“If I do I risk bringing it down on top of you,” Darren said.
“How much damage is out there?” Sakiko said.
“Why?”
“In that last aftershock, I heard a loud crash.”
“That was an emergency vehicle crashing.”
“It wasn’t metallic. It was like a building toppling over. Like those videos of buildings collapsing.”
“That was an apartment building near my dad’s toppling over.” Darren said, “We had only gotten out maybe five minutes before it toppled over.”
Sakiko sobbed.
“I know there is no help coming.” Sakiko said, “Do it. Before another aftershock hits and it crushes me.”
“Okay,” Darren said.
Darren turned to Yuki.
“How much of a friend is she?” Darren asked.
“My best friend,” Yuki said.
“Thought so,” Darren said as he picked up the long piece of wood.
“Sakiko.” Darren said, “Move back a bit.”
Darren wedged the piece of wood in the gap and pried on it. Nothing happened. Darren’s weight didn’t budge anything.
“Hey.” A male voice called in the darkness, “Is there a survivor over there?”
“Yes.” Yuki said, “She’s trapped, and we need help to get her out.”
A small group of rescuers walked over, the team carried a bunch of tools. They held hammers and prybars. One had a chainsaw. They all had headlamps on.
“What’s the situation?” the older man of the group asked.
“The only thing that’s blocking her from getting out is the exterior wall.” Darren said, “There’s a support stud blocking the opening with some pieces of siding in the way.”
“I can cut the stud.” One of the rescuers said.
“Then the rest of us need to use this beam to hold the opening up.” Darren said, “I’m not sure how sturdy the rest of the wall is.”
The older man thought about it for a moment.
“Let’s do it.” He said and turned to Darren, “Gaijin, its your show. You give the order.”
Darren nodded.
“Sakiko.” Darren yelled, “We have help. They’re gonna use a saw to cut the wood while we hold the building up. I need to back up a bit. As soon as I yell, head for the hole. Yuki will grab you when you get out. Okay.”
“Okay,” Sakiko said.
Darren turned to the rescuers, “Ready?”
They nodded.
Darren and the rescuers grabbed hold of the beam and pulled on it. Darren saw the rubble shift slightly.
“Cut it,” Darren yelled.
The man roared the saw to life, and with a quick cut, pieces of siding and rubble fell away making the hole bigger.
Darren felt the beam strain from the weight as the man pulled the saw away and tossed it to the ground. The chainsaw hit the ground and sputtered a bit, but didn’t turn off.
“Now Sakiko,” Darren yelled.
Yuki and the chainsaw man moved to the now larger opening. The chainsaw man jumped into the hole. His upper body was in the hole, his feet dangling in the air. A moment later, he came back out with Sakiko in his arms.
They both collapsed onto the ground, as Darren and the rescuers let got of the beam. The rubble shifted and closed the opening tight.
Sakiko’s pink hair shined in the darkness. Tears flowed down Sakiko’s face. Darren thought she looked unharmed, except that she had no clothes on but her underwear.
The rescuers turned their back to the naked girl. The chainsaw man stood up and did the same.
“Darren.” Yuki said, “your jacket if you please.”
“Right.”
Darren took off his jacket and handed it to her.
“Thanks,” Yuki said.
“Is she decent?” The older man asked.
“Kinda,” Yuki said.
They all turned around, and he looked at her.
“Are you hurt?” The older man asked.
“No.” Sakiko said, “Some scrapes. That’s all. A couple splinters.”
“Is there anyone else in the building?”
“No.” Sakiko said, “My mom and dad aren’t home. Not in the country…”
“Okay.” The older man said, then turned to Darren and Yuki, “I need to clear some more buildings. Can I leave her in your care? Get her to the shelter? Some clothes?”
“Yes,” Yuki said.
The older man turned to Darren and looked him in the eyes.
“Thanks, Gaijin.” The older man said.
The group of rescuers moved onto another building.
Darren turned to Yuki and Sakiko.
“Yuki,” Darren asked, “Do you have any first aid training? Supplies?”
“I have supplies, but no official training. Why?”
“Cause Sakiko has blood running down her leg,” Darren said.
“I do?” Sakiko said as she looked at her legs, “Crap I do.”
Darren shined his light into her eyes.
“I don’t think she has a concussion,” Darren said, “Its the adrenaline keeping her from feeling the pain.”
Yuki bent down and looked at her leg.
“Sakiko.” Yuki said, “You need to sit down.”
Sakiko did. Sticking out of her inner thigh was a splinter the size of a small kids fork.
Yuki looked at Darren.
“Please say you have some training?” Yuki said.
“I do.” Darren said, “My old high school offered a course, and my mom made me take it.”
Darren looked at Sakiko.
“You’re going to have to open your legs for me and let me help you,” Darren said.
Sakiko looked at Yuki.
“You trust this Gaijin?” She asked Yuki.
“Yes.” Yuki said, “And if he tries anything inappropriate, I’ll take his balls.”
“You slept with him didn’t you?” Sakiko said.
Darren could see Yuki blush in the darkness.
“If you trust him enough to give him your virginity, I’ll trust him to fix my leg.” Sakiko said and turned to Darren, “Is this going to hurt?”
“Probably,” Darren said.
“Do you have any morphine?” Sakiko asked.
“No drugs.” Darren said, “I’m not sure the state of the hospitals and we need her coherent and functional.”
“Okay.” Yuki said, “Hold my hand and squeeze if it hurts.”
Sakiko held onto Yuki’s hand and squeezed.
Yuki shined her light at the splinter.
Darren looked at the large splinter sticking into Yuki’s leg. It was stuck in her inner thigh close to where her panty line was. Darren couldn’t help himself, but he took a small peek at the panties. Like her hair, they were pink.
“Yuki,” Darren said, “Hand me some gauze and some alcohol.”
Yuki did.
“Okay.” Darren said to Sakiko, “The splinter scrapped away some skin before it penetrated. That’s what is bleeding. The splinter is sticking in just under the skin. I don’t think its gone deep enough to hit any major veins.”
“Pull it out.” Sakiko said, “Its starting to hurt.”
Chapter 8
Darren poured some alcohol over his hands and onto her leg. Sakiko winced in pain from the alcohol.
He grabbed hold of the splinter and pulled. A small squirt of blood came with it and then stopped. Darren poured some alcohol into the wound and then wiped it with the gauze. The bleeding was slight, but Darren could still see a small chunk of wood in Sakiko’s leg.
“I need a pair of tweezers,” Darren said.
Yuki handed him the tweezers.
Darren poured the alcohol onto the tweezers and dug around the hole.
“Oh fuck.” Sakiko said, “That hurts.”
Darren pulled a small chunk of wood out of the hole.
“There’s one more small piece,” Darren said.
After another moment, the piece was out. And Darren poured some more alcohol onto the wound. He cleaned it up with the gauze.
“Bandage,” Darren said.