Last Oxygen

Chapter 2: The Catastrophe

Everyone left the  school and went to their own house. It is now evening but the heavy rainfall is still pouring. Some people are watching the news, some are cooking their meals for dinner and some are worried about the possible flood.

Some people are complacent because a flood never occurred in the town of South Wilberra before. However, nothing is constant in this world except change. Several years ago, the forest was abundant with trees to absorb and control the flow of water. Now, few trees are left due to illegal loggers and deforestation. The identification of the people behind these wrongdoings still remains a mystery.

The situation is becoming alarming. The sight of water rising needs to be addressed. Immediate evacuation must be done or else, people’s lives will be at stake. There is an evacuation center located at a higher ground. This will be a safer place for the residents of the town.

“Soldiers, gather around! We need to roam the town of South Wilberra. There might be a need to evacuate.” announced by Lieutenant Mark Spears. 

No time was wasted by Lt. Spears when making his decision. This is for the welfare of many people and the soldiers prepared immediately. They went to the vehicles to start the inspection of the town. Lieutenant Spears led the group. He was worried because the continuous rain has caused the water level to increase and the residents need to evacuate as soon as possible.

The soldiers were divided into smaller groups to scatter across South Wilberra. They knocked every house and warned the families to pack their necessities and leave immediately to evacuate. The family of Alex Smith was included in the evacuees because their house is part of the critical areas that would be severely affected by the flood.

“Sir, your family needs to evacuate. A flood is expected and your family will be greatly affected. We will accommodate you to a safe place.” said Lt. Spears, convincing them.

“Pack up your things. We are leaving.” said Mr. Arnold Smith to his wife, Mrs. Stacy Smith and their only child, Alex Smith.

Alex immediately went to his room to get his flashlight, clothes and a whistle. He went down and put his small dog, Fluffy, in a small basket. When they were ready to leave, the water was already knee deep.  The rain is still pouring and many people are becoming wet. The important thing is they will be safe soon.

“Everyone, hurry! There is not much time left. We need to leave now!” shouted by Lt. Spears. The soldiers rushed and helped everyone to get on the vehicle. Unfortunately, the basket was hit by a passenger and Fluffy fell from the basket. Fluffy was carried by the flood and Alex immediately went down to save his dog. 

“Sir, we need to leave now. The waters are rising fast.” a soldier informed Lt. Spears.

“Bring them now to the evacuation center. I’ll look for the child. We will catch up.” Lt. Spear granted permission to leave to the soldiers in charge of the vehicles.

“Officer, I will help in finding our son.” Mr. Arnold told Lt. Spears.

“It will be safer for both of you to leave now. I will find your son. Don’t worry.” Lt. Spears assured them.

“I insist, officer. I will come with you.” said by Mr. Arnold. 

“I will come, too!” shouted by Mrs. Stacy.

“No, dear. It will be safer for you to go with them now. I will bring back our son. Don’t worry.” assured by Mr. Arnold.

“If that’s the case, we need to hurry. Let’s go!” Lt. Spears and Mr. Arnold started searching for Alex. The night made it harder for them to see the surroundings. Many things are floating including trash and scraps of wood from the forest.

The dog was continuously carried by the strong waves of the flood. Alex was trying hard to save Fluffy. They need to hurry because the flood is becoming as high as the waist of a person. The cars around are being lifted by the flood also making it harder for Alex to reach his dog.

A log was approaching his position carried by the waves of the water. Alex immediately went to the side of the road to avoid being hit by the log. Meanwhile, he saw Fluffy being able to hold onto a light post.

“Fluffy, don’t worry. I’ll save you!” shouted by Alex while panting. He was approaching Fluffy but many scrap of woods were blocking his way. The strong current of the water added to the difficulty of Alex to reach his dog. He looked closely and saw a man standing near his dog.

“I got your dog, kid. Let’s go!” shouted by Lt. Spears.

Mr. Arnold reached for Alex and all of them hurried to go to a higher ground.

“Faster, everyone! The water is rising quickly!” shouted by Lt. Spears

They were able to escape the flood and went to the evacuation center using Lt. Spears’ car. Upon arriving at the venue, they saw many families arranging their belongings. Some are crying because they were not able to bring much of their things due to urgency. Some soldiers were distributing towels and food to the evacuees. As they kept walking, Alex was able to see his mother. He ran towards her mom and hugged her.

“Thank goodness you are safe! I am so worried. Where’s your father?” Mrs. Stacy Smith said as she hugged her son. 

“Don’t worry, mom. We are safe now. The officer helped me rescue Fluffy. I think dad is still with the officer now.” Alex then looked around and waved to his father “Over here, dad!”

Mr. Arnold saw Alex waving and Mrs. Stacy at a corner in the evacuation center.

“Well, I will go ahead, officer. Thanks a lot for your help.” Mr. Arnold Smith shook the hand of Lt. Mark Spears

“Always happy to help especially in these trying times.” said by Lt. Spears with a smile on his face.