I wet my lips and taste dust.
“I have no signal,” Forest says. He pushes me a little back and scans the light over me. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
I feel banged up and bruised, but nothing alarming. Shaking my head, I say, “I’m… okay, and you?”
Forest’s answer comes quickly. “I’m fine.” His hand finds my face, and he forces me to look at him. “Do you have your phone on you?”
I begin to nod but then shake my head. “It was in my clutch. I dropped it.”
Forest gently moves me until I’m sitting on broken pieces of concrete. As he scans over the floor, I use a trembling hand to move the rubble to the side so we can sit without them digging into our butts.
I find my clutch, covered in debris, and opening it, I pull my phone out. Unlocking the device, I instantly see there’s no signal. “I’ve got nothing.”
“How much battery life do you have?” Forest asks.
I check. “Eighty-nine percent… and yours?”
“Ten.” Forest takes my phone from me and switches it to battery saving mode. “We’ll use mine for light until it dies.”
“Okay.”
I sit and watch as Forest inspects the elevator. He glances up, and it’s only then I see the blood coming from his ear.
“Forest!” I crawl closer and place my hand on his shoulder. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing,” he answers me way too quickly again.
My eyes lock on his, and when he glances up, I place my hand against his jaw and turn him back to me. “Where else are you hurt?”
“Don’t worry about me, Aria. I’m fine.”
Forest cushioned my fall every time. He took the blows of being slammed against the floor.
Panic grips my chest, and I grab my phone from him. Turning the light function on, I scan over his body. A shocked gasp explodes from me when I see the torn fabric of his jacket and shirt, exposing a gash on his arm below his elbow. “That’s not nothing!” I shriek, but it sounds muted because we’re stuck in a tin can.
My mind races for a way to stop the bleeding. I glance over Forest and seeing his pocket square peeking from his jacket, I yank it out. “Take off your jacket.”
I’m about to attempt ripping a piece of my dress off when I focus on my pantyhose. Scrambling to my feet, I have to bend over as I kick off my heels. Reaching under my dress, I pull the pantyhose down my legs.
I drop back to my knees and wait for Forest to shrug out of his jacket. I unbutton his cuff and gently roll the fabric up his arm. I’m cautious when I reach the gash, then quickly press the pocket square to his wound.
“It’s not clean, but it’s all we have right now.” I wrap the pantyhose a couple of times around his arm, and glancing at him, I say, “This is going to hurt.” When I tighten it, I hear Forest hiss.
The sound of him being in pain stabs at my heart. I press my lips together as tears rush to my eyes. I hate that I’m causing him pain, but we need to stop the bleeding. “I’m sorry,” I whimper as I tighten it as much as I can.
Forest grinds his teeth and bangs the back of his head against the panel behind him, and then he grates, “Fuck.”
“Sorry. Sorry. I’m so sorry,” I sob. I bite my bottom lip to keep the emotion from spiraling out of control again. When I’ve tightened it as much as I can, I tie a knot.
Slumping back, I let out a quivering breath, and unable to stop the tears, I cover my face with my hands as a sob escapes. My body begins to tremble again as emotions flood me, from being scared to death and feeling claustrophobic because we’re trapped in the elevator.
Forest takes hold of my shoulder, and he pulls me against his chest. He presses a kiss to my hair. “Shhh… it’s going to be okay.”
I shake my head and mumble, “We’re stuck. God knows how bad the devastation is outside. Is anyone even looking for us?”
“Yes.” Forest pushes me back, and placing a finger under my quivering chin, he nudges my face up so I’ll look at him. “Your parents will find us. They know we’re here.”
A new worry bleeds through my soul. “What if they got hurt? What if –”
Forest shakes his head. “They left way before the earthquake and were probably already flying home. They’ll hear the news and come back for us. Okay?”
Forest’s level-headed reasoning calms me a little as I suck in a shaky breath.
God, please. Please, let my parents find us.
FOREST
I keep trying to look for a way out, but with the thick slabs of concrete burying us, there’s nothing I can do. My body aches all over, but mostly my back and ribs. Every breath is tight and sharp. My left arm… the pain is constant and intense, as if my arm’s been frozen, and it might shatter at any moment. I swallow the pain-filled groan, not wanting to cause Aria any further panic. She’s struggling to hang on as is.