Alyson dumped the last few pieces of glass, ceramic, and other broken objects in the trash. Finally, the kitchen floor's clean, she thought with broom and dust pan in hand. She gave a quick look at the stove-top clock, which read “9:03PM,” then walked out of the kitchen and towards her room. While on her way, she heard first-response sirens as they passed by her building and saw the iconic flashing red and blue lights brighten the end of the hallway. As the lights zoomed past, she felt a sudden tightening of her stomach and quickened her pace down the hall. Once she entered her -still messy- room, she immediately grabbed her smartphone from off the night table and searched for Vicky’s number. As soon as she found it, she brought the phone up to her ear and listened for a ring but… All she got was a constant beeping sound that indicated that the call didn’t go through.
Alyson brought the phone down from her face and paused for a second. Maybe… Maybe she’s on the phone, she thought. Yeah, definitely, that’s the only reason she wouldn’t pick up. I’ll try Brendan in that case, and so she did. Luckily, this time the line rang, but with added blips of static in between. As she listened, Alyson sat down on the edge of her bed and leaned the broom against her night table. She anxiously rubbed her chin. Ring… Ring… Ring…
“Hey…” Brendan’s voice said.
“Oh good, you—“
“…You’ve reached Brendan Desente. Feel free to call me back later or leave a message,” his voice continued followed by a beep.
“Damn it…” Alyson said aloud before turning her head towards the distant sound of sirens. She hugged her stomach. Why aren't they picking up? She frustratingly asked herself. Are they okay? Alyson hastily scrolled through her contacts to find someone that she could call; anyone that she could call. But most of her contacts were from people she knew back home. The only other numbers she could try belonged to Dwayne and Sky and, although she was closer with the latter, she tapped on Dwayne’s image. Her leg fidgeted as the static-filled line rang… And rang… And--
"H-Hello?" Dwayne’s voice answered; out of breath and trembling.
"Dwayne!” Alyson replied. Her tone expressed relief and surprise. “Are you all right?"
"I, uhm…” There was a pause before he continued. “I’ll be fine. W-Why?"
"I can’t get through to Vicky and our friend, Brendan. I don’t know what’s wrong. Vicky usually, if not always, answers her phone. Brendan, not so much, but still… Anyway, I got worried, and then I called you…” she rambled, also embarrassed to explain that she just needed to hear someone’s voice to put her at ease.
“Al… Alyson, calm down and slow down. The signal’s cuttin’ in and out. I’m only catchin’ a few words before ya fiz out. Now, say that again.” Dwayne’s voice was suddenly firmer and he sounded more involved.
“I can’t get through to my friends and I’m worried, so I called you.”
“Okay, yeah, that’s totally fine. Did ya want me to do somethin’ in particular to help?”
It was at that moment Alyson remembered that Dwayne didn’t live in the college’s residence. Therefore, calling him before Sky wasn’t the appropriate action; however, she didn’t feel bad about it. She definitely felt embarrassed for not remembering such a simple detail, but she didn’t regret calling Dwayne before Sky, in the slightest. And this bothered her.
“I’m sorry, Dwayne… I forgot you don’t live in rez. I’ll just call Sky. I’m glad you’re okay, though,” she said followed by a forced laugh to alleviate any awkward atmosphere she felt she may have created, but there was a pause on Dwayne’s end.
“Hey, I ain’t too far from-- check on ‘em for ya. Sky ain’t at rez because-- I doubt she’d know anything.”
"I’m sorry, what? You’re cutting out…”
“I said that I’d go to rez and check in on yur friends for ya. I ain’t too far away,” Dwayne repeated but simplified.
“Really?" Alyson exclaimed.
“Yeah, it shouldn't—“ His voice cut out again for a second before returning. “--if I run back."
Despite the static, Alyson got the gist of what he was saying. “Thank you so much! I owe you a French Vanilla for this.”
Dwayne chuckled. "No worries, Al! I’ll call ya when I get there.”
Alyson thanked him again and hung up. She let herself fall back on her bed with her phone still in hand, partially relieved. However, it was short-lived as it became engulfed by the overwhelming feeling of dread that followed a sudden aftershock. It wasn't as powerful as the actual earthquake, but it still packed a punch, and Alyson felt something heavy in the pit of her stomach.
Once all was calm again, Alyson realized that she wouldn’t get any piece of mind unless she did something. And so, now clenching her phone, she came to the conclusion that the only way for her to feel any sort of comfort was to go out and check on her friends herself.
~~~
Dwayne hung up after talking to Alyson and his smile faded. He let out a long, defeated sigh. Maybe I shouldn’t’a volunteered to check up on ‘em, he thought in guilt. Lord knows, I’m the one that needs to be checked on… Something then brushed against his leg, startling him. He instinctively looked down and found the matted Mastiff from before standing next to him, ears down and quivering.
