Alice strained with every muscle, pushing the weight of the decrepit wheelchair along the bumpy, potholed road along with rest of the survivors. She could feel the rattling vibrations of each wheel resonating up through her arms and into her bones as for the aged woman, Mother Turtle who sat on it. Behind them, the Japanese couple trudged wearily, the man using crutches and the woman carrying an inconsolable infant in her arms.
The inky night was illuminated only by the embers of conflagrations caused by the quake, casting twisted, contorted shadows around them. As they treaded past ruined homes, the scent of smoke and burning wood filled Alice's nose, and she could hear the soft slithering of unseen lurked in the darkness around them, waiting to strike.
Mother Turtle recognized these creatures as minions of Yormak, Hell's Lord. But according to sources, Yorkma himself had been brutally assassinated the month prior—and it seemed his left- and right-hand men, Bulldog, and his brother, Horse Face were chasing after whoever was responsible for their master's death ever since.
"And the earthquake?" Alice had many questions in her mind.
"I've never seen such power," replied Claus, "legend speaks of a God from Northland being able to call upon such destruction—Awaken the Dragon, it is called."
"Then who melted that steel bar?" Alice's needed answers. "And what was that voice coming from my head?"
Mother Turtle furrowed her brow before replying. "It could only have been someone of great skill."
Claus shifted her weight, muscles rippling beneath her skin. "That someone was here by choice. He must have had his reasons."
Alice had seen enough of casualties in a day. Looking at flood of wounded and survivors directed by temporary relief volunteers marching toward the west, she felt overwhelmed. —first, Fung's mysterious disappearance, now a catastrophic earthquake. She could taste the bitterness of her family in her mouth, her palms slick with sweat. Nothing could have prepared her for the consequences of reuniting with her pet being thrown into an unknown world that she wasn't even aware existed.
☆☆☆
Alice strained against the crushing waves of humidity, pushing Claus's wheelchair through the well-mannered yet chaotic crowd. Every step was a struggle against the tide, as the people around them surged forward with desperation, the air was thick with tension. The sound of panicked voices began to rise in a deafening chorus.
As they fought their way through the mass, Alice could feel the jostling and pushing against her skin, the rough fabric of her clothes rubbing painfully against her wounded flesh. The ground beneath them was slick with mud and grime, she could feel the dampness seeping into her shoes.
Suddenly, a man stumbled and fell, his child tumbling from his grasp. Alice instinctively reached out, catching the child before she hit the ground. The man looked up, tears streaming down his face, "You are the miracle girl! Please help us, I can't find my wife." It seemed that the rumor of Alice being some kind of supernatural worker had already spread among the survivors.
Then, a woman asked Alice for help to find her lost family, her cry sounded off the surrounding buildings.
"Sorry you are mistaken." Although Alice couldn't help, her heart ached for her, as she imagined the pain and anguish that the woman must felt.
As they neared the temporary medical camp that had been set up in a nearby schoolyard, Alice's heart lifted with the glimmer of hope. Children, women, and the injured had priority passage, and Alice pushed Claus's wheelchair towards the front of the crowd.
As the relief volunteers escorted them into the south wing gym, Alice could smell the antiseptic tang of disinfectant and the metallic scent of rust as they entered the makeshift medical area. The sight of the rows of beds, each one occupied by a wounded survivor, was a sobering reminder of the horrors they encountered.
Once Claus received the medical attention she needed, Alice could feel the exhaustion settling in her joints. The night had been a living nightmare, but they had survived. Alice's will to keep going had grew stronger.
☆☆☆
Alice had been sleeping on the chair beside Claus by her bed for three days. Although the doctor had stabilized Claus' legs, they also told Alice it would take at least a year for Claus to be fully recovered.
"The authority estimated magnitude of the earthquake was near eight point three. One of the deadliest in the recorded human history, and it was the biggest that Japan had ever encountered. The epicenter was within the Kyoto city, less than twenty miles from downtown." Repeatedly, Alice had heard the television broadcasting about the horrific disaster.
Alice tried to contact her brother, and home several times. The cellular connection was completely off.
"There are many watchers among us in this camp. Our position had already been compromised. Those creatues will come for us when we sleep, many more lives will be lost." Claus stared at a man in business suite who stood by the entrance. "Those men are not regular men. They are the hunting dogs of the hell beasts. They concealed themselves in human form, waiting for the night to come."
"It is impossible for them to find us. There are thousands of people here," Alice said.
"You are naïve if you think those beasts are torpor. The casualties of the innocents are not of their concern. They won't think twice to kill everyone here just to get to us, and the Gatekeeper."
Mother Turtle's constant insecurity to her surrounding was obvious, and her usual habit of hostile suspicion toward strangers was regular.
"The only thing we can do now is prepare for what's coming. They are not only hunting for the flesh, but they are also looking to consume souls. Those guards can't protect us from them."