Once Upon a Disaster

by Holly Copella

  “Do we have a problem?” Vahn demanded.

  “No, Vahn, no problem,” the man announced and immediately looked for alternate company.

  Miller practically shouted over her ear transmitter, nearly shattering Jade’s eardrum. “Vahn’s there?” he cried out. “You’ve been made. Proceed carefully.”

  Jade casually turned to face Vahn, who glanced over her attire and smiled his approval.

  “You clean up nice, Detective,” Vahn announced, pleased with what he saw. “Or should we go with Jade?”

  “Under the circumstances, we should go with Jade,” she casually replied.

  Vahn smiled and extended his hand to her, indicating he wanted to dance with her. She uncertainly accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her against him, despite the fast song. He danced close and seductively with her to the pounding club music. Jade was actually surprised he was a good dancer.

  “What brings you here tonight?” he asked while keeping his eyes locked on hers.

  “I was hoping to run into Greg,” she informed him and found it odd that his eyes didn’t stray to her exposed cleavage. With his sexually playful mood, she was almost certain he’d be a complete pervert in this situation. “I was told he comes here a lot on Thursday nights.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know him,” he replied then tilted his head. “Boyfriend?”

  “The guy comes here every Thursday, and you expect me to believe you don’t know him?” she countered with a sly look.

  “Lots of people frequent this place,” he informed her. “I may recognize a face, but I don’t know most of their names. Unless, of course, they’re troublemakers.”

  Finally true to character, Vahn allowed his eyes to stray up and down her then met her gaze with an approving smile while holding her against his body.

  “You really look hot.”

  “You never give up, do you?” she remarked.

  “Not when I want something.”

  “Yeah, me either, but I’m pretty sure we’re not talking about the same thing,” she teased.

  He laughed at the comment. “Let me buy you a drink and see what common ground we can find.”

  “Unfortunately, you’ve never told me one thing that was true, so common ground would be very hard to find,” she informed him while raising a brow.

  “Come on, let me buy you a drink,” he pleaded while grinning. “I’ll even be nice and let you sit on my lap.”

  “How generous of you,” she scoffed. “Thanks, but I already have a drink. The girls bought me one.” She indicated the group of three girls she’d been dancing with earlier.

  He eyed the women she indicated then met her gaze. “Those girls?” Vahn suddenly questioned then frowned. “They’re bad news. Trust me. They’ll get you into trouble before you even know what happened.”

  Jade laughed and stared into his dark eyes. “They’re bad news?” she asked. “If they’re bad news, what are you?”

  “Misunderstood,” he replied without hesitation then offered a charming grin.

  Jade stared into his eyes while he smiled charmingly. She offered a warm smile, laughed, and patted his face. “Yes, I’m sure you’re misunderstood.”

  Vahn gently took her hand from his face and warmly kissed the back of it as the song faded and immediately went into another. Jade studied him and maintained her smile. She couldn’t deny the kiss sent a warm sensation throughout her body, and it bothered her. She knew what he was, and she wasn’t about to let his handsome good looks charm her. At the same time, she needed to play her cover story carefully. Drawing him into her circle would almost certainly throw him off. Keep your enemies close.

  “Care to join us?” she asked.

  Vahn smiled warmly and allowed her to guide him back to their table. The women were surprised to see Vahn as he joined them. Their disapproval was evident, and it made them uncomfortable. Two of the men from the floor joined them as well, filling their table. The men also eyed Vahn with moderate suspicion. He obviously wasn’t well liked in certain circles. Jade could understand their feelings. She glanced at the drinks on the table. They all looked alike, and none seemed to be where they were originally left.

  “Which is my drink?” she asked.

  One of the women pushed a glass in front of her. “Who knows,” she replied. “They’re all the same anyway.”

  Jade sipped her drink as the women giggled and goofed around with the two men who’d joined them at the crowded table. As Jade sipped her drink, one of the other men leaned in closer to her and placed his arm around her, since they were extremely crowded at the small table.

