2.46 pm.
9,000 meters below the surface of the ocean the Okhotsk plate snapped open, displacing
billions of tonnes of water, surging upward and sending seismic shock waves towards
Japan.
**
Yukino stopped dead in her tracks on the breakwater wall. She could hear the rumble in
the distance; within seconds it turned to a roar like jet engines and the ground began to
shake. Yukino ran for the steps, but the first surge of energy sent her tumbling to the
ground. She got to her feet and ran just as another wave of energy hit; the wall tilted to the
left and then swung back to the right, throwing Yukino down. She stumbled to her feet
and the wall shook violently, and then a deafening roar rent the air with a thunderous
crack. The house on the right collapsed into a pile of timber. The ground
lifted and Yukino fell to her knees. All around her, buildings shook and windows
exploded, spraying glass into the air. Roof tiles smashed to the ground as she crawled
forward.
**
Yukino’s grandfather pushed his back against the ceiling-high freezer door to keep it shut;
the shop shook and goods fell from the shelves. The lights went out and an enormous
thud hit under the shop, threatening to tear the floor apart. Another jolt and the shop lifted
off its foundations and then crashed back down. The remaining shop window cracked and
shards of glass shattered to the floor. Outside the stone wall surrounding the house
opposite crumbled into a pile of rubble. Another wave of energy heaved the shop to one
side, and the bolts that held the freezer to the wall ripped free. The freezer lurched
forward, and the grandfather pushed hard to keep it back against the wall. The shop
shuddered and fallen goods bounced along the shaking floor. The booming noise was
deafening. Wave after wave of energy hit the shop, shaking and rattling it, causing it to
sway precariously from side to side. Suddenly the freezer pitched forward, and the
grandfather’s feet slipped under the enormous weight.
**
Yuta clung to a branch on the side of the cliff above the beach; the ground trembled
fiercely and he dug his toes into the clay and pulled himself onto a ledge—rock and dirt
pelting him from above. He lay on his stomach and inched across; not far in front was the
car park. The earth screamed with fury and the cliff rocked from left to right, and more
debris rained down on him, blinding him. A rock slammed down in front of him, and he
covered his head with his hands as more sand and rock followed. The hillside moaned in
defiance and then screamed out in agony when a wave of energy thudded into it, ripping
away its side. Yuta heard the roaring of the landslide and the thundering of the earthquake
and felt the ground shaking beneath him. He closed his eyes and hung on for his life as
the tonnes of mud and rock slid towards him.
**
Kenichi braced as he felt the first rumble, but then it kicked and the whole control room
shuddered. Everything flew off his desks; his coffee cup shattered, scalding his ankle.
Emergency lights flashed on the monitors in front of him; the building was jerked
sideways by an enormous slap of energy, and he grabbed hold of the console to steady
himself.
“I don’t think the reactor can withstand this; it’s too big,” shouted an operator
near him.
**
Kumiko screamed as books and ornaments fell around her. She held her terrified husband
tight, trying to give him the calm his eyes begged, but her calmness had been replaced
with sheer terror. The room rocked viciously and the cupboard crashed down next to her.
She screamed again and her husband twisted from her, burying his face in the pillow. She
cuddled him, giving what soothing she could muster, but she was petrified. The house
reeled to one side and Kumiko was flung across the room.
**
Mr. Suzuki’s eyes snapped open in the pitch darkness—Risa screamed hysterically. The
waterbed wobbled and the walls rattled. Suzuki pulled the plastic vines off his chest and
sat up, trying to get his bearings. To the left he saw a sheet of light coming from under the
door. He rolled off the bed and stumbled toward it.
**
Sachie was thrown to ground by a shock of energy, roof tiles smashed on the road around
her. She tried helplessly to crawl to the center of the road, away from the shattering tiles.
Another jolt of energy sent more tiles sliding from the roof – one hit her head and she
went limp.
**
Tomo was in a small speedboat heading to the Asian Symphony to have a second round
of talks with the American businessman when he heard the rumble. He stared at the city
and saw the buildings swaying and tiles slipping from roofs. “Earthquake,” he yelled to
the driver.
The driver slowed the boat. “Look!’ he shouted, pointing.
Tomo swung around in the direction the driver was pointing, just as an apartment
block collapsed into a pile of rubble and dust. “Tsunami!” he shouted.
The driver, a retired fisherman, didn’t question the word—he knew all too well
what was on its way. “We should try and get some of the crew off the ship.”
Tomo looked at his watch, 2.47. The rule of the thumb was thirty minutes before
a tsunami hit, but this really depended where one was in location to the epicenter. Tomo
nodded and the driver pushed the throttle down full, speeding towards the Asian
Symphony.
**
Mackeller and his copilot were walking from the mess hall when the ground beneath them
jolted up and then slammed down, sending them stumbling back. Another thud of energy
rocked the runway and they tried to steady themselves.
“Your dream!” yelled the copilot.
The air exploded with thunder and another shock ran through the runway making
it look like a ripple on a pond.
