The Event: expect the Unexpected (4)

Hey! Welcome to Part 4 of this series. I'm glad you enjoyed the last one. So, U know the deal eh? If you like it, share. (Tweet button to the right, bunch of share buttons under each post - facebook, blogger, etc). If you don't like it, drop a comment so I'll know what's up.
Btw, Tuesday's the Birthday of a really cool friend, Lola Carissa. Stop by her facebook page here and show her some love, will ya? Thanks for that!
Also, I'm not one of those to apologize for not posting after a while. Just enjoy the read, and don't forget your drink. Its gonna be a fun ride!
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The BOY

“Sir, please don’t tell my Mom”, Hiko pleaded. “She’s going to ground me for a month! Please!” he begged further.

The bus driver gave him a vicious look, and said “No! I will tell your mother. I will make sure Principal Naoki knows, and I’m sure she is going to suspend you for at least two weeks. For goodness’ sake, you punched a tooth out of the boy’s mouth!”

Hiko knew he was in for it at this point. He had no other option, except the one that dominated his cerebrum.

Before he could implement the devious plan that was occupying his thoughts, he heard a rumbling sound from behind the bus. The bus driver looked at him again, and as if he could read Hiko’s thoughts, shouted at him: “Don’t go anywhere!”

Hiko strained his neck to see what was going on as the bus driver went to inspect what was going on. Then he heard the rumble again, much louder this time. Then…

CRACCKKKKK!!!

The road split in two! And the crack in the road kept coming – coming for the buses, coming for Tohoku Elementary.

Image obtained from this link.

“GET INTO THE BUS!  NOW!” the bus driver roared. Hiko jumped into the bus faster than one could say Jack Sparrow. The bus driver leaped into the driver’s seat and floored the accelerator.

“SEATBELTS ON! NOW!!” the bus driver roared again. Hiko didn’t need anyone to tell him twice – he slapped the seatbelt on as the bus driver sped off. Hiko was sure that the bus was going at 80mph now – well above the speed limit for a regular car, let alone a school bus. He saw the children in the bus looking back, and he followed suit. He saw it happening. 

One of the two buses behind his was sinking. They saw the driver of that bus rev his engine, but the crack had caught up with them. The bus began to fall back into the huge chasm that was being created. In a last attempt at survival, the driver abandoned the children, jumped out his bus and tried to save his life. At that moment, Hiko’s bus driver made a left turn, and the sight was taken away.

The children kept looking back in terror. What made them more horror-struck was when they didn’t see the second bus make that same turn. It was gone.

Shaking. Shaking. Violent SHAKING.

At that moment, Hiko realized what was happening. He had seen this in a movie once. Realizing that this was no movie, he shouted: “EARTHQUAKE!”

The MAN

Shou looked at the kid that pleaded with him. “He’s not even as remorseful as he should be”, he thought. He rained threats on the kid. “This kid has no idea what he has gotten himself into, does he? He took out his friend’s tooth!” Shou mused. He was about to send another barrage of threats when he heard the distinct rumble behind the bus. He went to check it out. He saw the kid trying to move away, and screamed at him: “Don’t go anywhere!”

Image obtained from this link.

He looked ahead, but he could not believe what his eyes told him. The ground was opening, and the crack looked like it was heading for them! He saw two cars aligned at 80° angles to the ground inside the ditch created, and they were falling – falling headlong into the crack! He could make out a person’s figure in the backseat of one of the cars, her arms flailing and banging, trying to get out of the car. He watched motionlessly as the cars were swallowed by the ground. A loud cracking sound and the quivering of the ground jolted him into action.

“No way THIS is gonna happen to ME!” he thought. He turned and ran to the driver’s seat, revved the engine and moved the transmission at the same time. The car lurched forward and sped off. He grabbed the steering to steady the bus, and shouted to the children behind him: “SEATBELTS ON! NOW!!”

He kept his foot on the gas pedal, and then stole a look at his rearview mirror. He saw another bus sinking into the ground behind him. A bus from Tohoku Elementary. 39 kids and a bus driver just died behind him.

“Oh HECK NO! Not happening! Not to ME! Not to my kids!” he thought. He took his foot off the gas pedal, pushed the transmission one step down, pulled the handbrake, and turned the steering hard to the left. The tires made a loud SCREEEECCHH as the bus drifted into the left turn. He pushed the handbrake down, slammed the gas pedal and moved the transmission one step up. The car jerked and jumped forward like a little boy who got stung by a soldier ant on his behind. “Who says one can’t learn driving skills from ‘Need for Speed’? I certainly did”, he thought.

He felt a huge RUMBLE, and the car shook violently like a leaf in the wind. One of the kids in the bus screamed “EARTHQUAKE!” He retorted “Really? You just realized that we were in the middle of an earthquake? Tell me something I don’t know!”

