The eye of the storm
1308 Words
I looked for a way to open the window, it was boarded up, screwed in place. I scratched at the boards, breaking my nails.
" Call Arturo, he can get us out!"
" No, he is gone. He left to the mainland. Phina, we are not going to be saved. Besides, my phone is upstairs."
I banged on the window boards and yelled for help.
It was no use, we were trapped, stuck in the basement with a major hurricane bearing down on us.
I took Manuel's hand. "Don't be angry, I am in love with you, I was going to tell you, but I was scared you would go back to the angry husband again. I'm sorry. I really do choose you Guapo."
He took a deep breath. "You betrayed me with American CIA.
I can never trust you again. All the games you played with me. I'm going to make you pay this time, really pay. I will have your family killed for this!"
" I don't understand. I'm to blame. I kept this from you, not my parents. " He leaned in close to my face.
"You have a sister too and a niece."
I gasped at his cruel words to me when suddenly the lights went out.
The wind whipped loudly against the upper level of the house.
He reached out for me, I hid against the wall.
" If we get out of this alive, Daniel knows he is a dead man." he said quietly with malice, looking for me.
I began to hyperventilate. He heard me in the corner.
" I'm sorry." I said between breaths. Now I had to leave him, somehow. I had to warn my family.
" I...ha..ha..met him on the cruise ship." I breathed.
" Ah, ah.. he befriended me as the sush...sushi chef...He had plans to use me all..ah...ah...along."
" And you slept with him?" He yelled.
" No...uh..uh .nev...never. Manuel, can I tell you a few more things? I mean if I am to die with you here...I want a clean slate."
He caught me, tripping on my feet as I sat in the corner hyperventilating.
" I'm going to tie you up now and watch you drown." He pulled me up by my hair.
" I uh..uh ...wanted you to know, you were a ha..ha..horrible person before." I couldn't speak, I ran out of breath.
He squeezed my waist with his big arm in the darkness and tried to tie me to the bed.
" Killing me" I gasped.
" Shut up lying bitch." He said in my ear.
"I loved you." I breathed out, my last breath, then I slumped over.
The storm raged on, storm water started pouring into the room.
Manuel set me on the bed, hearing the water sloshing around the floor.
" f**k! It's coming in."
Suddenly the house above us began to move and crack. It was falling in.
I came to and moved away from him while he was distracted.
" Where did you go?"
The noise was unbearably scary. I screamed as he grabbed my ankle.
A heavy board came crashing down and pinned Manuel to the wall.
I heard him groan. He was alive, but seemed unconscious.
" Manuel, no!" I tried to move that board, but it was wedged in.
I could see the second floor. The rain poured in as the room filled up with muddy water.
I used the mattress to reach the opening and climbed out, into the upper room.
The roof was gone.
My hair wildly whipped around my head as the storm raged violently.
I managed to get to the garage and looked around for an axe.
There, on the wall. A big axe. I grabbed it and a pile of rope.
I looked outside. The wind had suddenly died down as quickly as it had come.
" They eye of the storm." I thought.
I could easily leave now. I had to warn my family about Manuel's threats.
I grabbed the axe and ran back inside.
I hit that board with all my adrenaline and tried to get him freed before the storm started back up.
I couldn't catch my breath. I swung and swung. Finally it cracked in two and I could pull Manuel out from behind the wooden beam.
I climbed back up to find some rope. The wind kicked back up as the eye had passed over us.
I found the rope and tied it to Manuel, using an intact beam, I wrapped the rope around it and hauled Manuel upstairs.
His arms were on the second floor so I grabbed him and pulled him to safety.
I had only one chance to save him. I dragged his muscular frame across the floor and to the concrete built garage.
Then I checked him all over for injuries. Nothing seemed broken.
I sat back against the wall and let myself cry. I chose to save this bitter man who threatened to kill my family, my sister and niece.
He knew about them. I never talked about them, afraid of this. He must have been planning to hurt them all along.
I wanted to run. I couldn't leave him there to die.
I fell asleep from emotional and physical exhaustion. My back was very sore now from dragging Manuel all the way to the garage.
When the storm abated, I woke up. Manuel was staring at me.
" You ok, are you hurt?" I asked scooting to him.
" Don't f*****g touch me." He said quietly.
He was still upset.
I withdrew from him and sat up against the wall.
" How did we get here?" He asked.
I shrugged, not daring to speak.
" Go into the house and find my damn phone." He yelled at me.
I crawled towards the door. My back was spasming and on fire.
He tried to move, then winced.
" What did you do to me, try to kill me? I feel like shit." He said as I went out the door.
I looked in the rubble of the house, debris was everywhere. I couldn't find his phone.
I walked to the kitchen and saw Manuels phone, when I reached down to pick it up, I fell through the floor.
" Ahhh!" I landed in the muddy water.
I was stuck.
I stayed there in the water, trying to stay calm as I plotted my way out of there. I had his phone still in my hand, it was dead. Still I held onto it like a life line.
It was no use, I was trapped.
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I stayed quiet trying to hear anyone above me. It was so quiet, no one was coming for me.
Manuel was injured.
I felt chilled to the bone and stayed in that muddy water for a very long time.
_____________
The next day I heard people above me, they were going through the house, picking up the mess and removing the broken boards.
" Hey Manuel, did you use this rope to get out of the basement? Look, here!" Arturo cried.
Manuel saw the rope and the axe I had used to free him.
He had his men out looking for me with orders to kill me on sight. I had run away from him for the last time.
I couldn't yell, I was too weak. The cold water made me very sick. I was ready to give up when the housekeeper, Maria spotted my sweater, then saw my matted hair in a hole in the kitchen floor.
She didn't dare tell Manuel, afraid of his orders to kill me.
She went and found Arturo.
" Please, I found her. We can't tell him, he wants her dead. I think she might be dead. But we must hide her from him." She said tearfully.
- Writer
