My feet left a trail of wet footprints across the bedroom floor, as I hurried through the room to turn up the television, stopping only to snatch up my silk bathrobe from the bed as I passed. I had been showering in my on suite bathroom, listening to the nights soaps through the open door, when they had been interrupted suddenly by an urgent local broadcast that I now hastened to listen to.
As I approached the screen, its image switched from that of a young reporter, to a map of the state, and an area outlined in red at its centre I quickly recognized was indicating a town less than twenty miles from my own home. I pressed the up volume, and then stepped back from the television to sit on the edge of my bed.
"...authorities have said that the increase in seismic activity is unlikely to result in a major earthquake, however minor tremors are likely to occur throughout the night. Despite these reassurances to the public however, local residents are advised to take reasonable precautions."
"Wonderful." I muttered sarcastically, knowing that meant hours locked in a concrete cube.
It was not that I would usually have minded. Earthquakes are just a part of life where we live. In fact over the years, our family had enjoyed quite a few fun times enduring only minor earthquakes in the reinforced confines of our bathroom. What with board games, playing cards and charades the kids had even looked forward to taking refuge when they had been younger, much like during power-cuts. It's just that tonight I had been looking forward to an early night. "Sophie...where is your brother?" I called down the hallway to my daughter, resigning myself to giving up a night of self-pampering and maybe a little indulgent fun with a plastic friend.
"I don't know Mum, in the bathroom I think."
"Tell him to hurry up please, we need the bathroom. I just have to dress and..." Suddenly, as though preempting my words, the ground heaved, as a tremor shook the house. "Tell him we are coming in...there's going to be a quake tonight." Hastily, I grabbed the survival bag which was always stashed under the bed for such emergencies, and headed to the wardrobe for my clothes.
Gathering everything into my arms, I turned quickly – dashing from the bedroom, along the hallway towards the bathroom, even as a second, stronger tremor hit. Staggering slightly, I collided lightly with the wall, before regaining my balance. Ahead of me, Sophie stood at the entrance to the bathroom, knocking on the door and calling impatiently through to her brother.
"Come on James...Mum said to hurry, can't you feel the quake?"
I heard a muffled voice inside, and then the door opened and Sophie barged her way in. Hot on her steps, I entered the room and dropped the bundle of clothing and supplies on the floor. I caught a glimpse of James, standing in our old Victorian bath holding a towel at his waist.
"Come on James, pull the plug please and hop out." I turned and closed the door, ensuring all the safety bolts were securely in place.
"You could have waited a minute." He protested mildly, as I turned back from locking the door. I couldn't help but smile at his modest embarrassment.
"You know the drill James. Lock down from the second the quake starts...Besides your sister and I have seen it all before." I grinned teasingly. "Come on, jump out and put your robe on." I crossed the room to pull the glass shield over the bathroom window and secure it in place. Glancing at Sophie, I could see that she was already pulling the over pads - cushioned panels which covered the sink and toilet, preventing injury from collision with them, from the storage cupboard.
Behind me, James was still moaning about having only just soaped up.
"Well you're just going to have to towel it off." I replied sternly, turning to face him and approaching the bath. "Come on, plug out...you know that water in the bath is a hazard..." As I spoke I leaned into the bath, grasping the chain and pulling the plug myself, but before I could finish my sentence, the ground beneath us shook again and the lights in the bathroom flickered.
Caught off guard, the sudden upheaval plunged me forward, and instinctively I reached out. My grip closed on the wet flesh of James' wrist, but he was also reeling backwards. His free hand shot up, searching in vain for support. Instead he found the thin fabric of my night gown, and he continued to fall back until he collided with the rubber tiles of the wall. I felt the night gown stretch and then rip, but not before his weight, adding to my momentum, dragged me towards him.
One moment, I had been standing on the floor of the bathroom, the next I was perched precariously on the high rim of the bath, my shins aching from the impact with the hard edge. Struggling to regain my balance, I could see James performing an odd dance as he tried to keep his footing on the slippery surface.
Again the floor reared, and with a squeal of protest I heard his feet lose their battle for traction. Above us, the lights flickered again and abruptly gave out, plunging the room into darkness. Disorientated, I thrust my legs outwards, reaching desperately for the floor but found only thin air. Meanwhile, James had slipped to the bottom of the bath, groaning as he impacted and sending a shower of water into the air. Immediately, I felt my own body in motion, jerked from its unsteady position as I too fell.
Landing heavily on top of my son, I felt my stomach impact with his raised knees, driving the wind from my lungs in a single pained gasp, yet his legs yielded to my weight and parted as I slid down between them, forcing them flat as I splashed into the shallow water that remained. Fighting to regain my breath, I heard my daughter's fearful voice in the darkness,
"Mom...James...Are you two ok?"
"I'm ok honey," I managed, "James...?"
"Er...Yeah I'm ok I guess," he grunted from beneath me. There was an odd tone to his voice that I couldn't quite place, but as I lay there in the darkness for a few seconds, trying to get my breath, I suddenly became aware that my shredded nightgown had fallen away, leaving my naked body beneath exposed. To make matters worse, I realised that I could feel the flaccid length of James' penis pressing against my bare skin. As though he had read my mind, James' voice echoed my thoughts in the darkness.
"Er...Mom, I think I lost my towel..."
"Really," I replied caustically, "you think so!" I tried to move, but found that the steep smooth sides of the old Victorian bath afforded no traction whatsoever. Lying on my front, my arms were pinned beneath me by the weight of my body, and by James' legs to either side. Arching my back, I attempted to wriggle upright, but the attempt was futile, and I was conscious of my heavy breasts swaying against my son's torso.
I gave up, trying instead to push with my knees in an effort to lift myself from him, but my legs just slipped in the bath, the momentum shifting me further down his body and knotting our limbs more tightly together.