Once Upon a Disaster

by Holly Copella

  “I don’t know, but my money is on that Lott guy,” Greg replied while suggestively raising his brows. “He gives a lot of orders, and no one questions him. A lot of people around here are afraid of him. He and that Trent guy got into it one night upstairs. I thought he was going to kill him.” He watched her work on the lock. “One week later, Trent turns up dead. A little too coincidental, if you ask me.”

  “He swore he’d never seen Trent before.”

  “I’m sure he lies about a lot of things,” Greg muttered then eyed her. “After all, he did lock us in here.”

  Jade sprung the lock and replaced the pick to her shoe. Greg quickly straightened and appeared ready to pounce when she opened the door.

  Jade stopped him from running out of the closet and stared into his eyes. “Don’t be in a hurry,” she announced firmly. “We have a situation upstairs.”

  “What situation? The explosion?”

  “It wasn’t an explosion. It was an earthquake,” she informed him then groaned. “We’re trapped. There’s no way out just yet, which means we’ll need to stay out of sight.”

  “There’s a storage room in the corridor just beyond the basement door,” he informed her. “If we can slip through the door at the top of the steps, they’ll never see us in that corridor. We can hide in the storage closet.”

  Jade lifted her dress and removed a small, semiautomatic from a thigh holster. Greg eyed her leg with surprise.

  “Then that’s where we’ll go. You need to stay behind me and keep quiet,” she commanded.

  Greg nodded. “Yeah, sure,” he announced. “I’ll stay behind you.”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Dani cleared the debris off her seat and shook the dust off her computer keyboard. She jumped into her chair behind the receptionist desk, which was cluttered with ceiling debris, and frantically typed on the keyboard. Janice and Abby paced in front of the desk and watched their friend attempting to contact Boyd. Once she finished typing, she could barely sit still while impatiently awaiting a response. When Boyd responded back, she looked at her friends with concern in her eyes.

  “Boyd says the streets are filled with panic,” she informed them. “A lot of the city has lost power. The police are concerned about looters and criminal mischief.”

  What Boyd was telling them really wasn’t news. They could hear alarms and sirens wailing continuously outside the building. Some were ambulances; some the fire department and a lot were the police. Dani continued to type.

  “I’m glad we’re locked in here,” Janice remarked while insecurely rubbing her shoulders beneath her moderately torn and dirty blouse.

  “He said a curfew has been implemented,” Dani informed them while watching the screen.

  They could hear the faint sounds of gunshots coming from the streets below. All outside sounds were magnified by the broken windows and the missing portion of the building which had once contained the parking garage. Janice and Abby looked around and listened to the sounds from the streets seemingly echoing throughout the city. Gunshots were heard sporadically from that moment forward.

  “Do you hear that?” Abby gasped.

  “He says there’s a lot of shooting going on everywhere,” Dani replied while studying her screen and the messages that seemed to fly onto the computer. Boyd was a fast typist, but he was typing a marathon now.

  Larson approached her desk, watched a moment, and appeared curious. “Are you talking to someone?”

  “Yeah,” Dani replied without looking away from her screen, not wanting to miss the rapid-fire messages.

  Boyd’s messages were almost too fast for her to keep up with them. She’d forgotten how fast he could type when he was passionate about something.

  “Dani’s boyfriend has access to news,” Abby informed Larson. “He’s giving us updates on the aftermath of the quake.”

  The building suddenly rattled and vibrated. Everyone grabbed onto the large desk for support. The tremor only lasted a minute or two before subsiding, but everyone’s nerves were already frayed from the initial quake and excessive damage.

  “I’m hearing a lot of gunshots,” Larson informed them. “The streets must be chaos out there.”

  Dani suddenly stared at her computer as alarm swept over her. “Oh--”

  Janice panicked and rounded the desk, now standing behind Dani’s chair while peering over her shoulder. “Oh, what?”

