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Epicenter 1 -- Day 1

It was morning, sunny as early spring break. Martin Fang boarded the train to Neo Island through the main suspension bridge from the mainland of West Coast City, north of California. Traveling alone for a short break of spring in March and to visit his godfather who lives on that artificial island that was built 30 years ago. Located 3 miles off the mainland is one freak of an engineering marvel of the twenty first century. Calling it the 'Final Frontier', the 'Beginning of Ocean Colony' and the 'Island of the Future' and among others. Even though, it was just another metropolis-looking city like the rest of the mainland is as West Coast City since is part of it. With a population of 400,000 civilians living on a raised sandbank as platform that stood for decades and about near the size of Oahu island in Hawaii, it's the largest artificial island ever built in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Martin, a young 20-year-old tiger-boy and college student taking his spring break a breeze. Fully dressed in a sleeveless green jersey-like jacket with a single thick yellow band around the waist and some on the edges, completely zipped up to his neck over a black long-sleeved shirt with both sleeves rolled up right behind his elbows; showing his natural black stripes on his forearms and wearing black pants along with dark-gray sneakers. Standing upright, holding onto a shiny pole for standing as the train crosses the three-mile long bridge. Above him and the train is the heavy traffic of vehicles from motorcycle to convenient cars to buses and heavy-loaded trucks. The train is faster, so Martin just rode his way from home to the public train station by his father. It's morning and the feline is tired and hoping to see his godfather and stay for the rest of the spring break. Ever since he left his parent's house and said goodbye to his father at the station, his ears are flattened down, and could not stop staring at the train's window over the blue horizon and the incoming island ahead with a frowned look.

He packed very little with a medium-sized green and yellow backpack for the break of his stay. Martin remembered after calling his godfather, he'll wait for him at the final station. He's sure that he will feel better when he unites with his close relative. So much has happened for Martin when he came back home from the University of Rexville in Costa Blanca County. Coming back home for spring break was nice to see his parents again from last Christmas. Two nights later, he had heard them discussing. Bickering. Arguing. Shouting at one another.

...And then he heard the "D" word...

It was painful to hear, he couldn't take it. It was the first time he felt like his whole world had fallen apart to the ground. Feeling like an orphaned cub in the streets of New York in the Great Depression is surely the best way to describe his feeling of despair of actually losing his parents without the bad news that they have died of a tragic accident...

His only answer was to take a leave from them... Of course, his father, he came by to see him in his room with a worried look. Seeing him packing, Martin stopped. He cried and yelled at his father until falling to his knees on the floor with sobs of so many broken feelings. His father picked him up, calmed him down and comforted him.

The father and son conversed about the situation when Martin's 'temporal stay' subject was brought up. He wanted to be away from both for now before coming back to Rexville City after spring break is over. Without hesitation, he understood his son's devastated feelings. The father thought this could be good for him to stay at his longtime friend's home.

The following morning, Martin and his father rode to the train station that enters through the famous Silver Gate Bridge. The two didn't talk to each other during the way and Martin couldn't look at his own flesh-and-blood father while staring down at his own crossed arms. Nowhere to go, there was always a solution, but it had to be so quite far away. Arriving at the station, Martin's father said goodbye and saw him off. Martin wonders how his mother felt about all of this. He really stepped ahead of his feet before his mother could have stopped him. Of course, his father must have already talked to her about his decision. This is the first time he practically runs away from home.

The tiger thinks this through again and again to see if he had done anything wrong to what had led to him to run away, but he couldn't find one. And now, he's here. On a train to Neo Island...

The train suddenly jolts and jerks that woke Martin's thoughts out of the way. He thought for a second that the train may have missed the stop, but the passengers were startled, screamed and fall off their footing. The tiger-boy took the grip on the pole tight with both hands. The shaking of the vehicle seemed to be coming from outside. The 6-car train rattles uncontrollably off the tracks, shaking off the passengers left and right, crashing their bodies towards the walls and windows hard. Martin saw another passing train suffering the same situation with sparkling wheels on fire and panicking people against the windows for help. To his horror, three cars plummeted through an opening under it. Focusing on his train, people began to come approach him unintentionally, a human in a business suit strikes him with his large body towards the tiger, yanking from his hold on the pole, hitting the end of the car on his back with his backpack, cushioning it. Another violent jolt felt the entire car flying with over 30 people inside the car, feeling a microsecond of zero gravity in the air until everything fell to the ground with a thud and slam. Their last breath of scream was cut short until a loud crash and force shuddered. Martin fell with other pile of people under him into darkness. Wrecking sounds were heard on the young tiger's ears. Only for him to cease until everything felt like an eternity of black and soundlessness. It felt like nothing but nowhere inside of him.

