Raegan snapped out of her drowsiness completely.
She abruptly sat up and saw everything on the cabinet falling down, along with a thunderous noise.
With no time to think, Raegan grabbed the door handle and attempted to rush outside.
But at this critical moment, the door seemed stuck, refusing to open no matter how much she pulled.
The area, being mountainous, lacked any hotels. Some volunteers were staying with the villagers, and others at the school.
Most of the school buildings were in poor condition, yet their metal doors were solid and didn't wear out easily. The problem was that the locks were old and sometimes needed someone from outside to open them if they got stuck. Trying to kick it open from the inside was useless. It had to be done from the outside.
Trapped, Raegan started banging on the metal door and yelling for help, "Hello? Can anyone hear me? | need help
with this door!" But outside, the sound of people running in panic drowned out her voice.
Then, an announcement came through the village's loudspeakers. "Attention, everyone! Due to an imminent landslide threat in the mountains, please evacuate to the village's central safe area immediately!" Raegan realized it was a landslide causing the chaos, not an earthquake.
However, the school was right at the base of the mountain, placing it in the direct path of potential danger.
Raegan refused to give up and kept looking for something to pry the door open with.
But there were no crowbars or anything like that inside, and even when she tried using bench legs, they just broke, leaving her empty-handed.
In a rush, Raegan grabbed her phone to call the team leader. "Bang!" Then, suddenly, a loud noise filled the
room, followed by the sound of a boot slamming against the metal door.
A voice from outside yelled, "Miss Foster, are you in there?" Raegan yelled back, "Yes, I'm here! I'm right here!" "Move back from the door," the voice instructed.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtRaegan quickly moved away.
After two more loud bangs, the door flew open, and a man dressed in black burst in.
Raegan didn't recognize him. This man wasn't with the volunteers.
"Don't worry. Mr. Dixon sent us to keep you safe," he said, out of breath, handing her a dust mask. "Got everything you need? We need to leave, now." Raegan hadn't even had the chance to wonder when Mitchel had organized this protection. She hastily put on the mask, and with a wave of panic, said, "I don't feel like
packing. Let's go." In the midst of chaos, everything but life itself could be left behind.
Once Raegan was out of the room, she couldn't help but glance back at the huge, black dust storm looming overhead.
This enormous cloud of dust swallowed up everything, making it hard to see even a short distance ahead.
The air was thick with dust from the ground, choking her.
Without her dust mask, breathing it in for too long might have been deadly. She clutched her phone tightly and ran after the two men ahead of her.
Luckily, Raegan had thrown on a long shirt and pants over her pajamas for ease, so she didn't look too out of place while running.
She hadn't gone far when she heard the soft cry of a child.
It was so faint, nearly drowned out by the surrounding chaos.
But ever since becoming a mom, Raegan had grown
incredibly attuned to the sound of children's cries. She stopped and realized the crying was coming from a distant building.
That building... Raegan's face fell. A young boy lived there, left with his grandmother while his parents were away for work. The boy's grandmother had trouble moving, making escape seem unlikely.
The threat of a mudslide loomed closer from behind.
Raegan thought of her own child, Janey, hesitating only for a moment. But the boy's soft crying tugged at her heart.
Determined, she tapped one of the guards on the shoulder and yelled, "Go ahead without me!" She knew she couldn't ask anyone to risk their lives saving others with her.
After she spoke, she dashed toward the crumbling house.
The two guards didn't think twice and followed her. They were quick to act, busting the door open even before Raegan could take a step.
Inside the boy's house, darkness enveloped everything,
yet the sound of his crying was unmistakable and clearer.
One of the guards flicked on the lights, revealing the boy's grandmother lying on the floor unconsciously. Beside her, a little boy, about four or five years old, was crying, draped over her.
Recognizing Raegan as a kind-hearted figure, almost like an angel to him at this moment, the boy pled between sobs, "Please... Help my grandma..." Raegan didn't waste a moment. She gestured for the guards to take the boy's grandmother out first.
Then, she went over to lift the boy.
As the guards carried the boy's grandmother quickly outside, Raegan, picking up the boy, noticed his feet caught up in something.
On a closer look, she found a rope entangled around his feet. She pulled out a self-defense knife and began sawing through the rope with determination.
Meanwhile, an ominous noise grew louder and louder.
The boy trembled, voicing his fear, "I'm so scared..." He was worried that Raegan might leave him behind. He hadn't seen his parents in ages. The thought of dying scared him...
Raegan sped up and comforted him, "Don't worry. I'm right here with you!" The rope was finally cut through.
Raegan let out a relieved breath and got up, holding the boy close.
Suddenly, a powerful force hit her.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe blast threw her against the wall, but she managed to stay on her feet. She realized the landslide was right there before them. Heading toward the landslide would be a bad idea. They'd get buried in no time.
Quickly making up her mind, Raegan put all her effort into running to the side, carrying the boy with her.
Once they'd covered some ground, she saw just how big the landslide was. The recent rains had loosened the soil, making it even more dangerous. No matter which way she
thought of going, heaps of soil threatened to engulf them.
The boy was scared out of his wits. Clinging to Raegan, he cried non-stop, "I'm so scared..." Raegan stroked his back, trying to sound soothing. "Stop crying. Your crying makes it hard for me to think." The boy froze and quickly stopped crying, not making a sound. At that moment, Raegan felt her heart pounding.
She knew she had to keep her cool. Panicking would just waste time and could make them take a wrong turn.
Raegan looked around, realizing they were trapped with no clear way out.
She scanned the area and her eyes settled on a tall tree.
That tree looked ancient and had deep roots.
Raegan asked the little boy, "Can you climb trees?" The little boy nodded.
Quickly, Raegan wrapped a volunteer's red scarf around the boy, removed the dust mask and placed it on his face.
Then, lifting him, she urged, "Hurry up and climb! Grab the
thickest branch in the middle and hold on tight!" oo The boy got the message and climbed.
Right when the boy made it to the top, the ground surged again, shaking the ancient tree with its force.
Raegan clung to the tree trunk. She'd lost her chance and couldn't climb up now.
The soil soon covered her legs, knees, thighs... The dirt, mixed with chunks of rock, pained her with every hit.
Seeing Raegan hadn't come up, the boy began to cry out of fear. Clinging to a branch, he yelled, "Climb up fast! Quick!" Raegan was pretty weak by then. She felt the tree slipping from her grasp slowly but surely. Yet, she held on with all her might.
Looking up at the boy, she forced a cheerful tone. "Don't worry, kiddo. I'l be okay. What's your name?" "My name is Misael."
"Alright, Misael, listen to me closely."