“Ya followed me?” Dwayne said, amazed. “On that leg? Talk ‘bout bein’ a trooper…”
Of course, the dog didn’t answer but instead looked up at him and tilted its head to the side. Dwayne couldn’t help but feel pity for it, so he kneeled down and started petting it.
“Yur just as anxious as me, ain’tcha, boy?” Dwayne then donned a puzzled expression. “Wait, y’ar a boy, right?” He briefly leaned sideways then back up. “Nope, definitely not a boy, ha ha!”
Unsurprisingly, the dog still didn’t understand, but enjoyed the petting, expressed through her weakly wagging tail and perked up ears.
"Heh… I have a feelin’ I’m gonna be stuck with ya, huh?" Dwayne smiled then stood up. Well… I guess I-- we better get goin’. I don’t wanna keep Al waitin’, he then thought with a little more confidence. Actually, I should check in on Julian too. He turned towards the direction he came from and brought up his phone to dial Julian’s number, but before he could tap the call button the ground shook once again. Trees and lamppost swayed like they did before, but not as violently. The dog began to bark and whimper uncontrollably. Dwayne quickly lowered himself and hugged the frightened Mastiff not only to comfort it, but to comfort himself as well.
Once the shaking ceased, Dwayne continued to coddle the dog until it licked his face to signal that it was calmer, and then he immediately called Julian. However, as the line rang he heard a familiar tune soon followed by a quick clatter. He looked around for its source and discovered that it was coming from a little ways down the street from him. He brought his phone down from his ear, but didn’t end the call, and followed the jazzy ringtone.
On the street adjacent to his, Dwayne found a ringing green cellphone laying face-down on the sidewalk. He cancelled his call and picked up the -now silent- phone to examine it. The screen was cracked, and the screensaver was a picture of the fencing club’s official logo. Recognising that it was indeed Julian’s phone, Dwayne promptly looked around his surroundings and found a cowering Julian, on all fours, not too far from where Dwayne stood.
Julian looked as though he had fallen during the aftershock, but although it had ended a couple of minutes ago it didn’t seem as though he had the intention of standing up anytime soon.
Perturbed, Dwayne called out and ran towards him, but received no response. Once he was closer, he called out again and this time Julian’s head rose.
"Julian, y'okay?" Dwayne asked as he kneeled down in front of him.
Julian didn't reply. He didn’t even seem to understand the question at first.
“Julian!”
Dwayne’s booming voice made Julian’s whole body flinch, and his eyes began to convey some sense of awareness. “D-Dwayne?”
“Okay, yur talkin’, that’s good,” Dwayne exhaled. He quickly gave Julian a look over and noticed his ripped pant leg. “Hey, did ya hurt yurself? Can ya stand?”
“Huh?” Julian, as though he had just awoken from a nap, followed Dwayne’s gaze and looked at his pants. “This is… The earthquake… I mean…” His words were all over the place as he tried to answer, but he suddenly changed tune once he looked back at Dwayne who stared at him like a concerned father. “It’s nothing, man, I’m fine…”
However, Dwayne didn’t fully believe him. So, as Julian shook his head to regain some composure, Dwayne went in closer to wrap an arm around Julian’s torso to assist him in standing up, but upon contact he was rudely denied.
“Did I not just say I was fine?” Julian snapped, causing the dog that was still following Dwayne to growl.
Dwayne backed off and caressed the dog to reassure her that Julian wasn’t a threat. Meanwhile, Julian stood up on his own and rubbed off the knee area of his pants.
“Why’s there a dog with you?”
Dwayne paused.
“I… Found ‘er before the earthquake. She’s been followin’ me ever since.” The dog calmed and Dwayne stood up. “Anyway, what happened to yur leg?”
“Oh my god… Nothing happened, Dwayne.” Julian lifted the ripped pant leg to display an uninjured leg. “See? I’m fine. My pants just got snagged by my bike.”
Dwayne wanted to proceed in asking about the bike because he knew Julian had it today, but it was nowhere to be seen; however, he could tell that Julian was becoming increasingly annoyed, so he decided that it was best not to pressure him. It had been an eventful night for him, to say the least, and he assumed it was the same for Julian.
Dwayne sighed. “Alright, fine, I get it. But at least come with me to rez. On a night like t’night, it probably ain’t the best idea to be alone.”
“And why are you headed there of all places?”
“I told Al that I’d check in on ‘er friends for ‘er since I’m close by, but then I found ya here.”
“No thanks. If it means seeing her then I’m going home.” Julian’s voice was filled with disgust.
“That’s fine, but good luck gettin' in the house,” Dwayne calmly stated with a shrug before turning away. “Ya lost yur key last week, remember?” He began walking in the school’s direction with a smirk on his face. Behind him, he could hear a groan of frustration and a muttered ‘asshole.’ Julian then walked up next to him, hands in his pockets and scowling.
The dog limped closely behind Dwayne.
Chapter 5 will continue...
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