At 10:30 p.m., the emergency center received a call from an elderly man trapped inside a small store in the eastern district.
He was having difficulty breathing and couldn’t reach the exit because the water had risen too high.
Daniel was assigned to the call with his partner, Sarah, a twenty-nine-year-old paramedic.
They climbed into the rescue vehicle and headed toward the area.
The streets looked like rivers.
Cars had been abandoned in the middle of roads, massive trees blocked intersections, and traffic lights blinked above the dark water.
Ten minutes later, their vehicle came to a stop.
“We can’t go any farther,” Sarah said. “The road ahead is completely flooded.”
Daniel checked his radio.
They could return to the emergency center and wait for a specialized rescue team. But the elderly man might not have that much time.
“We’ll continue on foot until we reach the building.”
Sarah looked at him with concern.
“Daniel, we don’t know how deep the water is. There could be dangerous currents and debris.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you willing to risk it?”
He looked at her.
“Because there’s a man waiting for us, and he doesn’t know whether anyone is coming.”
Sarah didn’t argue.
They put on their protective gear, secured their safety lines, and began moving carefully through the water.
The wind battered their faces. The current pushed against their legs, and debris drifted between abandoned vehicles.
After nearly twenty minutes, they reached the store.
They found the man sitting behind the counter, struggling to breathe.
Daniel approached him and began assessing his condition.
“Frank, can you hear me?”
The man nodded weakly.
“I knew someone would come.”
“We’re getting you out of here,” Daniel replied.
But before they could leave, Frank pointed toward a room in the back.
“There’s a little girl in there. She was hiding in the storage room when the water started rising.”
Daniel and Sarah exchanged glances.
They hurried into the back room and found a little girl trembling in the corner.
She looked about ten years old.
When she saw Daniel, she lifted her head.
“Have you seen my sister?”
Daniel knelt in front of her.
“What’s your name?”
“Emma.”
“Where’s your sister, Emma?”
Tears filled her eyes.
“We got separated when everyone was leaving the school. Her name is Sophia. She’s twelve.”
Emma explained that her teacher had told the children to remain inside the school, but when the water started entering the building, everyone was evacuated in a hurry.
During the chaos, she lost sight of her sister.
Daniel gently took her hand.
“We’ll look for Sophia, too.”
The list of people who needed help kept growing.
But Daniel had no idea that Sophia’s disappearance would lead him to something far greater than a missing-person search.
Chapter Six: The Message That Should Never Have Arrived
HE HAD ONE NIGHT TO SAVE EVERYONE HE LOVED… 💔