Epicenter 1.2 -- Day 1

Spring Break was here for Kaiden Kostas as he hears his cellphone ringing on the nightstand. Ignoring the gentle ringtone, he had set up to wake up early in the morning for work when a shuddering shook the bed. Kaiden wakes up undisturbed, either was the ringing phone or the shaking, he yawns like always. Stretching all four limbs of his body and rolls down from the bed and lands on all-fours on the floor, starting his morning exercise routine of push-ups and then pull-ups with a pole that he had installed right above his door frame of his bedroom.

Finishing his reps, he showered, dressed, and started to make breakfast in his studio apartment's kitchen. He turned on his television and the news were on. Hearing while he cooks, he listened...

"Today on Channel 15 News; this morning, a seismic trembler was felt off Neo Island shortly after seven in the morning. Reaching a magnitude of 3.2 which lasted for five seconds." The voice swishes to the next anchor, a female. "That's right, Dan. This is the third earthquake so far this week since last March which was a 2.9 magnitude under 20km underground which was felt all over Neo Island off the West Coast City, California..."

His cellphone rang loudly, picking it up right to his ear. The feline-man spoke.

"What's up, Larry."

"Morning, Kaiden, what's up! Are you getting ready for the break? Oh! Did you feel the quake just this moment?"

"Sure, I've already packed for the week." Kaiden glances his backpack in the living room, all wrapped up. "And yes, I have felt the quake, it woke me up just in time."

"Great to hear, scary stuff..." Larry said. "Hey, guess what, your sister Serena and her boyfriend are coming along! Isn't that great!"

"That's great..." He yawned without meaning to. "It's been awhile."

"Come on, you're better be energized for today, 'cause everybody we know are coming for the first day of spring break! And plus, I have a mutual friend of mine that's coming along, too. I'm sure you'll get along well, you're gonna like her."

"Yeah, Larry, thanks for helping me out. We'll meet up at your apartment when I get there. I'll see you soon."

"See ya, man. Prepare to be stoke!" He hanged up.

Today is different for Kaiden, he's taking his break a little more gathering with friends he had known. If only he had lived a little closer to West Coast City, but he cannot give away the opportunity of his career as a mechanic at the All Motors Elite Mech., which is located on the island Central District.

Now on vacation, he dressed up for the ride to West Coast City with his motorcycle. He picks up his black-and-blue leather jacket hanging on the wall, picking up the keys and lock the house. Aware of how far is to get off the island and the number of hours and traffic by this time around, he must leave earlier before the Silver Gate Bridge gets heavy on the traffic.

Kaiden owns a black and chromed, modern motorcycle, capable to carry his belongings and a sense of personal freedom to ride all city-wide. He picks up the helmet and place it on over his head. Turning on the engine and leave the parking lot. Roaring out loud through the streets, Kaiden's trip has just begun.

Entering the freeway with so many vehicles wandering about their destination's business. Kaiden carefully, without being a reckless driver, passes by other drivers. Thankfully not receiving any angry horns from fellow drivers.

Turning the next exit to the gateway of the Silver Gate Bridge ahead was a majestic sight of multiple supporting towers of the three-mile long suspension bridge. Stopping by the tollbooth and finally accelerating towards West Coast City. For the kids in their parents' car's windows, they see a cool, badass motorist riding at the already risen sun shining his black helmet against the blowing wind under his own lifestyle.

The satisfying smoothness of the road when the two-wheeled vehicle is pressed against it, turns into an odd up and down curves as waves. Kaiden felt something off, but suddenly caught his widen eyes when a bus veers off the road to the other road, crashing with other vehicles. Kaiden slows down his speed, he saw radical movements of the bridge swinging, curving up and down, shaking many vehicles out of the way. A car escapes from the other parallel road towards him. Frighten, he took on the breaks, screeching against the moving ground but the car wasn't stopping. Kaiden embraced, closing his eyes for the impact...

It wasn't exaggerated, but he flew from his motorcycle and crashed his whole body on the hot asphalt road, rolling and bouncing hard when he stopped uninterrupted. Pained, dizzy, and weaken. He slowly blacks out when his surrounding falls apart of unimaginable destructive agony.

