ALL NOVEL [6] The Anxiousness of a Friend.
When Reina left the bathroom, she found a little boy crying on one of the chairs outside the bathroom. She couldn't help but approach the boy and ask him what was wrong.
It turns out the boy was waiting for his mother, and it's already more than ten minutes have passed. The boy told Reina that his mother had told him to stay there while she went to get something. Reina, the kind person that she is, feels compelled to accompany the boy to wait for his mother.
It's not long before the mother arrives and picks the boy up. It turns out that the boy's mother forgot her groceries on the third floor and rushes to fetch them, fearing they would be stolen. The mother was late because she had to find it first because she forgot where she had left it in the first place. The mother expresses her gratitude to Reina for being with her son, and the two of them then depart.
Then a realization hit Reina.
"I should have texted her first. I forgot about her!" When Reina remembered that Eva was still waiting for her, she panicked. But then, in an instant, the tranquility of the surroundings shattered as the deafening explosion ripped through the air with a thunderous roar.
"What the?" The ground convulsed beneath the force, the sheer impact alone when the earth shook was enough to make Reina almost fall on her feet.
Nobody really knows what happened. People all around me stood silent, and they looked at each other as if seeking confirmation of what had just happened. But they didn't have to wait long for their question to be answered as small debris fell and the ground shook once again. However, this time, a scream of hysteria followed.
Then all hell broke loose, and everyone started running. Panic surged through Reina as the once-familiar surroundings transformed into a nightmarish tableau of chaos. Her instincts screamed at her to seek safety, but her thoughts immediately turned to Eva—her friend.
"No! Not again!" With trembling hands and a mind clouded with dread, Reina fought to regain her composure. The haunting memories and relentless regrets clawed their way back into her consciousness.
Reina took a deep breath and remembered what Eva and her departed little sister had once told her. "It's better to regret what you have done than what you haven't."
With regained confidence, Reina pushed through the surge of panic, determined to find her friend amidst the cacophony of screams and the acrid scent of smoke that hung heavily in the air. She runs as fast as she can to where Eva is waiting. She can see the dust and debris filling the air as the once-proud malls slowly began to crumble.
But when Reina finally got there, Eva was nowhere to be seen.
"Eva!" Reina screamed. "Eva!" Reina screams once more at the top of her lungs. But there was no response. Her new-found confidence crumbles and anxiety and dread take over again. Reina was terrified, but she tried to remain optimistic.
"Maybe someone already helped her, and she had already evacuated." Reina tries to think of something positive. "Yeah, that has to be it." Reina managed to convince herself since that was the most possible scenario she could think of. But there is still this uneasy feeling, she doesn't know why, but she doesn't like it.
But thinking negatively leads to nowhere, so Reina prays in her heart that nothing horrible will happen to her dearest friend. Finally making up her mind Reina also moved and evacuated to safety with the rest of the masses.
At one of the emergency staircases where Reina is, a massive piece of rubble fell and almost crushed everyone beneath it if it weren't for an Astral Agent utilizing her power to stop the rubble with some sort of barrier, but the woman who used the barrier appears to be having a hard time to maintaining it, and it looks that the barrier will not last long.
In a moment of panic, Reina pricked her finger, allowing her blood to flow, harnessing her Astral Abilities to form a protective shield. The Astral Agent she had aided smiled and gave her a reassuring thumbs up.
"I guess she let it pass?" Reina knows it's illegal to use Astral Abilities without a license, but if she can save lives by doing it, she is ready to face the punishment anytime. Besides, the woman seemed to have already given her a pass, so she thought it was all fine in the end.
When Reina eventually makes it out of the building and moves towards safety, the first thing she does is pull out her phone and attempt to contact Eva.
But Eva didn't answer, and Reina's worry set in while she waited for a response. The sound of the ambulance and fire truck sirens only serves to heighten her apprehension. She can't help but think of the worst-case scenario.
Reina tried to look for Eva at the emergency exits where she was but with no results. "Maybe she is on the other side of the emergency room." She tried to sound positive, but the uncertainty was really eating at her.