  Vahn glared at the man on the other side of Jade. “You want to lose that arm?”

  The man eyed Vahn’s serious look, removed his arm, and turned toward the other girl. He wasted little time placing his arm around her and even putting his hand on her leg. Jade eyed Vahn and attempted to hide her humor at what just happened. She didn’t want to encourage him, although he did save her from breaking character and harming the man alongside her.

  “Aren’t we territorial?” she remarked.

  “Yes, we are.”

  The three women and the two men returned to the dance floor leaving Jade alone with Vahn. Vahn immediately moved in closer to her.

  “Finally alone--” He placed his hand on Jade’s thigh just below the dress and gently caressed her leg. “You can’t deny the sexual tension between us.”

  Jade eyed his hand then met his gaze. She would have thought her expression would have been enough of a hint for him, but he didn’t take the hint.

  “I’m thinking you and me; two weeks in Aruba.”

  Jade was about to come at him with a witty remark when she felt the room breathing. Something was wrong. She again looked at his hand on her leg then back at his lustful grin. She wanted to remove his hand, but she couldn’t follow through. Despite her strange feeling, Jade shot up from her chair and immediately regretted the action. She caught his shoulder to keep from falling back down and weighed heavily on him. Vahn stared at her with a curious look that immediately turned to concern. She couldn’t be sure if his look was genuine or fake.

  “Did you drug me?” she suddenly gasped, knowing Miller would hear her.

  She heard Miller shouting through her ear transmitter. “Hold on, Jade. I’m on my way!”

  “Of course not,” Vahn announced with surprise then stood and attempted to steady her. “I warned you about those girls.”

  She pulled away from him and immediately clutched her head while the room spun around her. Vahn placed his arm around her waist and helped hold her up. She wanted to push him away but was forced to cling to him to keep from falling. She knew she had to run from him, but she was positive she wouldn’t make it a step on her own.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he announced firmly. “Try to stay awake. My car is right outside.”

  Jade could no longer focus on him.

  “We need to get you out of here,” Vahn announced without hesitation.

  Miller hurried into the club through the main entrance and looked around. The large bouncer at the door immediately jumped on him and pulled him back toward the door. Miller protested and attempted to reach for his badge. The guard punched him in the stomach and dragged him out the door. Vahn guided Jade across the club toward the bar and the back door. She clung to him while barely able to support her own weight, and he was soon holding her up.

  “Come on, Jade,” he announced firmly. “Stay awake. Just a little further.”

  The entire club suddenly rattled and rumbled. The music skipped, and the lights flickered, nearly going out. Everyone stopped and looked around. The entire building vibrated and shook. People screamed in fear of what was happening. Objects fell from the walls, and chunks of ceiling began to fall. Bottles of booze flew off the shelves, crashing down on the bartenders, who shielded themselves. People screamed and ran for the doors, pushing and shoving their way toward the main entrance. Vahn grabbed Jade and took her
down to the floor, seeking shelter beneath one of the tables, and covered her with his body. People continued to scream and shove just before the exit, clogging their only escape. Half the ceiling suddenly collapsed and fell on the large crowd just before the door, their screams immediately silenced. Others heading toward the entrance witnessed the collapse and screamed just before the lights went out.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Dani sat behind her desk at Virtual Play just moments after the meeting finally ended and typed on her computer. It was nearly eight o’clock that evening, and she was exhausted from the long meeting and nearly twelve hours at the office. Somehow, a sandwich platter didn’t make up for the late hour spent at work.

  Dani IM: “Meeting just ended. Leaving soon.”

  Boyd IM: “Just felt something--”

  His message puzzled her for only a second before the entire building trembled. Dani clutched her desk and looked around with surprise to the odd vibration.

  “What the hell--?”