 The safest place he could think of was the military base thirty minutes away. “They’ve got underground bunkers and the roads are reinforced against earthquakes. We have to get there fast”, he muttered under his breath. He made a right turn in a manner similar to the earlier left turn, and barely saw the small black Hyundai speeding towards him.

Instinctively, he made a left turn to avoid the car. The combination of the drifts and sharp turns made the car somersault sideways.

BLAM! BLAAM!! BOOOOM!!!

The WOMAN

Kiyoshi felt another speed bump. “Oh no! Not my TIRES! Tadashi is in more trouble than he knows – he’s making me puncture my tires!” she thought. Her thoughts distracted her from seeing the distinct yellow of the school bus hurtling towards her.

She reflexively steered the black Hyundai she was driving to the left.

BLAM!

Image obtained from this link.

She had crashed into a tree on the side of the road. She was dazed, and everything looked fuzzy. Then, POOOF went the airbag, thumping her head against her car seat and knocking her unconscious.

***********

The quivering of the ground roused her back to consciousness. She looked at her body; no major damage. She could feel her hands and legs; her nose and ribs hurt badly however. She put a hand to feel her nose.

Blood.

She tried to shout, but all she could let out was a moan. She stumbled out of the car after unhooking her seatbelt and used her shirt sleeve to wipe off the blood on her nose. Her ribs hurt more now as she stood. “I’m probably bleeding internally”, she thought. Then she saw the yellow bus that she had swerved to avoid, on its side, and partially sunk into the ground. It was a bus from Tohoku Elementary. Another RUMBLE of the ground. She could make out the big lettering on the back of the bus, now turned sideways: AF16B9.

“Tadashi! My Tad!” she thought, as she ran toward the bus. The ground vibrated some more. The bus slid deeper and deeper into the ground. Her nose caught a whiff of some smoke. “It’s coming from…it’s coming from the bus! The bus is going to explode!” she thought.

She ran faster. Her ribs ached more. They shifted and ground against themselves inside her as she tried to increase her speed. She whimpered, but didn’t slow down; she had to get her son from that bus. She arrived at the foot of the rift that was swallowing up the bus; it was bigger than she had imagined. At that moment, the earthquake seemed to reach its peak with the loudest and most violent quivering she had ever experienced. She hit the ground before she knew it, and watched as the bus slid and jostled itself into the ready throat of the chasm. Then she heard the explosion from the belly of the ground.

“Tad! Tadashi!!” she cried. “TADASHI! MY BABY!!” she wailed. The mental and physical pain racked her mind and body, and it gave way: she coasted once more into the sweet nothingness of unconsciousness.

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.... (still) to be continued.

Are you enjoying the story? Lemme know what you think of the design and story in the comments section!

(P.S: All images that are not mine have links to their source. Tryna avoid plagiarism and all that, you know...)

Graphic Design Blog, remember? I couldn't find a good place to put this in the story, so...
Original Graphic/Logo for Tohoku Elementary. Opinions?

The Event: expect the unexpected (1)

Hey There. What's up? U miss me?
Before I begin, permit me to dedicate these series of posts to 2 lovely people: Tomilola Lawal (for inspiring me to be consistent with my posts, and for persuading me to join Blogsville - U're awesome!), and Ifunanya ( for inspiring me to take a leap into writing a series. You showed me - indirectly - how to let a story craft itself, and I intend to do that with these). I appreciate you all. You guys can check out Tomi's Blogs here and here; and Ifunanya's blog here. Fun stuff, I tell U! Great writers they are.

Now, to the post. Get a glass of juice or something to sip on. This is kinda a long read.
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Decided to do my own design as the picture for the post -
This is a blog about the beauty of graphic design, remember?
What do you think? What could I have done better?
Opinions are welcomed.

He opened his eyes; everything was fuzzy. He could make out the outlines of an image above him and a dim curve on the lower part of the image. A smile. He felt loved. “Wake up, Hiko. It’s time to get ready for school”, the soft yet firm voice said. “O.K. Mom, I’m coming”, Akihiko replied groggily. He rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom like a Resident Evil zombie who had overdosed on opium and alcohol. His full consciousness returned to him as soon as the water hit him.

He had a good life: had never known what it was to miss a meal, had two parents who were happily married, who loved him dearly and never failed to tell him, had a nice apartment to live in, was attending one of the best schools in his district. Not many of his mates or friends were that lucky. He was the only child of his parents, albeit not by choice.

The Daichis were a happy couple. They enjoyed each other’s company, but one thing that brought them sadness was the fact that they were married for several years with no child to share their love with. Yet they managed to stay happy. Mr. Daichi was quite the romantic. He would bring home flowers for his wife while returning from work at least once a week, and constantly researched new ways to spice up their romance. Nevertheless, when they saw other couples with their baby trams and screaming kids, they longed for the day they would hold their own child in their arms. Their own flesh and blood.

