A/N: Would like to say thank you for the support on the mini story. If you would like to see their recovery, aftermath and trauma from this event let me know. I might put out the recovery process in a different story so stay turned once this story ends.
As the group searched around they got to know each other a bit more. The father's name was Zachery and the daughter he was looking for was five and had wandered off. He was running after her when the collapse happened. Her name is Lilith, and the other man that had found Stef and Brandon was Garry, and Margret was the woman's name. Stef and Brandon told them who they were looking for as well.
"Hey, I found someone!" Brandon called out. They all rushed to him and processed to carefully remove the concrete. It was a teenage boy with his left shoulder dislocated.
The group managed to help a few more people from the rubble, they also sadly found a few lifeless. There were some injured and in need of medical attention. Stef was a bit worried about Brandon being traumatized from seeing the lifeless. However Brandon was stepping up and doing the best he could.
"We need to find a way out, so we can get these people medical attention." Stef stated, she didn't want to leave yet. She wanted to know her kids and Mike were ok, but as an officer she knew she needed to make sure these people survived.
"I can't, not until I find my little girl." Zachery said. "We'll find her, but if these people stay down here for too long, they'll lose their lives." She explained. She understood him completely, if she could she would keep searching. "Ok, we get them out then we come back and find them." Stef nodded in agreement.
Before they were able to look around, a group of three found them.
"Hello?" Stef and Brandon knew exactly who's voice that belonged to. "Mike?" "Dad?" They both called out at the same time.
They saw him holding his phone with one hand and keeping Jesus steady with the other. Along with another man walking next to them. "Jesus." Stef ran next to him to check for any injuries, and she found the same ones Mike did.
"Is he ok?" Brandon asked his father. "As good as he can be. Where's Callie?" "She had to go to the restroom a few minutes after the collapse. We haven't found her yet" Brandon explained.
Mike looked at him confused. "The restrooms are further away than we were." He stated. "I know…"
"We need to go, he might have a concussion." Stef interrupted.
They went where the main entrance would have been and began carefully moving the concrete.
As Callie and Jessica made their way to the side entrance, Callie was getting more and more exhausted. They had to stop a few times in order for her to catch her breath.
"Are you sure you can keep going?" Jessica asked. "I can get off." Katie suggested. "I'm fine, we need to keep moving." Callie told them and they did.
Once they arrived they realized there was no way through. "Damnit." Callie whispered under her breath.
"What do we do now?" Jessica asked. "Make our way to the main entrance." Callie said with determination. She wasn't going to give up so quickly, not when someone else's life is on the line, more like two.
"Are you going to make it that far?" Katie asked. "I can, and I'll come back for Ronny." Callie promised. "Just keep talking, that way I'll stay awake." Callie instructed.
They made their way toward the main entrance as Jessica and Katie made conversation to keep Callie awake.
Lena, Mariana and Jude were trying to find their family. There were many more people helping move the concrete. They had found a few people alive and sadly a few deceased. The emergency services had arrived, there were police, firefighters, and paramedics. People who had nothing to do with the mall or the people inside of it came to help.
Lena and the kids were determined to find their family. They nearly gave up hope, that was until a man yelled saying he found a group of people. The three along with a few other people went over to check it out. They helped carefully move the concrete out of the way.
It was Stef, Mike, Brandon and Jesus along with a few other people. Lena was happy to see them, that was until she realized Stef was assisting her younger son to walk. The three noticed the blood coming from his head. Their concern only grew when Callie was nowhere in sight.
"Jesus." Mariana whispered in disbelief and was holding back tears.
"Where's Callie?" Jude beat Lena to the question. "We don't know." Brandon answered as Stef guided Jesus to the paramedics.
"What happened to Jesus?" Lena asked. "I think concrete hit his head?" Mike jumped in offering what he knew.
They all went over to where the paramedics were checking for injuries. "He may have a concussion. We need to get him to the hospital." One of the paramedics announced.
"I'll go with him, you find our daughter." Lena told Stef. Stef nodded and Lena left in the ambulance with Jesus and the paramedics.
The rest of the family assisted in finding Callie. Stef and Brandon had the paramedics check them.
