It was ruined, her home was ruined. Everything was completely destroyed. The entire building has collapsed. Beams jutted out of the mass of metal and plaster. Gravel scraped under her feet, it was loose, and the movement was making her sick. At this point, she was too emotionally numb to care about any physical pain. She waded through the rubble, debris scraping along her shins. Climbing on a support beam that was no longer holding together the structure, she searched for the door. That's all she wanted. There were many doors; after all, it was an office building. The one she was looking for though, seemed to be at the bottom of the wreck.
The earthquake had ruined everything.
It may be a miracle the tsunami didn't hit them. They were on the other end of the country, working a case. They felt it though; Mai had been the first to know, even before it happened. Her animal like senses has told her, had given her warning. She didn't do anything though, except cry out in the overwhelming feeling of despair.
"AHHHHhhhhh…" Mai crouched down, covering her ears, crying.
"Mai, Mai what is it. Is the ghost here?" Monk asked. Mai looked up, tears streaming down her face. The others looked on, waiting for her confirmation. It didn't come.
"Something…bad-" She was cut off by the shattering of a glass. Then another, then another. All over the house glass shattered, wood splintered, and people screamed. The others fell over, having nothing to hold on to. They held on to each other though, Mai was crying, knowing just by the sense of it, that the outcome would be horrific. The roof started to cave, and suddenly a body was thrown over hers. A crack echoed, but the structure stabilized, but not before some crumbled plaster broke off from the ceiling and fell onto their backs.
When it was over, Mai was shaking, and the body that had shielded her pulled her into their lap and rolled them into their arms. The damage had been done.
She started using her hands, pushing away rubble towards her goal. She needed to get there. She needed it to be there.
It was.
Underneath a mesh of metal, was a door. It was labeled SPR. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Carefully, as if it were a child, she lifted the three letters from their place among the shattered glass, and made her way back towards the main road.
Waiting for her there was Naru.
"You idiot!" He yelled, grabbing her by the shoulder and shaking her, "What the hell were you doing in the wreck!" He was furious, and he was hurting. Even Naru had shown emotions.
On the ride over here to retrieve their things and then leave the next day to stay with the Davis's in England, they had all watched the debris of their homes pass, people walking around covered in ash. Many places were still on fire, while others ceased to be where they were left. Many walked around carrying photos, asking people if they had seen there loved ones. They had passed a small town ravaged by the tsunami, water still up to people's waists. They had to keep enough distance so as the car would still run. It barely held on.
They all cried. In their own way. Ayako wouldn't stop sobbing; Yasahura's eyes were void of his jubilant personality. Masako kept her head between her knees, bent over, keeping the visions of those who were killed out of her mind. Lin was silent, but his hands gripped the steering wheel as if it was a throat he was strangling. Monk held Ayako. In the very back of the van, Naru was still holding Mai in his lap; she refused to move. She hadn't opened her eyes since the first glass had shattered. She didn't want to see the world now. It was too ugly, and she knew it.
Mai held out the sign in her hands. Naru didn't care, it was just a thing to him, but he knew…he knew what it meant to her. She collapsed again, almost onto metal rod poking up from beneath the street. He picked her up, and carried her to the van. It wasn't a romantic gesture, it was recognition. Mai wasn't just feeling her own emotions, her animal like senses were focused in on every crack in the street, every rip that wasn't there before. It clouded her mind, and she could barely stand. Her intuition that has saved her so many times was hurting her in ways no one could imagine. Only Masako had it worse. As the time rolled on, the death count was raised, and more screaming souls who still had no closure grasped onto her as if it would save them.
She had passed out over an hour ago.
Placing Mai in the back seat, Lin simply surveyed the area, looking for a clear path to drive. There was none. And so he started the car and ran over the small litter of scrap that filled the area to the left of the office building that once held SPR.
This time, no one looked out the windows.
As they moved further outside the city, the more damage was seen. Eventually Lin decided they had to go in the opposite direction. They were headed towards the area the tsunami had destroyed. They would drown if they went far enough. He had taken up the responsibility of getting them all to an airport. They had only returned for their passports, and now they would leave. Despite it all, they wanted nothing more than to stay. They felt like they were abandoning their country.
They new it was for the best.
Mai had collapsed from emotional exhaustion, and she woke to find herself in a lavish bed in London, England. Getting up, she walked out the door, through some hallways, and found a window. They were in a flat in the heart of London. It seemed Naru had the entire building ready for them. Empty and waiting for people to fill it, it might have been the size of the office building where SPR once was located. But Mai wasn't thinking about that, she was much to focused on the view outside the window.
People were smiling. Laughing. Eating. Running. The sun was shining, and cars gleamed on the roads. A café across from them held people brimming with happiness. They had to know by now.
Its not as if they didn't care. Maybe they did. Maybe for an hour or two, or even a day, they sat and watched the television showing them the horrific scenery, and the videos of a 30 foot wave destroying anything in its path.
But the pictures are just pictures of a place other than their own, and the numbers were just numbers, and the videos only had them reeling till the clip stopped playing. They had gone on with their lives. It would make the newspapers, it would be the start of every news bulletin, but people were going to school and work. They had to move on. They couldn't stop, the world kept turning, and they had to move with it.
And it killed her.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, turning around she saw Naru standing there. In his eyes was understanding. They both knew it would be a long time before they could step outside into the world as usual. His hand slid off her shoulder and down her arm, finally grasping her hand. He turned towards the window, and they watched the world together, knowing one day their world would start to move again as well.
But for now, they stood still.