Five Seconds

The Wave

Andy

The next hour was a series of motions. We decided to stay and look for his family. I was so against this but couldn't put up a valid argument that didn't make me feel toxic. We climbed up on a big black truck and a wave bigger than it should've been purged the city. The water came with the roar of a lion and the strength of a thousand horses. Ships collided with buildings, screams of terror were cut silent.

The water snatched the truck and yanked us back. Bedposts and office chairs tumbled along the sides. A tree swept across almost taking us off the road. A propane tank exploded on the left. Several meters away there was a dog. I reached my arm out to beckon it over, but it yelped and was pulled under. Dark water replaced it. My heart dropped along with my arm. But then it reappeared with a man under it.

I beckoned the man over. My words seemed to be drowned out, but the dog rescuer heard and began a slow swim over. I reached out my arm as if that would help. The rescuer was ten meters away. Then five. Then four. Our fingertips were inches away. But then a bus took him and the dog away. Gone forever.

The air was hard to swallow.

So much loss. So much destruction. So much death. Eventually the water slowed, and came to some sort of a stop. The truck was touching the ground, and water lapped the sides. All I could hear were the laboured breaths of Parker and I.

But we weren't out of the woods yet.

Several breaths of silence passed and then the water roared again. It pulled back and took its destruction with it. The truck was pulled as well, but only moved a few meters. I let out a minuscule breath of relief.

Who knew how many minutes of stillness we had before the water returned.

I tried to hold onto the positives. That wave was perhaps seven metres. If we didn't have an island in the way it could've reached fifty easily. I tried not to think about the inhabitants of the area.

I turned around to look at Parker. He was covered in dust and his hair was a rat's nest. His lip was bleeding and he had a bad case of road rash extending from his cheek past his neck.

"Lead the way Parker," I said as soon as the water was ankle deep.

We went west, away from the destination I wanted us to go. It was a slow moving trek through a labyrinth of destruction. Many obstacles had to be climbed; others had to be evaded in a wide detour. I rolled my ankle badly on one torn up part of the road, but Parker kept moving. I hopped along to catch up. Thankfully, the pain subsided a little when I started walking again.

My stomach was in knots and my throat was tightening. At any moment another wave could come crashing through the barrier of buildings laid like jacks. I prayed for the first time to no one in particular that my house was fine and that my dog was safe. Every step took me further and further away from him.

My Aunts face flashed through my mind. Was she ok? Did the earthquake reach her? Home seemed like it was in a different universe now. A utopia, where safe waves lapped the boat ramp, the smell of cedar was thick in the air, and somewhere on the lake, Jimmy Buffet was cranked to eleven.

We turned left at the next intersection, now moving away from the harbour. But this street was a maze of people. With emotions running high it would be too dangerous, especially considering the riots that broke out because of a hockey team. One could only imagine this growing hysteria.

I grabbed Parker's shoulder and guided him away. "Take a detour."

My ankle was throbbing but I pushed past the pain. There were worse things to deal with right now. "How much further?" I asked.