by Linda Warren
She crawled through the rubble to where he lay. Blood oozed from his head and she didn’t know if he was alive. She searched for a pulse and found one. It was faint, but it was there. She found a handkerchief in his coat pocket and pressed it against the cut on his head to stop the bleeding.
Then it hit her. Where were the girls? She looked around and saw they were trapped under a steel beam. She crawled over to them. They were both knocked out but alive. Their legs were under the beam. Maribel tried to move it, but she wasn’t strong enough. Her efforts only caused more debris to fall. She sat between them and wiped dust from their faces.
Where was everyone? Why wasn’t someone coming to help them? Principal Gaston needed medical attention. “Help!” she screamed over and over. There was no answer but eerie silence. She grew dizzy and crawled into a ball to stop it. And then she prayed.
Sometime later, she heard a voice and she opened her eyes, however, she didn’t see anything but the devastation around her. No one had come to help them.
I love you, Maribel.
She heard the voice clearly and she pushed into a sitting position. There was a presence in the room and she could feel it. It was her mother. Was Maribel hallucinating? The dizziness intensified, but the voice was clear and riveting. I love you, Maribel.
All the resentment through the years of hating her mother seemed trivial compared to what she was trapped in now. She’d been like an angry little girl throwing a temper tantrum because her mother didn’t love her the way she wanted. But she’d loved her the only way she could. Everything was so clear now.
I love you, Maribel.
“I love you, Mama,” she responded, and the presence was gone. “No, come back. I need you.” Feeling drained, she lay back on the floor.
Her heart was lighter and hope burned in her chest. Elias would get them out of here, she was sure. All she had to do was wait for him.
And the words she couldn’t say came easy. “I love you, Elias.” Would she ever get to say them to him?
Chapter Eighteen
“Everybody stay calm,” Elias said to the group.
“Y’all better listen to him,” Freddie said. “My trigger finger’s getting antsy.”
Elias stepped to one side while Scooter and Freddie guzzled down the beer. Leonard was standing on two desks at the back with his gun pointed toward the group. Damn! He couldn’t jump Freddie and Scooter without Leonard shooting everyone.
“Hey, Leonard!” Freddie shouted. “Come get some beer. No one’s going to move. They’re scared to death.”
Leonard jumped off the desk and made his way to the front. The three boys were in the middle drinking beer and Elias was on the outside. He saw Rico outside the doorway. He could jump them now and Rico would help. But the guns bothered Elias. They could start shooting and someone could get hurt. Was he willing to take that risk?
Suddenly, Freddie pointed the gun at Elias. “Call the sheriff. Ask him where’s our money. If we don’t get it in five minutes, we’re going to start shooting people like sitting ducks. Got it?”
Getting drunk on drugs was not a good thing. Elias could see Freddie was losing it. “Okay, just stay calm.”
“Put it on speakerphone so I can hear everything.”
Elias did as Freddie asked and Wyatt answered the phone. “Freddie wants to know where the money is. I’m in the gym and everybody is here. He needs the money now or he’s going to start shooting people. Do you understand, Wyatt?” Get the damn money, he said in his head.
“The money is here,” Wyatt replied.
“How about the truck?” Freddie asked.
“Yes, it’s here, too.”
“Hot damn. Now we’re talking!” Freddie shouted. “Bring the truck to the parking lot outside the side door. Leave the motor on and the doors open. Put the money in the back seat. And, sheriff, don’t try anything funny. The bombs are still set to go in about forty-two minutes. If you shoot me, everyone in here is dead because I’ll reset it as soon as I walk out the door. I’ll turn it off when we’re safely away. Understand?”
“I understand, Freddie, but what guarantee do I have that you’ll turn off the bombs?”
“You don’t. You have to trust me. Isn’t that a kick in the head? But you see, I’m fond of Elias and I wouldn’t kill him because he’s the only person in this town who’s ever helped us.”
“I’m trusting you, Freddie.”
“Let’s go,” Freddie said to Scooter and Leonard. “We got what we wanted.” He turned to the group. “Everybody better stay seated if they want to live.”
“They will,” Elias said. “I’ll make sure of that.”
The boys backed out of the gym with the guns pointed at them. At the door, Freddie said, “So long, Elias.” Then running footsteps echoed loudly in the hallway.
“Everybody stay down!” Elias shouted, and then he said to Rico as he followed the boys, “Make sure they all stay down.” Elias ran as fast as he could, hoping to catch the side door before it closed. If he could, then Freddie couldn’t reset the bombs. The boys were at the door and Elias was almost there. Freddie didn’t look back. They ran through it and Elias made a dive for the door, but not in time. He heard the click. Freddie had reset it.
“Dammit. Dammit. Dammit!” His phone buzzed.
“Is everyone okay?” Wyatt asked.
