Aftershock Read Online Free Page A

survive
being moved.
    Lauren had never witnessed so much devastation. She prayed for
her friends and colleagues, many of whom had families in San Diego. All Lauren’s
relatives, including her mother, lived far away.
    After six years as a paramedic, she knew how to hold herself at
an emotional distance, but she wasn’t made of stone. Her heart ached for the
victims. Thankfully, most of them were already dead, not writhing in agony.
    She trudged alongside Garrett like an automaton, her eyes
dry.
    Lauren assumed that the destruction outside was far worse. The
freeway sections had collapsed in layers, blocking all sides. During the short
interim between the first quake and the initial aftershock, many motorists had
been able to escape. Some on foot, perhaps. The massive pileups of cars were
beyond the concrete walls, not within them.
    “You need something to eat and drink,” Garrett said.
    If anyone required sustenance, it was him. He’d been searching
through the rubble and lifting heavy objects for hours. She took two bottles of
vitamin water out of her pack, giving him one and drinking the other.
    “Is there food in the RV?” she asked.
    “Yes, but it won’t last more than a few days.”
    She didn’t want to consider the implication of those words.
Surely they wouldn’t be trapped here long enough to worry about starvation.
Humans could survive for weeks without food. If they weren’t rescued within
twenty-four hours, however, those with the most critical injuries would pass
away.
    Water was the larger concern for the survivors. It was hot and
dusty inside the cavern. They needed a lot of fluids to stay hydrated. Ten
gallons wouldn’t go far.
    “We should search the cars.”
    “I plan to,” he said.
    As they reached the northeast corner of the structure, where
she’d first met Garrett, she was struck by grief. The mangled half ambulance lay
on its side, contents gutted. Joe’s body was buried beneath the broken wall.
He’d been her partner for three years, but she hadn’t paused to mourn him. Guilt
and sadness overwhelmed her.
    She struggled to control her emotions, but it was a losing
battle. After inhaling several ragged breaths, she burst into tears.
    Garrett kept his gaze averted and his hands to himself. He
didn’t offer her any comfort or tell her not to cry. She knew she wasn’t a
dignified weeper. There was nothing pretty about a red face and runny nose.
    He offered her a tissue from a box he found in the back of the
ambulance. She thanked him in a strangled voice, drying her eyes.
    “I’m wasting water,” she said. “The Fremen would be
appalled.”
    “Good thing we’re not on Dune.”
    She smiled through her tears, pleased that he’d understood the
literary reference. Joe had been a hardcore sci-fi fan. They’d discussed the
Frank Herbert novel, and its classic movie adaptation, to exhaustion.
    “My coworker...didn’t make it,” she said.
    “I’m sorry.”
    Choking back another sob, she searched his face. He’d seemed
upset when they’d first met, but anyone would be in this situation. If he was
grieving the loss of a loved one, it didn’t show. “Were you with someone you
cared about?”
    “No,” he said curtly, his expression closed.
    His brusque response made her feel foolish. He didn’t want to
have a heart-to-heart discussion when there was work to be done.
    She shoved the tissue into her pocket and searched the back of
the ambulance for any useful supplies. After she gathered a few stray items,
they headed back. The acrid stench of cigarette smoke gave her pause.
    “Do you smell that?” she asked, frowning.
    He froze, placing his hand on her shoulder. The sound of men’s
voices carried across the dark cavern.
    “Hello?” she called out, turning the beam of the flashlight
that direction.
    Behind a large pile of rubble, there were two men sitting in
the back of a pickup truck. One had a cigarette clenched between his lips. The
other was drinking from a silver can.