“Get to the chopper!” shouted Mackeller. “We need to get airborne.”
They sprinted as shockwaves ran through the tarmac. There was a mighty
cracking sound and the runway in front of them tore open.
“That way!” yelled Mackeller, pointing around the fissure.
They reached the chopper and scrambled in.
“No time to check systems! Let’s get her up,” said Mackeller, trying to sound
calm over the calamity.
“Roger,” replied his copilot, fumbling to put his helmet on. “Let’s get the fuck
out of here!”
The chopper shook violently as the rotors began to spin. A wave of energy hit
and the chopper lurched to the side, the rotors barely missing the runway.
“Come on! Come on!” shouted the copilot impatiently, sweat dripping off his
chin.
Suddenly, the chopper lifted and the runway fell away.
“That was a close one!” said the copilot, wiping the perspiration off his chin.
**
The destructive waves of energy spread across Japan, heading north, south, and west,
hitting towns and cities with thunderous blows, toppling and collapsing many older
buildings. Bridges were lifted meters into the air, severing roads. Manholes were pushed
up through the roads. Streets disappeared below the ground, and telegraph poles snapped
like matchsticks. Thousands upon thousands of houses lost their roofs. Riverbanks
twisted and broke. Water and gas pipes ruptured from Omori in northern Japan to Chiba
Prefecture in the south, an area stretching 800 kilometers. Tokyo Tower swayed so much
its antenna bent. Land in Urayasu near Tokyo Disneyland liquefied.
Two construction workers painting a chimneystack plummeted to their deaths in
Tokai, Ibaraki.
Thousands of people were trapped in elevators.
A truck driver on the Tohoku Expressway lost control as the road buckled,
crashing into a car and killing a mother and her three children.
A roof tiler in Chiba Prefecture was thrown from the roof and snapped his spine.
Trains and subways shut down, trapping thousands upon thousands of people.
A section of Route 245 in Omika, Ibaraki, collapsed four meters, causing a
massive car pileup.
A grandmother, daughter, and baby were trapped after their garage collapsed on
their car.
A junior high school boy tried to get his grandmother out of an old house, but
the ceiling caved in, trapping them.
Over five million people were stranded without public transport in Tokyo and
millions more in other cities.
All major expressways in and out of Tokyo were cut off.
The earthquake was being felt as far away as China, Korea, and Russia.
**
Hiro screamed at his students to get outside, but the school shook so violently that none
of them could stay on their feet. “Crawl!” he screamed. “Crawl!” Ryo led the way
crawling on all fours after Hiro out into the playground.
Erica and her classmates huddled under their desks. Chairs and desks crashed all
around them—their cries of panic muted by the thunderous quake. The two girls in the
Mickey Mouse T-shirts screamed hysterically. Erica’s stare caught the girl with plaits; the
girl stopped screaming and stared back into Erica’s cold black eyes.
The skinny boy and two fat boys sat on the gym floor paralyzed with fear. The
ceiling above the basketball court had collapsed, burying four boys and the teacher. The
gym jolted and more of the ceiling crashed to the floor.
“We have to get outside,” yelled the skinny boy.
The two fat boys nodded and tried to get to their feet but fell back as another
shockwave hit the gym.
“Get up!” yelled the skinny boy, standing in front of them.
The two fat boys tried to get up but froze on all fours.
“Take my hands,” shouted the skinny boy, extending his arms.
The fat boys grabbed his hands and he yanked them to their feet. “Come on,” he
shouted, dragging them to the door.
They reached the door just as there was a mighty crash. They looked back to see
the last of the ceiling collapse where they had been sitting.
**
A fire engine screeched to a halt and Tatsuya and his men jumped out to clear the
collapsed stone wall blocking their way to the harbor. The shaking was so intense that
Tatsuya could barely stay on his feet and signaled to his men to crouch down.
“We won’t be able to clear it in time!” shouted one of his men.
Tatsuya nodded. “We’ll have to go back around!”
**
Ryota, thrown from the rock he was fishing on when the first wave hit, swam frantically
trying to climb back up, but he was continuously flung back into the sea by the tremors.
He took a deep breath and surged out of the water and grabbed hold of a rock and hauled
himself up.
***
Mrs. Sasaki crawled to her feet in her vegetable field just as the ground beneath herheaved up, and she watched in horror as her house crumbled into a pile of splintered
timber. She sunk back onto her knees and just stared.
**
The remaining tiles fell from the roof, and Mr. Kubo clung onto a beam for his
life. The lady was huddled on the ground screaming frantically.
“It’ll be OK!” shouted Kubo.
The lady looked up, her eyes wide with terror.
**
A slap of energy hit the house, and it began to slide forward. Seko kicked off the quilt and
ran for the door. She tugged at the door, but it was stuck. She ran to the kitchen and
dragged one of the chairs into the living room and hurled it at the glass door; the door
shattered and Seko leapt through.