“Yes. What’s happening?”
“They’re getting in the truck and now they’re driving away.”
“Keep everyone away from the school, Wyatt. Freddie reset the bombs and we’re trapped in here until he deactivates it.”
“Are you sure about the bombs? They could be fooling us.”
“I’ve seen one on the side door and some on a few windows so I’m guessing they’re on every door and window like he said. Whether they go off or not, I’m not sure, but I’m not willing to take that chance. Are you?”
“The bomb squad is here. Take several pictures of the bombs and send them to me. The FBI will be taking over.”
“The bombs are going to go off in forty-one minutes, Wyatt. We don’t have time for cops to jockey for position here.”
“Oh, no!” He heard Wyatt cursing.
“What happened?”
“The FBI put spikes on Highway 77 and stopped the truck. There was a shootout and the boys are dead.”
“Dammit, Wyatt! The bombs are still set! Didn’t the FBI realize that?”
“Like I said. They’re taking over now.”
“Get Freddie’s phone as fast as you can. You can turn off the bombs with it. Surely some of those geniuses can figure it out.”
After a moment Wyatt came back on the line. “Freddie’s phone is in a hundred pieces. They’re getting someone to look at it.”
“We don’t have that much time.” Elias took a deep breath and it burned his lungs. He was dealing with a bunch of idiots. Everyone in here was going to die unless he got them out.
He quickly took photos of some of the bombs and sent them to Wyatt.
“What’s happening?” Rico asked.
Elias turned to his friend. “We’re trapped in here. The FBI just killed the boys on Highway 77 and Freddie didn’t deactivate the bombs. I have to figure out a way for us to get out of here. Just try to keep everyone calm in the gym.”
“Chase and Jody are taking care of that. They have everyone reciting Bible verses.”
“Good. Let’s see if bombs are on every outside window and door.” Elias ran down the hallways, looking for bombs, as did Rico. They met back at the side door. “What did you find?”
“Every window and every door that leads outside has that strange contraption on the top of it,” Rico replied.
“They weren’t bluffing. But maybe they weren’t smart enough to ensure that every bomb went off e
very five minutes after an hour. We can only hope.” He paced back and forth. “I can’t just wait for that. I have to do something. There are so many lives involved.”
He called Wyatt. “Has the bomb squad come up with anything?”
“They’re looking at it now. They say it needs a code.”
“I know that. Freddie had the code on his phone.”
“They’re working on it.”
“Once again, Wyatt, we don’t have time for them to look things up. Someone has to figure this out. Now!”
“The bomb squad wants to come in.”
“How? I just checked and there are bombs on every door and every window. If they activate one, they all go off. That’s what Freddie said and I believe him. Are they willing to kill everybody in here?”
“The FBI has arrived and they’re taking over.”
“Like hell. You better answer your phone when I call. I’m looking for a way out. Tell them to stay away until then.”
“There’s no other way out of here, Elias,” Rico reminded him.
Elias paced again. “I went to school here and I’m thinking of all the ways I snuck in when I was late.” Suddenly, he remembered something Maribel had said. He snapped his fingers. “I got it.” He ran down the hall to the janitor’s closet. Rico followed him.
There wasn’t a bomb on the door because it was just a big closet with cleaning supplies.
“There’s nothing in here,” Rico said.
Elias pointed to another door. “There’s a stairwell that leads to the roof. When I was a teenager, Bubba and I brought beer to school and got drunk. We were drinking in here and discovered the stairwell. I went up it and jumped off the roof as a superhero. Today, that teenage foolishness is going to pay off. Let’s pray there’s no bomb at the top of the stairs.” Elias flipped on the light and saw nothing at the top. Freddie didn’t know about the stairs. “It’s clear. This is a way out.”
He ran back to the gym. “Everyone, listen to me carefully. In a second I want you to quietly line up, single file, without pushing or shoving. Those who have a handicap will come first and please come forward because I don’t want to have to deal with that later. It will only slow us down and we only have thirty-nine minutes. Mrs. Edgars, I know you have arthritis so you will go first, and then Mr. Weatherby, because I know you have a heart condition. Mrs. Lopez, you have a pacemaker so you will go next.” Elias waited for Remi to say she needed help, but he knew she wouldn’t. She’d been in a serious accident and had a bad leg as a result of it. He didn’t know if she could make it up the narrow stairs, so he was going to have to force it. “Remi, you will go next.”
“Elias...”
He held up his hand. “No arguing. I don’t have time and neither do you. Line up and Rico will lead you out. Just follow orders, that’s all I’m asking.” Elias hurried out to the janitor’s closet and went up the stairs. He pushed open the door and stepped out on to the roof. Then he pulled out his phone and called Wyatt.
“I’m on the roof. I need two tall ladders right here where I’m standing. It’s about eight feet where there are no bombs. We can’t go any farther than that.”
