Disaster

Dan took off his badge before leaving the staff area. He hated getting stopped by shoppers asking questions when he was off the clock. Fred waved to him from one of the registers as he passed. Dan nodded back as he slipped through the small cluster of teens standing by the door.

"We should have gotten the new game," one boy bemoaned as he looked back toward the Electronics section.

"Dude, I wasn't going to cough up twenty bucks so you could disappear for a week or more. We've got chicks to pick up, man! When are you going to wake up and stop nerding out?" the tallest boy jeered as he lightly punched the first boy in the arm.

"Ow, cut that out."

"Aw, hush," a stocky teen who might have been a senior in High School demanded. "We need to get over to that party. Can your mom still get us there, Wade?"

Dan got through the crowd and out into the parking lot without an issue. He made it to his car and was about to open the door when his phone rang. The familiar ringtone told him exactly who it was.

"Mom?" he asked as he answered the phone and tried to fish out his keys from his pocket.

"Honey? Thank god. I forgot when you got off work. You're off work right?" Laura babbled.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" he asked as the door opened with a loud squeal. The **** of him opening the door caused the window to slip five inches down the track.

"The house... it's," she muttered. "It's well.. gone."

"Uh? What? Like... someone picked it up and left with it? How does that happen?"

"What? Picked what up? No, the house. It... collapsed... while we were gone," Laura sobbed.

A cold, feeling washed over Dan. "Collapsed? How? It was fine this morning!" he yelled. It was the wrong thing to do. His mother cried harder over the phone. "Sorry, I... you're at the house, right? I'm on my way!"

"I... yes, I'm here. Drive save. I love you. I can't believe this," she muttered just before the line went dead.

Dan drove as fast as he could without breaking the speed limit. He got to the corner he would normally turn down when a 'Do Not Enter' construction sign blocked his way. Firefighters and police cars were everywhere. He parked where he could and started to get out.

"Sir, you can't park here," a male officer said as he approached the car.

"My mom called. She said our house collapsed? What happened?"

"Dan? Your mother is over here with a few others. Park your car on the next street. Son, I hate to say this, but your house did collapse. Along with two other houses."

"How?" Dan asked but the officer had already moved off to talk to another car trying to park on the opposite side of the street.

He tried to see what had happened as he passed the blocked entrance but a firetruck obstructed his view. After finding a parking space, he jumped out of his car and all but ran back to where his house should be. The same officer was waiting for him.

"Where's my mom?" Dan asked.

"Over here, come with me."

Dan glanced down to see the man's name was Thomas. "Thanks, sir," he mumbled. His body felt light and his head lighter. How could his house collapse?

His mother stood a short walk past the barricade. "Honey," she greeted and hugged him tight to her chest. Dan looked past her at what remained of his house. The entire right side, where his and his mother's bedrooms were, now was a pile of rubble that slid into a hole about the size of a basketball court. "How?" he found himself asking.

"Waterline break," a deep voice answered. Dan turned to see the same firefighter he'd seen that morning. "This is soft ground. We put out a grease fire this morning, next to your place. The water in the hydrant went out fairly quickly. Well... I'm sorry to say this, but apparently, there's been a leak in the main water line here for a while for it to cause this much damage to the earth."

"Do you have somewhere to stay for now? We can't let you on the property until we're sure the ground won't shift anymore. Experts will be out tomorrow," Officer Thomas asked.

"No, we don't," Laura answered as she hugged Dan tighter before releasing him. "I'm glad you're safe," she said before turning to the officer. "We'll figure something out."