As he leaped from the edge of the cliff he suddenly felt as though he was finally free. His mind which usually raced with thoughts of his family and what had become of him. The pain and loss he constantly tried to drown away. He felt none of this. Leon had only one clear thought in his head. It will be over soon. The air whipped against his face and his eyes began to water but a smile had crept across his face. Soon it would all be over and he could be with them again. He had contemplated this for years now and it had finally come to this point. The clear surface of the water was getting closer and closer. He could see someone in a boat fishing. Before he could even think about what would happen if the person realized what was going on, it happened.
He watched as the water began to part in a long line through the lake. The little canoe had been angled on the line and had begun to split apart. Leon tried to blink, his sight was rather blurry and he wasn't sure if he was already dead. At the same time the water parted the waves roared up just as he broke through the surface. It felt like smashing through a wooden table and then he lost consciousness. The waves carried his unconscious body back towards the beach depositing him sprawled in the rocky sand. Part of the little canoe washed up not far from him. The man who had been inside struggled to pull himself out onto the ground. From his left hip to his right knee at an angle had been seamlessly cut from him. He was still gripping onto what was left of the oar in his left hand.
She heard the sound of a motorcycle roaring to life towards the fuel pumps and then die out just a few feet from her. That was a little excitement but not really what she meant. No one who lived here drove a bike. So she knew it was some sort of outsider. She finished her last drag of the cigarette as he heard the sound of Miguel's voice. "Damnit Angela! You need to get back in here. I'm tired of covering for you all the time. You are the one who is supposed to be-" She stepped from outside to inside of the break room to glare at him.
"What? It was dead and I figured you could handle a few people." She said sarcastically as she brushed by him heading to her register. She picked up the sign and moved it out of the way smiling at the next customer in line. They on the other hand looked like they were about to scream at her. They didn't have a chance though as the entire store started to shake. It was subtle at first and then it kicked up to a violent degree quickly. The shelves shook and things began to fall. One of the customers screamed out, "Earthquake!" And then panic broke out as they started trampling one another trying to get out of the building. Miguel screamed like a girl from the back making Angela turn. He was on the floor with a couple of boxes atop him. When she tried to move to help him she fell letting out a quick gasp before hitting the floor. It was all over before she could blink and try to get up. Everything came to a halt and it wasn't long before she was on her feet. She scanned the store quickly checking for serious injuries as she picked up the phone by her register and dialed 911. One of the shelves had fallen and there was an older lady under it desperately trying to free herself.
"Holy shit." She said as she set the phone down. The line was busy anyway.