My eyes are dry as dirt when they open. After a dozen blinks, I see white cottony clouds in the shape of elephants and rhinos pass over me. Something is holding me down, or maybe not. I can't tell. In any case, I can't rise, or sit up, or move my limbs for that matter.
I can hear my orthopedic surgeon's voice telling me to move my leg just a few hours after my knee operation. "It's all in your head," he said back then. "Your mind is in shock. It's making you think you can't lift your leg, but you can if you just try. Just lift your leg."
It's all in my head. There is nothing holding me down. I can move my arms and legs. I can move my legs, damn it. Move! Pick up your fucking legs and arms Chris! Get the fuck up!
There...
I bend my arms and legs and lift myself up to a dizzying seated position. The horizon looks... wide. That's a lot of clouds. Wait...what? How am I seeing the horizon? I'm in Manhattan. I'm at work. Think, Chris. Think! Get up, dust yourself off, and think!
I was in a budget meeting at the office. Eric was giving his forecast. Then... the earthquake. This can't be the office. Stones, concrete, rubble, a body...
Jesus. Another body.
And another... Oh god. That's Melinda. Oh god. Oh Christ. That's Eric...
Keep it together Chris. Wipe the throw-up from your chin and keep it together. Call home. Make sure Marissa and Luke are okay.
They have to be okay. They just have to be.
Crap. My phone's battery is dead. Sorry Eric, Melinda, but you won't be needing your phones anytime soon. Damn. Their phones are dead too. I need to get home. How do I get home?
I turn in place, on top of this mountain of rubble and all I see is more mountains of rubble. Where are the building and bridges? Where's the empire state building? Where are the roads? Which way is north? The sun is towards the middle of the sky, and it's September, so that means it should be somewhere between 11 and 2 in the afternoon. Right? I'm pretty sure that's right.
These pieces of concrete will have to do for a sun dial. I'll just have to wait for a few minutes to know which way the sun is traveling, and then head home. If I'm still on Broadway and Duane, then I'll just head west until I hit the river and walk north until the tunnel. There's got to be a ferry or a boat or something. Hell, I'll swim the Hudson River. I know people have done it before.
As I walk over the rubble terrain, I notice there isn't anyone else out here. There are no noises either, except for the sound of rumbling fires in the distance, and my foot stepping and slipping over broken pieces of building. There are bodies, and body parts. . . I have to ignore them. The bodies are not there. Ignore the bodies, Chris. Ignore them.
Check the cell phones. They're all dead.
The wind whirs in my ear. The wind -- it's never been so loud.
I finally reach the river, and... there is nothing. Where are all the buildings on the Jersey side? I close my eyes. I can see Luke's big toothy grin, and I can almost feel his tiny bear hug.
They have to be alright.
YOU ARE READING
Waking Up
Mystery / ThrillerChris wakes up in a pile of building rubble. The last thing he remembers is giving a presentation in front of an office full of his co-workers. But now, the buildings around him are gone and he can see the horizon for miles, which is unusual for som...
