so.”
“Good. ‘Cuz watching and working hard are fine as long as you’re also doing some living.” It took a couple attempts, but Carl heaved himself forward and stood, breathing a bit harder than I imagined ideal. “And speaking of living, I’m gonna grab myself another beer. You want one?”
I declined, but when he returned, we finished watching the game and then I made him some tea and fixed a salad for him to eat the next day. By the time I returned to my flat, exhaustion from my sleepless night and the day’s emotion finally caught up with me. Instead of getting ahead on work, I quickly checked for the hundredth time for any updates on the earthquake’s aftermath and then fell asleep watching a ridiculous reality show about furries taking part in a singing competition.
I thought Carl would be rather proud.
Chapter 22
Malcolm
“Right, let’s see if we can get hold of a dozen more and send them to West Pelnar. The director said they’re especially short on generators in that area. Sound good?”
“Not a problem, sir,” Victoria responded just before a crashing sound echoed over the phone line.
I stilled. “What was that? Are you all right?”
“Fine. They’re just demolishing a complex nearby. I’m headed back south and I’ll let you know when I have word on the generators.”
“Excellent. Thank you, and stay safe, all right?”
“I will. You too, sir.”
No sooner had I hung up with Victoria when Leo strode into the makeshift office we’d constructed outside one of the hardest hit areas in Lebec. “They’ve finally cleared the bridge,” he announced, excitement lighting his face.
I smiled for one of the first times in days. “It’s about damn time. Have you called the lorry company?”
“Just got off the phone with them. The water delivery should be on its way through within the hour.” He crossed to a stack of cardboard boxes doubling as a desk and began rifling through a stack of slips and invoices.
“Have you heard from Ruby?” I asked, regretting it the moment the words were out of my mouth. It had taken my brother approximately three seconds following the earthquake to book a flight for Ruby back to North Carolina. Not that I could really blame him.
While Dunwall and other areas to the south hadn’t suffered much from the earthquake and its aftershocks, the entire northern third of the Feldlands looked and felt like a war zone.
When I’d felt the initial jolt of the quake, I thought maybe a plane had crashed nearby, but the rolling of the ground under our feet that followed told the real story. The TV station was in chaos with lighting fixtures, framed pictures, and electronic signs crashing around us and staff people running around in utter panic. A few people were injured, but everyone was safe, for the most part. The same story unfolded around Dunwall and the south, with destruction being relatively minor, sparing the majority of structures and causing mostly cosmetic damage.
In the moments before the quake struck, I’d been caught up in my head, cursing myself for fucking up the interview and being unable to gather myself. I’d been too confident, and as soon as the hot lights had turned on, I’d begun to sweat and my heart rate climbed. It was all downhill from there. I was at a loss as to what to do.
Oddly enough, when the quake hit and the room broke out in a panic, that was the moment a sense of calm took over. I saw clearly what needed to be done and I just… did it. As soon as everyone was safely sheltered, I allowed myself the space to worry about my family and friends and everyone at the palace—and Alice. I assumed she was at her flat, but I had no way of knowing for sure. Had she been driving around meeting with reporters as Leo had suggested? Was she stuck out there somewhere pinned under an overturned vehicle or trapped in her apartment shouting for help?
We all had our phones to our ears attempting to reach loved ones, but it was next to impossible to get through to anyone. Still, I dialed Alice, Leo, Clara, and my parents over and over. When I finally got through to Leo, I was able to breathe easier, but he hadn’t seen any sign of Alice, so my anxiety mounted again.
A nationwide curfew was issued to clear the way for emergency vehicles and first responders, so by the time Matthias, Natalie, and I got back