After being married for three years with no sign of pregnancy, they had panicked themselves into the doctor’s office. The doctor had told them that their reproductive organs were working fine; there was no logical reason they shouldn’t have a baby in the next few months. This calmed the Daichis down a bit. Then, one year. Two years. Three years. Four years. Five years. Six years later. They decided that the first doctor they were seeing was a quack, and sought a second opinion. The second doctor told them that they were fine, except for one small issue: Mrs. Daichi’s fallopian tubes were very small – if she got pregnant, the chances of an ectopic pregnancy occurring were 95%. This news brought gloom, enough to suck the light out of a street lamp. That day, Mr. Daichi got his wife the biggest bouquet of flowers his “flower guy” could hook him up with, and later took her out for ‘A Night on the Town’. They were happy again, albeit for a little while.

About a month from their “Night on the Town”, Mrs. Daichi was awakened by a deep retching feeling in her gut. She rushed to the bathroom, and threw up for over 20 minutes. Naturally, Mr. Daichi was worried. He did the most logical think he could think of at the moment: he rushed her to the hospital. The diagnosis was not expected. Mrs. Daichi was three weeks pregnant. Oh! What joy! “You can throw up all you want honey, as long as we get the baby!” shouted Mr. Daichi as he drove her hack home from the hospital. She screamed in return, “We’re getting a baby! WE’RE HAVING A BABY!!” The joyous moment had finally arrived! They signed up for pre-natal classes, went shopping for baby things, and hired an interior designer to remodel the third room of their 3-bedroom-apartment into the baby’s room that same day! Their joy was contagious, which turned out to be a blessing for the interior designer and the carpenter they hired to fix up a custom baby cot to their specification – the Daichis tipped them like they contributed to the pregnancy.

During one of the routine prenatal visits to their obstetrician 6 weeks later, Mrs. Daichi got some not so shocking news: she had an ectopic pregnancy. The obstetrician showed them the ultrasound scans – Mrs. Daichi’s fallopian tube was already damaged badly from the pressure of a growing zygote. Mrs. Daichi needed surgery fast to move the zygote into the uterus directly. The surgery took place 1 week later. After 2 days of preparations and 6 hours of surgery, Mr. Daichi was glad to see the lead surgeon come out with a smile on his face. That was all he needed to see - all was well. However, Mrs. Daichi was advised not to get a second baby after the one that was on its way, or it could completely ruin her reproductive system. The rest of the pregnancy went on without a hitch. 

On the 2nd of August, 2001, the Daichis officially welcomed the newest member of their family! They looked down at him, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. “Let’s call him ‘Akihiko’”, Mrs. Daichi said softly. “Hmm. Akihiko. The Bright Prince. I like it”, Mr. Daichi replied. “You always know how to pick the best names, don’t you?” he continued. She smiled; they kissed. Their dreams had come true.

 Hiko got out of the shower and got ready for school. He didn’t let his Dad dress him up anymore; he was an adult now. A ten-year-old adult. He got into the elevator with his Mom and rode it down from the 15th floor where their apartment was located. “Why don’t they let ten-year-olds drive cars? I bet I can drive Mom’s car – it’s not that hard. That’s so unfair.” These were the thoughts swirling around in Hiko’s head as his Mom dropped him off at school. Mrs. Daichi and her son came out of the car, and she knelt so she could look at his face directly.

“Hiko, don’t miss the school bus back home, O.K? Do your homework before I get back. I’m working an extra hour today, so I’m gonna be home a little late.”

“Its fine, Mom. I can take care of myself. I’m fine. I’m a man, you know...”

“I know, my little man. You’re a man and can take care of yourself. That’s why I love you.” Mrs. Daichi leaned forward to kiss her son on the forehead...

“MOM! STOP IT! You’re EMBARASSING ME!!”

“Really? That’s what you’re gonna tell your Momma before she goes off to work? And where did you learn that word, anyway??”

“O.K. Mom...sorry.” In a muffled tone: “I love you too. Now go! See you when you get back.” Then he ran off to join the hordes of children pouring into the great halls of Tohoku Elementary.

A smile came across Mrs. Daichi’s face. Indeed, she loved smiling – her face had two small cute creases from her constant smiling, and it made her apple-shaped face look all the more beautiful. She entered the car, revved the engine, made a U-turn and sped off to work, all the while thinking: “Hiko grew up too fast! How did he grow up this fast?”

The day went by quickly. Not much was interesting as usual. The teacher did the same old routine. “I could have just stayed home and taught myself by reading Wikipedia all day”, thought Hiko. “I could have had a three day weekend – I don’t learn much from here anyway. But No – Mom wants Hiko to come to school. Why won’t she leave me alone?? Well, school’s almost over. I can go home and watch some TV. I might even go to Koichi’s house later on. Oh well. Today, March 11, is going to be just another uneventful day. So uncool.”

...if only he knew how wrong he was.

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...to be continued (I've always wanted to say that.)

Have a Kolor-Full  Life!

Yours Truly.