Seattle Quake 9.2 by Talbott Marti

Author:Talbott, Marti [Talbott, Marti]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Thriller
ISBN: 9781461079941
Amazon: 1461079942
Goodreads: 9502979
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2010-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

By the time Sam and Ashley arrived, the damaged church was filled to overflowing. Inside, a man stood near the altar and sang the last few lines of, "In the sweet bye and bye, we shall meet on that glorious shore..." Not one eye was void of tears. Then Pastor Kerby offered a prayer for the dead and dismissed his congregation. Sam slipped a hundred dollar bill into the preacher's hand, glanced one last time at the golf cap still on Ashley's head and slipped away. More than a hundred blocks and a waterway yet separated him from his son. He adjusted his earphones and continued on.

*

"This is KMPR in Seattle. I'm Collin Slater with the worst news this announcer has ever had to report. At approximately 4:30 this afternoon Seattle suffered a catastrophic earthquake followed by several strong aftershocks. America, if you can hear me, we have severe damage and are in desperate need of help. The number of dead and dying increase by the moment, and personally, I could use another pack of cigarettes."

Seated in the control room, Max let his head flop forward, "Collin, it's against the law to smoke in a public building in Seattle, remember?"

"Let 'em come arrest me Max! Half of Queen Anne Hill is gone, people are dying across the street, we don't know where our wives are, and you're worried about some stupid ordinance? I can't take it Max, I really can't. Aftershock!"

*

Tim's eyes bulged. The building had begun to heave and his head was sticking out of a forty-third floor window, "Jenna pull!" The south side of the Winningham Blue sharply rose, the middle humped and the north side dipped in such rapid succession the top floors wildly bounced. The ground once more rumbled, metal and concrete screeched and the rubbish on the floor shifted.

Caught in her own terror, Jenna struggled just to hold on to Tim's leg. But the sharp jolts were inching her closer to the outside edge of the building as well. Two ceiling tiles sailed past her head and a heavy black cable abruptly snapped free of its lodging, and then hurled downward. Just in time, she jerked out of the way.

Tim's body scooted farther over the edge. He shoved his hands behind him in search of something solid to grab. There was nothing, but then he felt a sudden weight on his leg. Behind him, Jenna was sitting on it. Her hands free, she pulled the cable taut, and then repeatedly looped it around his other leg. Quickly, she tied a knot, grabbed hold of the cable and waited.

*

A little more than two blocks from the church, Sam heard the rumble and watched the wave beneath the pavement shoot toward him. He quickly glanced around, but the trees were too far away. So he simply sat down in the middle of the street. Parked cars tipped up and back, threatening to roll toward him. Wood-framed houses creaked and popped in agony. Telephone poles with dangling lines, leaned closer together, and then stretched farther apart.

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