in the Mountain, she had to go.
She took a deep breath. Her personal fear was not an option. She felt strangely calm.
She reached for her water cup and stopped. The waterâs surface vibrated in miniscule waves. She pulled back her hand as she glanced around.
A rumble came from deep within the bowels of the earth, working its way up, growing in intensity as it climbed closer to the surface. She turned, thinking sheâd be able to see the source of the growl. Earth tremors were frequent in Dominion Borough, but she didnât know how often they had them in TicCity. Mother had taught her and her brother Dane to press themselves into the sturdy arch of a doorway when they occurred. Slipping from her seat, Selah hurried toward the doorway of an adjoining office, hoping by the time she reached the old stone arch, the shaking would subside.
The still noon air exploded. A shock wave rolled through the Repository with a deafening roar. Selah jerked and raised both hands to shield herself as data glass and bio-computer units jolted off ancient wooden shelves. The sounds mixed togetherâmetal crashed, shards of glass cascaded to the floor, and the roar continued.
Sharp-toned sirens screamed to life, punctuating the rumble with an irregular rhythm. The sirens, reminiscent of those in the Mountain when sheâd escaped, unnerved her. Her muscles tensed. She wanted to cover her ears and block the sound, but she needed to run.
The old-fashioned black-and-white checkered tiles erupted as the ceramic floor twisted like a rope in slow motion. Selah froze, not knowing which way was safe.
Her feet finally caught up to her brainâs urge to run. She hopscotched over heaving sections of tile and sprinted for the front door at the other end of the long, narrow Repository. Dust floated down from vibrating ancient beams.
The earth groaned, punctuated by a tremendous grinding of splintered wood. The equipment rack opposite Selah jack-hammered itself loose from the anchor bolts and hung precariously at a forty-five-degree angle.
âMy data glass!â She stopped short before the front door and darted back down the aisle toward her station. Between the piercing shrieks of the siren, she heard intermittent shouts. People were yelling to evacuate the building. Adrenaline surged to her limbs as she vaulted the debris.
Behind her, the equipment rack sheâd just passed crashed across the aisle, blocking her way back to the front door. With pounding chest, she spun to it, thrusting out open palms. âNo!â she shouted.
The rack exploded. Equipment smashed to the floor. Old knobs and dials scattered under the desk and rolled across the aisle. Momentarily stunned at the energy radiating from her hands, Selah stumbled, trying to regain her balance. Why were her hands throbbing?
Part of a five-foot light fixture swung down from its mooring on the ceiling. She jumped out of the way before it smacked her in the head. It crashed to the floor. Still attached by wires to the ceiling, the light arced and danced like a marionette in the trembling room. The acrid smell of the sparking current drifted from the smashed end of the fixture.
The files were still loading. She frantically watched thedownload ticking from forty-five to fifty percent. There wasnât time to capture everything.
âCome on, come on!â Seconds ticked like minutes. She pounded on the desk in frustration, grabbed the glass from the device, and shoved it into her pocket.
The ceiling buckled. Another light fixture smashed to the floor. Shards of something sharp slid across the floor and hurled into other objects.
She ran toward a toppled bookcase blocking the path to the door. A cracking sound marched along the length of the room. Welds on the roofing sections snapped as the rafters twisted free.
Her arms felt like weights, but Selah dove under the canted bookcase blocking the doorway and crawled through the debris of data glass and musty,
She took a deep breath. Her personal fear was not an option. She felt strangely calm.
She reached for her water cup and stopped. The waterâs surface vibrated in miniscule waves. She pulled back her hand as she glanced around.
A rumble came from deep within the bowels of the earth, working its way up, growing in intensity as it climbed closer to the surface. She turned, thinking sheâd be able to see the source of the growl. Earth tremors were frequent in Dominion Borough, but she didnât know how often they had them in TicCity. Mother had taught her and her brother Dane to press themselves into the sturdy arch of a doorway when they occurred. Slipping from her seat, Selah hurried toward the doorway of an adjoining office, hoping by the time she reached the old stone arch, the shaking would subside.
The still noon air exploded. A shock wave rolled through the Repository with a deafening roar. Selah jerked and raised both hands to shield herself as data glass and bio-computer units jolted off ancient wooden shelves. The sounds mixed togetherâmetal crashed, shards of glass cascaded to the floor, and the roar continued.
Sharp-toned sirens screamed to life, punctuating the rumble with an irregular rhythm. The sirens, reminiscent of those in the Mountain when sheâd escaped, unnerved her. Her muscles tensed. She wanted to cover her ears and block the sound, but she needed to run.
The old-fashioned black-and-white checkered tiles erupted as the ceramic floor twisted like a rope in slow motion. Selah froze, not knowing which way was safe.
Her feet finally caught up to her brainâs urge to run. She hopscotched over heaving sections of tile and sprinted for the front door at the other end of the long, narrow Repository. Dust floated down from vibrating ancient beams.
The earth groaned, punctuated by a tremendous grinding of splintered wood. The equipment rack opposite Selah jack-hammered itself loose from the anchor bolts and hung precariously at a forty-five-degree angle.
âMy data glass!â She stopped short before the front door and darted back down the aisle toward her station. Between the piercing shrieks of the siren, she heard intermittent shouts. People were yelling to evacuate the building. Adrenaline surged to her limbs as she vaulted the debris.
Behind her, the equipment rack sheâd just passed crashed across the aisle, blocking her way back to the front door. With pounding chest, she spun to it, thrusting out open palms. âNo!â she shouted.
The rack exploded. Equipment smashed to the floor. Old knobs and dials scattered under the desk and rolled across the aisle. Momentarily stunned at the energy radiating from her hands, Selah stumbled, trying to regain her balance. Why were her hands throbbing?
Part of a five-foot light fixture swung down from its mooring on the ceiling. She jumped out of the way before it smacked her in the head. It crashed to the floor. Still attached by wires to the ceiling, the light arced and danced like a marionette in the trembling room. The acrid smell of the sparking current drifted from the smashed end of the fixture.
The files were still loading. She frantically watched thedownload ticking from forty-five to fifty percent. There wasnât time to capture everything.
âCome on, come on!â Seconds ticked like minutes. She pounded on the desk in frustration, grabbed the glass from the device, and shoved it into her pocket.
The ceiling buckled. Another light fixture smashed to the floor. Shards of something sharp slid across the floor and hurled into other objects.
She ran toward a toppled bookcase blocking the path to the door. A cracking sound marched along the length of the room. Welds on the roofing sections snapped as the rafters twisted free.
Her arms felt like weights, but Selah dove under the canted bookcase blocking the doorway and crawled through the debris of data glass and musty,
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