Chapter Text
The lights went out the instant the building groaned.
Then came the sound.
Concrete snapping.
Steel screaming.
Someone yelled.
The floor lurched beneath them before the ceiling came down in a cloud of dust.
Silence.
Not complete silence.
There was coughing.
Small rocks clattering somewhere in the darkness.
The faint ring in everyone's ears.
Parrot forced his eyes open.
"...Guys?"
"I'm alive." Flame's voice echoed from somewhere nearby.
"Unfortunately." Wemmbu coughed. "Still stuck with Flame."
"HEY."
Spoke's voice came last.
"...Ow."
Relief washed over Parrot.
"Everyone talk."
"I literally just did."
"Again."
"I'm fine," Flame answered.
"My arm hurts," Wemmbu muttered.
"My leg got bullied by concrete."
Parrot let out a shaky breath.
"Okay... okay..."
His heartbeat refused to slow down.
Dust floated through the thin beam of light from someone's phone.
They were trapped inside what looked like a pocket where the ceiling had somehow held.
Three walls remained standing.
The fourth had collapsed into a mountain of broken concrete and twisted rebar.
No obvious way out.
Flame switched his torch on.
"...Well."
"...This sucks."
They checked injuries first.
Spoke hissed as he rolled his jeans up.
A nasty graze stretched along most of his shin, full of grit and slowly oozing blood.
"Ew."
"You'll live," Parrot said automatically.
"I know, but ew."
Wemmbu held up his arm.
A long cut crossed his forearm where a bent pipe had scraped him.
"It stopped bleeding already."
Flame somehow had little more than a bruised shoulder.
"What?"
Everyone stared at him.
"What?"
"You escaped an earthquake with basically nothing," Wemmbu said.
"I've got good RNG."
"That's not how earthquakes work."
"It worked."
Parrot tried standing.
Immediately regretted it.
Pain exploded through his ankle.
He stumbled.
"Whoa."
Wemmbu caught him before he hit the ground.
"Nope."
"I can-"
"No."
"I just-"
"No."
Parrot looked down.
His ankle was already swelling beneath his shoe.
"...Broken."
"Definitely not walking," Flame agreed.
Wemmbu grabbed a small cloth and wrapped in around Parrots leg like a makeshift brace being careful.
"Hold still."
"I know first aid."
"So do I."
"So stop moving."
Parrot sighed.
"...Fine."
The makeshift brace wasn't pretty.
But once secured, the ankle hurt a little less.
"...Thanks."
"No worries.'
The room became quiet again.
Too quiet.
Parrot reached for his phone.
Please...
Please...
Theo.
Calling...
Calling...
...
No signal.
His stomach sank.
He tried again.
Nothing.
He switched contacts.
Wifies.
Calling...
Nothing.
"...No signal."
Nobody answered.
Flame sighed and unlocked his own phone.
"Mane."
He waited.
"...No signal."
He rubbed his face.
"Great."
"So..."
Spoke looked around.
"We're just..."
"...here."
"Looks like it."
Parrot checked the time.
Only twenty-three minutes.
It somehow felt like hours already.
His brain immediately started working.
Earthquake.
Load-bearing supports.
Search and rescue response.
Average response times.
Battery conservation.
Air quality.
Oxygen.
Stop.
He hugged one knee against his chest, forcing himself to breathe slower.
Don't spiral.
Not yet.
"We should probably save battery," Parrot said quietly.
Everyone nodded.
Brightness went down.
Torches switched off.
Only one phone remained on, casting a dim glow into the cramped space.
Five minutes later-
Tiny sound effects echoed through the room.
Clink.
Pop.
Parrot looked over.
"...Flame."
"What?"
"...Are you..."
"I'm attacking someone's base."
"..."
"..."
"...You're playing Clash of Clans?"
"I can't exactly do much else."
Wemmbu leaned over.
"Did you remember to place your Inferno Towers?"
"Obviously."
"No, because your base last week was terrible."
"It was strategic."
"It was ugly."
"It won."
"It lost to mine."
"You copied a YouTube tutorial."
"It still won."
"You literally-"
"You two are unbelievable," Parrot muttered.
Ten minutes later the argument had somehow evolved into whether walls or defences should be upgraded first.
"I'M TELLING YOU-"
"Walls are cosmetic."
"They're literally walls!"
"Cannons win wars."
"Walls stop cannons!"
"Cannons shoot over walls!"
"They do not!"
"They emotionally do."
Spoke listened for about thirty seconds.
"...I'm done."
He shoved headphones over his ears.
Pressed shuffle.
The loudest, most random playlist imaginable started.
One song sounded orchestral.
The next was heavy metal.
Then an anime opening.
Then country music.
Then something that sounded like someone screaming into a microwave.
Nobody questioned it.
That was just Spoke.
Half an hour later...
Spoke was asleep.
Head resting on his backpack.
Headphones still on.
One sock half off.
He had somehow managed to sleep through Flame and Wemmbu debating mobile game strategy at full volume.
Parrot almost envied him.
