Chapter 6: Rescue

"What the fuck! Where did it go? There is no way in hell that it just disappeared like that." Reese was dumbfounded once again. He did not expect it to disappear while he was still looking at it. He just blinked, and it was gone. It doesn't make any sense.

He was confused about why it just disappeared all of a sudden. He looked everywhere around the pond. He even looked at the bottom of the pond, but he still couldn't find the glowing marble.

Unbeknownst to Reese, the glowing marble was actually inside his body, slowly absorbing his vitality.

'This sucks. That glowing marble could have made me a lot of money if I sold it to the government or to the scientists.' Reese sighed in dissatisfaction and slammed his right hand in the water.

Even though Reese was interested in the glowing marble, he doesn't even know what it is, so it would be best to sell it to people and let them experiment with it. It could have been a win-win situation for both parties, but now that the Purple Sphere has disappeared, Reese can kiss that money goodbye.

"Fucking hell! What a waste!" Reese shouted in frustration.

Meanwhile, above the pond, the people could hear Reese shout. Concerned, they immediately stood up and went closer to the hole to see if Reese was okay.

"Buddy, are you okay down there? Did something happen?" Rey asked from above as his voice was laced with concern.

'Oh sh*t, they heard me.' Reese thought while thinking of a lie to answer.

"Uhm, I'm fine; don't mind me," Reese lied nonchalantly.

"Are you sure?" Rey asked again, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just frustrating to be stuck here," Reese answered truthfully.

"Don't worry, Buddy. The rescuer is almost here. In fact, I can already see them coming this way," Rey said happily while looking at the rescuer coming their way while holding rescue equipment like a flashlight, ropes as big as the arm of a child, and a large basket that an adult person could fit in.

"Really? That's great; at last I can finally get out of this damn pond," Reese said elatedly from below.

When Mr. Yap met the group of rescuers, he couldn't help but ask, "What took you guys so long? It's been more than 2 hours."

"We're sorry, Mr. Yap, but we couldn't find anyone who was part of the rescue team in the province; they're also busy rescuing trapped people back in the main area. These people behind me are only volunteers, but don't worry, they have a lot of experience in this kind of situation," answered one of the rescuers with confidence in his voice.

'Crap, I forgot we're not the only ones affected by the earthquake,' Mr. Yap thought guiltily for asking the rescuers that stupid question. "Are the people okay in the main area?" Mr. Yap asked again.

"Aside from being shaken, there are some minor injuries but no fatalities," the rescuer said, eliminating the worry in Mr. Yap's face.

Relief flooded the face of Mr. Yap as he heard the reassuring words of the rescuer. He then proceeded to lead the rescuers to where the hole was located. The rescuers did not delay a second of their time; they started tying the ropes from the nearby trees, and they also tied the ropes on the four sides of the large basket. The rescuer also put a flashlight inside the basket to illuminate the pond below.

It only took them five minutes of their time to set up everything; the rescuers were very proficient in their work, even though they were only volunteers.

Mr. Yap and the others were very impressed, and they could tell that they've done this kind of rescue more than a dozen times. 'I guess accidents are prone in this area.' the group thought.

"Hey kid! Are you okay in there?" One of the rescuers asked Reese from above.

"Yes! I'm fine in here, sir, but it's cold." Reese answered the rescuer.

"Well, the important thing is that you're fine. I'm Danny, by the way. What is your name, kid?" Danny asked Reese. Danny was a simple-looking man in his mid-20s. He was buff and very friendly. Danny believed that having a subtle conversation with the imperiled person could help them relax so that it would be easy for both sides during the rescue operation.

"I'm Reese, Reese Urban." Reese answered with a smile, even though he was shivering.

"Good name, Reese. Me and my friends will get you out of there so that you can reunite with your friends again. So listen to me, okay?" Danny said while signaling his friends to lower the basket. "Now, Reese, when you get into the basket, you must make sure you are secured. Okay?" Danny instructed Reese.

"Got it, sir," Reese said reassuringly.