Epicenter 2 -- Day 1

Where is he? He doesn't know. His eyes opened weakly with blurry vision. His senses were beginning to activate and start all over again. Martin rolls his body on his back and stare at a ceiling with broken light fixtures cracked and some with stains of near-dried blood. Where am I? He thought. He lifts his upper body and checks his legs; his pants are covered with bits of glass; his shoes are still on his feet. Taking a rub on the back of his brown hair, nothing seemed like it punched him on the back. Then realizing that he's still wearing his backpack on, it must have protected him during the derailing...

Thinking straight, he figures out he's still inside the train but... Where is everyone? He thought. Finding himself on one end of the car, there is no one around. Just a wrecked place like a junkyard. Standing up slowly, shaking off any bits of broken glass, checks his long-striped tail, he felt a slight pain near the base. It hurt him but can't remember much.

All the four doors of the car were opened, walking the closest, standing on the edge with no platform aligned with the door like commonly seen at every station. He looks down with a small two-and-a-half drop. He leaps down with no ankle injury and good thing he didn't have one on the crash. Quiet like his personality, he cannot hear anyone around like usual in the city. Now outside, he sights the whole wrecked vehicle, no longer the usual aligned form. It's zig-zagged like a snake with every window either cracked or entirely shattered. All six cars are present, looking at every one of them through the opened doors shown empty seats. After checking the last one, Martin slowly walks to what seem like a dead end. What the hell had just happened here? He thought.

The tracks are missing and bended downwards, below him was the sea with giant chunks of debris partially sunk and cars, buses, and trucks drifting and sinking scattered. Looking straight, there's the other side of the bridge... Did the bridge collapsed?_Martin has so many questions. He noticed the sky was getting afternoon-like, he felt his mobile phone in his pocket and fetch it. Checking the time, it was two of the afternoon. Had he been that unconscious so long? _I'm confused... The tiger quickly stands back from the edge as trembling shook his feet. The abandoned train moves along as if it was about to roll on its side with the rest. Crumbling sounds and heavy vibrating noises roars the bridge. I've to get out of here. Martin, still figuring out what had just happened, doesn't know if the suspension bridge had suffered a structural failure and it's now slowly collapsing into the sea. But now he must figure out how to find a way out of it.

He hears an upcoming sound, chopping, like... "A helicopter!" He shouted. Jogging carefully on the tracks without tripping it on it. He faced in front of a fallen roof that now is slopped in a diagonal angle to climb, the upper side shows the street markings and fallen vehicles that slid down on the spot in front of Martin. The chopping sounds are getting closer, Martin quickly acted and climb the slopped street. Above him, the sun shines at him through the opening and saw a helicopter soaring away towards land. It didn't look like a rescue helicopter in orange color. Martin reaches up the second level of the bridge that handles non-railing vehicles. With a sight to behold, more cars, buses, and trucks are abandoned in a paused moment. The street's ground is cracked of stress. Sighting at the sky and the towering structural supporters, he saw not just one copter, but few more helicopters flying over Neo Island like tiny specks of flies roaming over a disgusting leftover.

"How come no one..." Martin stopped. He doesn't understand the going ons. But focusing the far distant. The skyline he was familiar with, shows some buildings with heavy black smoke coming out. "Is the island in some crisis?" Now the picture was clearer than just some faulty designed bridge. "An earthquake... My god..."

The main bridge snapped off during the quake, cutting the mainland off. Neo Island is now by itself from the outside world. Martin checks his phone again and he had received a message in the notification a few hours ago. He taps it and reads it: Earthquake in Northern California. All civilians in West Coast City evacuate to the closest evac-points. Aware of continuous aftershocks. A sense of fear rises Martin's stomach, he tries to call his father or mother, but no bars are picking up. "No..." Due to the mass situation, the phone signals must had cut off. He won't be calling anytime soon. Not even a call from his parents. "Oh, what have I done?" Looking back towards the coast of California, Martin sighed and turns towards his only way in: the island.

