Blind Thrust — Jack Douglas

Rescue 9-1-1

In the fourth terrifying installment of Jack Douglas's six-part Quake, a daring rescue in a midtown hospital poses the deadliest risk of all -- when the walls come tumbling down. . .

Heading northward toward Columbus Circle, U.S. Attorney Nick Dykstra and FBI agent Hector Mendoza have blazed a desperate trail across the hellish ruins of what used to be Manhattan. Now they've reached the west-side hospital where Mendoza's wife Jana works as a nurse. The building appears to be stable. But deep within its darkened halls, chaos reigns. Most of the survivors are in panic mode. And the dedicated Jana refuses to abandon her patients. Her biggest concern: the children's wing. The youngest and most vulnerable of patients must be evacuated from the building immediately -- before another wave of aftershocks brings the hospital crashing down around them. But time is running out. And the slightest tremor could bury them all alive. . .

In the moment of truth, every man, woman, and child must come together -- and conquer their fears -- if they hope to survive the QUAKE.

14,600 Words