When Sonny opened his eyes, he realized he couldn't see anything, only the shifting shapes of debris crowding his vision. Something heavy pressed down on his back, the weight threatening to crush him.
Knowing that even the slightest movement could make his situation worse, he remained perfectly still. But he couldn't stay like this forever.
For one, the crushing weight on his back was a constant threat. Then, there was the limited oxygen in the cramped space. Most pressing of all, however, was the little girl he had shielded from the falling debris.
'Shit! Shit! Fuck, why the hell did that do that? So stupid! That's something only a hero would do, god damnit!'
Sonny gritted his teeth as the bitter taste of dust thick on his tongue against his riding panic.
He forced himself to breathe slow, shallow breaths. Wasting oxygen now would be a death sentence.
'No use whining about it now. Gotta get us out of here.'
Carefully, he shifted his fingers, testing the debris around him, feeling the splinters of wood and chunks of concrete, unstable, ready to collapse at the slightest wrong move.
"Hey…" His voice came out hoarse, barely a whisper. "Kid… you still with me?"
The girl didn't reply.
His heart sank. He couldn't tell if it was because she was unconscious… or worse.
Panic flared again, but he crushed it down. He had to keep it together. If he lost it now, they were both dead.
With a low groan, Sonny tightened his muscles and pushed against the weight on his back, just enough to shift it an inch. An incredible pain lanced through his shoulders, but the pressure lessened, just a little.
'Good… That's good. Just a little more…'
Sonny sucked in a shallow breath. His arms trembled from the strain, but he pressed again, forcing another inch of space between his back and the crushing slab above.
Something shifted overhead with a groan of grinding concrete, sending a fresh shower of dirt and pebbles down onto his head. He froze, every muscle locking in place.
The last thing he needed was for the whole pile to come down harder. When nothing else fell, he dared to breathe again.
'Okay… okay… just keep your head. Slow and steady. Don't get buried alive,' he muttered to himself inwardly.
Mustering every ounce of strength he had left, Sonny decided this was the moment to break free from his restraints. Then, empowered by adrenaline, he let out a guttural growl and shoved upward with everything he had.
The debris groaned in protest, shifting above him, threatening to collapse again. He clenched his jaw and pushed harder.
An agonizing second later, something gave way; a beam or slab rolling aside just enough for him to drag one knee underneath him. The sudden shift sent another trickle of dirt down his neck, but the space around him widened.
Sonny gasped, his lungs screaming for air. His head spun from the effort, but he couldn't stop now.
One more push.
With a roar, he heaved upward, his body shaking violently under the strain. The weight lifted just enough for him to twist his shoulders and wedge his other knee into position. Now crouched, half-upright under the rubble, he barely had room to even breathe.
Almost there… come on, damnit…'
His hand shot out, blindly feeling through the dark for the girl. His fingers brushed against soft fabric — her sleeve.
Relief hit him like a wave, but it was short-lived. Her arm was limp.
"No, no… Kid, wake up!" His voice cracked as he gave her a gentle shake. "You gotta stay with me!"
Still no response.
He began to panic again but somehow, he managed to suppress it back down. He couldn't afford to stop or else they would both get buried.
With the last reserves of strength scraping the bottom of his soul, Sonny shifted his position and braced himself. He had to get both of them out, even if it killed him.
He planted his feet and pushed.
Hard.
The rubble groaned, the weight fought back, but Sonny screamed through clenched teeth and forced his body to move. Little by little, inch by inch, the debris shifted, and daylight, thin and dusty, began to seep through the cracks above.
'Come on… just a little more…!'
The cracks above widened, and that thin shaft of dusty light grew brighter. Sonny's heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst through his ribs. Every muscle in his body was on fire, but he didn't stop.
"Just—move—damn—you—!"
With a final, desperate shove, the largest slab shifted to the side with a harsh scrape, and a sudden cascade of dirt and small stones rained down. For a breathless moment, everything hung in fragile balance and then the gap was open wide enough.
Daylight spilled in fully now.
Sonny didn't waste a second. He hooked his arm around the girl's small body, pulling her close against his chest, and with a grunt of sheer, raw effort, he crawled forward. His shoulders scraped against the rough concrete and splintered wood, but he forced his way through, dragging both of them toward the light.
Another beam groaned above, shifting ominously.
"Shit—!"
Summoning the last dregs of his strength, Sonny lunged forward, rolling them both through the narrow gap just as part of the debris behind them collapsed with a thunderous crash. Dust billowed out in a choking cloud.
He hit the ground hard on the other side, gasping like a man pulled from underwater. His vision swam, dark spots crowding the edges.
But they were out. By some stroke of luck, they had survived.
Sonny coughed violently, spitting dust, then turned his attention to the girl. He patted her cheek with his shaking hands.
"Hey! hey, kid. Come on, wake up. You're okay now. We made it out."
