, and he took a deep, shaky breath.
He had done all he could.
Now, he could only hope David would make it out.
***
His life flashed before his eyes.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
‘Am I really… dying?’
‘Mom… I don’t want to die.’
The thought echoed in his mind as the void slowly closed in around him.
‘Is it really—’
Ren felt numb as the pain gradually receded, his body shutting down, his organs giving up one by one.
He drew deep breaths—long, labored ones—until he no longer needed to.
This was the end.
Ren had made peace with that fact, though he hadn’t chosen it, hadn’t even expected it.
Then again, choices hadn’t been his to make, not for a long time.
As the walls of the school finally gave way, and the building began to collapse around him, Ren’s last thoughts were of the futures that could have been.