Kale spotted a backpack that was half wedged under a rock and pulled it free, dusting it off before pulling it open. Binders, notebooks, an algebra textbook. Useless crap now. She dumped it on the ground and stuffed the things she had taken inside instead. Food, clothing, random other supplies. What wouldn't fit she kept in a shopping bag tied to the bottom firmly. She nodded to herself, satisfied. It would work until she got out of this damned subway at least. When she was done, she turned to Desmond and flicked a lock of hair out of her eyes.
"Alright. Supplies are secured. Let's get out of this hole while we can," she said, moving over to him with the lantern that they had found. The flame flickered and made him look more pale than before, but she supposed that it did the same thing to her.
He seemed like he was about to say something, but then they both looked up. It was that telltale rumbling again. She gasped and ran for it down the tracks, the lantern swaying in her hand as she went as fast as she could. Thunderous crashes followed at her heels, with small rocks occasionally hitting her. She ignored all of it and ran until she thought she was going to pass out. Something hit the back of her heels from behind and she tumbled forward, sprawling out on the tracks in a daze. She had hit the back of her head off the rail, and for several moments all she saw were stars. It wasn't until her right arm started feeling uncomfortably warm that she really registered she had dropped the lantern and spilled the oil everywhere. The fire was spreading - very, very close.
She jumped up and scrambled away from it, looking back. It was nothing but blackness and a pile of rubble. Desmond was nowhere to be seen. She frowned and shook her head, but now wasn't the time for a search party. He hadn't made it, end of story. She had been gone far too long already. When she looked around more, she realized she had run to the next station. She climbed off the tracks and walked through the deserted platform, then climbed the stairs. After scrambling over a few cars, she was back on the street and she realized what had happened. The entire road was caved in like a deep 'u'. No wonder the subway collapsed.
"Oh great.. Now to find my way back home.." she said, shaking her head and walking down the chaotic street in hopes of finding somebody that she knew.