The earth shook. Then an eerie stillness. The crickets stopped chirping. The toads fell silent. It was almost peaceful. Another rumble, stronger than before. Family pictures fell from the walls and awoke the sleeping villagers. Broken glass and the stench of sulphur wasn't pleasant to wake up to but the villagers had dealt with a few quakes before and weren't worried about the pictures and smelly air. An immense crash and screams of terror quickly followed and the villagers realized this was no mere quake. A sliding of the mountain side buried the temple and the northern half of the village. Cries of pain and fear filled the air. A preist ran into the stone paved street yelling gibberish, bright red blood ran down his face and neck. The miniscule lights in the streets began to flicker and went dead. A loud crack of wood splintering broke through the house. A boy just wandering from his slumber watched as the front wall of his home shredded. His mother wailed behind him. He closed his eyes and ran to her voice. She scooped her child from the floor and kicked open a door behind her. The door swung off its henges and crashed to the dirt of the vegetable garden below. She watched as two huge smoking boulders flew through the sky and destroyed her neighbor's house. Suddenly before her was her love, her husband. He carried a child in his arms that she didn't recognize. Her mood calmed slightly knowing he was by her side. The couple ran from the village two children in tow. Another giant rumble knocked them to the ground. The earth below cracked and opened a gaping maw. The man lost his balance as he ran. For a split second he lost grip on the small child he carried. The great gaping hole happily swallowed the child. She slipped into the darkness with her arms still locked into position as if she was still holding on to her savior. She looked calm for a second then sheer panic filled her tiny face as she realized she was no longer being carried. His eyes locked on her as she disappeared into infinity. He fell to his back and barely escaped the earthen depth below. He had no time to mourn the girl, the world was still coming apart around him. His wife ran to his side and helped him back to his feet. He grabbed her arm and pulled her. His pace was relentless. His mind was focused on survival and his body followed. He hadn't noticed the blood escaping from his leg or the blood running down his wife's face. Again the ground shook. The howl of a distant pyroclasm grew louder. Trees cracked and thunder rumbled through the forest in front of them. He suddenly realized it was over. He stopped running. He grabbed his wife and son and held them close as the furnace of ash engulfed them.
© EdulK.