Her eyelids fluttered weakly. A small, rasping breath escaped her lips.
Relief crashed over him so hard he nearly collapsed again.
"Thank God," he whispered, slumping back against the rubble, lungs heaving, body trembling from exhaustion and pain.
But they were alive. That was all that mattered now.
... At least, for now.
Taking the opportunity to survey his surroundings, Sonny soon noticed the conference store was utterly ruined. The fluorescent lights that once buzzed faintly overhead were now shattered, glittering among the wreckage like cruel little stars. Shelves that had been stocked with instant noodles, canned goods, and cheap snacks were overturned, their contents strewn across the cracked tile floor. A thick haze of dust hung in the air, making the sunlight that streamed through the collapsed front windows seem almost golden — deceptive in its warmth.
Sonny's eyes shifted toward the entrance or what was left of it. The metal frames were twisted like paper, the glass blown out entirely. Beyond it, the street outside was chaos: overturned cars, fallen streetlights, and buildings half-collapsed or leaning at impossible angles. Fires burned in the distance, with smoke smearing the sky into a dirty, rust-colored smear.
A low, distant rumble vibrated through the ground beneath him, perhaps aftershocks or maybe worse.
By some miracle, despite the fact that ceiling collapsed, everyone was relatively okay with some small injuries here and there. Groans and coughs echoed through the space, followed by the shuffling sounds of people pulling themselves free.
"Help… someone—my leg…"
"Where's my brother?! He was right here—"
The chaotic voices blended together, growing louder as more people regained consciousness. Sonny's gaze swept the ruined store again, this time more sharply. He made a quick, rough count of everyone. A woman clutching her bleeding arm, a man limping with a gash on his forehead, two teenagers helping each other to stand from the rubble.
Sonny let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It really was a damn miracle.
But the rumble beneath his feet reminded him: it wasn't over yet.
"Hey!" His voice cracked, but was loud enough to get attention.
He staggered forward, still holding the girl, and planted himself where everyone could see. "If you can move, you get to the exit. Now! This whole place could come down any second!"
A few dazed faces turned toward him, blinking through dust and shock. One of the teenagers flinched as another aftershock rattled the floor. The distant fires roared louder, like a warning.
Sonny gritted his teeth. "Move it!"
That finally broke through the fog. The survivors lurched into motion, stumbling toward the shattered entrance. Some helped each other, others crawled. Sonny spotted a man struggling with debris pinning his leg and cursed under his breath.
Judging from his rather big belly and familiar features, the man coincidentally turned out to be Mr. Han.
Sonny shifted the girl in his arms, balancing her weight as gently as he could. "Hang in there, kid," he muttered, then turned to one of the teenagers or more specifically, a boy with a torn jacket and a split lip.
"You! Help me get that guy free. We can't leave him behind."
No matter how much he disliked his so-called boss, letting him die like this felt like too much of a low blow. Besides, wasn't there some saying about certain bastards needing to suffer as much as possible before they died?
Yeah. The man known as Mr. Han definitely fit that category.
The boy hesitated, fear written plain on his face. But then he nodded, swallowing hard. "O-Okay."
Together, they scrambled over fallen shelves and broken beams. Sonny set the girl down in a relatively clear patch, propping her against a toppled vending machine. Her eyelids fluttered again, but she didn't wake. He gave her a quick, reassuring squeeze before turning back to the trapped Mr. Han.
"All right, on three," Sonny barked, grabbing one end of the heavy beam pinning the man's leg.
"One — two — three!"
They heaved together. The beam groaned but shifted just enough for the man to yank his leg free with a shout of pain. He collapsed backward, clutching his ankle, but he was free.
Sonny's arms felt like they were about to fall off. His muscles quivered, spent beyond exhaustion. But that didn't stop him though. He grabbed Mr. Han by the collar and hauled him to his feet.
"Can you walk?"
Mr. Han grimaced, but nodded. "I… I think so."
"Good. Go and follow the others."
Mr Han hobbled away, leaning on the wall for support. Sonny turned back to the girl, scooping her up again. He glanced at the teenager, giving him a nod.
"You too. Go out the front."
As they moved toward the entrance, another tremor rattled through the ground, much stronger this time. The ceiling groaned ominously, sending down a fresh rain of dust and cracked tiles.
His eyes widened in horror.
"Shit—go! Run!"
The last of the survivors surged forward, driven by raw fear. Sonny staggered after them. The bright light of day through the broken entrance called to him like salvation.
Just as he crossed the threshold, a deafening crack split the air behind him. Sonny spun just in time to see the far end of the conference store collapse completely, the roof caving in with a thunderous roar. A massive cloud of dust and debris billowed outward like an explosion.
Sonny shielded the girl with his body and ducked. The shockwave hit a second later, pelting them with dirt and pebbles.