Chapter 3
It had been a miracle I’d survived at all.
A well off homeowner asked me to look at his house. The house had been red-tagged after the last major earthquake and was too dangerous to inhabit as it was. The county wanted it torn down, but the owner wanted to know if there was a way to save it. He had the money, and I charged him through the nose just to look. When he paid, I stupidly went inside.
I wouldn’t let anyone come inside with me to do the initial survey of the house. I stationed two guys outside the front door, secured a thick safety line to a heavy work belt, and let it trail behind me. I had to be careful to keep the safety line free, and not let it snag.
I’d been in the upstairs hallway, wearing my hard hat, when the house collapsed. I heard creaking that quickly be
