Chapter Text
The notebook disappeared back into the backpack with a soft thud.
Spoke glanced over at Parrot.
"...You hungry?"
Parrot thought for a second.
"...A bit."
Without another word, Spoke reached into his own backpack.
He rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a slightly squashed muesli bar.
"...Here."
Parrot looked at it.
"...Thanks, bro."
"No worries."
He carefully unwrapped it, the quiet crinkle of the wrapper seeming surprisingly loud in the stillness.
Before taking a bite, though, he reached back into his own bag again.
Spoke raised an eyebrow.
"...More books?"
"Nah."
This time Parrot pulled out a hard glasses case.
"Oh."
He opened it carefully and slipped on a pair of round glasses.
Immediately he sighed.
"That's better."
"I hate trying to read without these."
A few loose curls had escaped the low ponytail he'd tied his hair into that morning. Hours trapped beneath rubble hadn't helped.
Using his free hand, he tried smoothing them back.
It didn't work.
One particularly stubborn curl sprang right back into place.
"...Seriously?"
He tried again.
The curl won again.
Spoke couldn't help laughing.
"Your hair has declared independence."
Parrot looked at the offending strand.
"...Apparently."
He gave up, letting the fluffy curls frame his face instead.
Spoke smiled.
"...You look good with the glasses."
Parrot looked over, a little surprised.
"...Thanks, bro."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"I don't wear them much."
"They suit you."
"Thanks."
Finally, Parrot took a bite of the muesli bar.
He chewed thoughtfully for a moment before looking down at what remained.
Without saying anything, he snapped it neatly in half.
He held one piece back out.
Spoke blinked.
"...What's that for?"
"You."
"I gave it to you."
"I know."
"You should eat too."
Spoke shook his head.
"I'm fine."
Parrot kept holding it out.
"Seriously."
"We don't know how long we'll be here."
"So we're sharing."
Spoke sighed with a small smile.
"...You really are incapable of not looking after people."
Parrot shrugged.
"I try."
"You've got a broken ankle."
"And?"
"And your arm's bandaged."
"Mhm."
"You're wrapped in Wemmbu's jacket."
"Correct."
"And you're still making sure I eat."
Parrot looked genuinely confused.
"...Well..."
"...Yeah."
"That's what friends do."
For a second, Spoke didn't answer.
Then he accepted the half of the muesli bar.
"...Thanks."
Parrot smiled.
"No problem."
The two of them sat in the dim glow of Spoke's phone, quietly eating their halves of the snack while the others slept, the silence no longer feeling lonely. It simply felt like two friends making the best of a bad situation.
A pale strip of morning light filtered through a narrow crack somewhere above them.
It wasn't much.
Just enough to turn the darkness from black to grey.
Spoke checked the time on his phone.
6:03 a.m.
They'd made it through the night.
Wemmbu stirred first.
He blinked a few times before rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"...Morning..."
His voice was rough.
Parrot looked up from where he'd been quietly reading through his notebook again.
"Morning."
Wemmbu looked him over.
Parrot still looked exhausted.
His face was pale beneath the dust, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
But he wasn't trembling anymore.
His breathing looked steadier.
"...You're looking a bit better."
Parrot smiled faintly.
"...Still feel pretty awful."
"I can tell."
A groan came from the other side of the room.
Flame stretched carefully.
Every muscle protested.
"...Everything hurts."
"You slept against concrete," Wemmbu reminded him.
"...Good point."
Spoke didn't even move.
He simply pulled his hoodie over his head a little further.
"...Five more minutes..."
"It's six in the morning," Flame said.
"So?"
"So wake up."
"...No."
The cold had only gotten worse overnight.
Everyone instinctively sat a little closer together again.
Parrot still had Wemmbu's jacket wrapped around his shoulders.
Flame rubbed his hands together.
"...It's freezing."
"It's concrete," Parrot replied.
"It stays cold."
"I hate science."
"You hate being cold."
"...Also true."
Parrot looked around at everyone's backpacks.
"...Okay."
"Inventory."
Flame raised an eyebrow.
"...Inventory?"
"We should know what supplies we actually have."
Nobody argued.
It made sense.
Parrot opened his own bag first.
"I've got..."
He counted quietly.
