After the Crash: After the Crash Book 1: (A Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series) by Tara Ellis & Mike Kraus

Author:Tara Ellis & Mike Kraus [Ellis, Tara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2022-04-21T16:00:00+00:00

PART TWO

Sunday

REDEMPTION

“I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.”

-Elon Musk

Chapter 23

PETER

Tokyo Metro Fukutushin Line

Brown Line, Station 10, fifty feet below the surface

Tokyo, Japan

The cement wall at his back was cool, but the air pressing in on Peter was stagnant and hot. It smelled of diesel, oil, and a growing putridness that had to be raw sewage. It was getting harder to breathe, and he questioned his decision again to remain underground. He pushed at his temples in a vain attempt to quell the throbbing that was making it harder to think.

What time is it? Two o’clock? Five?

His Fitbit stopped working along with all of the other electronics, and was lying deep underground on the floor of the subway he’d left behind hours ago.

“Tasukete!” a man yelled from somewhere further down the tunnel, his voice echoing as he begged for help in Japanese.

A woman screamed from closer-by, and her voice blended with the other less discernable sounds that had merged into a single, constant thrum within an hour of the event. While most of the six-million passengers that rode the metro at any given time had immediately made their way to the exits, others had chosen to retreat to the relative safety it provided, after seeing the chaos that raged in the streets of Tokyo.

Something moved in and out of the shadows not far from where Peter was huddled, causing him to shrink away. After the transit shut down, the darkened cars filled well beyond their capacity with panicked, screaming people quickly turned to something ripped from one of his worst nightmares. It had been nine in the morning on a pleasantly warm Sunday, above-ground in the bustling city. But eighty feet below the surface, insufficient emergency lighting plunged the six million commuters into a hellish situation.

Peter could have handled the dark. He could have even handled the uncertain trek along the tracks as they made their way to the next station during the unexpected power outage. Except, it wasn’t just a power outage. Something massive and unknown was unfolding above them. It was akin to being locked in a powerless panic room without any clues on how to get out, or what would be waiting for you on the other side of your escape.

“Kon’nichiwa?” a woman whispered in Japanese. “Soko ni darekaga imasu?”

She was asking if someone was there, and Peter was ashamed that he hesitated before answering. When did he become such a coward? “I’m here.” He was hoarse and pathetic sounding, but he hoped she understood English. He’d only been in Tokyo long enough to learn the very basics. The irony was that he was there teaching English as a second language, and he had ended up being the student in a lot of different ways since arriving.

“You… American?” she asked in halting English.

“Yes,” Peter said right away that time, breathing a sigh of relief. Although he’d chosen to stay hidden the past couple of hours, he was incredibly happy to make contact with another person he could talk to.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.