Nathan Pedde - Tokyo Tempest

“This is bad.” Yuki said, “Did that earthquake feel long to you?”

“I’ve never been in an earthquake before.” Darren shrugged, “I have nothing to compare it to.”

The street started to shake, parked cars vibrated from their parking spots.

“Aftershock,” Yuki yelled.

Darren grabbed hold of Yuki as he lost balance and collapsed onto the sidewalk. He pulled Yuki down to land on top of him. Darren held onto her as the shaking continued. He watched an emergency vehicle lose control and slam into a parked car at high speed. Metal crunched and groaned it flipped onto its side.

A loud crash erupted behind Darren. The apartment building next to Freddie’s was leaning onto one side. It was threatening to collapse under its own weight. Then the building toppled and landed on the house beside it. Dust exploded from the collapsing wreckage as it spat towards Darren.

Darren covered his mouth with his shirt as he held Yuki tight. After ten minutes, the earth stopped shaking.

“Oh shit,” Darren said in English.

Darren stood up and helped Yuki up.

“Are you okay?” Darren asked.

“Yes.” She said.

Yuki pulled out her phone.

“I still have service.” She said, “We should call our dads. I can do it while we walk.”

They walked down the dust filled street, Darren’s shoes crunched on the dirt as it settled. Yuki punched buttons on her phone.

“No one is answering.” Yuki said, “I even called the office number. Nothing.”

“Leave a message,” Darren said.

“It didn’t go to voicemail,” Yuki said.

Yuki handed Darren the phone. The phone made a clicking noise.

“No connection.” Darren said, “Either the lines are down, or worse.”

“Shit.” Yuki said, “What do we do?”

Yuki’s phone rang.

“Hi, Sakiko?” Yuki said, “Are you okay?”

Darren heard sobbing from the phone.

“Good,” Yuki said, “Can you get out?”

Darren heard more sobbing from the phone.

“Sakiko…” Yuki said, “I need you to calm down. We are almost there… Yes… Can you see an exit… Your phone has a light on it… Yes, I will stay on the line…”

Darren and Yuki turned a corner headed up a small side street. Most of the houses on the street had suffered some sort of damage. Most of the homes had collapsed in some way.

People were pouring over the wreckage of the homes. Flashlights and shouts broke the silence of the night. But these weren’t rescuers. They were neighbors, friends, and family. Darren saw more than one person sitting on the side with tears pouring down their face.

Yuki led Darren past the houses towards the end of the street. No rescuers were on this side of the road. They were all working at the other end still.

Yuki stopped at a collapsed house at the end of the street. The left side of the house was still standing, but the entire right side had collapsed into a giant pile of rubble.

“I am here Sakiko.” Yuki said, “Where were you?”

Sakiko told her.

“Okay. I will head to that area and shine a flashlight into the wreckage.”

Darren pulled a flashlight out of his bag. He aimed it into the wreckage. Boards and pieces of the house were twisted each way. After ten minutes, Darren saw a flash.

“I think I see her,” Darren said.

“Hey.” A voice called out from inside the wreckage.

“Sakiko.” Darren said, “Is that you?”

Yuki was still on the phone with her.

“Okay, we see you. I am going to hang up with you now.” Yuki said, “We will get you out soon.”

Darren looked at the pieces of wreckage. The entire side of the house had collapsed, but the falling roof and walls had created a safe space where Sakiko was huddled. But the area shrunk to just six inches by six inches at the exterior of the house.

“That’s not enough for her to get through, but it looks like the boards go straight down to her and there is some plywood on top. It looks like we can risk lifting this up and nothing will fall on her.” Darren said.

“How do we move it?” Yuki said.

“Keep your light on her.” Darren said, he turned to Sakiko, “Shine your light around you and see if there’s anywhere else you can go.”

“I’m scared,” Sakiko yelled from the wreckage.

“I know.” Darren said, “I am too. But please, shine your light.”

Sakiko shined her light on the different areas.

“I think I can go up,” Sakiko yelled.

“Which way does it go?”

“Up and to the right,” Sakiko yelled.

Darren looked and saw her light appear twenty feet away. It showed between two pieces of wood at about his head height.

“Try it,” Darren said, “I’ll shine my light in over there.”

Darren walked around the rubble to where he saw the light shine in.

“Can you see my light?” Darren yelled.

“Yes,” Sakiko yelled.

Darren heard crunches from inside the house. As well as swearing and curses.

Darren looked over at Yuki.

“That gap isn’t big enough either,” Yuki said, being as quiet as she could.

“I know.” Darren said, “But I’m giving her hope. There’s no way we can move most of this rubble. Its too wrenched in.”

After a couple minutes, Darren saw a hand stick out from the gap. Darren grabbed it and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“I can’t get any farther,” Sakiko said from the other side of the gap.

“Use your light.” Darren said, “Can you see any other way?”

“No,” Sakiko said.

Darren turned to Yuki.

“Shine your light at those large openings in the rubble,” Darren said.

Yuki nodded and did so. Darren aimed his light at a couple openings as well.

“Can you see those?” Darren said.

“Yes. I can see the one to your left.” Sakiko said, “But I can’t get at it. There’s a lot of wood in the way, and it looks like more is stacked on top of it.”

Darren aimed his light at the wreckage that separated him and Sakiko.

“How much room do you need?” Darren asked.

“I need another foot to get out.” Sakiko said, “Its literally a piece of support wood and the stupid siding that is in my way.”

Darren looked at the pieces again. He noticed a long piece of wood on the ground.

“I’m gonna try and lever this piece out of the way. It looks like there isn’t much holding it down.” Darren said.

“Do it,” Sakiko said.

“If I do I risk bringing it down on top of you,” Darren said.

“How much damage is out there?” Sakiko said.

“Why?”

“In that last aftershock, I heard a loud crash.”

“That was an emergency vehicle crashing.”

“It wasn’t metallic. It was like a building toppling over. Like those videos of buildings collapsing.”

“That was an apartment building near my dad’s toppling over.” Darren said, “We had only gotten out maybe five minutes before it toppled over.”

Sakiko sobbed.

“I know there is no help coming.” Sakiko said, “Do it. Before another aftershock hits and it crushes me.”

“Okay,” Darren said.

Darren turned to Yuki.

“How much of a friend is she?” Darren asked.

“My best friend,” Yuki said.

“Thought so,” Darren said as he picked up the long piece of wood.

“Sakiko.” Darren said, “Move back a bit.”

Darren wedged the piece of wood in the gap and pried on it. Nothing happened. Darren’s weight didn’t budge anything.

“Hey.” A male voice called in the darkness, “Is there a survivor over there?”

“Yes.” Yuki said, “She’s trapped, and we need help to get her out.”

A small group of rescuers walked over, the team carried a bunch of tools. They held hammers and prybars. One had a chainsaw. They all had headlamps on.