"...Three muesli bars."
"...Two packets of crackers."
"...Trail mix."
"...A packet of dried fruit."
"...Some lollies."
"...One full water bottle."
Flame blinked.
"That's a lot."
Parrot shrugged.
"I work long shifts."
"I usually keep emergency food with me."
Flame opened his own backpack next.
"...Uh..."
He kept pulling things out.
"And..."
"...Another sandwich."
"...Two bags of chips."
"...Chocolate."
"...More muesli bars."
"...Jerky."
"...Cookies."
"...Why do you have a supermarket?" Spoke asked.
Flame scratched the back of his neck.
"...Um..."
"My brother really likes food."
A faint blush crept across his face.
"So..."
"...He keeps putting snacks in my bag."
Wemmbu immediately laughed.
"That's actually adorable."
"Shut up."
"I'm not making fun of you."
"You smiled."
"I did."
Wemmbu checked his backpack.
"I've only really got..."
He counted.
"...Three bottles of water."
"...And another that's half full."
Flame looked over.
"...Just water?"
Wemmbu shrugged.
"What?"
"You carry four bottles?"
"...I'm too lazy to willingly drink out of mould-infested fountains, bro."
Spoke nodded seriously.
"Fair."
"That's the most reasonable thing you've ever said."
"I know."
Finally Spoke looked through his own bag.
"...Let's see..."
"...Half a water bottle."
"...Gummy snakes."
"...More gummy snakes."
"...Sour snakes."
"...Chocolate snakes."
Everyone stared.
"..."
Spoke blinked.
"What?"
"You packed an alarming amount of snakes."
"They were on special."
"I respect that," Flame admitted.
Parrot quickly did the maths in his notebook.
He added up the food.
The water.
The number of people.
After a minute he nodded.
"...We're actually okay."
"For a while."
Relief spread through the group.
Nobody celebrated.
But everyone relaxed just a little.
Parrot reached into his bag again.
This time he pulled out a chunky portable charger.
"Oh," Flame said.
"I forgot you carry one."
Parrot nodded.
"...Does anyone want to charge their phone?"
Flame checked his battery.
"...Seventy-one percent."
"Nah."
"When it gets under thirty, sure, bro."
Parrot nodded.
"Fair."
"What about you?" he asked Wemmbu.
"Eighty-two."
"I'm good."
Spoke glanced at his own phone.
"...Forty-eight."
"I'll survive."
Parrot plugged his own phone into the charger instead before slipping both back into his bag.
"Better to keep one fully charged."
"Agreed," Wemmbu said.
The conversation faded again.
The morning was quiet.
Still no sounds from outside.
Still no voices.
Spoke yawned so hard his eyes watered.
"...You know what..."
"What?" Flame asked.
"I'm going back to sleep."
Without waiting for permission, Spoke shuffled sideways until he was once again leaning against Flame.
Then he curled himself into a tight ball, hoodie pulled over his head.
Flame looked down.
"...Seriously?"
"Mhm."
"You've chosen me again."
"...Warm."
"You are unbelievable."
"...Goodnight."
"It's morning."
"...Goodmorning."
Within seconds, Spoke was asleep again.
Flame sighed, though he couldn't hide a small smile.
"...He's like a cat."
Wemmbu chuckled.
"No."
"He is the cat."
Parrot quietly laughed, the sound small but genuine, as the four friends settled in to wait for whatever the new day would bring.
By the time the afternoon rolled around, nobody really knew what to say anymore.
The conversations had become shorter.
The jokes less frequent.
Everyone was tired.
Hungry.
Cold.
The little pocket beneath the rubble felt smaller with every passing hour.
Spoke had drifted in and out of sleep several times.
Flame quietly scrolled through downloaded videos without really watching them.
Wemmbu stared at the blocked entrance.
Parrot had become unusually quiet.
Flame glanced over.
"...Parrot?"
No answer.
Parrot's head rested against the wall, glasses slightly crooked on his face.
His breathing sounded...
Different.
Not dangerously fast.
Just uneven.
Like every few breaths he had to consciously take a deeper one.
"...Hey."
Parrot slowly opened one eye.
"Hm?"
"You okay?"
"...Yeah."
The answer came a little too quickly.
Wemmbu frowned.
