Grey clouds filled the sky, lighting flashing. The rumbling sound of thunder resonated loudly, only adding more to the noise from the gusts of wind. The man gazed up at the sky, his eyes narrowed to slits as the wind harshly blew against his face.
The man had been working when the weather went haywire. At first he considered staying at the office to wait it out, but it soon became clear that the weather would only get worse. And so here he was, headed to the nearest train station.
He found it rather difficult to walk in these conditions; the wind mercilessly whipped against him, the roaring of thunder assaulted his ears, and the cold made his hands go numb and his lips turn blue. Little did he know, this was only the beginning of the disasters about to happen.
The moment he stepped into the station, he sighed with relief. It was still cold inside, but it was ten times better than the harsh weather outside. He walked to his platform with a small smile on his face—he looked forward to seeing his wife and children. When he arrived, he saw something pop up on the passenger information display system; his train was delayed. So he waited.
He glanced at his watch for what seemed like the millionth time, tapping his foot. Nearly thirty minutes had passed, and there was still no train. Just then, he heard the speaker.
“We’re very sorry,” a choppy and muffled voice announced, “but the 1:45 pm train has been canceled due to the current weather conditions. Thank you for your understanding.” The sounds of angry muttering and retreating footsteps filled the station, the sounds of thunder blending in. The man sighed, making his way back outside. He decided to look for a taxi.
He was only a few metres away from the train station when he decided to go back inside. The weather had gotten worse—the wind and lighting were fiercer than before, and it started raining. He turned back, pulling his phone out from his pocket to text his wife, before a deafening rumble echoed. The ground suddenly shook, causing the man to stumble back, his phone tumbling out of his grasp. It was an earthquake.
His eyes darted around the place frantically, his heart racing. He spotted a rather small building and ran to it, hoping for shelter. But in his frenzy, he didn’t notice the large crack in the ground.
His foot hit the asphalt, sending a jolt of pain up his leg as he fell to the ground. He tried to get up but couldn’t. Just then, there was a loud crack, and a flash of grey showed in the corner of his eye. A street light had fallen.
Time slowed down as the large pole fell on him. He only had one last thought as the lamp painfully hit his body; I never got to see my family again.
About the Author
Anna is a pre-advanced BUBOTS student and is 12 years old. She is homeschooled and lives in Australia. She likes drawing, digital art, horse riding, reading, and writing, and hopes to become an author and artist.