As a three-mile bridge, Martin can't tell if he's even at the other end, but he must be close by now. After walking countless of yards full of cars piled on one another and no signs of life, he found another gaping hole. It wasn't long as from the other earlier. Steel beams are still connected between both sides, maybe he can walk through it. He gulped at the thought, his biggest fear is coming to reality once again. He steps a little closer to the edge and face the long steel beam in front of him. His fear of falling is worse than heights. His life is in danger once stepping on the only steel beam keeping the bridge together. The wind is blowing which is not going to help. The tiger-boy makes the first step with a clanking sound with his foot on the metal. He raised his arms horizontally for balance with his long tail. He took a deep breath until his second foot made a landing on the steel. Martin's face is being blown by the rushing wind with all his striped fur rustling to the left of his face. Martin made six more steps, almost reaching the halfway point. He must take the patience he needs or... The beam heavily shakes under his feet. The vibration reaches to his knees, it made him to crouch down on all-fours and look down at the water below_. It's only heights, it's only heights..._, thought Martin.

Screeching, moaning heavy metal goosebumps Martin every single fur of his body. He couldn't see anything behind him but is causing a lot of havoc. Sharp sounds of snapping or popping and audible whips and swooshes that a sense of breeze was felt. Martin's head rest on the still vibrating beam and stare at the vertical blue horizon, trying to ignore the wrecking sounds. It was powerful, the destruction meets with water. One splash after another. They were like giant bellyflops to ever be jumped in the sea. He felt a cold mist on his face, chilling it felt, but not relieving.

The vibration ceased. Martin remained still, hugging the beam tight. Taking courage to look at forward. Just some more steps, Martin thought. Taking his first deep breath and exhale, started to crawl forward slowly. Trying to ignore the wind, the thought of falling or what happened earlier behind him. Upon reaching solid ground, he still stood on fours, away from the edge. He wheezes lightly and rest on the ground. I made it. His body trembles but relieved. Turning up behind him, the whole thing he went through is gone, now in the water. Much further, there are still the triangular towers that supports the bridge, some have sunk or still slowly sinking its foundation. Martin stands up fully to continue his evacuation.

SNAP!

It woke him up instantaneous. A thick cable of one of the tall towers flings in the air. Going at extreme velocity. Another one snapped, it flipped a car over. Martin remained still, crouching down. Again, the trembler came back. He could feel the hot asphalt rubbing his stomach. Crunch, combined with cracking, it spread an aimless crack, crossing by in front of Martin. Behind him felt as if he was dragged by the legs with no grip, his position was shifted, it toppled down. Martin screamed and uses his nail-claws against the asphalt. Leaving trails of both hands, trying to get a firm grip. His legs reached no ground, stopping his slide with just his bare hands. A heavy truck slipped by Martin's left, taking the whole container down with it.

Martin feels he cannot move, resting on a forty-five-degree slope. His legs flailing from the edge with nothing to reach as step. He cannot think straight if trying to climb up would help, but that could mean to let go one hand. If he attempts to pull himself up by just the support of his nail-claws, he could inevitable slide off the edge. There is still one last hope.

"Help!!!" He cried. "Help me!!!" Martin screamed out loud, "Somebody help me!!!"

A white minivan slides upside-down with its top scrapping on the sloped asphalt. Aiming at Martin, he closed his eyes but suddenly noticed the extras seconds he waited for impact. Opening, then hearing a splash, the scrapped tracks veered off to his right. Greatly alive, but still hanging by a thread below, Martin kept screaming.

"Help! Somebody help me!" Martin was losing. He faced down at the ground and sobs. "What's the use?" He sniffles. He looks back up when the shaking ceased. He shouted one more time.

"Help!" It was long and clear, if anyone hear him.

"Hey! Where are ya!"

Martin's ears flickered. He took a deep breath to scream one more time. "Help! I'm down here!" Waiting to whoever is coming as he keeps looking above. Just as it came, a standing figure he could barely make up as a feline beast-man close to the edge. He was looking down at him, he startles at the sight.

Martin gave him the most frightening face of sheer terror. "Please! Help me!"

"Hold on tight! I'll get a rope!" His deep voice was booming as a tough figure. "Do not move!" He left from the edge where he was standing and went to look for something as rope. He looked for every vehicle he had passed if anything was useful. A large pickup truck was holding construction supplies, including a yellow rope. Taking it, he rushes to the young tiger in distress.

The clinging tiger-boy saw his hopeful rescuer tying himself up with the rope around the waist while the other end was tied up to a light pole. The crumbling structure shakes again and bends more downwards, Martin screams, and his nail-claws scratches the surface of the asphalt. "Hurry!" He screamed. "I'm gonna fall!"