"Excuse me, miss. You should go to the evacuation assembly area to check for injuries." A womanly voice can be heard.
Reina turns her head and finds the woman she meets at the emergency staircases earlier. She is wearing the standard Astral Agent uniform.
"Ah, it's you. That was some quick decision-making there, but you know that's breaking the law, right?" The woman has an unusual smirk on her face.
"Ah..Eh." Reina doesn't really know what to say.
"It's fine. You did great, kid. It's a stupid law anyway." The woman smiles at Reina, but her voice sounds bitter. "So what are you doing here? You should go to the evacuation assembly area."
"I'm searching for my friend..." Reina muttered.
"What are you stressing about? We were among the last people to leave the building, and the building fall was pretty slow. The odds are that she has already left the building unless the exit she was headed to was blocked, which I heard no report of it. Maybe she is at the evacuation assembly. Have you checked there yet?" The woman reassures Reina.
"You're right... I've been too stressed out. I need to calm down. It never even occurred to me that she might be there." Reina smiled at the woman.
"Great, now let's go there. I'll accompany you. What's your name, by the way?" The woman asked.
"Reina Takanashi," Reina replied.
"I see. My name is Adele Düsediekerbäumer. Nice to meet you, Reina." Adele smiles at Reina.
"Nice to meet you too, Miss D-Dusakebomer?" Reina is having a hard time pronouncing it.
"Hahaha... Just call me Adele. Don't worry, nobody got it right the first time. Anyway, let's go find your friend and check for any injuries on you." They shared an awkward laugh before heading in the direction of the evacuation assemblage.
"She's not here?!" Reina exclaimed. She has been staying to stay positive this entire time, but this is her breaking point. The nurse in charge of the database told Reina and Adele there was no one by the name of Eva currently recorded in the evacuation assemblage catalog.
It is impossible to believe that Eva could have left the building and returned home without notifying the emergency team. Therefore, the most plausible explanation is that she was still trapped within the building.
Reina's breathing grew difficult, and her chest pounded violently. But then suddenly, a commotion happened, and the medical team, one by one, rushed outside with all of their equipment.
"What's going on?" Adele asked the rescue team coordinator, who could be seen pacing the floor right and left.
"Some people claim that they heard telepathy, and there are people trapped inside the mall building some kind of makeshift shelter. We are preparing to launch a rescue party when the situation is 'stable.'" The coordinator answered.
When Reina heard the word "telepathy," she leaped out of her chair and barraged the poor coordinator with a multitude of questions. "Do you know who sent it? When was it? Where is the person that sends the telepathy?"
"I uh... We don't exactly know who sent it or where the person who sent it currently was, but people claim it's the voice of a girl." The coordinator answered with a troubled voice.
"That's definitely Eva!" Reina heart is beating faster and faster.
"Wait a second, what do you mean by 'stable'?" Adele inquired about the choice of words that the coordinator used earlier.
"We can't precisely send people when the building is about to fall, and there is no available Astral Agent or ready equipment to mitigate the risk," The rescue coordinator's voice was filled with a mix of frustration and concern.
Taking a deep breath, the coordinator continued, "We'll have to wait until the building falls and the immediate danger subsides. Once it's deemed safe, we'll mobilize a rescue party immediately. We won't leave anyone behind."
Reina's voice cracked with disbelief and desperation as her words pierced the air. "What?! You're just going to leave them on their own like that?!" Her tone carried a mixture of anger and determination, fueled by a fierce sense of responsibility. The little calmness she had left was shattered.
But before she can leave, Adele holds Reina in her place. "Hold on, Reina, don't be reckless. As painful as it is to admit it, he is right. Besides, if the one sending the telepathy is your friend. By the sounds of it, she was safe." Adele soothing words were painful in Reina ears, but she was right.
