Dance Moms - Lorelei (2) Finding Clara

Chapter 2 : Volunteer

All team supervisors were to register, reporting number of team members and specialty. Doctor Arroway and his paramedic team were given to treat the wounded. Chloe only has first aid skills, and was given the task of delivering medical supplies. She only wished she has learned more.

New patients were rolling in by the minute, needing treatments from minor cuts to critical injuries. A voice caught Chloe's attention.

"Pastor Austin!" Chloe turned and ran to the newly delivered patient.

The old pastor has a bleeding head wound, his right arm was in bandages, his legs were completely gone from knees down.

"What happened??"

"Fire fighters found him under a bill board, his van was crushed, the place was flooding, they had to remove his legs to get him out fast."

"Oh My God!" Chloe cried in horror, remembering the kind man who lent them the van.

"Chloe..." the old man coughed weakly. "Maria and Clara..."

"Did anyone see his family?" she turned to the paramedics.

"We don't know, the fire fighters brought him in alone."

Chloe took the pastor's hand, she could feel his bones trembling, not of pain from the injury, but the sickness of worrying the love ones.

"Pastor Austin, where did you last saw them?"

"They were at the house..."

"At the church?"

The pastor nodded.

"Where is the church?" one staff asked.

"Summersville." Chloe answered before the pastor could.

Already she could read the disapproval from the paramedics.

"Summersville is at Ground Zero now."

"Are there any units nearby?" Chloe asked. "Would it be possible they take a look?"

"Impossible. Ground Zero is now expanding to a twenty mile radius, no one going in until the storm past."

"Is it possible they were picked up by another team?"

"We evacuated more than a thousand people since last night. Not just from Summersville. Craigsville, Fayetteville, even Montgomery. They've all been sent to the nearest shelters."

"Can't we call them to find out?"

"There's just too many. We need to stabilize them first, then process the registration."

Chloe recalled the map on the chalk board, all three shelters were far apart, with the lack of transportation, there was no way she can go check them all.

"Pastor Austin, they probably got rescued and sent to another shelter." Chloe tried to comfort the old man.

"No..." the pastor worried. "There's a tornado shelter under the church. It was there before the war, no one knows it's there!"

Chloe suddenly saw the horror, with the church collapsed on top, burying the shelter, and rising flood.

"What's the hold up?" Doctor Arroway came over.

"Pastor Austin." Chloe turned to the doctor. "His family may still be trapped underground!"

Arroway made the same assess in his head, and said the words he unwilling to say.

"We can't do anything now. Our job is to save the ones we can, right here. There are trained professionals out there who know what they are doing."

"They are at Ground Zero! Everyone has been cleared out!" Chloe couldn't help yelling.

Arroway took her arm and pulling her aside.

"Look, I know what you are thinking, but remember why we're here. With one less support meaning one more patient without treatment, and there are many more coming."

"I can't leave them there! They might die!"

"We don't know that."

Chloe shook off the doctor, went to the pastor's bed and held his hand.

"I'm going!" Chloe found herself saying. "I'm going to take a look!"

"Impossible! It's a warzone down there, FEMA has blocked all traffics!" the paramedic said.

"Then I'm going on foot!" Chloe locked her eyes on the old man. "Pastor Austin. You hang on. I'm going to make sure that they are safe!"