The older feline-man starts to climb down backwards like a mountain climber on an expedition, slowly towards his objective. Martin obediently stays put without a move and hold on tight and wait for his rescuer to come. He steadily kept his pace without a care of falling or not minding the height below him. He was breathing heavily, of course, but he wasn't panicking. Martin's rescuer reaches him. He stops near close the edge on Martin's left, crouches and lends him a hand.

"Gimme your hand."

Martin shook his head. "No! I can't. Grab me!"

The feline-man did what he said; grasping his left wrist, pulling him up with his strength. "Slowly, kid. Don't move too much." Martin kept a solid hold on him until finally his legs were standing on the slopped floor but found himself embracing the stranger. Martin sighed in relief. "Come on, kid. Pull yourself with the rope." The man said. "I'll be behind you."

Martin cooperate, he wasn't tied up but took hold with both hands and use his legs, pulling himself upwards. He was getting concerned about the feline-man that was risking his life for him. But that did not matter, they were interrupted by a creaking sound and snap... It jerked down one more time. The two felines glanced at each other. "Hang on!" Feline-man said.

The giant chunk swings down and falls into the ocean with other sunken debris scattered. Cable snapping with a pang and pow, another giant portion of the bridge loses its hold and splash into the water with massive foams of water exploding in the air behind them. Martin strains his grip with the rope, but the sudden shift made loose his grip, burning his palms and screams, he let go of the rope and felt his body free falling. Flailing and disoriented in which way is up when his body is halted, not even close to the water. A powerful hold is pressuring his right wrist. Looking up in fright, the feline-man's face is clenching his jaw muzzle to his hold with every revealing teeth showing. Grunting silently and breathing hard while his other hand is holding onto the rope that is tied up to his waist. They were both spared from death.

Epicenter 3 -- Day 1

It was a slow and tiring climb. And painful. Martin is breathing hard in relief that he made it out alive...with some help. He couldn't get his body up like he always does in every morning. He just wants to lay down in fetal position and recover his ordeal. His palms were burning, bleeding little. The other feline-man recovers his dried-up breath, resting on the pole he had tied up. He slowly unties the rope around his waist, he still can feel the rope burning around it, even wearing his clothes on. He looks at the rescued feline who is lying down next to him.

"Hey, kid, you okay?" He shakes his shoulder. His voice was deep and rough but soothing unlike he had earlier.

"I'm... I'm... I'm okay." Martin takes another breath, he was shaking every inhale he takes. "Thank you... Thank you so much."

"It was nothing personal but... What the hell you were doing?" He asked and stand up to his feet and lend a hand to Martin, but he couldn't, realizing his hands had rope-burned, so he helps him stand up by his right wrist.

Martin stands up, he looks a little up to see his face, he was fairly tall of five-eleven. A tiger-man, to his surprise, but Martin started to get a little confused of his appearance than just being a tiger-man. His face has a different shade of color so unusual than most tigers. He thought he was just a common white tiger whom lacked some genetic morphism of his camouflage color like Martin's natural orange. In other words, his fur is gray where the orange part should have been, and sharp, serious-looking cyan eyes made up his appearance better like most white tigers. His black and blue leather jacket over a white t-shirt, dark-blue pants and black leather boots are a little dusty from the collapsing debris that God knows where he's been through earlier.

Hearing his question from a sight of unforeseen daze, he replied, "I... I-I was just trying to get out of here." He stuttered. "I'd j-just crossed a steel beam and.... then I f-fallen backwards when the floor toppled."

The older tiger-man sighed, "You got lucky, you know that?" Martin nodded timidly as if he was scolding him like a grown father or brother type demeanor. He saw him feeling so ashamed that he suddenly assured, "But it's not your fault, okay?"

"Yeah... it was the earthquake." Martin silently remarked, looking out at nothing. "What's your name?" He turned back at him, "I'm Martin. Martin Fang."

The older tiger-man's ears flicked at his somehow calmed introduction since anything for Martin around is still like social-manners-are-still-running-normally-in-the-worse-situation-they-are-in, but still, Martin's young deep voice is a little shaky. He calmly replies with a gruff but young voice, "Kaiden. Kaiden Kostas. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little shaky." It totally shows it, Martin's body is still shaking after his dreadful near-death, falling experience. His arms are crossed and hiding his hurt hands, hugging himself. "Can... can we leave this place? I don't want to stay here too long."

"Sure, but I'm afraid that we're going back to the island." Kaiden stated. "The situation in there is in crisis."

