The rain hammered against the windows, a steady thrum that made it feel like the world was dissolving into water. Amelia’s phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand, the vibrations almost drowned out by the heavy rainfall outside. She rolled over, still groggy from sleep, and glanced at the screen. Clara’s name flashed, urgent and desperate.

“Am, it’s bad,” Clara’s voice cracked through the static. “The flood’s taking over. I can’t get out. You have to help.”

Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. The words hit her like a cold wave. “I’m on my way.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, she grabbed her jacket and dashed downstairs, careful not to alert her parents in the study. Their voices, muffled by the thick walls, were full of urgency, but Amelia didn’t stop to listen. She couldn’t waste any more time.

Slipping out the door, the heavy rainfall greeted her like an old friend, drenching her instantly. The streets were barely recognizable, streets she’d driven on a thousand times now transformed into rushing rivers. The water rose quickly, pooling around gutters and cascading over curbs, making it hard to tell where the road ended and the water began. Amelia’s car groaned against the floodwaters as she made her way through the streets. The tires screeched, struggling for grip on the slick pavement. Every turn, every dip in the road felt like a gamble.

The wind howled, sending sheets of rain sideways. The world seemed swallowed by a gray haze, broken only by the faint glow of streetlights barely visible through the torrent. Amelia’s hands gripped the wheel tighter as the wipers beat furiously against the windshield, the rhythm lost to the relentless downpour.

As she reached the outskirts of Clara’s neighborhood, the familiar houses stood eerily silent in the gloom, their lawns swallowed by water. The air smelled of wet earth and damp wood, and the steady gush of rain was the only sound that echoed. Clara’s building, a solid structure built to withstand storms, loomed ahead, but even its stone foundation was being tested by the flooding.

When Amelia finally pulled up, Clara was waiting at the door, soaked to the bone, her face pale and desperate. The water had reached her knees. “Am, thank God,” she said, her voice barely audible over the storm’s roar.

“We need to move fast,” Amelia said, grabbing her hand. They made their way to the car, but the floodwater was rising too quickly. Before they could reach the vehicle, a sudden surge pulled them both into the water, the current stronger than they had anticipated. The force of it knocked Amelia off balance, her feet swept from beneath her. She gasped as the icy water surged around her waist.

Clara screamed, clutching at Amelia’s arm, but the current was unforgiving. Amelia fought to stay upright, her body heavy in the rushing water, each movement slowed by the pull of the storm. The water swirled around them, rising too quickly for comfort.

With one last effort, Amelia managed to grab Clara’s hand, pulling her toward higher ground. Her breath came in ragged bursts, chest tight against the cold. The force of the water tried to drag them back, but they finally found a place where they could stand, gasping for air.

As they huddled together on the muddy ground, Amelia realized just how much more there was to do. Clara’s face was stricken with worry. “We can’t just leave them. We need to help more people, Am.”

Amelia felt a heavy weight settle in her chest. She had come for Clara, but there were others, people in need—and the flood was far from over.