I Choose Family.

 The strong pillars were the only things holding the building upright when they arrived at the scene, but it was on the verge of collapse. The shockwaves had come out of nowhere. No warning no earthquake reports. And deep down, a part of him wondered, was this really a natural disaster.

 Without waiting for backup, he sprinted into the building, racing to the floor where his daughter's birthday party was supposed to take place. Meanwhile, the other officers helped evacuate people from the building.

 The sudden jolt caused by the shockwaves had disabled all the elevators, leaving him with no choice but to take the stairs to the third floor, where his family was trapped.

 Climbing the stairs was a grueling task. His heart raced with every step, pounding harder and faster. A burning sensation set in, making each movement even more difficult. His feet wobbled and shook beneath him, but he refused to pause, even for a second, to catch his breath. He was fueled by the desperate need to save his family. Then, without hesitation, rush to the aid of the unknown caller who had reached out to the station in their darkest hour.

 For the first time in his life, he was faced with a monumental decision. The cruel irony was that the shockwaves had stretched the department's resources to the limit, with all available officers busy responding to emergencies. He couldn't dispatch another officer to the unknown caller's location; they had to prioritize the crisis at hand before they could provide assistance elsewhere.

 "Sorry, unknown caller, you'll have to wait a little." He muttered.

 Several steps later, he reached the third floor. But just as he did, the building began shaking violently again, sending cracks coursing through the walls. He struggled to maintain his balance, the floor trembling beneath his feet. Miraculously, the structure still held, but he knew time was running out - likely less than 5 minutes, maybe even just 2. With a surge of adrenaline, he sprinted towards the birthday resort where his family was trapped.

 He frantically scanned the area, his head whipping around in desperation, searching for his wife and daughter.

With a cracking voice, he shouted, "Karen! Where are you, my dear? Karen!"

 Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he failed to spot them. Just as he was about to give up hope, he turned his head and finally saw his wife and daughter. In that instant, a wave of relief washed over him, and he opened his arms wide to receive his daughter's eager hug.

His arms trembled as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close as a mix of joy and gratitude swelled in his chest. The weight of the disaster around them melted away for a moment as he whispered, "I thought I lost you"

Gently, he wiped away the tears from her eyes and reassured both his wife and daughter, "Everything will be okay."

 Surrounded by terrified people, he took a deep breath and raised his voice to calm them down, explaining the gravity of the situation.

"The building is on the verge of collapse," he warned.

 "The elevators are out of order, and our only escape route is the stairs."

 But before he could finish, screams filled the air as the guests shoved past one another. Their eyes wide with terror, ignoring his attempts to guide them to safety. "Hey, wait!" he shouted, but his words fell on deaf ears as the crowd rushed away in a chaotic stampede. Grabbing his daughter's hand, he sprinted towards the stairs, his wife close behind, desperate to escape the crumbling building as quickly as possible.

They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, dodging debris and leaping over obstacles. Finally, they managed to reach the second floor, just behind a crowd of people desperately rushing towards the stairs. The chaos was intense, with everyone focused on escaping the building.

 For a brief moment, everything seemed under control, and the captain allowed himself a faint smile, relieved that he might finally save his family. But his expression quickly turned to alarm as another series of shockwaves rocketed the building, causing cracks to spread through the walls and floor.

He spotted the danger and tried to warn those ahead of him, but they were blinded by fear and terror, unable to hear his warnings.

Just as they were about to take the next step, the ceiling gave way with a deafening crack, sending debris flying.