Martin gulped nervously, "I wonder if the mainland's okay." He glances the east where the larger land is seen from the distance. His parents are out there in terror in their own hands.

The two felines head west, on foot, to the island. Walking through the abandoned vehicles with no occupants in it, but Martin spotted some cars with shattered windshields and blood, some had the airbags deployed with a few red stains. Whether or not had anyone died during panicking rush on the bridge, somehow, Martin was glad he had not experienced to see that kind of frightening situation. He thought, for a moment, that he was the only one left behind the long three-mile bridge to plummet into the sea. That's when he brought up a question to his fellow, total stranger whom had saved him.

"Were you unconscious before you found me, Mr. Kostas?" Martin asked. His natural politeness towards meeting new people calmly kicks up. To even address him his last name.

"Just Kaiden, okay?" He responded, "But yes, I was... I was riding my motorcycle on my way to West Coast, last thing I remember; saw the road making waves. Then a car went up on my path and I..." He looks at Martin for a second; his face shows its eyes slightly widen after saying about the in-coming car. He quieted and skipped it, but continued, "I can't remember but I woke up with my helmet on with scratches. Then..." he shrugged a little, "I heard you calling for help."

"Oh..." Martin felt silence, and to feel a little even he decided to tell his perspective view. He said in quieted down tone, shy to speak to an unfamiliar person. "Well, for me, I was on my way to the island to see my godfather. I took the train this morning to here, but I felt unconscious when the train derailed. I woke up and saw no one around, I thought I was left behind and...you know...I tried to get out of here and," he took a quick glance at Kaiden, "well, you know the rest."

Kaiden paused and stops his walking and saw it right there, lying futilely. "Hah, my motorcycle!" He quickly made six steps towards it and looks at his black and chromed, two-wheeled modern vehicle. "Oh, shit... That's just great." He sarcastically muttered. His motorcycle had suffered multiple damages, and the forward wheel is mangled in a twisted angle. The main engine is missing some pieces and already leaked out of fuel. Martin didn't say anything, standing like three feet away. Then again, about the motorcycle, Kaiden sure is wearing what would a motorcyclist wore. Kaiden sighed.

"I don't think there's anything you can do for your motorcycle." Martin said.

"Let's just go." He said, a little irritated or upset. Hearing that, Martin thought he shouldn't bother him and leave the curiously strange tiger-man some space. After a short inspection, Kaiden picked up a greened-camouflage backpack from the compartment. Standing up and resume his walking. He turns back and ask, "Hey, are you coming?" Martin shakes his short thoughts and catch up with Kaiden.

Epicenter 4 -- Day 1

After finally arriving the end of the bridge of Silver Gate Bridge, Martin and Kaiden saw rescue helicopters leaving, and other swarm of larger copters soared through the high-rise skyscrapers. Martin felt disappointed that not one copter stopped by and pick them up. The felines stopped when the same road that goes further into the city by a highway bridge, its missing a large chunk. A public bus is near over-hanging with its two forward wheels out of the edge. The large chunk fell off to the ground. Kaiden found the emergency staircases to the ground level where they are finally off the bridge.

The sun is setting in and the skyline is turning in a black-silhouetted city. After a flight of stairs, Martin and Kaiden looks around. "Where's everyone?" Martin said.

Kaiden crosses his arms, thinking calmly. "They all must have evacuated to the center in Soleado Park."

"How do you know?"

"In case of situation like this, it's been highly recommended to evacuate there." Kaiden stated. "But first let's find a radio, an emergency broadcast must be constantly on air." He then looks at Martin's hands. "And treat your wounds, okay?"

"Okay. Oh, hey! We can use my phone, it has a radio app I've downloaded for the university's local radio." Martin announced.

"Save your batteries, kid." Kaiden interrupted. "It seems the island had lost communications."

Martin ignored him and tried to find a radio signal in his app, the bars are still little to reach. Not even the latest mobile phone model couldn't even reach a line of signal of hope. Martin sighed, he tried to send a text, call, voice call massage but failed to send one. The young tiger sighed. "This suck..."

"Told you." Kaiden quipped.

The two sighted a small emergency shelter by the waterfront local market. It was deserted with empty beddings and supplies left behind. This place was somehow left forgotten when the local rescue team at some point created a small hut before official rescue arrive. Martin finds a first aid kit, he opens it with his fingers. But then Kaiden offered, "Need some help?" Martin hesitated but nodded quietly.

