Chapter 21: Good bye

"We have around 1500 casualties gathered in this church. I believe, that you can start in this place first if you want to find your daughter.." Leo passed a face mask to Seth as he speaks.

Leo glanced again at Seth's face as he walked away. The expression on Seth's face right now is the same as the others, who have been looking for missing persons in the past 3 days he volunteered here. Families, swarmed to the rescuers asking for help, to search for their missing loved ones, but all of them were brought to the make-shift morgues. This church was one of the buildings that have survived amidst all of the catastrophes, that have hit Hawaii. The authorities decided to use it as a temporary resting place for the deceased.

"Hai... another father who lost his child." Leo sighed, and walked away from the church, back to his post again.

Seth's mind was so messed up, that he is unable to process what is in front of him currently. The sound of people crying and wailing clouded his mind more. The smell of rotten flesh permeated the air. Some of the people who came only stays for a few minutes, and left hurriedly. Some of them vomit, right after they are out of the church.

Seth swayed as he walks towards the church. He scanned the inside of the church, and he felt his head was spinning. Holding onto the door frame on the side, Seth struggled to breathe. A volunteer walks up to him and hold his hand.

"Sir, are you okay? May I help you? Are you looking for someone?" A lady in a white blouse has approached Seth. She was responsible to help in the identification of the deceased. Her job was to compile and post the pictures of every deceased that are still unknown on the board. A huge board with pictures of all the deceased, was placed next to the entrance of the church.

Seth lifted his head and looked at the lady. He did not want to come here. He still wants to believe that her daughter is still out there somewhere safe. 'She's not here... not where all the dead gathered here.' Seth gulped hard, and he draws his breath sharply, gathering his courage.

"My daughter. I want to find my daughter. I am sure she is not here. Maybe she is still out there waiting for someone to rescue her.... yeah. That must be it. I-I, I am here just to make sure that.... she is not here. Lady, if my daughter is not here, does it mean that she is still out there waiting to be rescued?" Seth suddenly holds the lady's hand tightly, hurting her in the process. Just by thinking that her daughter might be safe, made him excited.

"Ah Sir, you are holding me too tight. Yes, if your daughter is not here, she may be somewhere safe." Seth quickly loosens his grip from that lady's hand. He then walked side by side with the lady to the board.

On the board, there are countless of gruesome and horrifying pictures of the deceased. "On this board, is all the bodies that we retrieved within 1 mile from the sea. Sir, you can take your time to look if your daughter is here." The lady slightly bowed to Seth and walked towards the entrance again.

Seth was anxious as he stared at the pictures one by one. 'No, my daughter must not be among these horrifying pictures. She must not be here.' Seth chanted the words in his mind repeatedly, like a mantra, to calm his mind.

Seth scanned the pictures from left to right, as his forehead sweats profusely. He was so nervous, that he kept bumping with other people, that was looking at the pictures on the board. He ignores them as he continued searching. His eyes never left the board, scanning every picture carefully.

After almost an hour, Seth finally stopped at one of the pictures that were on his eye level. It was a picture of a lady with shoulder-length black hair, with a greenish-black skin. Her face was barely recognizable, as a deep gash, cuts through her left eyebrow down to her right cheek. Some whites were visible on the forehead, probably it was her skull showing through the cut.

Seth studies the picture for a long time. That lady's facial feature was so similar to her daughter Mia, with thin lips, and a straight caucasian nose.

'No, this is not Mia. She is prettier than this lady in the picture.' Seth holds on to the shirt on his chest. The longer he stared at the lady picture, the tighter his chest felt.

As Seth was walking away from the board, hie eyes welled up with tears. He walked for a few steps, and he suddenly stops in front of the volunteer that talked to him earlier. "Miss.., may I, may I see the body of 971?" Seth gulped hard and steadied his breathing.

Seth has repeatedly chanted to himself, that it was not Mia, but... he cannot fool himself any longer. That lady in the picture was wearing the same necklace, that Lucy and Suzy was wearing. It was a custom made necklace, given by his father in law to all his daughter, bearing the Lu emblem as its pendant. That necklace was enough to identify it was her daughter, Mia even though the deceased face was all bloated and have loose its natural colors.

"Sure, let me walked you there." The lady walked towards the left section of the church, where all bodies were laid down and covered with a black bag. A white tag on each bag was the only identification to distinguish every bag there. For bodies that have been identified, it was moved to the right of the church with a blue tag.

"Sir, you may want to brace yourself first before I opened up this bag." The lady quickly stepped next to the black bag and unzipped them as she spoke. After she has unzipped the bag, she bowed and stood on the side.

Seth walked slowly to the bag. His eyes, were fixed staring, on the face of the body inside the bag. His thin lips quivers and drops of tears fall to his cheek one by one. The lady in the bag was still pretty even though she is no longer alive. She was wearing blue pajamas, complete with a jacket. Seth dropped on his knee with a thud and started hugging the body.

"Mia... Mia... Mia! Wake up honey... Dad is here... My Mia!!!" Seth sobbed and he wailed loudly. He ignores everyone that was looking at him in sympathy. Seth was too absorbed in his sadness, that he failed to notice another figure that has stopped behind him.

"Seth, what are you doing?! This is not our daughter! You have got it wrong!!" Jane shouted and punched Seth's shoulder while crying.

Seth looked up at Jane, with his still crying eyes, and pulled Jane down. "Jane, our daughter... she is gone now. She's gone."

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