When Reese saw the basket getting lower and lower, he started preparing to grab it as soon as it was within his reach. In no time, the basket was already floating in the water. Reese then pushed himself up inside the large basket, grabbed the rope to secure himself, and told Danny that he was ready.

"Alright, Reese, we are going to pull you out now. Just relax." 

Then Danny instructed his friends to pull the rope as he counted. Shortly after, Reese was out of the hole, and then the rescuers checked his body to see if there were any wounds that Reese did not notice while being submerged in the water for a long time. Danny also asked Reese if he felt any pain in his body. Reese just shook his head. Aside from being wet, cold, hungry, and tired, Reese was perfectly fine.

"You're all good, Reese. It was a miracle you did not get hurt when you fell," Danny said after checking on Reese.

"Thank you for getting me out of the pond, sir. I really appreciate it. I owe my life to you and the others." Reese was very grateful to the rescuers.

"You don't need to be polite, Reese. It is our duty to save you," Danny said as he patted Reese's shoulder, then he started untying the ropes from the trees and from the large basket.

Before Reese could reply to Danny, he was swarmed by his best friends and the others. They were glad to be with them again, especially his best friends, Renz and Rey.

"Alright guys, we should leave. It's already late before the rest of the students below start to get worried. I bet they are hungry like us," Mr. Yap said as he got ready to go down the mountain.

As the time went by, the group and the rescuers finally arrived at the camp, where the other students waited for them, looking drained, restless, and hungry. But when the students saw that Reese was alive and well, they were surprised at first, then they ran to him energetically and excitedly; the look of happiness was very evident on their faces. They were already expecting the worst when they learned what happened to Reese. Who would have thought that Reese would make it out alive in that hole? unharmed, no less.

Reese was so surprised and grateful that the rest of his classmates were worried about his well-being that his eyes started to moisten with all of the affection and love his classmates had shown him. He did not expect to see his classmates reactions after they learned he was safe. When the happiness and joy settled down, the students started to get ready to walk again for 30-45 minutes back to the main road.

After a few minutes of walking, the group could see a lot of people coming and going on the narrow road. Some were helping other people with their injuries; some were happy to reunite with their loved ones; and some were searching frantically for their loved ones.

Reese could not help but feel really fortunate to be alive after what he went through. In a disaster, we face the danger of death or physical injury. We may also lose our home, possessions, and community. Stress reactions after a disaster look very much like the common reactions seen after any type of trauma. It's such a pity that when it comes to natural disasters like earthquakes, we don't have the right protocols to follow to prevent more people from getting in harm's way.

The group of students eventually arrived at the main road, where their bus was waiting for them. Then Mr. Yap instructed the students to go into the bus in an orderly manner, and then he called the dean of the school through his phone to inform him about the situation they'd been in. He also called the owner of the house where they were temporarily staying to ask if they were okay. Fortunately, they were okay, but the house was damaged by the earthquake and was not fit to live in for the time being. He then ended the call, put his phone back in his pocket, and proceeded to get into the bus to let the students know.

"Okay kids, I have some bad news to tell you. First, I called the dean about our situation here. He said we should not continue our retreat due to the disaster, and I agree with him. This disaster greatly affected all of us, especially what happened to Reese." Mr. Yap looked at the students to see if they had any reaction, but to his surprise, the students had no objections. "Second, even if we continue our retreat, we don't have a place to stay. The house that we rented was damaged by the earthquake, and it was not safe to live for the time being. If we try to look for other places to stay, I doubt they are willing to welcome us during this time of disaster," Mr. Yap continued.

The students were crestfallen after they heard what Mr. Yap said. They all paid for this trip, and they don't want it to end so soon. Even though the students did not like what Mr. Yap said, they clearly understood the situation they were in. "What should we do now, Mr. Yap?" asked one of the students on the bus.

"Well, all we can do now is go back to the place we rented, pack our belongings, eat our dinner, rest for a bit, and then leave after we have rested," Mr. Yap said in resignation.