Instead he stared into the darkness.
Listening.
Waiting.
Every tiny creak of the building made his chest tighten.
He knew enough engineering to know collapsed structures settled.
He also knew enough to imagine every possible thing that could still go wrong.
His fingers tightened around his phone.
No signal.
Still nothing.
He glanced at the others.
Flame and Wemmbu were still whisper-arguing.
Spoke was snoring softly.
Parrot swallowed.
"...Theo's probably freaking out."
Neither Flame nor Wemmbu replied with a joke.
After a moment, Wemmbu quietly said,
"...Yeah."
Flame looked down at his own phone.
"Mane probably is too."
Silence settled over the tiny pocket of space again.
Outside, somewhere beyond tonnes of concrete, faintly...
A distant siren echoed.
The distant sirens faded again.
Whether they were getting closer or simply passing by, none of them could tell.
Time crawled.
Eventually, Parrot shifted his leg.
"...Ow."
The other three looked over.
"My leg kinda hurts."
Wemmbu blinked at him.
"...I wonder why."
Parrot looked offended.
"What?"
"You have a broken ankle."
"I know."
"So... perhaps..."
"..."
"...that could be why it hurts?"
For a second there was complete silence.
Then Spoke burst out laughing.
Flame immediately joined in.
Even Parrot let out a tired laugh, shaking his head.
"Shut up."
"No," Wemmbu grinned. "I don't think I will."
"You know," Spoke laughed, "I was expecting something dramatic."
"'Guys... I think I'm dying...'"
Instead Parrot had somehow managed-
"'My broken leg hurts.'"
"I said kinda hurts!"
"It does not 'kinda' hurt," Flame snorted.
A few minutes later Flame glanced over again.
"...Bro."
"Hm?"
"That ankle is not looking great."
Parrot looked down at it.
The swelling had pushed against the makeshift brace.
"...Yeah."
"You're surprisingly calm."
Parrot shrugged
"I major in nursing and engineering, Flame."
"...Thanks?"
"I know enough to know panicking won't fix a broken bone."
Flame blinked.
"...I don't think that answered what I said."
"It answered the question I thought you asked."
"Classic Parrot."
Wemmbu laughed.
"You ask him what time it is and he'll explain how clocks work."
"I would not."
"You absolutely would."
"...Only if it was relevant."
"There!"
"You proved my point!"
The conversation drifted from there.
They talked about the SMP.
About stupid deaths.
About old fights.
About who would definitely survive a zombie apocalypse.
"Definitely me," Flame declared.
Spoke scoffed.
"You'd die trying to 1v1 a zombie."
"I'd win."
"There are thousands."
"So?"
"So eventually one bites you."
"I simply wouldn't get bitten."
"That's not a strategy."
"It is if you're me."
The room gradually became colder.
Without the adrenaline, everyone noticed it.
Concrete held onto the chill.
The little pocket of air around them felt damp.
Spoke rubbed his arms.
"...Anyone else freezing?"
"Yeah."
"Definitely."
Without really discussing it, they shifted closer.
There wasn't much room anyway.
Spoke scooted over first.
Flame leaned against one wall.
Wemmbu sat beside Parrot so his injured leg had space.
Eventually they were all sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.
Nobody commented on it.
It was just warmer that way.
Parrot quietly appreciated not being alone.
Spoke yawned.
"You know..."
"What?"
"If we get out..."
"We are getting out," Parrot corrected automatically.
Spoke smiled.
"When we get out..."
"...I'm sleeping for like... three days."
"You already slept."
"That was a warm-up."
The building creaked.
Everyone froze.
A long...
Low...
Groan echoed somewhere above them.
Parrot's expression changed instantly.
"...Guys."
Nobody spoke.
The sound came again.
CRRRRKKKK-
Parrot's voice dropped.
"...Aftershock."
As if on cue
The ground lurched.
Hard.
Everything shook.
Dust exploded from the ceiling.
"DOWN!"
The room erupted.
Concrete cracked somewhere above.
A deafening roar echoed through the collapsed building.
The wall beside Flame shuddered.
Chunks of rubble crashed down only metres away.
Spoke threw his arms over his head.
Wemmbu instinctively grabbed Parrot by the shoulders to stop him from falling.
The floor jolted again.
Metal screamed.
A pipe snapped somewhere in the darkness.
Another crash.
Closer.
Way too close.
Then-
Silence.
Dust filled the tiny pocket they were trapped inside.
Everyone coughed.
Nobody moved.
"...Everyone?" Parrot asked, his voice hoarse.
"I'm here," Flame answered immediately.
"Yeah."
"I'm good," Spoke coughed.
Wemmbu slowly looked around with the dim light from his phone.
"...Nobody hurt?"
Everyone shook their heads.
A slab of concrete now rested where there had been empty space only moments before.
If it had fallen another half metre...
It would have landed directly on them.
Spoke stared at it.
"...That..."
"...was way too close."
For the first time since they'd been trapped, nobody had a joke.
