“We’re not leaving.”

“Ezekiel,” breathed my mother, “we need to consider our options. They canceled school today. Some homes in the lower-lying areas are already starting to flood. The basement to the school is completely filled with water, and everyone I’ve talked to is thinking about leaving. Most already have.”

“We’re fine,” stated my father.

I glanced at my sister as we sat at the top of the stairs. She sat with her head resting against the wall.

“What if the land shifts? The water is already here,” stated my mother. “It won’t take much to sink the entire city.”

“I know what I’m talking about. This is what I do.”

“I never doubted that.”

They were quiet for a moment.

Swallowing hard, I shifted my weight. “Do you think we should leave?” I whispered.

Erika shrugged. “I don’t know, but this doesn’t feel like any of the floods we’ve had before. The water level has usually gone down by now.”

“If you feel safer moving inland until the water subsides, then we can,” said my father. “You and the kids mean the world to me. If I thought you were in danger, I’d never let you stay here.”

“I know,” breathed my mom. “It would give me peace of mind if we could go somewhere safe until the water left. I’ve seen entire towns sink before and looking outside scares me.”

“Hey, hey,” said my dad. “It’s alright. I’ll make the arrangement. You can take the kids and go inland.

“What about you?”

“I have work. I won’t stay at the house, but I can’t go too far inland.”

My mother let out a deep breath. “I guess that’s the best we can do.”

Standing, I tiptoed back to my room.

“Zale?”

“Hmm…” I turned to Erika.

She shook her head. “Nothing, goodnight.”

“Yeah, goodnight.” I went into my room and quietly closed the door.

Lying down on my bed, I rested my hand against my lips. What if the house went under? What would we do? My dad did work for the government, but it would be hard to start all over again. Going to a new school might not be too bad, though.

***

I pressed the last cord and lifted my hands in the air. The pictures on the wall began to shake.

“Take cover!” yelled my mother.

I hurried to stand under the door frame. The house started to rumble. I flinched when a family picture fell off the wall. Something banged in the kitchen.

“Mom!” I called.

“I’m fine. Stay put until it stops.”

The house settled as the earthquake subsided. I picked up the fallen picture before going to the kitchen.

My mother was hiding under the table. “Erika!”

“I’m fine.” My sister jogged down the stairs. “I heard something fall.”

I held up the picture.

Climbing out from under the table, my mom took it from me. “Oh, no.” She shook her head. “It’s the third time I’ve replaced this frame. No matter what I do, this one never wants to stay on the wall.”

I went to pick up some pans that had spilled out of the drawer.

My mom carefully removed the back of the frame and took out the picture. She tossed the cracked glass into the trash. “Zale, could you go downstairs? I think I put a few extra frames down there.”

“Sure.” I dusted off my hands and went to the basement.

Bins were stacked against the wall. I had no idea what was inside. I took the lid off one and saw holiday decorations. Kneeling, I pushed it to the side and started digging in another. Something brushed against my leg. I jerked back to see water running toward me.

“Oh my god.” I followed it to find where it was coming in.

There was a crack in the foundation of the house. I ran my finger along the break as I stood. Water was leaking into the basement in a constant stream.

“Mom. Mom!”

The basement door opened. “What is it, Zale? Did you find the frames?”

“There’s a crack in the cement. Water is coming through it.”

“Oh my god,” she breathed. “Zale, come upstairs. I’ll call your father and tell him we’re leaving early. I can’t stay in this house any longer.” She left to go continue packing. “Do you have everything ready, Zale?”

“Yeah. It’s all by the front door.” I stepped back and examined the break. How would we fix this if we were able to come back to the house?

My boxing bag began to sway. The rumbling started to build again. I hurried toward the stairs but lost my balance as the earthquake hit. I covered my head and waited for it to pass. Cracking sounded from the wall. My eyes grew wide as the fracture shot up to the ceiling and a piece of concrete came flying out with a burst of water.

“Mom!” I clambered up the steps as water gushed into the room.

“Just stay put!” she yelled. “Wait for it to pass!”

Water filled the basement as I struggled to get to the top. “Mom!”

The whole house shifted and I slipped down the steps into the filthy brown water. Climbing to my feet, I watched the water level rise quickly to my waist. I grabbed the handrail and pulled myself up the stairs as the aftershocks hit. I made it to the stop and stared down at the brown pool creeping up to the main level. If it was this high in the house, it was only a matter of time before the roads were flooded.

“We have to go!” I reached for my mother and sister, who were hiding under the table. “We have to go now!”

“Zale, what happened?” My mother climbed out and looked panicked by my appearance.

“The water broke through. The basement is filling up. We have to go.”

We ran to grab any bags we could before I threw open the front door and saw water pooling on the road. It was seeping up from the foundations and running along the sidewalk. The houses down from us already had water on their front steps.

“Let’s go, let’s go.” I waved my mother and sister out the door.

We hurried out onto the street and joined the crowds running toward higher ground. All it would take was one more earthquake, and we’d all be underwater.