Faithquakes are downright terrifying.
This wasn’t Danielle’s first quake, but this one was way more dangerous than any before.
The shaking just wouldn’t let up.
As they dashed out of the warehouse, the whole ramshackle structure came crashing down with a thunderous roar.
Outside, the kidnappers who’d been playing dead on the ground scrambled to their feet the second they saw the earth splitting open. Survival was all that mattered now.
Danielle watched in mute astonishment.
Something seemed fishy, but she held her tongue. “Maybe they were just faking unconsciousness to avoid more beatings, she thought.
Still, being in a red–zone danger area was every bit as bad as advertised. The sky had turned a murky purple, and the sea churned like boiling water with each tremor.
Danielle almost tripped over a ground fissure but managed to catch herself. She ran for dear life, desperate to get the hell out of there.
One warehouse after another collapsed. More than once, she dodged falling stones and bricks by a hair, her quick reflexes keeping her safe.
Others were running too, but not all made it. In the dark, some stepped into cracks and got swallowed up by collapsing buildings, not even a chance to shout for help.
As a doctor, Danielle knew there was nothing she could do about natural disasters, and she sure as hell wasn’t planning to die there.
Under the grim sky, the dock’s massive crane teetered dangerously, looking like it could topple any second.
She was the first to spot it. “Jason, move!” she yelled.
Jason’s face went ashen. Not used to this kind of chaos, he froze up, his mind blank.
Seeing the crane starting to fall, he kicked into high gear and bolted,
Boom. The crane crashed down, sending up a massive cloud of dust and debris.
Danielle dodged the falling crane, but she stepped into a fissure and sprawled facedown, her cheeks coated in dust.
A rock came tumbling down and pinned her foot, sending searing pain shooting through her. Her face went deathly pale.
Jason saw her and turned back, struggling to lift the rock.
But it was too massive and maybe his panic made him weak. He couldn’t budge it. But he had to move it.
He couldn’t leave. If he did, Danielle might die and everything he’d schemed for would crumble in the quake.
“Dr. Shelly, I won’t leave you,” he said.
Danielle’s eyes reddened from the pain, but she stayed silent.
She thought she was insane, still thinking of Ross in the chaos, desperate to see him, aching for him.
Then the wall of the next warehouse collapsed. Jason went pale and leaped back. By the time he regained his wits, Danielle was buried under the rubble.
“Dr. Shelly!” he yelled. No answer.
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Chapter 313
Jason’s face turned ashon. Without a second thought, he spun around and fted.
candle, Alex nearly lost control of the wheel in the quake, almost crashing the car.
Even with the earthquake raping, Ross was hell bent on reaching Lightspring Dock for Danielle.
Tell the team to turn around,” Ross ordered.
The quake must have thrown everyone into disarray. He was worried about Danielle’s safety.
Alex knew Ross was trying to keep them safe, so he told everyone, “Anyone who wants to pull out could go, and those who volunteers could stay”
The threat of natural disaster was too real. Most turned back, spooked by the coastal danger. Two men stayed, sticking with them in a second car.
About five minutes later, they reached Lightspring Dock. The area was a ruin. People were streaming out, but Danielle wasn’t among them.
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