Fighting for Power (Howl of the Elements: Book One)

Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Panic rose throughout the building. The rumbling of the earth grew louder, mimicking the sound of rolling thunder. Glass shattered as rocks started flying through the windows, spraying across the room. One woman screamed out when a shard flung into her face, causing blood to drip from the fresh cut on her cheek. Mothers were slouched over children, trying to protect them from the debris.

Across the room, Rocco leapt to his feet and shouted commands at the men, “You, men, stay inside and keep the women and children safe. The rest of you better get your asses outside now!”

The majority of the men scurried towards the exit, already preparing themselves to attack. The smaller group broke apart, making their way to try to coax the crying women and frightened children to huddle together in the center.

Layla could see Leon grabbing hold of her mother. The forcefulness was clear, even from far away. His hand managed to grip onto her arm, and he dragged her to her knees. Keeping her eyes on her mother, Layla inched her way closer to the couple. She had to push her way through the whimpering crowd, the air thick with fear and nervousness. It was surprising how much Layla could relate to how they were feeling. This is a lot like how my pack felt when we were under attack, too. I wonder if they realize that this is what they have done countless times to others. That they put this same exact fear in the hearts of many women and children. That they don’t only attack, but kill and rip people from their homes.

A loud cracking noise disturbed her from her chain of thoughts. The floorboards beneath her shook with such force that it made her stumble backwards. She grabbed onto the table nearest to her to help stabilize herself, but it didn’t make much of a difference. The cracking noise grew louder as she watch the floor in front of her shake. The wooden boards split, leaving a gape that led down further down into the ground than Layla could see. The tear in the surface rapidly spread until it made its way up the walls as well. As the earth shuddered one more time, Layla felt herself losing her grip on the table and falling backwards. The area in front of her made the original crack look like a sliver in comparison. There was now a gap too far to leap across. The building was now split in two, and those whimpers were now screams.

Looking over at them, there was a small group standing dangerously close to the edge of the new cliff. They were not standing still either; if they kept moving like that, they might just fall over the edge. Layla sat herself up straight and rubbed her now sore temple, giving herself a better view of the group. From her new perspective, she managed to see two sets of hands gripping the edge of the floorboards, and people from the group were trying to yank whomever it was back up.

Pulling herself to her feet, she looked around the chaotic mess surrounding her. Ear-splitting howls and screams echoed all around her, and she couldn’t help but to instinctively shield her ears with her hands. It didn’t do much to drown out the noises, though, but muffling it some gave her at least a little relief.

Each end of the split building was cluttered with fallen furniture, chandeliers that had crashed to the floor, chunks of shingles from the collapsing roof, shards of glass, and lots of damaged wooden planks. She knew the only reason that an earthquake would have sprung to life here, especially being under attack yet again. Her pack had come to the rescue.