  “He just heard that two rival gangs are going at it,” Dani replied, unable to look away from the computer screen. She held her breath a moment then eyed her friends and Larson. “The police are calling this side of the city a war zone. He says to keep the building locked and to stay inside.”

  Larson immediately straightened and sprang into action. “I’d better have Ralph patrol the lobby downstairs,” he announced then hurried from the office through the cracked glass doors.

  As the women listened, the sound of gunfire seemed to increase. All three held their breath and looked at one another with concern.

  §

  Jade’s cell phone was nestled in the center console of the unmarked police car. It lit up and vibrated, the ID reading ‘Rafael’. She had ten missed calls. Undoubtedly all were from Rafael. Club Zen could be seen seemingly unscathed beyond Jade’s unmarked police car parked along the curb. To the right side of the two-story nightclub, the building alongside it had collapsed against the outer wall, which explained why the alley door couldn’t be opened. Several parked cars were smashed together from the fissures left behind on the streets. Streetlights were down, and an electric pole had fallen across the road itself. The streets were dark and appeared mostly empty in anticipation of aftershocks.

  Nearby buildings had smashed windows and security alarms in some of them wailed, although their calls went unanswered. The police had their hands full with escalating crime, injuries, and collapsed buildings. At the moment, the stores in the business district appeared safe from looters, although it was doubtful that would last long. A bruised and bloodied Miller sat in his own unmarked car with the police radio in his hand and his cell phone discarded on the passenger seat. He’d given up on his cell phone and resorted to the police radio, which still worked.

  “Officer needs assistance at Club Zen,” he announced into the radio. “Exits are blocked by collapse. Undercover inside. Possible situation. Backup desperately needed.”

  “No available units,” dispatch responded, the woman sounding slightly frantic herself. “The entire city has collapsed buildings, impassable roads, and fires. There’s a war involving two or more rival gangs. Looting and rioting is everywhere. The National Guard is en route. ETA four hours.”

  “Four hours?” Miller suddenly shouted into his radio. “This is my partner’s life!”

  “Sorry, Detective, it’s every partner’s life tonight,” the woman responded in a defeated tone. “We have ten officers down, another fifteen not responding, and the violence has just started to escalate on nearly every street. Officers from just about every nearby city have been called in to assist.”

  “Yeah, I copy.” Miller threw his radio with disgust. He tapped his ear transmitter. “Jade? Jade, do you copy?”

  There was complete silence from his ear transmitter. Miller cursed softly and looked at the nightclub across the street from him. He eyed the second-story window just above the rubble from the collapsed building and appeared to consider something. He groaned at his own idea and nervously scratched his head.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Dani continued to type onto the computer, her conversation with Boyd moving as swift as if they were talking face-to-face. She’d never typed so fast in her life, but there were things they both needed to say. Boyd’s messages were mostly updates and warnings. Janice and Abby paced in front of her large desk and played with their cell phones in apparent disgust. Cell service was spotty, but overloaded, keeping anyone from getting through to his or her loved ones. Larson hurried into the office through the cracked lobby doors. His ex
pression was concerning.

  “Ralph is missing, and the front door is open,” he informed them. “Someone got into the building. I locked out the first elevator on the ground floor lobby, in case someone attempts to use it. The second elevator is locked out on our floor, but I need help barricading both sets of stairwell doors.”

  Janice and Abby hurried past Dani’s desk to alert the others. The sound of gunshots could be heard somewhere on one of the lower floors of the building. The employees within what was left of cubicle square panicked after hearing the shots. Four employees ran across the office to the lobby doors.

  “No, we need to stay. We need to secure the stairwell door,” Larson cried out, attempting to stop them from leaving. “It’s not safe out there!”

  Dani watched several co-workers scatter out the main door and run down the nearby stairwell. Larson, Peterson, and Brad hurried out the lobby door and attempted to secure the stairwell. Dani felt panic sweeping over her, feeling as if everything was falling apart. She frantically typed on her keyboard.

