When we made it to Ruidoso, people had already started evacuating.
At first, I thought Hina might have been exaggerating when she called me, but the moment we reached the edge of town, I realized she wasn't.
People were evacuating; cars were lined up and people were walking with their bags
I looked at my phone. Hina was still at her house.
I quickly called her.
"Hina, where are you?"
"At home," she answered, her voice shaking. "The water keeps getting closer."
My stomach dropped.
"Listen to me. Stay inside and stay away from the water. Is your brother with you?"
"Yes."
I looked at the road ahead. Traffic was barely moving, and water was beginning to cover parts of the street.
I looked ahead through the windshield when I suddenly recognized two people standing near the side of the road.
"Wait…"
It was Ethan and Emy.
I pulled over and stared at them in disbelief. They had gotten out of their vehicle and were looking toward the flooded road.
"Rudy, that's Ethan and Emy!"
Rudy looked up and immediately recognized them too.
I quickly got out and ran toward them.
"What are you two doing here?" I asked.
Ethan looked at me seriously. "We came looking for you."
Emy stepped closer and hugged me.
"We were worried sick," she said.
I looked back toward the road.
"My friend is still in her house."
Ethan's expression changed.
"Then we need to get to her before that water gets any worse."I shook my head.
"No. You two stay here. It's not safe."
Ethan looked at me. "And what about you?"
"I'll be careful. But I need you both to stay here for your safety."
I looked over at Rudy. "That includes you, too."
Rudy gave me a worried look.
"I mean it," I told him. "Stay with Ethan and Emy. Don't follow me."
The rain continued falling as I looked toward the flooded road.
Hina was still at her house.
And I couldn't just leave her there.
A few minutes later, I finally made it to Hina's house. I pulled up as close as I could and jumped out of the truck.
"Hina!" I shouted.
Then I heard the worst answer possible.
"We're stuck inside the house."
I froze. My whole body tightened. Without thinking, I jumped into the water and pushed my way toward the door.
The current made every step difficult, but I kept moving.
When I finally reached the door, I saw Hina on the other side.
She looked relieved when she saw me.
Hina reached for the door, but before she could open it, I heard something outside.
The water was rising again.
Then I told Hina to try to get on the roof with her brother so I opened the door and helped them get up. First I helped Hina so she could grab her brother but then Osako saw the water rushing down the mountain.
"Osako, get up there!"
Hina grabbed him and pulled him onto the roof.
I started climbing after them when my foot suddenly slipped.
"Wait!"
I lost my balance and fell back into the rushing water.
"NO!" Hina screamed.
The current carried me away from the house before I could grab hold of anything.
"Hina!" I shouted, trying to keep my head above the water.
She stood on the roof, staring after me in horror.
The current pulled me farther away from the house. I fought against it, trying to grab onto anything that could stop me, but the water was too powerful.
"HINA!" I yelled.
I heard her screaming my name from the roof, but her voice was getting farther away.
I reached for a branch sticking out of the water and managed to grab it for a moment. The force of the current nearly pulled me loose immediately. I held on as tightly as I could, but debris kept crashing into me, leaving me shaken and struggling to stay focused.
I tried pulling myself toward the side of the road, but the water kept dragging me back.
I can't give up.
I took another breath and tried again.
My arms were getting weaker. My breathing became harder, and every second I spent in the water felt like a fight just to stay above the surface.
Then another surge hit me.
My grip slipped.
I was pulled underwater.
I tried to fight my way back up, but the rushing water spun me around. My lungs were burning, and I could feel myself running out of air.
For a moment, everything around me became muffled.
Then I saw a faint light above me.
I reached toward it with everything I had left.