  The entire building suddenly shook violently, frightening her. The lights flickered, objects rattled before crashing to the floor, and the glass on the outer windows suddenly shattered. Everyone within cubicle square screamed. Dani dived beneath her desk with her back to the closed end and clutched her knees to her chest. Drop ceiling and fixtures fell on her chair. Within cubicle square, computers bounced off desks, large cartoon characters plummeted to the floor, and ceiling tile fell, covering everyone with particles as they scattered in an attempt to dive beneath something solid. Several employees dove into the office doorways and braced themselves while others ran out the lobby door to the nearby stairwell. Dani saw people running past her desk where she hid. She was astonished to see them attempting to flee the rumbling building. Being they lived on the east coast, she’d never witnessed an earthquake firsthand, but she didn’t think her co-workers should be running around during one.

  §

  Several employees ran through the nearly vacant parking garage. The entire complex bounced causing them to scream as the massive concrete floor swayed beneath their feet. The cars rose and fell with the floor that somehow offered little to no support anymore. Support beams cracked and buckled from the weight of the shifting. The scattering employees attempted to hold onto cars to keep from falling on the floor now turned into a trampoline of concrete. The top level of the parking garage suddenly collapsed on top of them. With a mighty roar, each level collapsed on top of the other in a domino effect until they hit the bottom in a massive pile of concrete, mangled cars, and a cloud of debris.

  §

  The entire city shook and rumbled with a deafening roar. Signs fell, roads buckled, bridges collapsed, and parked cars fell into newly opened fissures. Cars driving on the streets during the quake slammed into one another to avoid monster pits within the streets. The unfortunate ones landed within the fissures. Larger buildings swayed and the outer walls cracked while smaller buildings appeared to implode, leaving behind clouds of dust and debris. People on the streets screamed and ran for shelter as they were tossed around by the moving streets. There was mass chaos and confusion as they ran in every direction since there didn’t appear to be any safe place for them to seek shelter.

  §

  Within Virtual Play, the shaking finally subsided, and the building became still. Dani remained huddled beneath her desk and stared at the debris on her chair and the floor surrounding her desk. She managed to remain unscathed from the traumatic ordeal since her desk was about as solid as they came and offered the perfect shelter. She stared blankly a moment at the mess behind her desk then uncertainly crawled out and looked around the lobby while remaining on all fours. Her computer was covered in debris but, surprisingly, it was still working. She stared at her functioning computer monitor and saw Boyd’s urgent message continuing to flash, practically screaming at her.

  Boyd IM: “Dani?”

  Her name was repeated dozens of times; suggesting Boyd was frightened for her welfare. Dani pulled herself up onto her knees and kneeled before her computer, afraid to stand. She grabbed the keyboard and typed her response.

  Dani IM: “Are you okay? Was that an earthquake?”

  Boyd IM: “I think it was. Stay put. Aftershocks could hit anytime and could be almost as severe.”

  Dani IM: “Checking on others. Be back.”

  Dani slowly stood, feeling unsteady on her feet, and made her way through the debris from the ceiling and other fallen objects. She rounded the wall behind her desk and entered cubicle square. To her horror, several cubicles had collapsed. Thankfully, the panels weren’t heavy, so they didn’t injure those unfortunate enough to be beneath them at the time. Employees moved out from under fallen cubicle panels and other ceiling debris covering them. Some had sustained injuries from falling equipment and oversized cartoon icons, but the injuries she saw were mostly minor cuts and scrapes.

  Janice clutched her bleeding arm beneath her torn blouse and looked around. “Abby?” she cried out.

  Dani made her way through the debris and hurried to join her friend while scanning the area for Abby. Although it was difficult to see much, she wasn’t anywhere to be found.

  “Where was she last?” Dani gasped.

  “She was right next to me,” Janice sobbed with disorientation. “I saw her right before the ceiling panels fell.”

  “Maybe she took shelter in the office,” Dani suggested and hurried to the nearby office door.

