***
Relief engulfed Lance. Thinking of Marcy brought a smile and a lightening of tension. The woman had taken on so many of the limitless office chores, things he’d always done himself but had no time for lately. Soon after they began working together, he thanked the Gods watching over him every day for her being there. With a degree in project management, her abilities werethose he needed more and more. Having been a self-learner, Lance had stumbled his way through many of the code changes and new laws to do with carpentry contract work.
Sure, he’d gone to night school and had taken special courses on any number of trade-related studies, but employing someone qualified helped big-time. On-the-job training had been huge in the early days, but to keep his company competitive, years of experience could only take a man so far.
Now, having her able to corroborate his decisions with various plans before they proceeded had been a godsend. Being able to turn to her, relying on her expertise, he didn’t know how they’d managed before. Not only had she taken on a lot of Damon’s work, but she’d also made herself invaluable for all kinds of chores… both her and her paraplegic husband, Phil. That man might have had his left leg and arm amputated after getting wounded while in the military, but he could still be counted on to look after their home chores and their kids, leaving her free to work in the field she loved.
And still, Phil often gave them a hand around the place during their busy days when he had spare time. Truth be told, Lance had begun to rely on Phil so much, he’d recently spoken to both him and Marcy, demanding Phil invoice their company bi-weekly for his time so that way Lance could make sure he got paid. No way he would ever take advantage of the good-natured man, and his affinity for hard work.
Remembering the prideful way Phil had accepted his offer and watching the man walk tall as he returned to his car made Lance glad he’d taken the step. It had been the right thing to do.
Today… hearing Marcy’s calm voice in such stressful times reassured Lance, making him grin with relief. “Hey, pal. I have a situation happening right now. They think they might have located a person still alive. I’ve promised to take Rachel there so we can follow up on the possibility of it being Damon. I hateto bother you, but I need someone to pick up Rosie and Nico. Maybe take them over to my house and wait with them until I can get home. Not sure how late I’ll be.”
“Of course I’ll get them. Can you call the school and let them know it’s okay for me to do so?”
“Right. Yes. I’ll do it now. Thanks, Marcy.”
Once he’d gotten Marcy’s agreement to pick up the kids and stay with them, he called the school. Then concentrating on Rachel and the distressing situation in front of them, he gathered his composure and forced himself to be positive for her sake.
Ushering her to the company truck, in silence, they drove to the busy street and parked behind her car. They walked together to where a working trailer had been set up as a temporary office, and he stopped her before they stepped inside. “You haven’t said a word, Rachel. Are you okay?”
She looked at his chest, her eyes not willing to meet his. “I think so. Truth is, I’m terrified but I have to know one way or the other.”
“Of course you do. We both do.” He opened the door, and they stepped inside to be met by a tired woman who’s dust-encrusted attire looked like she’d put in a long day’s work in a cement factory.
“Kate. Thank you for reaching out.” Rachel didn’t hesitate to hug the tall female in front of them.
“We’re getting closer to the victim, Rachel. From the imaging, we understand there are two bodies, but from what we’ve been able to detect, only one is breathing. We’re doing everything we can to get to them. Should be very soon now.”
“It’s a miracle you’ve found anyone alive.”
“Kinda what we’ve all been saying. No one expected this to happen. Whoever it is must have had access to a water source. It’s the only thing that could keep a body going this long.”
Lance asked, “Have all the missing been accounted for now?”
Kate turned his way. “Yes. We recovered two more bodies in the last hour, and a woman named Lily Freemont and your Lance are the last two people unaccounted for that we have to find. This whole nightmare has been a revelation. So many of the buildings in Carlton Grove are old and their structures compromised. The mayor just declared a meeting for the city council to enact a bi-law that all construction older than twenty-five years must now be thoroughly inspected. Because of the increased earthquake activity over the last year, I couldn’t agree more.”
Static sounds broke into their conversation, becoming louder, and a voice could be heard over Kate’s radio. She reached to the receiver she wore near her shoulder and answered, “Copy that. I’ll be right there.” Grabbing her helmet and gloves, she spoke to Lance and Rachel as they followed her outside.
Pointing to where they’d cordoned off a safe area for the bystanders, her voice now filled with authority, she said, “You’ll have to stay behind the line, but I promise as soon as we know anything, I’ll get back to you.”
She disappeared into the throng of uniformed workers; their helmets and gloves and other protection gear noticeable. Digging and sweeping their way into crevices they’d constructed to be able to enter the cave-in sent a message to everyone waiting. Letting them know just how dangerous the work had to be. After all, there was still a lot of sections of the building hovering overhead and though they’d taken some safety precautions to stop the rubble from shifting, there was never any guarantees.
Rachel reached for Lance’s hand. “These people are incredible, putting their lives on the line to retrieve the dead.”
“Exactly what I was thinking. But I’m guessing that with the possibility of finding Damon alive, it’s justification… making their job more vital. That would do it for me.”
She nodded her agreement. “Right now, I’m thanking God that we have these brave lifesavers in our town, men and women who risk everything to save us. I’m beginning to realize that too many times we take them for granted.” She faced him slowly. “If you don’t mind, can you take a picture for me? I want to show Rosie and Nico how folks worked to save their father. I think it’ll mean a lot to them knowing others cared.”
Lance began filming with his phone while Rachel glanced around at the others nearby, mostly reporters, doing the same. Suddenly, the air seemed electrified. Vibrations of a possible problem rattled above. People began to scream, push, and try to run away. An upper column of the building that had teemed over the area where they worked sounded as if it were breaking away from whatever struts had been holding it in place.
Lance grabbed for Rachel, dragging her under his body as he pushed them towards the nearest vehicle where they could shelter from the avalanche of debris showering the area. Using his jacket, he’d covered both their heads and shoulders. Unable to fully breathe because of his weight, Rachel swallowed her fear, begged God for help, and waited. Within minutes, the noise eased and they straightened to look around at the new destruction.
Forcing her worry under control, Rachel brushed off the dust, pushed to her feet, and ran back to where they’d been waiting earlier, hopeful that the opening they’d been working at could still be seen. At first, the amount of cloudiness floating through the air impaired their vision so even people’s forms were hard to make out. Slowly, the wind cleared the dust, and they saw that those workers they’d been watching earlier had mostly survived. One man appeared injured and the waiting ambulance and theEMT’s were already working on him, their stretcher ready to haul him to their vehicle.
Rachel desperately scanned the area for Kate and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her friend straighten and wave an arm to signal she had survived intact. As if on cue, one of the workers approached them to give the onlookers an update. “Not to worry, folks. We’ve been able to put struts throughout the area where at the moment we’re directing our concentration, and thankfully, it appears they have held. The ones inside have signaled they’re fine, so nothing’s changed. They’re very close to finding the person they’re searching for. It shouldn’t be long now.”
***