"...You don't look okay."
He reached over, resting the back of his hand lightly against Parrot's forehead.
"...Bro."
Parrot blinked.
"What?"
"...You've got a fever."
Parrot sighed.
"...That's unfortunate."
"That's all you've got to say?"
"What else am I supposed to say?"
Flame frowned.
"Probably from all the dust... or one of the cuts," Parrot muttered. "Hard to tell without actually checking properly."
"You are not diagnosing yourself."
"I literally study this."
"And you're the patient."
"...Fair."
A little later they decided everyone should eat something.
Parrot wasn't particularly hungry.
Flame handed him another muesli bar anyway.
"Drink some water first."
Parrot obediently took a few slow drinks.
"...Good."
"And eat."
"I know."
His arm ached whenever he lifted it.
His ankle hurt even more now that the adrenaline had completely worn off.
Every movement reminded him it was broken.
Still, he quietly ate.
Faintly.
Woooooooo
Everyone froze.
Spoke looked up so quickly he nearly hit his head.
"...Wait."
Another siren.
Closer.
Much closer.
Flame stood as much as the cramped space allowed.
"...Do you hear that?"
Nobody answered.
They were all listening.
Voices.
Muffled.
Far away.
But definitely voices.
Parrot straightened despite the pain.
"...They're here."
Spoke was fully awake now.
"No way."
"I hear them!"
The voices became clearer.
Metal clanged somewhere above.
Someone shouted instructions.
A thud.
Another.
Closer.
Wemmbu didn't hesitate.
"HELLO!"
His voice echoed through the concrete.
Flame joined in.
"WE'RE DOWN HERE!"
Spoke cupped his hands around his mouth.
"HELP!"
Even Parrot managed to raise his voice.
"We're trapped!"
For a few agonising seconds...
Nothing.
Then ...
"...Wait!"
A voice.
Very close.
"I heard something!"
Everyone went completely still.
Another voice.
"Hello?"
"Can anyone hear us?"
Wemmbu practically shouted.
"YES!"
"We're here!"
"We're trapped!"
There was a pause before the voice came back.
"Hello!"
"Are you okay?"
Wemmbu looked around at the others before answering honestly.
"...Not really."
A small laugh escaped one of the rescuers.
"...Fair enough."
"How many of you?"
Flame answered this time.
"Four!"
"Okay."
"We've located you."
Relief flooded the tiny room.
"So listen carefully."
"We're going to get you out."
"But we need to make sure nothing shifts onto you."
"So we need you to stay exactly where you are."
"Can you do that?"
"Yes!" all four answered at once.
"We'll be with you soon."
Soon.
It felt anything but.
Every scrape.
Every cut through concrete.
Every movement above them made the four friends tense.
Parrot squeezed his eyes shut whenever the building vibrated.
Spoke bounced one knee anxiously.
Flame kept checking on everyone every few minutes.
Wemmbu quietly counted breaths to stop himself panicking.
Then...
A tiny beam of sunlight appeared.
Nobody spoke.
It grew wider.
Dust sparkled in the light.
Fresh air drifted into the cramped space.
"...I can see outside," Spoke whispered.
The opening widened.
Rescuers carefully lifted away the last pieces of debris.
"Hello!"
One firefighter smiled as he looked inside.
"There you are."
None of the four realised quite how emotional they were until they saw another person.
The rescue team quickly assessed everyone.
One paramedic crouched beside Parrot first.
"Who's most injured?"
Three fingers immediately pointed at Parrot.
"...Him."
Parrot looked mildly embarrassed.
"I'm oka-"
No, you're not," Flame interrupted.
The paramedic nodded.
"Broken ankle?"
"Yes."
"Cut to the arm."
"Fever."
"Looks dehydrated."
Parrot sighed.
"...Yeah."
The paramedic turned to the others.
"And you?"
Wemmbu lifted his bandaged arm.
"Cut."
"My leg," Spoke added, pointing to the large graze.
"I'm mostly alright," Flame said.
"A few bruises."
The paramedic nodded.
"Everyone's going to hospital."
All four opened their mouths.
"No arguments," another rescuer said kindly.
"You've been trapped for nearly a full day."
"We want everyone checked over."
They carefully helped Parrot out first.