  Dani opened the office door and suddenly gasped, clinging to the doorknob. Janice ran to join her and clutched the doorframe, sharing the same expression. The collapsed parking garage had taken out part of the office and some of the building. Janice and Dani stood in what remained of the office and eyed the floors above and below them.

  “Oh, my God,” Dani gasped.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Nineteen remaining employees milled about the debris in the office and searched for unaccounted co-workers, including Abby. Fortunately, they were only finding minor injuries despite all the destruction. They heard a muffled cry from one of the overturned filing cabinets. Larson and Peterson pulled a large filing cabinet away from one of the desks to reveal Abby curled beneath the desk in a tiny ball. Janice and Dani helped her out and pulled her to her feet. She remained unsteady and disoriented, although mostly unscathed except for a few scratches and bruises. She hugged her friends then immediately pulled away and stared at them with shock.

  “What the hell? And I mean what the hell?” Abby cried out. “Was that an earthquake?”

  “We’re on the east coast,” Janice reminded them while placing a trembling hand to her bruised temple. “Is that even possible? Maybe a plane crashed, or a bomb exploded.”

  Brad approached with his cell phone in his hand. “The cell towers are still working and so is the internet,” he informed them. “They’re saying it was definitely an earthquake.”

  Peterson stood in the office doorway overlooking the collapsed parking garage and stared at the mostly dark city. Some buildings had power while others didn’t, and it seemed as if every streetlight was out. They could see several collapsed buildings and other signs of visible damage from their elevated view on the ninth floor.

  “The whole city is fucked up,” Peterson informed them while briefly glancing back.

  “I can’t believe we still have power,” Janice remarked and nervously looked at the ceiling.

  Several light fixtures dangled down, hanging by their power cords.

  Brad consulted his cell phone and shook his head in disbelief. “They’re asking that everyone at a secure location remain there,” he announced then looked at his co-workers. “There are concerns about aftershocks, fires, and mass chaos on the streets for emergency crews.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “We’re officially in a state of emergency.”

  Larson straightened proudly and immediately took charge of the situation, his commanding presence catching everyone’s attention. “I realize the parking garage is
gone, and everyone is concerned, but this building is secure,” he informed them. “It’s important that we stay here and remain calm.”

  People began to chatter about loved ones, tossing calm out the window.

  “I know you’re concerned about your family and friends,” Larson announced firm and loud, silencing everyone, “but you won’t do them any good getting yourselves killed trying to reach them. I’ll have security lock the doors. This building is safe.”

  “Lock the doors?” Janice gasped.

  “Chaos on the streets,” Brad reminded her while raising a brow. “Some of that will be looters.”

  Janice appeared horrified, clutched her chest, and withheld her gasp. “Oh, God!”

  “There’s a first aid kit in the breakroom,” Dani announced while attempting to sound calm for the sake of the others. “We should take care of those with injuries.”

  “I’ll take roll call and make sure we’re all here,” Abby announced and scrambled to find a pen and paper.

  “I saw a few people run out of the office,” Janice gasped with horror.

  “Well, I hope they didn’t go to the parking garage,” Peterson muttered.

  The employees exchanged concerned looks because they were almost certain that’s where they would have headed.

  “I’ll check the stairway,” Dani remarked while choking on her words.

  “I’d better go with you,” Brad announced and hurried to join her, his concern showing. “I think we should stick together on account of aftershocks.”

  “Excellent idea,” Larson announced and swept a look over those remaining in the cluttered cubicle square. “No one travel anywhere alone.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Dust and debris filled the dimly lit nightclub while electricity crackled from an exposed wire somewhere in the demolished ceiling. A large support beam had fallen partially to the floor from above, revealing a large chunk now laying on the floor. People could be heard coughing, moaning, and crying. Jade slowly opened her eyes and stared at a sideways view of the club from where she lay face down on the floor. It only took her a second to realize she was pinned to the floor as she felt massive pressure on top of her body nearly constricting her breathing. She gasped for air and clawed at the debris on the floor. She was unable to move out from under whatever was on top of her.