  Dani IM: “Building compromised. Larson says they’re inside. Heard gunshots. Everyone is running scared. What should I do? I’m scared.”

  The curser blinked a long moment as Dani squirmed in her chair and nervously looked around. Boyd’s message appeared and stunned her.

  Boyd IM: “Stay there! I’m coming for you!”

  Dani stared at the screen and almost gasped in response. She frantically typed while crying out. “No! No! It’s too dangerous! Don’t die because of me!” She waited, but there was no response.

  Dani IM: “Boyd, please, don’t go out!”

  There was still no response.

  Dani IM: “Boyd?”

  Larson, Brad, and Peterson hurried back inside and frantically turned out the lights.

  “Everyone find a place to hide,” Larson cried out. “We’re going to stay quiet and out of sight in the event they get through. No one plays hero.”

  Larson motioned Dani away from her desk, forcing her to join the others within cubicle square.

  §

  People were looting stores through broken doors and windows as alarms wailed. Buildings burned, cars were piled up, and people ran and screamed in the dimly lit streets. Building alarms were heard from just about every street as police and fire sirens echoed throughout the city. Miller climbed the rubble of the imploded building in an attempt to reach Club Zen’s second-story fire escape. Gunshots were heard close by. Miller flattened himself on top of the rubble, hiding himself in the shadows, as he looked at the streets below. Gang members, some mere teenagers, ran through the streets shooting at one another. He watched nearly a dozen or more young men dressed in their finest looting attire with masks covering their faces as they shot at one another.

  “This town has really gone to shit,” Miller muttered and waited for them to pass through.

  Once the gang had moved from his street, Miller continued crawling on the rubble toward the fire escape. He grabbed onto the metal rail and pulled himself onto the landing. It groaned slightly beneath his weight but seemed to hold. Miller rested a moment while panting heavily. He looked down the incline of rubble he’d successfully scaled and seemed amazed at how far he’d actually climbed.

  “I’m getting too damned old for this shit.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  The dozen or more partially soaked people from the basement shivered around the bar with drinks to settle their nerves. The original thirty remaining survivors from the main club level continued to move rubble and dead bodies away from the front entrance. As they got closer to the opening, there were more bodies than actual rubble. Electricity continued to crackle from above in the partial remains of the second floor. Ceiling and debris fell onto the main floor, causing several panicked screams from those fearing the rest of the building would collapse. Cody, Bruno, Vahn, and four other men rushed across the debris-covered room toward a far corner.

  Jade and Greg appeared within the basement doorway, made certain the area was clear, and then slipped down the hallway not far from the basement. Jade paused just out of sight and peeked around the corner, watching the seven men in the near distance. They finally broke up their meeting. Bruno, Cody, and two of the other men headed toward the main entrance to assist in digging their way out while Vahn, Bernard, and another man, Les, headed for the basement door. Jade waited until they went down the steps then crept into the basement behind them.

  Once she reached the bottom of the steps and the flooded area, she saw the three men removing a duffel bag from a nearby utility room. They headed through the water and into the casino while talking among themselves. Several minutes passed. Jade moved into the water and made her way to a nearby bathroom to seek cover. She entered the bathroom and waited in the thigh-high water alongside the doorway of the darkened room. She peered into the corridor through the partial door opening and could hear the men’s voices as they left the casino.

  Vahn cast the empty duffel bag aside, allowing it to float in the water, and then cast looks at Bernard and Les. “I’ll finish here and bring the geek with me,” he announced. “Tell the boss the explosives are in place.”

  “You have the remote?” Bernard asked.

  “Yeah, I have it,” Vahn reported.

  “You gonna take care of the cop?” Les demanded.

  “The explosives will take care of that for me,” Vahn replied without emotion.

  “Just make sure the club’s been evacuated before you push that button,” Les reminded.

  “I think I can handle it, Les,” Vahn muttered with annoyance at the man.