The moment he emerged into the daylight, he had to squint.
Everything felt too bright.
Too loud.
Too open.
A stretcher was already waiting.
"We're just going to help you onto this."
"I can"
"You've got a broken ankle."
"...Right."
With gentle assistance, he was settled onto the stretcher.
As the ambulance doors opened, Parrot looked back.
Wemmbu, Flame and Spoke had just been guided out behind him.
They looked almost as dusty as he felt.
One of the paramedics waved the three over.
"You boys can ride in here too."
"We're taking all of you to hospital for assessment."
Without hesitation, the three climbed into the back of the ambulance.
As the doors closed behind them, Parrot let out a slow breath.
For the first time since the earthquake, the concrete wasn't above their heads anymore.
They had made it out.
The emergency department was busy.
Stretchers rolled past.
Monitors beeped steadily.
Doctors and nurses moved through the corridors with practised efficiency.
The four friends had been separated just long enough for everyone to be triaged.
Parrot's ankle had been placed in a proper splint while they waited for X-rays.
His forearm had been cleaned thoroughly and re-bandaged.
Spoke's leg had been scrubbed clean despite his dramatic complaints.
Wemmbu's arm had received several stitches.
Flame, after much insistence that he was "completely fine," had still been examined from head to toe before being cleared with little more than bruising and instructions to rest.
Now they were sitting together again in a curtained treatment bay.
Waiting.
Again.
Parrot quietly adjusted the fresh bandage on his arm before suddenly pulling his hoodie sleeve up over part of his face.
Then he leaned forward until his forehead rested against his uninjured arm.
Spoke looked over.
"...Uh."
"What are you doing?"
Parrot's muffled voice came from behind his sleeve.
"...Hiding."
"...Why?"
Another pause.
"...I work here, bro."
Spoke blinked.
"...Oh."
Another nurse walked past outside the curtain.
Parrot ducked a little lower.
"...Exactly."
"So..."
"So..."
Parrot sighed dramatically.
"I'm going to run into people I do shifts with..."
"...while I'm the patient."
Spoke stared at him for a second.
Then burst out laughing.
"No way."
Parrot didn't lift his head.
"...This is deeply embarrassing."
"You literally work in the emergency department."
"I know."
"And now you're in the emergency department."
"...I am painfully aware."
Wemmbu couldn't stop himself from grinning.
"...That's actually kind of funny."
Parrot groaned into his sleeve.
"I know it is."
"That's the problem."
"What if Sarah's working?"
"What if James sees me?"
"What if "
Spoke interrupted him.
"They're going to ask what happened."
"I know."
"And you're going to have to tell them."
"I KNOW."
Flame reached over and gave Parrot a sympathetic pat on the arm.
"...I'm sorry, bro."
Parrot looked up hopefully.
"Really?"
Flame nodded.
"...Yeah."
A beat passed.
Then he started laughing too.
"I am sorry..."
"...but that's hilarious."
Parrot dropped his head back onto his arm.
"I have never wanted to disappear more."
"You survived an earthquake," Wemmbu said between laughs.
"And this is the thing you're worried about?"
"...Yes."
"Seriously?"
"I have to see these people next week."
"They're never letting this go."
Almost as if the universe had been waiting for the perfect moment.,
The curtain slid open.
A nurse stepped inside carrying a clipboard.
Parrot recognised them immediately.
"Oh..."
"...No."
The nurse looked up.
Their eyes widened.
"...Parrot?"
Parrot slowly lowered his arm, offering the weakest smile imaginable.
"...Hi."
The nurse looked from the splinted ankle...
...to the bandaged arm...
...to the dust still clinging to his hair.
"...You look like you've had a rough day."
Parrot sighed.
"...You could say that."
Behind him, Spoke had both hands clamped firmly over his mouth, trying not to laugh.
Wemmbu had turned away completely, shoulders shaking.
Even Flame had to look at the floor to hide his grin.
The nurse looked between the three barely-contained disasters and Parrot's thoroughly embarrassed expression.
"...Should I ask about them?"
Parrot closed his eyes for a second.
"...wWe were in the earthquake."
The nurse blinked.
"...That... actually explains everything."