Reina took a deep breath, attempting to steady her racing heart. She knew that letting desperation guide her actions would only lead to further danger. With a heavy sigh, she reluctantly acknowledged the truth in Adele words. It was a bitter pill to swallow, accepting that she couldn't rush headlong into danger without a plan.
The building finally collapsed, and everyone held their breath. Witnessing the collapse from the outside, onlookers stood frozen in awe and disbelief, their hearts heavy with a mixture of sorrow and horror.
As the dust settled and the echoes of destruction faded, the team finally moved in and began their rescue operation. Firefighters wielded their tools with precision, their unwavering commitment to saving lives evident in every action. Astral Agents moved with agility and grace, utilizing their unique abilities to navigate the treacherous remnants of building and lend a hand wherever needed.
Telekinetics focused their minds, exerting their powers to lift heavy debris that the excavator machines couldn't handle alone. With a combination of human strength and supernatural force, they created pathways and cleared obstacles, finally revealing hidden pockets where survivors might be trapped.
Reina's heart pounded in her chest. She clenched her fists as she prayed Eva was safe and unharmed. Her heart beat faster and faster when she heard the rescue team find something.
A makeshift shelter can be found, tables are lined up, and on top of them, a large amount of mattresses can be found. "We're here!" The scream of someone can be heard.
Hearing that, the rescue team concentrated on clearing a path for them to move in. Behind that makeshift shelter, a large number of people can be seen there. Some were injured, some were not. The rescue team rushed in and escorted everyone there to the medical team.
But their face wore a solemn expression, lips sealed tight, revealing their unwillingness to discuss anything. Reina searches desperately search her friend among the newly discovered survivors, but her efforts prove fruitless, weighing down her heart with each passing moment.
The rescue team pressed forward, diligently working on other sections of the debris. However, as the seconds ticked by, their discoveries shifted from survivors to lifeless bodies, casting a somber shadow over their efforts.
But then, amidst the wreckage, a glimmer of hope emerged for Reina and the rescue team. Buried within the debris, they discovered an unconscious silver-haired girl enveloping a little girl in a protective embrace, shielding her from the chaos and devastation.
The rescuer's heart clenched with a mixture of anguish and determination as they approached the scene. They knelt beside both of them, carefully assessing their condition. The little girl she was shielding, albeit unconscious, suffered little to no injuries.
However, the condition of the silver-haired girl who shielded the little girl painted a bleak picture, even to those observing from the outside. Their injuries were grave, evident even at first glance. The rescuers approached with care, their hearts heavy with each distressing revelation. Broken limbs, deep cuts, and the ominous indicators of internal trauma revealed the severity of the young girl's wounds. However, she survived.
Their hands moved swiftly and skillfully, administering emergency first aid to stabilize the girl's injuries and ensure she could breathe. With unwavering focus, they treated her wounds, providing the critical care needed to keep her fragile body alive. With the medic's approval, her body was gently transferred to the awaiting ambulance that would soon head to the hospital for further emergency treatment.
Reina couldn't do anything but watch all of this in silence.
"It was my fault. If only I didn't ask her to accompany me to the mall. If only I didn't make her wait. If only I had searched for her harder. It was all my fault. It was all my fault. I'm worthless. I couldn't do anything even if I tried. I couldn't save anyone, not my parents, not my sister, not my best friend... I'm a failure."
Reina emotions surged within her like a turbulent storm, threatening to overflow the dam she had meticulously built around her heart. As tears welled up in her eyes, a single, silent droplet escaped, tracing a delicate path down her flushed cheek.
"Maybe I was better off dead after all..."
(Hello there, I'm your local clock back again! My apologies for my inability to upload 1 chapter per 2 days like I usually should. I didn't account for getting sick in my schedule. Oops.
About the chapters, how about it? I try to improve more of my vocabulary and variety in writing by digesting a large number of books during my sick time.
And regarding the title, I decided to split it since I believe Reina deserves a chapter of her own since she will be one of the main cast in the story. I'll also write her entire backstory as an interlude in the near chapter.
With that, I concluded my excuses and current rambling. Thank you for reading, and have a good day!)