Kaiden cleans Martin's palms before fetching a disinfecting spray can. Then taking a look at Martin's rope-burned palms. His palm pads had been like he had been whipped by punishment. He's not a doctor but is better to clean them up and avoid an infection. Martin resisted the staining of the spray as Kaiden adds some. At the end, he wraps his hands with a gauze bandage. "There, we're done."

"Thank you." Martin noticed how he took care of the wrapping; he didn't wrap them entirely along with his fingers or wrapped them like an amateur, just around the palms like a boxer athlete.

Martin's stomach began growling, recalling that he only had breakfast this morning. He then looks through the boxes and found bottles of water unopened. He picked two and kept in his backpack. He looks through more boxes and found cans of food. He picked one that has meatballs, but where he can find a can-opener?

"Hey, here you go." Kaiden came back to him with a can-opener. His other hand is holding a radio.

"Thanks." Handing over to Martin the opener he mutilates the lid to open and have his forgotten stomach satisfied.

While Martin is eating and sitting on one of the unoccupied flat beddings, Kaiden sat across from Martin and turns on the small portable radio and pulling the antenna high. Tuning the radio frequency carefully to find the emergency broadcast as static was rushing in their ears until they heard a voice.

Kaiden found it and let go off the tuner. The two listen the male's voice, "Now let's go back with West Coast City earthquake update..." he turned up the volume, "In the past hours at exactly near tenth in the morning, West Coast City is struck by a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 at the Richter scale just off the coast near Neo Island where the epicenter was the closest to it." Martin swallowed nervously with his food in his mouth. He continued to listen, "The quake lasted a long 10 minutes while seismologists are still taking examinations of their recordings of today's earthquake. However, there haven't been no signs of tsunami warnings as the tectonic plates shook horizontally. Experts are fearing for the continuous aftershocks that have felt for the past hours after the first quake. We go now live in the skies with Allison Negron! Allison?" The voice changes to a Hispanic female voice, "Hi, Dan, I'm on Channel 15 News Helicopter live in the skies and below me is Neo Island with the latest status. The evacuation, from what I have been informed, is taking out smoothly well by the local police, firemen and medicals. Civilians refugees are gathering to Soleado Park and helping the injured. An official rescue team organization would arrive tomorrow morning to assist the crisis by ship. There has been an order for helicopters coming by and pick up the seriously injured civilians to be sent to the mainland in West Coast City as the main Silver Gate Bridge had collapsed and cutting off from the mainland. A mass evacuation is going to be held in Seaway Piers where passenger ferries are being organized for tomorrow. Back to you, Dan!" The voice changes back to the news anchor, "Thank you, Allison. To all civilians in West Coast City are advised to arrive at the closest evacuation points for safety. As for the civilians still stuck in Neo Island are advised to evacuate any of the following evac-points; Excelsior Stadium, Soleado Park, Pacific Wave High School, and Seaway Piers. I repeat: Excelsior Stadium, Soleado Park, Pacific Wave High School and Seaway Piers. All civilians watch out for falling debris and incoming aftershocks...." Kaiden turned off the radio.

"I think we had enough." Kaiden said.

"I'm worried about my godfather. I hope he's okay." Martin looked down, stopped eating his food-in-can.

Kaiden was quiet for moment, "So where is your godfather?"

Martin looked back at him, "He was supposed to be waiting for me at the last station if I can remember."

"Rosewood Station is the final stop before going subterranean." Kaiden stated.

"I'm not sure if he's there anymore, still waiting for me, I...I haven't even sent him a recent message before the quake struck."

"Do you know where he lives?"

"Yeah, is at Conquest Street in a building apartment, here's the address." Martin fetched out his pocket with a yellow sticky note from his wallet. He gave it to Kaiden and reads it.

"It's pretty far from here, but there may be possibility that..." Kaiden paused but he sometimes doesn't want to disappoint his fellow friend for any possible worst-case scenario. "Martin, I... We have more serious problems here and if we go and find your godfather we could also risk our lives at stake. What if he's..." Kaiden pauses when Martin's face was fading to disappoint. "What if he assumes that you never made it to the island and went by himself. Think about it."

Martin crosses his arms and looked away from him, "He's family, I don't want to lose him."

"But what about your parents?"

"They are in West Coast, I cannot get in touch with them." Martin said. "If what you said is true, I don't wanna leave this place until I find him."

"It could be too late if you stay too long..."

Martin sighed weakly and stared at him, "But..."