As they began checking Parrot's observations, Flame leaned over and whispered just loudly enough for the others to hear,
"...At least you don't have to call in sick."
Parrot slowly looked at him over the top of his glasses.
"...I'm revoking your speaking privileges."
That finally broke everyone.
Even the nurse laughed.
A couple of hours later, the emergency department had become noticeably quieter.
Parrot's fever had started to come down after fluids and medication.
His ankle had been confirmed to be fractured, with surgery thankfully not needed. It was now secured in a proper cast, and he had been given crutches to use once he was discharged.
The cut on his arm had been cleaned and dressed properly.
He still looked tired.
But no longer looked like he was about to fall asleep sitting up.
His phone buzzed.
Then buzzed again.
Parrot blinked.
"...Service."
Spoke looked over.
"You've got signal?"
"Mhm."
Immediately, notifications flooded the screen.
Missed calls.
Messages.
Way too many messages.
"...Oh no."
"What?"
"I think Theo panicked."
"How many missed calls?"
Parrot looked.
"...Twenty-three."
Spoke winced.
"...You're cooked."
"I know."
Across the room, Flame's own phone rang.
He answered almost immediately.
"...Hello?"
A smile spread across his face.
"Oh."
"...Yeah."
"I'm alright."
"...Okay."
"I'll come out."
He hung up and looked at the others.
"...I've gotta go."
Wemmbu looked up.
"What?"
"Mane's here."
"Oh."
A grin spread across Wemmbu's face.
"...Can I tag along or no?"
Flame laughed.
"...Sure."
Then he raised an eyebrow.
"...Aren't your parents rich?"
Wemmbu shrugged.
"Yeah."
"So why don't you just get picked up?"
"I could."
"...But it's funnier annoying you."
"...Fair enough."
Flame sighed dramatically.
"I immediately regret saying yes."
"You always do."
The two of them stood up.
Still bickering.
"I call shotgun."
"I'm driving."
"You don't even have a car here."
"I'll find one."
"Please don't."
Their voices faded down the corridor.
The room became much quieter.
Just Parrot and Spoke remained.
For a minute neither of them said anything.
Spoke looked over.
"...Parrot?"
"Hm?"
Spoke scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"...Thanks."
Parrot blinked.
"For what?"
"...Being my friend."
The words were simple.
Completely genuine.
Parrot smiled.
A proper smile this time.
"...Always."
Then he tilted his head.
"...Wait."
"Don't you have to call Mappic?"
Spoke laughed.
"Already have."
"He's on the other side of town."
"But he's coming."
"Good."
Parrot's own phone buzzed again.
He looked down.
A small smile appeared.
"Theo's coming."
Spoke nodded.
"...Nice."
Parrot looked at another notification.
"...Actually..."
He laughed quietly.
"...Maybe Wifies too."
"What?"
"I share a dorm with people who apparently want me supervised twenty-four seven."
Spoke grinned.
"I mean..."
"...Can you blame them?"
Parrot rolled his eyes.
"...Probably not."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Then Parrot spoke again.
"...Hey."
"Hm?"
"...Thanks."
"For what?"
"...Just chatting."
Spoke looked confused.
Parrot glanced out the window.
"...Back there."
"When we were trapped."
"You asking questions..."
"The card games..."
"The random conversations..."
He smiled softly.
"...That helped me stay sane, bro."
Spoke's expression softened.
"...Really?"
"Mhm."
"I think if we'd all just sat there in silence..."
Parrot shrugged.
"...It would've been a lot harder."
Spoke smiled.
"...Guess asking a million questions finally paid off."
"It did."
Spoke reached into his pocket and pulled out his headphones.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"I can finally listen to proper music."
Parrot laughed.
"...Proper?"
"Not downloaded random playlists."
"Oh."
"Actual playlists."
He slipped one earbud in, keeping the volume low enough that he could still hear the room around him.
A familiar song started playing.
He leaned back in the chair with a satisfied sigh.
"...Much better."
Parrot settled back against his pillows, closing his eyes for a moment.
The constant ache in his ankle was still there.
His arm still hurt.
His whole body felt exhausted.
But he was safe.
The building was behind them.
His friends were safe.
Theo was on his way.
And for the first time in more than a day, he could simply rest, knowing that the hardest part was finally over.