Blair was with the girl who shared the same room with her, a new employee of Miller's company.
The girl had an umbrella, but it was of no use in the rainstorm. The two ran helter-skelter along the trail, trying to find some kind of shelter they could stay dry under. But the same unhelpful trees, rocks, and root systems met them at every turn.
Eventually, they were out of luck. Even though they kept moving up the mountain, the flood still lapped at their ankles. They had to hold onto a huge tree branch hand in hand to prevent the flood from washing them away.
The girl could no longer hold back her tears. "It's so terrifying. I can't swim. Are we going to die? Why isn't there someone to save us?" she sobbed.
It was the first time that Blair had encountered a natural disaster like this. She was terrified as well. But she was still a little calmer than the girl. She encouraged her, "Hey, get a grip! Yesterday, I saw troops stationed near the South Mountain. Don't worry. They'll send out rescue teams. They have to build lost person profiles, ping our cellphones, figure out where we are, and set up search points to safely intercept us. It's just a matter of time before they find us. All we need to do now is stay alive."
"I…I know. But we can't even find shelter. Even if we're not washed away, pneumonia and hypothermia will do us in. Look at us—we're soaked to the bone." She held Blair's hands tighter. Their hands were cold as ice. They were starting to lose body temperature rapidly; color had drained from both their faces. Blair was on her period, and feeling weak. 'I probably didn't get enough water, ' she thought.
Blair was not the hardiest woman at the best of times. Now that her feet were soaked in the cold water, she felt her energy running low.
"Don't cry or talk. We need to save our energy. This mountain is full of stones, and the flood isn't strong enough to dislodge those. But we have to keep climbing." The two girls began to move up the mountain again.
The trail was so slippery they had to be extra cautious. Blair not only had to keep alert, but also had to take care of the girl. The water was constantly rising. Out of options, Blair clenched her teeth and leaped onto a huge rock.
On the rock, Blair saw Miller and his colleagues on another huge rock. The two groups were separated by the surging floodwaters.
Blair wasted no time and pulled the girl onto the rock as well. The two girls finally heaved a sigh.
Blair wiped the water from her face, smoothing her rain-slicked hair back, and looked around. The situation was rather grim.
The floodwaters seemed to be everywhere, rushing past them, brown with the occasional log ripped from the forest. If the flooding didn't stop, they had to go higher. But the rock was so smooth that they wouldn't be able to scale it.
With shaking hands, she fished her phone out of her pocket and dialed the emergency call for the umpteenth time. But the result was the same. There was no signal at all.
Blair trembled from the coldness. Staring at the running water, she couldn't help missing Wesley. If he was here, he would be able to save her.
But she knew Wesley wouldn't be here. He had been promoted, and wouldn't be one of the first responders.
Blair blew on her palms to warm them. Ignoring the weeping girl beside her, she opened WeChat. Despite the lack of signal, she clicked Wesley's dialog box and typed, "Maybe this is the last time you'll hear from me. I regret everything. I regret having gone abroad. We didn't even talk once when I was in London. It doesn't matter whether you love me or not. There will be no Blair soon. No one to bother you anymore…"
She clicked the "send" button, but it didn't work. She got the message saying, "You are offline. The message will be delivered when you are online." She didn't give up, but stood up and tried to find a place where there was signal.
Lucky for her, after more than ten minutes, the message was finally sent. Blair was elated when she heard the "ding" sound.
She stared at her phone excitedly and began to call the emergency number. But to her disappointment, she lost signal again.
Good thing the heavy rain was easing off. When Blair could almost not feel anything from the freezing cold, she saw several people in orange uniforms.
She stood up in an attempt to call for help. But she had been sitting there so long, the moment she got to her feet her legs went soft, and she almost fell into the water.
Fortunately, the girl was quick enough to pull her back, and Blair was able to steady herself in time. She took a few deep breaths to calm down.
She then took off her pink coat and waved it in the air while yelling, "Help! We're here! Help!"
But no one heard her. The rescue workers found Miller and his colleagues first, and went to help them. Helicopters were flying overhead, and some people were being airlifted.
Blair became dispirited when she saw this.
Her head was killing her. If it kept raining, she didn't think she would be able to make it.
Two hours ago, a certain organization had received orders from their superiors. Wesley assembled a team of soldiers on the training ground as soon as he got the word.
When the heavily outfitted soldiers were ready, Wesley declared in a loud voice, "I've got an emergency rescue alert. The rainstorm in the South Mountain has caused disastrous torrential floods. Estimated rainfall is 180 mm. There are more than a hundred people trapped on the trails. We're the second string of search and rescue operations. They got some of them to safety. Now it's up to us! Count off!"
"One!"
"Two!"
After that, Wesley reported over the intercom, "Sir, we're ready!"
"Good! Wesley, head to the South Mountain to save them now! There are approximately 103 people trapped at 914 meters. A rock-fall caused flash flooding at 1.524 km and has trapped some hikers and climbers. We've sent helicopter recon teams. You'll conduct ground ops. Make sure everyone is safe and sound."
Wesley saluted sharply. "Yes, sir!"
When Hartwell arrived at the South Mountain, Wesley and his men had begun working for more than ten minutes. Hartwell was in a suit and leather shoes. Apparently, he came as soon as he got Blair's news. He saw Wesley directing the operation and was relieved.
Wesley was giving his men orders when he saw Hartwell. He suddenly had a bad feeling.
Hartwell stood in a tent and looked at Wesley with a worried face. After a long time, he said, "Blair came back from abroad four days ago. Yesterday, she went hiking with her fiance for some work function. I think she's trapped in the mountain."
It was Adalson who told Hartwell that Blair came here. After the torrential floods broke out, Adalson and Hartwell repeatedly tried to get a hold of Blair, but couldn't get through. As a result, Hartwell rushed here from work, despite the heavy rain. He had driven almost a hundred miles.
Wesley's heart sank. Without hesitation, he gave his walkie-talkie to his companion. Then he changed his clothes and rushed into the driving rain.
