Ampelius tore through what jackets and pants he could find until his hand closed on a lighter. A quick flick sparked a flame, which was just enough light to see. He turned to the bathroom door and tried the handle, but it was jammed solid. He slammed his shoulder against it, then kicked hard, but the frame held solid. The wood groaned, but the door refused to budge. He froze, realizing more force might bring the whole wall down on her.

  “There’s debris blocking the door,” Bella’s voice called from the other side. “You won’t get through that way. You’ll have to tear it down.”

  “Okay, give me a minute; I have an idea,” he replied, as he was racing for a solution.

  He knew he needed to act quickly, the building could collapse at any point, killing or trapping them both. While holding the lighter in one hand, he began searching the apartment for something to help him tear down the door.

  He remembered that Emmett usually had a hatchet in the bedroom "In case of emergency," he would argue. Forcing the bedroom door open, Ampelius shoved past overturned bed and yanked open the closet. There it was. Good guess, he muttered to himself.

  He rushed back to Bella and swung hard at the bathroom door. Each strike sent splinters flying through the apartment. But he didn’t care. All that mattered was tearing through the barrier to reach Bella.

  Once the way was clear, Ampelius found Bella in the bathtub pinned under some fallen debris. Her face was pale and covered with dust, but her eyes were open and alert. “Bella, I’m here,” he said, relief cutting through his panic as he scanned for a way to free her without making things worse.

  “Hang on. I’ll get you out,” he promised, his mind racing. Seeing her trapped like that hardened his resolve and had to move fast, but one wrong step could hurt her more.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice tight.

  “I’m fine. Lucky, really. I just can’t lift this off me,” she answered.

  “I’ll handle it. Just hold on,” Ampelius said, the words more vow than reassurance.

  He carefully removed the last bits of debris, clearing the way to help Bella out of the tub. As she stood, he glanced up and noticed the night sky visible through a hole in the ceiling, stars twinkling in the dark expanse. Bella appeared shaken but miraculously unharmed.

  As they left the bathroom, Ampelius spotted a blanket draped over a chair. He grabbed it and gently wrapped it around her shoulders. “Here, this should help keep you warm,” he said softly, offering her what little comfort he could.

  Together, they stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room. The apartment was now nothing but ruin from the quake. Still, despite the wreckage around them, they had each other, and for now, that was enough.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, his eyes scanning her for any hidden injuries.

  “Yes, and I don’t need this damn blanket. I’m shaking from the experience, not from being cold,” Bella replied, tossing the blanket aside.

  “Anyway, what happened? That was a violent earthquake. What a time for it to strike!”

  “Well, we do live on a fault line that runs up the entire west coast, but this area hasn’t experienced an earthquake in years,” Ampelius explained, trying to make sense of the situation.

  “And you’re right about the timing. I went outside and nearly got murdered when the earthquake hit. Although ironically, it saved my life.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Bella’s eyes widened in shock. “What? What do you mean you were almost murdered?”

  “Yeah,” Ampelius said, drawing a deep breath. “I went outside and saw a gang of looters who also saw me and grabbed me. They tied my hands, shoved a gun to my head and almost pulled the trigger when the quake hit. In the chaos, I was able to slip free and ran off.”

  Bella shook her head, struggling to believe what Ampelius was saying. She was about to speak, but paused, then gathered her thoughts. “That’s it. We need to get out of here. We find Emmett and leave the city!”

  Ampelius nodded, his eyes sweeping the wreckage. “You’re right. Let’s grab what we can and move. This building won’t hold much longer.”

  They hurried to gather what they could, but before they could leave, the apartment shook again. Ampelius and Bella braced against the walls as debris rained down, a glass shattering off the counter. The aftershock was sharp but brief, gone in less than twenty seconds.

  “I swear this building wants to collapse in on us. You were supposed to meet Emmett at your place, right? Maybe we should start there,” Ampelius suggested.

  “He was supposed to be there hours ago, long before this blackout happened.” Bella replied, worry etched on her face.

  “Well, the people on the streets are losing their minds. I don’t know how violent it will get, but if I’ve learned anything, fear makes people unpredictable,” Ampelius said grimly.

  Bella nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. “You’re right. We need to move quickly and stay together. Let’s take what we can and get out of here.”

  The apartment continued to groan under the stress of the aftershocks, the walls seeming to close in on them as they moved. Each creak and crack of the building heightened their sense of urgency.

  Ampelius glanced at Bella, his expression resolute. “Stay close to me, and if anything happens, don’t stop. We have our plan, lets find your boyfriend. He’s our priority now.”

  Bella nodded, determination replacing the fear in her eyes. “Let’s go,” she said, and together, they moved toward the door.

  The noise outside grew louder as the shouts, screams and explosions all blended into a riot that sounded like the city was tearing itself apart. Ampelius wanted to look out the window, but fought the pull of curiosity.

  Then suddenly, there was another aftershock. It was very brief but much more violent. For a second, it rattled the walls and floor before dying just as quickly as it came. This isn’t normal, he thought, feeling the unease crawling deeper into his chest. And then, just as suddenly, the chaos outside went dead. No shouting, glass breaking, no noise at all. The silence felt heavier than the quake itself.

  His curiosity finally got the better of him, and looked at Bella, asking her to wait a minute as he crept toward the window. His heart hammered, with the fear of anticipation mixing within his chest. Each pace forward felt like crossing into something he couldn’t take back, or a world slipping further out of his control.

  The street below, alive with screams and fire only moments ago, now lay deserted. The crowd had vanished as if erased, leaving behind nothing but wreckage. Flames still burned in the distance, their glow painting the ruins in a ghostly light, but not a soul stirred. Cars sat abandoned, debris covered the roads, and the silence made him afraid. It was as if the earth itself had swallowed everyone whole.

  Ampelius felt sad as he took in how much his city had changed, despite his hatred for the Romans. These were still the streets he’d walked every day, corners he knew by heart, blocks tied to years of memories. Now it all looked alien, as if it was just a wasteland of ruin.

  Ampelius scanned the area, trying to figure out what had caused this sudden disappearance? Where had everyone gone? The silence made it all the more unsettling after the chaos that had just reigned moments before.

  He turned back to Bella, who watched him with wide eyes, already sensing the weight of what he wasn’t saying. Ampelius clenched his fists, torn between nostalgia and bitter loss. How had everything unraveled so fast? The city he knew, the life he had built, it was all slipping away, piece by piece.

  “Something’s wrong out there, I don't like it.” Ampeplius said.

  Bella gave a sharp nod, and together they braced themselves, ready to leave behind the fragile safety of the apartment for whatever waited outside.

  Ampelius was about to walk toward Bella when the light from outside shifted. A sickly green glow bled across the street, seeping through the dust and smoke. He leaned forward, looking outside when his heart rate climbed as his eyes found the source. Mount Nerva had erupted, spewing towers of glowing ash that pulsed into the sky, each blast rattling the city with fresh shock waves. The sight brought back a memory, Mount Blackrock… the same green glow.

  Why is it green? The question hit him like ice in his gut.

  “I think whatever happened in Capsai is happening here,” he said, voice tight.

  Bella’s eyes found his, wide with fear. The glow painted the city in otherworldly light, every familiar street transformed into something alien and hostile.

  Ampelius tore his gaze from the window, jaw set. “We need to find Emmett,” he said firmly. “And we need to get out—now.”