The air was thick with dust.
Yvonne could barely see five steps ahead of her. The aftershock had stopped, but the ground beneath her feet still felt unstable, as if the earth itself was breathing.
She forced herself to stay calm.
Panic would kill faster than the collapse.
"Move the patients away from the slope," she shouted again. "Now."
Her voice sounded very tired.
Nurses and doctors reacted instantly, stretchers were lifted, patients were guided forward, orders were followed without question.
This was not the time to hesitate.
A loud crack echoed from above.
Rocks began to slide.
Someone screamed.
Yvonne turned sharply and saw part of the hillside shifting downward. It was not a full collapse yet, but it was coming.
"We have three minutes at most," she said firmly. "Everyone out of this zone."
A nurse hesitated near a stretcher.
"The patient's blood pressure is dropping," she said urgently.
Yvonne moved to her side without thinking, she checked the monitor quickly.
"We stabilize first," Yvonne said. "Then we move."
The nurse looked at her, fear in her eyes.
"Doctor Carter, you should leave."
Yvonne shook her head. "I leave last."
She adjusted the IV with steady hands. Her movements were calm and precise, fear tried to rise but she pushed it down.
Lives came first.
Always.
The ground shook again. Smaller this time but closer.
Dust fell from above.
"Doctor," another doctor called out. "We need to go. Now."
Yvonne nodded. "One minute."
She finished securing the patient and helped lift the stretcher.
"Move," she ordered.
They ran.
Just as the last stretcher crossed the safety line, the sound changed.
Not a crack.
A roar.
The hillside collapsed.
Rocks and earth rushed downward, swallowing the space they had just left. Tents were crushed, equipment disappeared under debris.
Yvonne stood frozen for half a second, staring at the destruction.
If they had waited even thirty seconds longer…
She exhaled slowly.
They were alive.
For now.
At headquarters, chaos had a different form.
Screens flickered, voices overlapped. Orders were given.
"Still no signal from the lead unit."
"Satellite connection is unstable."
"Weather interference is blocking the feed."
Adrian stood at the center of the room, unmoving.
His eyes were fixed on the black screen.
No image.
No sound.
No confirmation.
Only silence.
"Restore the connection," he said, his voice low but sharp. "I want eyes on that unit immediately."
Technicians worked frantically, fingers flew across keyboards, headsets buzzed with broken signals.
Minutes passed
Adrian's chest felt tight. He could barely breathe.
This was different from business risks, different from financial losses.
This was her life.
And he was powerless.
A coordinator approached carefully. "Director Blake, we may need to prepare for worst case scenarios."
Adrian turned slowly.
"Do not," he said quietly. "Say that."
The coordinator swallowed and stepped back.
Adrian clenched his jaw.
He remembered something Yvonne once said long ago, during one of their rare conversations.
If I am ever in danger, I do not want you to save me. I want you to understand me.
He had not understood then.
Now he understood too late.
He did not want control, he did not want ownership.
He just wanted her safe.
The screen flickered.
Everyone froze.
Then an image appeared, unclear and shaking but visible.
"There," someone shouted. "We have visuals."
Adrian stepped forward.
The camera feed showed dust filled air, damaged tents, injured people being moved and then he saw her.
Yvonne.
She was standing near the edge of the safe zone, giving instructions, her face covered in dust, her expression focused and calm.
She was alive.
He felt an instant relief, but the relief lasted only for a second.
The camera shook violently again.
A loud sound burst through the speakers.
Then the image went dark again.
"No," Adrian whispered.
The technician shook his head. "Signal lost again. The terrain is too unstable."
Adrian closed his eyes.
This time, he did not hide it.
Fear gripped him, not the sharp fear of danger but the fear of loss.
Back in the field, Yvonne finally felt tired.
Her arms ached, her head ached, dust burned her throat but she did not sit down.
Patients were laid out in a new safe area. Emergency procedures continued, she moved from one case to another, checking, correcting and guiding.
Then a medic grabbed her arm suddenly.
"Doctor Carter," he said urgently. "We are missing one nurse."
Yvonne's heart skipped.
"Who."
"Lena. She was helping in the far tent."
Yvonne turned sharply and looked back toward the collapse zone.
The area was unstable, dangerous and deadly.
"We cannot send anyone back," the medic said quickly. "The ground may shift again."
Yvonne did not answer.
Her eyes searched the debris.
A faint sound reached her ears.
A cry.
Barely audible.
Her pulse raced.
"She is alive," Yvonne said.
The medic shook his head. "Doctor, please. It is too risky."
Yvonne removed her gloves.
"I am going."
"Doctor Carter," he insisted. "We cannot lose you."
She looked at him
"You will not," she said. "But we will lose her if we do nothing."
Before anyone could stop her, Yvonne grabbed a helmet and stepped toward the debris.
The ground felt unstable beneath her feet.
She moved slowly, carefully.
"Lena," she called out. "If you can hear me, respond."
A weak sound answered.
Yvonne followed it.
She climbed over rocks, dust filling her nose, her hands scraped against rough surfaces. She felt a sharp pain on her arm but she ignored it.
She found the nurse trapped under a big wood.
Blood stained the ground.
Lena's face was pale.
"Doctor," she whispered weakly.
"I am here," Yvonne said calmly. "You are not alone."
She checked the injuries quickly.
Broken leg and heavy bleeding.
They had limited time.
Yvonne worked fast, stabilizing the wound with what she had. Her hands were steady even as the ground trembled again.
"It will hurt," Yvonne said softly. "But you will survive."
Lena nodded weakly, tears in her eyes.
Yvonne finished securing her.
Then she tried to lift the wood but It did not move.
Her arms was shaking.
She tried again still nothing.
She clenched her teeth and pushed harder.
The wood shifted slightly.
Not enough.
Her vision blurred.
Her strength was failing.
And the ground beneath them began to shift again.
At headquarters, an emergency alert sounded.
"Another aftershock detected near the lead unit," a voice announced.
Adrian turned sharply.
"What is the risk level."
"High."
His heart skipped a beat.
He could not sit still anymore.
"Prepare a rescue unit," he ordered. "Now."
"Sir," someone said, "it will take time to reach them."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"Then move faster."
He stared at the dark screen.
He had lost her once because he chose wrong.
He would not lose her again because he waited.
In the field, Yvonne took a sharp breath.
She looked at Lena, then at the shifting ground, then back at the wood
She made a decision.
One that could change everything.
She positioned herself differently and prepared to push again.
Ignoring the pain, ignoring the danger, ignoring herself because saving lives had always been her choice even if it cost her everything.
As she pushed with all the strength she had left, the ground trembled violently.
A deep crack echoed beneath them.
And the ground started to collapse.
Yvonne is trapped between saving a life and risking her own.
The rescue team is on the way, but time is running out.
The ground is collapsing again.
Will she make it out with the nurse alive
Or will this rescue demand a price no one is ready to pay?