Parrot swallowed hard, his breathing a little faster than before as he stared at the fresh crack running across the ceiling above them.
"...The building's still settling," he said quietly.
His voice stayed calm.
But the slight tremor in it told the others something he hadn't admitted aloud.
He was scared too.
Dust still drifted lazily through the thin beam of light from Wemmbu's phone.
For several long moments, nobody said anything.
The aftershock had rattled all of them.
Parrot was still staring at the new crack in the ceiling when he quietly spoke.
"...Wemmbu?"
"Hm?"
"...Is my arm okay?"
Wemmbu frowned.
"Your arm?"
Parrot looked down as if noticing it for the first time.
Only then did everyone else follow his gaze.
A jagged strip of metal must have caught his forearm during the aftershock.
A deep cut stretched several centimetres across it, blood slowly running down towards his wrist.
Flame blinked.
"...Bro."
Parrot looked at it blankly.
"Oh."
"How do you not notice that?"
Parrot's answer came in a mumble.
"...Adrenaline."
Flame stared for another second.
"...Kay, bro."
"...Whatever you say."
Spoke snorted quietly.
"That is the most Parrot thing ever."
"'Guys, I think my arm exists.'"
"It didn't hurt," Parrot defended weakly.
"It is literally bleeding."
"It is now."
Wemmbu sighed.
"Give me your arm."
Parrot obediently held it out.
"What would we do without you?" Flame asked.
"You'd all bleed out because apparently none of you notice your own injuries."
"I noticed mine."
"You noticed your broken ankle after standing on it."
"...Fair."
Using the remains of the first aid supplies, Wemmbu cleaned the cut as best he could before wrapping it with another strip of cloth.
"There."
Parrot flexed his fingers.
"Thanks."
Spoke, now thoroughly awake again, leaned sideways until he was practically resting against Flame's shoulder.
Flame glanced at him.
"...Really?"
"I'm comfortable."
"You have your own shoulder."
"I don't want my shoulder."
"...I hate you."
"No you don't."
"...Unfortunately."
Without moving, Spoke reached into his backpack, pulled out a water bottle and held it towards Parrot.
"Hydrate."
Parrot accepted it with a tired nod.
"...Thanks."
He took a long drink.
Only then did everyone notice how pale he'd become.
His face was almost the same colour as the concrete dust covering his hoodie.
After lowering the bottle, he rubbed at one eye.
"...I want to sleep."
Wemmbu immediately looked over.
"Well, Mister Nurse..."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"I know."
Parrot sighed.
"I know."
"...But bro..."
He shifted carefully, trying not to bump his ankle.
"...Let me lie down at least."
"...Please."
There wasn't much room.
Still, Wemmbu adjusted his position until Parrot could lean comfortably against him.
"There."
Parrot gave a tiny nod.
"Thanks."
He slipped one earbud into his left ear.
His phone brightness was turned almost all the way down.
Music quietly filled one ear as he rested his head against Wemmbu's shoulder.
His eyes stayed open.
He simply stared into the darkness, absent-mindedly mouthing the lyrics to songs he'd downloaded before the trip.
The others pretended not to notice.
Several minutes passed.
Finally Spoke spoke up.
"...Should we play cards?"
Flame looked over.
"...Now?"
"I mean..."
Spoke gestured around.
"What else are we gonna do?"
Wemmbu shrugged.
"I mean..."
"...He's got a point."
Flame sighed dramatically.
"I can't believe we're having family game night in a collapsed building."
Parrot cracked one eye open.
"...Sure."
He switched his phone off completely, saving the battery before slipping it into his pocket.
"I'm in."
Even if he looked like he could fall asleep at any second.
Spoke triumphantly pulled a battered deck of cards from his backpack.
Flame stared.
"...Why do you have cards?"
"I always have cards."
"...Why?"
"You never know."
"You absolutely do not."
"I did today."
"..."
"...You know what?"
"...Fair enough."
They started with Go Fish.
Then switched to Cheat.
Then some strange game Spoke insisted everyone knew.
Nobody else did.
"Those are not the rules."
"They are."
"They objectively are not."
"I made house rules."
"You can't make house rules before anyone's played the actual game!"
"I literally just did."
Flame groaned.
"Wemmbu, back me up."
"I have no idea what's happening."
Parrot, still leaning against Wemmbu, quietly held up another card.
"...Do we just... keep lying?"
Spoke grinned.
"Exactly."
"I can do that."
"You've become too powerful."
Soon the tiny space was filled with quiet laughter instead of nervous silence.
Flame accused Spoke of cheating.
Spoke insisted he was simply "creatively interpreting the rules."
Wemmbu laughed so hard at one point that he nearly dropped the entire deck.
Even Parrot managed a small smile.
His ankle still throbbed.
His arm stung.
His whole body ached.
The building around them was still unstable.
They still had no signal.
They were still trapped.
But for twenty minutes, with a battered deck of cards and each other's company, it became possible to forget all of that.
For twenty minutes, they were just four friends arguing over card games instead of four people who had come frighteningly close to never making it out alive.