  The two men waded through the water down the hall and eventually headed up the stairs. Vahn placed the remote control into his pocket, removed some keys, and hurried through the water for the closet door. He unlocked the door, opened it, and stared into the empty closet with a surprised look.

  “Jade?”

  As Vahn turned, Jade kicked him in the chest, although her kick lacked momentum from the water. He struck the nearby wall, feeling enough of the kick to make him wince. Jade aimed her gun at his face while glaring at him.

  He gently rubbed his chest while staring at her and completely ignoring the gun. “Jesus that hurt!”

  “That’s referred to as ‘unnecessary roughness’,” she informed him then sneered, “but I enjoyed it.”

  “Next time, take off the heels first,” he remarked then looked around. “Where’s the geek?”

  “Someplace safe,” she informed him. “Very slowly remove your gun from your shoulder holster with two fingers.”

  “As much as I’d love to play with you, we don’t really have time.”

  “Fine, we’ll do it the easy way,” she scoffed while replacing her gun to her thigh holster.

  Vahn’s head tilted as he watched with interest and possible desire. She suddenly punched him in the face, knocking him back against the wall, and then kicked him in the groin, again losing momentum from the water. The kick was still hard enough that he doubled over. She snatched his gun from his shoulder holster and aimed it at him.

  Vahn clutched himself and groaned painfully. “Okay, that was just plain mean.”

  “Just doing my job,” she snarled while glaring a hateful look at him. “Just like you were doing yours when you locked me in that closet.”

  He slowly straightened while staring at her with surprise. “That wasn’t me,” he insisted. “Cody did that.”

  “I’ve never met your boss,” she informed him. “You told him who I was.”

  “He had you checked out,” Vahn assured her. “He didn’t need me for that. I came down here to rescue you.”

  “Bullshit. You came down here to kill me,” she lashed out with hostility. “I know who and what you are.”

  “I thought we were past that,” he demanded in an irritated tone. “If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have saved you from the ceiling collapse.”

  Vahn leaned against the wall and gingerly rubbed his face. �
��You hit like a girl.” He then rubbed his chest and groaned. “But you kick like a mule.”

  “You’re going to defuse the bomb, or I’m going to target practice on your body,” she announced then aimed the gun at his crotch. “Starting with your favorite body parts.”

  “What makes you think I know how to disarm it?” he asked and tilted his head. “You don’t want the bomb to go boom; you don’t press the button. That’s as much as I know.”

  “Give me the remote.”

  Vahn removed the simple car remote and extended it to her. As she took the remote, Vahn snatched his gun from her hand and aimed it at her. Jade appeared surprised by his reflexes.

  “Classic rookie move, Jade,” he informed her while grinning. “By the way, that’s the remote to my car.”

  Jade frowned and tossed it over her shoulder.

  Vahn motioned with the gun. “Against the wall. Hands where I can see them.”

  Jade moved past him and placed her hands on the wall near her head. Vahn moved closer to her from behind, ran his hand slowly under her dress along her thigh, and removed the gun from the thigh holster. He placed it in his jacket pocket then returned his own gun to his shoulder holster. He moved against Jade from behind, placed his hands over hers, and held them to the wall in a seductive position. Jade remained still and appeared to consider her next move. While pressed against her from behind, Vahn gently kissed her neck and shoulder.

  “Admit it; you want me.”

  “I can be surprisingly cooperative when necessary,” she replied in a soft tone.

  Vahn groaned, took her right wrist in his hand, and spun her around, placing her back to the wall while again pinning her body with his. He recaptured her left wrist and held both to the wall near her head, allowing his fingers to intertwine with hers. He looked into her eyes and kept his lips close to hers while grinning deviously. Vahn brushed his lips past hers, withholding the kiss he desperately desired. Jade silently lifted her foot from the water and tapped her heel against the wall behind her. A two-inch spike appeared from the tip of her shoe. One kick in the right spot and she would end Vahn’s criminal career.