***
Mr. Kamata looked back and saw a cloud of dust rising from the town. He pushed thethrottle to full speed and the boat cut through the water toward the entrance of the bay.
***
The rumbling, shaking, shattering tremors sent people fleeing into the streets.A factory worker in Iwate Prefecture was crushed to death by a machine that
broke free.
Two high school girls were killed when a school wall fell on them.
One teenage boy on a motor scooter lost control and slammed into a lamppost,
killing him instantly.
**
Yukino ran for the steps, but a tremor ripped through the ground, splitting the wall in two.
The deafening boom of the quake intensified, and she could barely stay on her feet. To her
right, three women ran screaming from a beauty salon, curlers still in their hair. She
looked down, but it was too far to jump. Another lady appeared at the door of the salon,
shouting to the people inside to flee. A tremor sent Yukino crashing face first onto the
concrete; the lady at the door rushed back inside. The three-story beauty salon swayed
precariously. Seconds later a mega tremor whacked the town, and the beauty salon
collapsed. Yukino lay on the ground staring at the pile of rubble and dust. “No!” she cried
out loud and then gritted her teeth and pushed herself up. Everything shook
uncontrollably; the buildings, the ground, and even the air seemed to shudder, making it
difficult for her to breathe. Gasping, she shouted, “Stop! Stop it!” Tears streamed down
her face. But the quake had little mercy and threw her to the ground. Yukino, bruised and
grazed, climbed back onto her feet; she knew she had only one option and that was to leap
the break in the wall. She ran, the wall shaking and buildings falling around her. Her eyes
focused on the gap; she sprinted and leaped into the air and then landed and took three
giant steps. She lost her footing and somersaulted along the wall. Gasping, she tried to
catch her breath, tried to get to her feet, but she was knocked down. Again she tried and
again she was thrown down. The quake was at its climax, tremors so brutal it was
impossible to stand upright. Yukino crawled to the stairs and swung her legs over and
slid down one step at a time; she was halfway down when the stairs fractured and she fell.
**
The freezer pitched further forward, and Yukino’s grandfather’s feet slid more under the
enormous weight. He braced his back against the door, just managing to stop it from
toppling over. He fixed his feet firmly on the floor and gave it a mighty shove, ramming it
back against the wall. He stood, leaning against the freezer, fighting to catch his breath;
smashed bottles and food scattered the floor. The cash register lay broken next to the
overturned counter.
“Damn!” he cursed.
Another deafening noise erupted. Outside he could see, but not hear, tiles smash
to the ground. The shaking intensified and the shop swayed back and forth. He hung on,
his back firmly against the freezer. And then the shop jolted, pitching the freezer forward.
His feet slipped and the shop reeled to the side and he lost his footing. He dived forward,
but the freezer slammed down on his back, knocking him unconscious and pinning him to
the ground.
**
The roar of the landslide silenced the thunderous din of the quake. Yuta dug his fingers
and toes hard into the ground. It hit and swept him instantly from the ledge. I’m done, he
thought as he plummeted to the rocky shoreline below.
**
Kenichi grabbed hold of the console as another tremor rocked the Daiichi plant. His eyes
scanned the monitors and then stopped. There was something wrong with the cooling
system for Reactor One.
**
The tremors shook Sachie’s lifeless body.
**
Kumiko crawled to her feet, holding her injured arm, and staggered over to the bed.
Her husband stared up at her, terror etched in his eyes.
“It’ll be OK,” Kumiko said, but her voice betrayed the truth.
The room shook wildly and the ceiling light crashed to the floor. Her husband let
out a hysterical howl and began thrashing uncontrollably in the bed. Kumiko stroked his
head, but he howled again, arms and legs thrashing like a trapped animal.
“It’s all right,” she cried with tears streaming down her cheeks.
There was an almighty bang and the house rolled to the side. The ceiling cracked
and collapsed onto Kumiko and her husband.
**
Mr. Suzuki pulled on the door, but it wouldn’t budge; the structure had twisted and the
door was jammed. He tugged frantically, panic taking over. Risa screamed hysterically.
He pulled again and this time it gave way, and he burst out of the Happy Castle Love
Hotel just as the rumbling died away.
**
The grandfather and grandson sat in awe as they watched part of a cliff plunge into the
sea, disappearing under a massive shower of water.
“What’s happening?” asked his grandson confused.
Dread masked the grandfather’s face. “Earthquake.” He knew what was coming.
He knew they were caught between the cliffs and outer reef.
“At least we’re safe out here,” said the grandson encouragingly. But then he saw
the dread in his grandfather’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”
The grandfather swung around and his eyes locked on the horizon. “Tsunami. A
tsunami is on its way.”
“How do you know?”
The grandfather’s eyes stayed pinned on the horizon. “I know,” he replied
simply.
“We should be OK this far out, shouldn’t we?”
He turned and faced him squarely. “Yes, we are safe out here,” he lied blatantly.
**
Kamata’s boat sped out the entrance of the bay. His heart pounded and his eyes searched
the horizon for the wave that he was certain was on its way.