Chapter 11:A close call

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The nerdy man deftly launched the DJI M30T drone, its rotors buzzing softly in the storm.

Bupe, the man with the military aura, tossed a helmet to George, who caught it and quickly secured it on his head.

“We have a problem,”Bupe said, pulling on his protective gear.

The pilot maneuvered the chopper low over the towering trees, descending toward a clearing near the Misoji riverbank.

Below, the river surged with fury, swollen by a month of relentless downpours.

Its waters churned like a wild beast-dark, rapid, and ready to devour anything caught in its path.

In that moment, only one desperate hope ran through George’s mind: that Sinikiwe had steered clear of the river’s wrath.

He stared down at the furious torrent as the chopper dipped lower, worry etched deep in his features.

George spared Bupe a seconds-long stare; the look on his face seemed to say, whatever it was, as long as it had nothing to do with their current predicament, it could wait.

“The SAR teams had to retreat,” Bupe explained grimly., ignoring his friends gloomy look.“Days of heavy rain have weakened the Musanje cliff, leading to multiple landslides that have blocked the path. They don’t know when they can resume.”

“Any casualties?”George asked sharply.

“No,”came the tense reply.

“Good. Let them regroup and report when they’re ready,”George ordered over his shoulder as he prepared to jump out.

Meanwhile, the nerdy man had his eyes glued to the drone controller. He toggled the thermal imaging feed into view, scanning the heat signatures with intense focus.

The drone soared above the dense canopy, scanning the landscape with its infrared sensors.

Suddenly, a faint but distinct warm spot flickered on the screen, nestled in a rocky outcrop half-hidden by creeping vines.“Got something!”the man exclaimed quietly.

George leaned in, heart pounding as they zoomed in on the image.The heat signature was consistent with a human body, concealed inside a small cave barely visible to the naked eye.

“That’s her,” George said softly, slowly releasing the breath he had been holding.

“Let’s bring her down.” The pilot adjusted the chopper’s course, descending toward the cave entrance as rain continued to splatter against the windshield.

“Something’s wrong,”the nerdy man said, frowning as he maneuvered the DJI M30T drone closer to the cave.

The breath George had just released suddenly caught in his throat, paralyzing him.

The thermal image on the controller showed Sinikiwe flailing her arms-no doubt seconds from drowning.

INSIDE THE CAVE

They say misfortune never comes singly, and, unfortunately, that was so for poor Sinikiwe.

Not only had she run into her worst nightmare and gotten lost in the forest, she had now plummed into a cave seventy-five meters below.

Landing in a frigid pool with a huge splash.

The shock of the cold seized her lungs as she sank, a dead weight in murky water.

Struggling against the crushing depth, she fought to rise to the surface, her body screaming in protest.

Above her, from multiple outlets in the cave’s ceiling, a mesmerizing display of waterfalls thundered down, the water level rising at an alarming pace.

Under different circumstances, the scenic spectacle might have stolen her breath, but time, alas, was against her.

The cave was fast filling up, a watery tomb in the making. Pain lanced through her as the biting cold seeped into her bones.

Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, she remembered-she couldn’t swim.

Panic seized her, her arms flailing wildly as she gasped for air, only to swallow the chilling water. The struggle was a desperate fight against the rising tide.

Her life flashed before her eyes-choices , regrets everything she wished she could undo. All she wanted now was to turn back tome to the day she met the Njolomba’s, the source of her misery.

How ironic.George didn’t need to lift a finger to end me. It seems this cave will be my grave, she thought weary.

George, I curse you and all your ancestors to hell and back. May you never know peace for as long as your bloodline lives.

Her will to survive collapsed like a deflated balloon, and she sank like a stone toward the endless bottom of the cave, the light above dimming and fading.

Just before her consciousness slipped away, a strong, powerful hand shot out, grabbing her and yanking her upward.

She broke through the murky water as she was pulled up-hauling her out of the icy depths.

Both were yanked from the cave by a rescue harness, the powerful cable tightening as the chopper began to move.

Slowly at first, the helicopter climbed higher into the air. The harness reeled back in, hauling the man into the cabin.

The crew, waiting by the door, muscled him inside. Then, they pulled the unconscious Sinikiwe in too, laying her carefully on the floor.

“Sinikiwe! Sinikiwe!”The doctor called her name while shaking her.

No response.

He put his ear near her mouth to listen for her breathing while watching her chest for movement.

George, his breath erratic, joined the two health personnel and took over, giving her five breaths. To his relief, her chest rose with each breath.

Interlocking his hands, he began chest compressions.

Using his entire body weight, he pressed hard, silently counting and praying for her to wake up.

Still nothing.

“God damn it, Nikkie!” he murmured desperately.

He gave her two more breaths and continued with chest compressions.

She coughed, vomiting water, to everyone’s relief.

George quickly turned her and put her in the recovery position.

“Can’t you pilot this thing any faster!” George demanded from the pilot.

“We are almost there,”the pilot calmly stated just as the Njolomba estate came into view.

Bupe was on his walkie-talkie, giving instructions to the crew on the ground.

The two health personnel took over from George, placing the oxygen mask on her face as soon as she was done coughing up water.

While the assistant reached out to grab a blanket to keep her warm, the doctor turned his attention to her other injuries.

When the doctor saw the wound under her ribs, his face fell.

It was a long, jagged cut. Ten inches long-raw and frightening. The jaggerd gash looked like it had torn through her skin with brutal force.

He quickly applied intial pressure bandages.

No sooner had the chopper landed on the hospital’s helipad than the medical staff grabbed the gurney, braving the storm and wind from the rotating blades, and rushed her inside, George close on their tail.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ‘