Chapter II: Earthquake

Ramsey was attempting to flag down the server for a refill when her nearly empty jar began to walk across the table. She caught it just as it was throwing itself over the edge. The table was vibrating. The whole room was vibrating. Subtle at first but now the chandeliers above were swinging rapidly from side to side. The band stopped playing, the members taking a wide-legged stance in an attempt to steady themselves and their instruments. 
People were dropping to the floor, hiding under their tables. The server, who had been making her way to Ramsey, was knocked off her feet and now lay sprawled across the floor. Ramsey, tucked herself as far under her small round table as she could fit, wincing and clapping her hands over both ears as bottles of elixir slid off shelves, crashing to the floor. 

Thirty seconds passed . . . sixty. The entire room was shaking now. A crack rumbled up the wall behind Ramsey, splitting it from floor to ceiling. Debris fell from above smashing all around her. Someone screamed. Others were coughing, choking on dust that had once been stone. Whatever was causing this disruption showed no sign of stopping. 
Her stomach leaped into her throat as Ramsey realized she may be trapped forever if she doesn't move now. Eyes searching desperately around the room, she tries to determine her most promising route to safety. The musicians, other patrons and bar staff are stumbling and crawling their way back toward the main tunnel. The server is still lying face down on the floor in front of the stage, her arms clutched over her head in a feeble attempt to protect herself. 

Ramsey sees a clear path back to the bar area. She glances at the woman on the floor, takes a quick look above her at the ceiling and, saying a quick silent prayer to no one in particular, leaves the temporary shelter of her table. 
"Let's go!" She yells to the woman, competing with the crash of falling stone and shattering glass. She wraps one of her arms around the woman's midsection, her fingers finding the belt loop of her pants and, grasping tightly, heaves the woman to her feet. With the woman still holding her arms over her head, they careen over and between those who are still crawling on all fours. 
Lurching through the doorway, they stumble and fall under the bar counter. Dust from the crumbling stone all around now obscures the view of the tunnel but Ramsey can see that people are still moving through the tall arched opening into blackness.  
Peeking her head out from under the counter, she takes another look above. More cracks have formed in the ceiling, pieces of stone working their way free from every crevasse. They would have to take their chances. She looks into the face of the woman she's still clutching. The woman's tears have become tiny rivers through the dust coating her face, she nods that she's ready and, together, they run toward the opening of the tunnel, throwing themselves into the darkness. 

Hands grabbing at them through the pitch blackness, pulling them along. Packed into the tunnel with a mass of unseen bodies, Ramsey does not let go. The woman is clinging to her as they fumble and trip through the suffocating darkness, the earth still moving all around them. 
A faint light is coming into view up ahead. There is an opening in the ceiling of the tunnel. Either Ramsey had not noticed it on her way down or it is newly formed. 
From the opening, one of the beings descends, angelic, into the crowd below. The light above illuminates its smooth pale head. A wave of people ebb away, briefly, allowing it space to land, but then envelope the being as they push forward, panicking.  
Ramsey stands on tiptoe, trying to see what's happening. The being straps a woman into the harness on its body before pushing off with a thrust of its wings, disappearing into the swirling dusty light above that seems to be growing ever brighter. 
The crowd is momentarily silent as people watch and wait. Mere minutes later, a second being descends, harness empty, the crowd roaring and pushing forward as the process begins again. 

The two women stand their ground, creating a wall with their bodies. They will not be bypassed. The vibrations seem to be subsiding now but they continue to be jostled by the hivelike movement of the crowd as each person is lifted to safety. The process is slow, one at a time.

A calm comes over the mass of people as the vibrations subside completely. Still, the safety of the tunnel is unknown. The underground structure is thousands of years old and has sustained much damage. 
The beings continue to work, tirelessly lifting individuals to safety. Sooner than expected, Ramsey and the woman are thrust into the light as one of the beings is landing. Ramsey helps to strap the woman into the harness. She touches the woman's cheek and offers an encouraging smile before being knocked back by the thrust of the being's wings as it takes off once again. 

Shielding her eyes from the dust, Ramsey watches the being and the woman disappear into the mesmerizing light above. Moments later, another shadow emerges through the light. Her ride is here.

Once free of the tunnel and safely on the platform above, Ramsey can finally see what had been causing all the commotion. There, hovering above train tracks that had not been used in more than a hundred years, was a smooth, pearlesque vehicle that could only be described as a train. The others on the platform were gasping and whispering at the sight of it. The train appeared to have no beginning and no end. It glowed brightly, drowning out any light from the fluorescent bulbs hanging above. Just then, the doors of the train slid open soundlessly.