"Brother... where did Kalsie go?" Nicole, shivering from the coldness as she was still drenched from lake's water, questioned her brother as they stood on the edge of the mini-island, awaiting Kalsie and Wendy's arrival.
Despite her shivering from the cold, she carefully scanned the surroundings but couldn't spot him anywhere, except for Wendy swimming towards them.
"Hmm? Wasn't he over..." Jack's voice trailed off as his finger pointed to where Kalsie had been just moments ago, "...there?"
But Kalsie was no longer there.
Despite the light emanating from the raging flames, the once-dark surroundings offered nothing but faint ripples on the water's surface.
"Shit!!" Jack's eyes widened as he immediately realized that something had gone terribly wrong and shouted,
"KALSIE!! ARE YOU THERE?"
However, no response echoed back to them, causing their hearts to tighten with worry and anxiety.
"Why are you all shouting like that?" Others who had gathered behind them inquired when they heard Jack's cries.
"I-It's Kalsie!! He's nowhere to be found!!" Nicole urgently informed them, her worried eyes glued to the black water.
"What?!" Everyone, especially Fred, was taken aback.
Fred, being closest to Kalsie, wasted no time and began frantically searching for Kalsie in worry.
"Something must have happened!! I'm going to look for him!" Fred didn't even wait for anyone's reply and swiftly leapt back into the cold lake.
"Wait for me!!"
In quick succession, Jack, Job, and Noah followed Fred, albeit a second late.
Meanwhile, Nicole, Bella, and Nick remained on the mini-island to keep watch and search for him.
As they leaped into action to assist their missing companion or friend, despite the cold water, there wasn't a single moment of hesitation. They knew that without Kalsie's help, they might not have made it this far away from the pursuing monsters, and if he was in trouble, they wouldn't hesitate to help.
Ignoring the chilling coldness, their heads moved up and down as they swam towards the spot where Kalsie had last been seen, desperately hoping for his safety.
Amid the commotion caused by Kalsie's disappearance, even Wendy, who was midway through her swim, caught wind of the commotion.
"Where did that guy go?" Wendy, too, began scanning her surroundings, baffled by Kalsie's sudden disappearance.
Moments earlier, he had been well within her sight, but now he had simply vanished into thin air.
Wendy abruptly halted her leg movements and gazed beneath the water's surface. Her forehead creased with concern, and she swiftly dove into the depths of the lake.
'Did he drown? But wasn't he fine just a moment ago?' Wendy didn't dwell on these thoughts for long; her main objective was to find him as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, the underwater visibility was relatively decent, aiding her search.
"!!" It wasn't long before she spotted a figure, deep inside the lake.
Her eyes narrowed as she quickly swam to his side.
Reaching near him, she saw Kalsie's eyes were shut and his body without any movement, floating peacefully beneath the water, making her worry built up in her heart.
It wasn't even a quarter of a day before she met this person, but in this short period of time, Kalsie managed to leave an impression on her and make her worry about him. If it were any other person she just met, she sure wouldn't hesitate to help, but there wouldn't be the feeling of worry, something that Kalsie managed to do.
Without hesitation, Wendy quickly grasped him and pulled him towards the water's surface.
"Phew!" She exhaled heavily as her head rose from water and quickly raised Kalsie's head above the water level.
"Kalsie!!" Fred and the others also arrived at her side in haste and worry was visible on their faces.
"Quick!! Bring him out of here!! He's alive but unconscious!!" Wendy urgently told them.
Taking Kalsie from Wendy's care, Jack, a strong swimmer among them, swiftly swam towards the mini-island.
Then, with the assistance of Nicole and the rest, Jack managed to transport Kalsie to dry land.
"What happened?" Bella questioned, her voice was also tinged with worry.
"I don't know!! He just suddenly drowned!!" Jack urgently responded. He then turned to the others with a plea, "Does anyone know CPR?! There's water in his lungs, and it could be dangerous if he doesn't receive help soon."
Regrettably, they shook their heads, admitting they didn't possess the necessary CPR skills.
"Shit!! We have to do something, or he might not make it!!" Panic set in as Jack desperately searched for a solution.
He then remembered something and turned to his sister, inquiring, "Nicole!! Didn't you mention once that you learned CPR before? Can you help him?"
"I-I..." Nicole stammered as her anxiety rose up.
While she knew the slight basics of CPR, she had never actually performed it. Moreover, the thought of making a mistake while in process made her even more anxious.
'B-But... if I don't do this... who else will save him?' The thought of something dreadful happening to Kalsie due to her inability to help him correctly sent shivers down her spine.
But her determination become stronger as a certain memory resurfaced.
'How could I forget that?! After all the times he saved us, how can I hesitate like this when he needs my help?!' she thought.
'Every person has their own strengths and weaknesses. It's just a matter of time before their strengths overshadow their weaknesses, making others rely on them,' Kalsie's words echoed in her mind. It was this advice that bolstered her resolve to assist him, no matter the circumstances.
'How can I be an idiot!?' With a determined mindset, she knelt beside Kalsie and quickly pinched his nose shut.
In the next moment, she gathered air into her mouth and blew it into his, their lips touching each other during the process.