The earth writhed beneath him, the quake raking through the city as if the world itself had turned against them. Ampelius staggered, struggling to stay upright as the ground heaved without mercy. The masked men who had stood so confidently moments before were now collapsing into panic.

  Seizing the moment, Ampelius lunged into motion, forcing his bound body into a desperate run. The quake was so relentless his captors could barely keep their footing, let alone give chase.

  He stumbled again and again as he made a desperate dash for the street. Each time he tried to rise, the tremors threw him back down. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself onward, driven by fear, pain, and the slim chance this was his only escape.

  All around him came the sound of buildings collapsing and the frantic shouts of the thugs, too consumed by the chaos to notice he was slipping away.

  Every step was a struggle against the quaking earth, but Ampelius pushed forward, heart hammering with terror and a flicker of hope. His survival depended on it.

  Finally, one of the thugs spotted him. While struggling to steady themselves, the man yanked a handgun from his holster and leveled it at Ampelius. Two shots cracked through the air, zipping past and slamming into a car ahead. One round shattered the window, spraying glass across the street. Debris rained down from the trembling buildings as Ampelius pushed forward. Almost there! he thought.

  A third shot whistled past his head and struck the car’s rear tire, causing it to violently hiss as it deflated. Ampelius stumbled and hit the pavement hard on his stomach. Forcing himself upright, he locked eyes with the gunman, still wavering as he fought to steady his aim. They let out another shot, which cracked by missing Ampelius, but striking a bystander across the street.

  The bystander seized up and collapsed, blood spreading quickly across the pavement. The gunman fumbled with his reload, mags slipping from his grasp as he fought to stay upright. The thug who had nearly executed him raised his revolver and opened fire. Ampelius kicked himself backward, sliding into cover behind the car as the quake roared on. Buildings groaned and split, their walls cracking, ready to come crashing down.

  Through it all, Ampelius clung to one thought: escape. Every step toward the street felt like crossing a death trap. As he forced himself back up, the alley walls split apart, hurling chunks of debris into the chaos. Hugging the car for cover, he risked a glance, just in time to see the thug with the handgun take a blow to the head from falling stone. It didn’t look fatal, but it dropped him flat, out cold, with a brutal headache waiting if he ever woke.

  His would-be executioner wasn’t nearly as lucky. He’d barely finished reloading his revolver when a massive chunk of a nearby building broke loose and came crashing down on him. The impact crushed him instantly, wiping him from this life without any chance of survival. Ampelius just stared down at the alley, caught between the horror and relief, barely helping a little smile on his face while the quake kept tearing at the city’s foundations.

  More debris from nearby buildings rained down from above as dust and rubble choked the air, making it difficult to see and breathe. Ampelius knew he had to stay alert if he didn't want to end up like those men in the alley. These collapsing buildings and incapacitated thugs provided a very narrow window, and he intended to take full advantage of it.

  The massive fire the Vandals started had been extinguished, and the remaining thugs vanished into the haze. All Ampelius could see now was a landscape of destruction, as if someone set off a a hundred bombs. He breathed a sigh of relief as another large chunk of building crashed down nearby, narrowly missing him.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He wondered briefly if any of the thugs had survived, but didn't really care in the end. He crouched low, bracing against the endless tremors, each one threatening more destruction of an already fragile city. After another minute, the shaking finally stopped, though the echoes of collapsing buildings and distant cries still could be heard.

  Looking around, Ampelius saw people creeping from their hiding places, slowly stepping onto the streets. Dust and rubble cut visibility to only a few feet while it worked to settle. The once-bustling city was mostly silent now, broken only by the groan of collapsing structures and the cries of its wounded. Ampelius drew a deep breath, coughing slightly from the dust, but steadying his nerves as he took it all in.

  He looked around him at the ground for anything sharp to cut through the binds holding his hands together. It didn’t take long to find a jagged piece of metal. He used it to see through the restraints, feeling a surge of relief as they finally fell away.

  The quake had left massive damage everywhere he looked. Some of the buildings leaned half-collapsed while others lay in complete ruin. Shattered glass carpeted the streets and sidewalks. The bodies of the dead and wounded were everywhere amongst the wreckage, while survivors tended to themselves or were pulling others to safety. His own apartment building still stood, seemingly intact, but he knew better than to trust it was safe.

  Suddenly he remembered that Bella was still inside the apartment. “BELLA!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. He felt the panic surging through his body. He sprinted across the street, swerving past an injured man and dodging falling debris as his heart hammered him as he raced for the building, desperate to reach her.

  As he approached the main doors, he reached out to open them, but the weakened hinges gave way, causing the entire frame to collapse the moment he touched the handle. He stepped back and let them fall, then carefully stepped inside. He kept scanning the area for any potential hazards, noticing the cracks on the walls and ceiling, clear signs that the building was unstable and could collapse at any moment.

  Ampelius forced his way up the staircase. Dust and debris mostly covered every step, and the banister he gripped wobbled. Still, he pushed on, despite his heart pounding harder with every passing second. The fear never left his side, but he had this determination that kept him moving.

  The fourth floor appeared relatively untouched, only missing a few wall paintings that had fallen during the tremors. Ampelius sprinted toward the apartment door, shouting for Bella as he went. His voice echoed through the hallway, but there was no reply. Frantically, he searched his pockets for the keys, only to realize they had been taken when he was searched.

  Desperation fueled his actions as he positioned himself in front of the door. He delivered a powerful kick with all his might, splintering the door and sending it flying open. He rushed inside, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of Bella.

  “Bella! Where are you? Are you here?” Ampelius screamed. The silence that followed only worsened his anxiety. He pressed deeper into the apartment, heart hammering as he called out again, desperate for an answer.

  The apartment was in total chaos, as if a tornado or a bomb went off inside.The living room itself was almost pitch black as he carefully moved in. His eyes strained to adjust to the darkness, but the glow of fires outside cast just enough light to trace the faint outlines of the couch and the nearby shelves, which allowed him to see ever so slightly.

  The once-familiar living space now felt eerie and disorienting, the kind of place he barely recognized. Shadows twisted and danced across the walls like demons dancing with the devil, turning every corner into something hostile. Ampelius picked his way carefully through the debris, eyes darting for any sign of Bella, every step heavier with dread. Just as the hope began to drain from him, a faint voice reached his ears, coming from the direction of the bathroom.

  Ampelius froze where he stood, hoping to catch the faint sound again. “Bella?” he whispered, barely trusting his own voice. A faint reply answered him, enough to spark a rush of hope. He moved quickly toward the noise, which lead him to the bathroom. Though with every step, he knew the building threatening to come down at any moment. The voice grew clearer as he closed in, pulling him through the wreckage.

  “Bella?” he called again.

  He listened intently but was met with silence. Undeterred, he called out again as he reached the bathroom door.

  “I’m in here! I’m stuck! The roof collapsed, and I can’t move!” she replied, her voice strained.

  “Okay, hold on! I’ll get you out!” Ampelius shouted back, his determination growing as he closed the distance to the bathroom.