and Scout now had to locate the people trapped deeper inside the building and likely requiring more assistance, whether because of injury or where they were. Those they’d been able to rescue said they had coworkers and friends still inside.
Cal and the other first responders had a quick huddle with the incident commander and the city’s engineers, and mapped out a course of action.
Cal gave Scout some more water, stroked the fur on his head. “Okay, pal. Ready to go?”
A short bark confirmed Scout’s willingness. Along with two firefighters, they headed off toward the more damaged building once more.
Since they couldn’t access the interior from street level due to the collapsed floors, they were lowered through the central core by a boom. The city engineers had advised Cal that the building was nearly identical in design to the other, with a central atrium, but in this case, the atrium had held and the floors had collapsed. It wasn’t going to be an easy rescue. Even after all his years as a cop, he still found it exceedingly difficult to deal with death. He hoped he wouldn’t have to encounter it today.
They were in the bowels of the building and had cleared an area that must have been a coffee shop. They headed to the next space when Scout alerted, and started to dig at an area where a doorway had collapsed. This was not a passive indication. There was someone trapped on the other side. Cal shone his headlight around. They were near the center of the floor plate where the building seemed to have crumpled. The upper floors had caved in. He couldn’t see any way into the area Scout had indicated. He ordered Scout to lie down and stay, dropped onto his knees where the dog had been digging and called out. In the relative silence he listened for a response. Gave it a moment.
Nothing.
He tried again. And waited.
Scout’s agitation was obvious. The dog sprang up despite Cal’s command and started digging at the rubble again. Scout’s training was such that he would’ve kept digging until he got through, but he would have injured himself badly on the shards of glass and other sharp edges in the debris. His behavior was a sure sign that there was someone in there. Cal ordered Scout to stand down again. Just when he was about to call out once more, he heard a noise. A cough.
It was a child. A young child. He called out again. Calmly, reassuringly, despite his fear.
He heard a couple more scratchy coughs before the sound turned into hiccupping sobs.
“Can you hear me?” Cal shouted.
After some soft sniffles, he heard a hesitant, “Yes.”
“Okay. I’m with the police and I’m going to help you.”
Cal heard whimpers this time.
“What’s your name?”
There was a pause, another sniffle. “Kayla.”
“Okay, Kayla. Are you hurt?”
“I... I don’t know. But my mom...”
“Your mother is with you?” Cal felt a chill permeate his bones.
“Yes. She...she’s sleeping.”
Oh, God. “All right, Kayla, try to stay calm, and I’ll get you out.”
“When?” she asked hesitantly. “It’s dark in here. I’m scared.” Her voice quavered. “And Mommy... Mommy’s sleeping. I can’t...can’t wake her up.”
“Listen, Kayla. I’ll get you out,” he repeated. “Real soon.” Cal hoped he could keep his promise.
He yanked his radio off his belt. “I’ve got a child here. Condition unknown. With her mother. She says her mother is asleep.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “She hasn’t been able to rouse her. I’m betting unconscious.” He paused. “At best.” He flashed the light around. “It doesn’t look good down here,” he reported to Command.
“Can you get to them from where you are?” Williams asked.
“No. I don’t think so.”
“All right. We’re sending you help.”
“Make it fast. I don’t know how much time we have.” He was worried about the oxygen supply where the kid and her mother were. He had to do what he could to get some airflow in. He scanned the area around him and found a couple of metal scoops. Based on their size, he assumed they were decorative, but they could’ve been used for beans in the coffee shop. The good news was they were sturdy enough to be functional. He gave Scout another firm command when the dog started digging, then he used a scoop to clear away debris in an attempt to make an opening. All the while, he tried to keep up a conversation with Kayla.
His radio crackled, and the incident commander’s voice came on. “A firefighter is on his way down to you. Have you made any progress?”
“No.” He heard the frustration in his own voice.
“Can you get to her with help?”
He almost groaned from exertion and exasperation. He heaved away a large chunk of concrete. “I doubt it. Not from here,” he growled. He’d hardly scratched the surface.
“Do you have an update on her condition?”
Cal lowered his voice. “Alive. Other than that, I don’t know.” He moved away, just in case the girl could hear him. “Her voice is fading. I don’t know how much oxygen there is. The doorway here is sealed solid, and wouldn’t be a source of air for her and her mother.”
Cal heard some background chatter.
“Okay,” the incident commander said, “we’ve got the building plans. Let’s locate her so we can determine if there’s another way in.”
After a hurried conversation, they decided that the girl and her mother were likely trapped in an interior corridor, and the elevator shaft would be the only feasible way to get to her. The firefighter they sent in arrived while Cal was still on the radio.
“We’ll need you and your dog to help us locate her from the other end,” the commander said. “Come on out and leave Mark—” referring to the new arrival “—to keep the girl calm.”
“Ten-four.” Cal moved back to the doorway and signaled for Mark to join him. “Kayla?” he called out.
Nothing.
“Kayla,” he shouted, trying to keep the rising panic from his voice. “Can you hear me?”
“Uh-huh,” came the subdued answer. “I’m sleepy. I’m going to lie down and go to sleep with Mommy.”
Cal’s eyes locked on Mark’s momentarily, and he knew they shared the same fear. Kayla was running out of oxygen. “I know you’re tired, Kayla, but please try to stay awake for me, okay? Don’t move around but try to stay awake. Can you do that?”
“I’ll try.” The words were so faint they could barely hear them. They were slurred, too, which worried Cal greatly. She was close to losing consciousness, he was certain. And that was just one step away
