Chapter 156
I was glued to the TV, watching reports of flash floods, rivers cresting, and even entire towns wiped out due to levee breaches. Houses. staring down the gaping maw of the breach, were obliterated. Some places were submerged up to the third floor?
I asked, “Are these towns around Crestview Metropolis?”
The guard answered, “Yeah, I heard that almost all the doctors from Century Wellness Hospital were dispatched to those areas to assist with the rescue efforts.”
I wondered, ‘All the doctors from Century Wellness Hospital were out for the rescue? So, Max hasn’t noticed my disappearance because he’s out there saving lives?2
I turned to the guards, “Call Claude. I need to speak with him.” If there’s danger, it’s time to leave now. Otherwise, if Elmwood Springs starts flood release, every road out will be impassable, and we’ll be sitting ducks.
The bodyguards hesitated at first but eventually dialed Claude. No one answered. After two attempts, no one picked up. A tight knot of worry formed in everyone’s stomach.
Then, a loud crash echoed from over the hill. A massive tree had toppled, landing on the house’s surrounding fence. Despite the distance, the sound had us all instinctively ducking for cover!
Even I, who had stared death in the face before, couldn’t help but flinch.
The commotion had the maids, who were asleep, rushing out and asking, “What’s going on?”
“Carry Lydia down. We’re leaving now! I ordered the bodyguards. They knew inaction meant certain death for all of us, so they moved to lift Lydia.
But a clueless maid blocked their way. “No, Mr. Hart said no one’s allowed to leave the villa, or else there will be consequences!“}
Perhaps the bodyguards, like Lydia, held a soft spot for the Hart family and were used to following Claude’s commands without question. They turned to me, waiting for my decision.
I raised my voice. “If we stay, we’ll be nothing but corpses! I promise I won’t let us get separated. If the flood comes, no one will get out!“S
But as the maid continued to stop us, I firmly commanded. Tie her up to the post. Let her guard the villa alone!
When the bodyguards began to bind her, the maid started crying, pleading. “No, please. Il come with you!”
With that sorted, the bodyguards carried Lydia down, and I grabbed a medical kit Lydia’s wounds couldn’t afford an infection, and I could use the kit for emergency first aid.
There were ten bodyguards, four servants, Lydia, and me, a total of sixteen people. Looking over our figures, I realized Claude had really gone all out to make sure my surveillance was foolproof.
“Ms. Claire, we have ten minutes before they release the floodwaters. There’s a river down the slope, so we must leave now. Driving fast on wet roads will be tricky,” one of the bodyguards informed me.
I checked the map on my phone, pointing to a high–ground plaza about 3.6 miles away with designated shelters. “Let’s head there. We might have to race the floodwaters halfway, but the higher we go, the safer we’ll be ”
None of us had ever dealt with this kind of situation before.
Weak but determined, Lydia said, “Let’s listen to Ms. Claire. When the floods came before, we always sought higher ground.“!!
Time was limited, and we all piled into the three cars Claude had left behind. Sixteen people practically stacked on top of each other.
Everyone was focused solely on outrunning the floodwaters. As the cars sped past the low–lying houses at the foot of the hill, lights still on, signaling life amidst the impending disaster, a sense of urgency gripped us all.