"I need you to watch your siblings, Zachery and I have to go back in." Stef told Brandon. As much as Brandon wanted to go in and help he knew he needed to make sure Mariana and Jude were safe. He gave her an ok then she went to go find Zachery.
Callie and Jessie had made it close to the mall main area, where Stef and Brandon had been when the collapse happened. They took another break but this time, Callie set Katie down. Jessica sat down next to them. Callie was severely injured and was becoming more and more pale. Her back, legs and side were in so much pain but she made a promise she planned to keep.
"Do you think you can keep going?" Jessica asked. At this point her and Katie were in much more pain than before but they could tell Callie's injuries were taking a toll on her.
"You can either…wait here...or…continue to find…a way out." Callie was running out of breath and panting.
"What about you two? I can't leave you here." Jessica responded.
"Katie will have to stay…and wait until you…get back or I get back."
"What? Where are you going?" She questioned Callie.
"Keeping my promise." Callie said in nearly a whisper before making her way back.
Jessica sat there dumbfounded. Why is she going back despite knowing she could die any second, Jessica thought to herself. She stood up, she wanted to go look for help in case Callie didn't make it back
"Don't leave, I don't want to be alone." Katie told her and she did.
Callie had reached the rumble of the restroom and was picking up Ronny's remains. She gently picked him up with the jacket covering him. In all honesty she was afraid of looking at him. She didn't want to think of him as what he was at the moment, instead she had to convince herself that what was picking up was a delicate glass, that to Jessica was a treasure and something she couldn't live without.
After picking him up, covered, she began to go back where she had last left Jessica and Katie. Suddenly as she was walking she heard something, and she stopped. She couldn't tell what it was exactly but her instinct told her to follow the noise.
Despite her injuries and need to get to safety, Callie's instincts told her otherwise. Her instinct told her it might be someone in need. She hurried but quietly walked toward the noise. As she got closer she realized the sound was of sobbing. It sounded like a little girl crying.
When she reached the noise she knew she was correct. She angled the light slightly away from the noise. There was a little girl crying with her knees covering her face. She was a bit hidden behind the rubble.
"Hey there. Are you ok?" Callie asked her. The little girl looked up, she was scared of all the blood and metal rod Callie still had. Callie noticed and tried to comfort the girl.
"It's ok, it's fake." Callie saw her attempt wasn't working. "Do you play pretend?" The girl nodded. "That's what this is, it's pretend. It was for a scary movie." "I don't like scary movies, they scare me." The little girl finally spoke. "That's ok, they can't hurt you because they're not real." "They're pretend too?" The girl asked. "Yeah, what's your name?" Callie asked.
"Lilith." She told her. "My name is Callie. Did you come with your parents?" "My daddy."
"Do you know where he is?" Callie was afraid to ask this question but she knew she had to. She was slightly relieved when the girl shook her head. There was a chance he was still alive and she would still have her father.
"Maybe we can ask someone to help us find him." Callie was careful not to promise to find him. As much as she wanted to help the girl, Callie knew if she stayed down here any longer she wouldn't survive and she couldn't leave the girl to fend for herself. The girl's eyes lit up and nodded excitedly. "Come with me, we'll find someone to help." Lilith stood up and grabbed Callie's free hand.
Callie stopped and those for a second. "How about we play a game?" Lilith looked at her confused. "If you keep your eyes closed the entire way, you get candy. Sounds good?" Callie didn't want her to see all the bodies she had passed the first time. Lilith excitedly nodded and closed her eyes.
The two began to make their way to the other girls. However during the path Callie had to walk slower than before and had to stop more frequently. Her legs were shaking and she had to instruct Lilith at times where to walk.
"Do you think she'll come back?" Katie was worried. "She has to, she wouldn't leave us here…would she?" "There's no way out that way. She couldn't leave if she wanted to." Both girls were starting to panic.
They both heard people talking at the entrance. Then rocks began moving and soon enough people came down. They immediately saw the two girls and began checking any wounds. One of the men carried Katie on his back as a few people helped Jessica walk and ended up carrying her up as well.