"Look, kid, I'm afraid that I must suggest you leave the island as soon as possible. This is not some kind of video game mission that you can make some choices and reset it again to make it better than the last, this is the goddamn reality here!"

"I know that! And-and-and... I'm not a kid, you know! I'm-I'm twenty! And in college!" Martin's voice reached to yelled at the older tiger, he was stammering and hoping he could change his mind the way he thinks. He was already losing the battle to fight back. He had never or failed to stand up to someone than his own size, it made him feel like a weak, crying child/cub. The young tiger was trembling and so was his voice, "I-I'm scared! Okay?" He finally resorted. He looked away from him and dropped the empty can to the ground and cover his striped hands on his face.

The older tiger sighed, "Martin, I'm scared, too. We all are." Kaiden stepped up, calling his first name this time. "If we don't keep ourselves together, we won't even be able to make it out alive." He steps closer to the young tiger and knelt, with one hand on his shoulder. Kaiden sighed and look directly in the eye, "I saved your life, but it wasn't personal, nobody deserves to die in this earthquake. Not you, not me, nor anybody else here. Everybody deserves a second chance here, so don't waste it to find your godfather. It's too dangerous to wander the city. Do you understand?"

Martin is facing a two-way path and is reaching his most emotional breakdown. He removes his hands, showing his hazel eyes at Kaiden which were already leaking tears. Kaiden really feels sorry for him but this path can lead to certain death. Seeing him in a sad state, it really made him a horrible person of parental neglect. "I'm sorry..." Kaiden spoke to him, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He quietly said.

Martin wipes his tears and sniffles. "I'm okay, but, why are you helping me?"

Another sigh from the big tiger, closed his eyes and opened again, "We supposed to help each other in situations like this, no? We are not strangers, I'm not trying to be the hero here --though, I did-- but I think you cannot do this by yourself."

Martin regretted to ask this question, but it sounded logical enough to comply. "Okay, let's just go..." He calmly said. "I'm want to go home."

"Alright," Kaiden stands up from his knelt, "we're still going to the park, is the closest from here and further north is where the ferries are waiting for us tomorrow." He stated.

"Sure..." Martin stand up and took a deep breath.

Kaiden looked up at the sky, it was getting late. "We should stay here for the night; the power is out and too risky to wander the night." Even though they have nocturnal vision to see at night, it's still unconvincing to wander the city after dark. Martin agreed with no protest in mind and took a bottle of water he took earlier. Not too long, the sun had already vanished behind the city's skyline. A heavy glow of dark-red in the skies slowly darkens to black. The sound of sirens blares from the distance, too far away from where they are. For the first time in his life, his normal routines of waking up in the morning or before going to bed are no longer available. He does have his toothbrush in his backpack and used the bottle of water to wash his mouth at least without toothpaste. He did have some clothes there too, but he doesn't have a place to change in his sleeping clothes. He didn't want to change in front to someone he had just met. All he could do was taking off his sleeveless, jersey-like green jacket away and use it as his pillow. He took off his shoes to be at least comfortable in the flat bedding. Martin saw Kaiden already resting one of the flat beddings, he took off his black and blue leather jacket and used it as pillow. The white t-shirt was kind of tight that didn't lie the large athletic body build he has, and the sleeves were very short that shows off his large muscular arms, the black stripes were there but the gray fur color was too revealing. Martin somehow feels like he had really failed his biology lessons and was totally lost and puzzled about his tiger species, his very own kind as beast-men.

Cracking sounds were felt before the two felines could have started their rest. Ominous rumbling emerges. The tent that they were under begins to shake. It wasn't the wind doing it. The pair could feel the ground moving. Kaiden's body goes in stand-by in alert, and kept a watch on Martin from panicking, "Stay calm, it'll past." A loud bang and then an explosion roars in echo as the trembling ceases, following distant screams and shoutings mixing with the firefighter sirens and abandoned cars' alarms.

"I can't imagine what's happening out there." Martin said as he covers his ears from the agonizing pandemonium that is happening kilometers away. Turns his back against all the calamities. It was literally ear-piercing. Whatever what had sounded like some building collapsing from distance, Martin ignores it every possible way, never turning back. He looks at Kaiden still calmly resting on the flat bed and staring blankly at the ceiling tent. He looks more focused in his own world than anything in his surroundings.

The ambiance is calming down through the passing hours when finally, Martin could fall asleep innocently in peace.