“What the...?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just get the ladders so we can get everyone out of here.”
“We can use a fire truck.”
“No,” Elias replied. “It too risky getting a big truck that close. Just get the ladders.”
“Are you ready?” Rico shouted to Elias.
He saw guys with ladders running toward the school. Once they were in place he shouted back to Rico. “Start bringing them up. I’ll help on this end. We have to go fast.”
The elderly teachers came first and firefighters came up the ladders to help them down. When Paxton saw Remi with Annie, he shot up the ladder before anyone could stop him. He grabbed Remi, who was holding Annie, and carried them down the ladder. “Thank you, Elias.”
The students, teachers and family members kept coming. Elias rushed them to the ladders and down to safety. All the time, he kept looking at his phone. Time was ticking away. But everyone was cooperating and going as fast as they could. That helped. They all wanted to get to safety. The football players came last and then there was just Chase, Rico and Elias.
“Go,” Elias said to his son.
Elias’s phone buzzed. “Two of the McCray kids didn’t come out,” Wyatt said. “Gunnar’s and Malachi’s daughters, Amber and Kelly. They’re five years old.”
“Are you sure? There’s no one else in there.”
“They’re in there somewhere, Elias.”
“I’ll have to go back in.” He had three minutes before the next bomb went off. Damn!
“Oh, no.” Chase ran his hands over his face.
“What’s wrong?” Elias asked. “And what are you still doing up here?”
“Mom...”
“What about Mom?”
“She... She...”
Elias had a foreboding feeling in his stomach. “What is it, Chase?”
“I think Mom is in the principal’s office, Dad.”
No, no, no! Elias made a dive for the stairs and was down in seconds. As he ran down the hallway, the second bomb went off and staggered him for a moment, but he kept running. Rico and Chase were behind him. He didn’t have time to deal with Chase now. The boy was as stubborn as he was. He had to get to Maribel.
He paused at the door to the principal’s office. A steel beam laid across it with cinder blocks and other debris. Electrical wires were hanging down, giving off sparks. He had to be careful. “Maribel, are you in there?”
No response, and his gut churned with a sickening feeling. Carefully, he started moving cinder blocks away.
“Oh, man.” Rico said, as he came to a stop.
“Is Mom in there?” Chase asked in an unsteady voice.
Elias didn’t answer. He just kept moving debris away so he could make a hole to get into the room. “Maribel! Maribel! Maribel!” he kept calling.
“Elias!”
He sagged with relief. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. But the principal needs medical attention and so do Amber and Kelly.”
“We’re coming.”
“I love you, Elias.”
He paused. Now she said it. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. It gave him strength. He had to get her out of there.
“I love you, too. Just hold on.” He clawed at the cinder blocks and Rico helped until they had a hole big enough to get in. Maribel rushed into his arms and he held her tightly for a split second. He realized she was bleeding and touched her head.
“I’m okay. It’s just a scratch.”
They’d debate that later. He checked on the principal and he was still alive. And then he went to the two little girls under the beam. This was going to be difficult. If he tried to move it, more debris might come down on them. “Rico, help me ease this thing up just a little so Chase and Maribel can pull them out. Just want to get it up enough to ease the pressure on their legs.”
“Got it,” Rico said as he grabbed hold of the beam.
“On the count of three try to lift up about an inch. Maribel and Chase, be ready to pull them out.”
“Okay,” they chorused.
“One. Two. Three.” Elias and Rico lifted with all their strength and were only able to move it about an inch anyway, but it was enough for Chase and Maribel to pull the girls out. He lifted the girl closest to him and placed her in Chase’s arm. “You carry this one.”
“It hurts,” the little girl whimpered. “I want my mama.”
“We’re on our way. Just hold on.” He looked at Rico. “Do you want to carry the principal or the other little girl?”
“I’ll get the principal,” Rico replied.
Elias lifted the little girl into his arms. “Let’s go. Maribel, go first. Go!”
They slipped through the opening into the hallway just as another bomb went off. It shook the building and the little girls started to cry.
“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Elias ordered and took off down the hallway with everyone following him. When he reached the janitors closet, he said, “Rico, go first. The principal needs medical attention. Chase, you go next and then Maribel.” No one questioned him and soon they were on the roof and the firemen were helping everyone down. Ambulances were waiting. Elias handed off the little girl and swung one leg over to go down the ladder. He didn’t look back. He was just glad to leave this hell hole with his family alive. When he reached the bottom, he started to run because he knew the fourth bomb was about to go off. He heard the blast first. Then debris hit his back and the flying ladder brought him to the ground.
“Elias!” Maribel screamed.
He clawed his way through the rubble and two strong arms dragged him to safety. Rico and Chase helped him to his feet. Maribel wrapped her arms around him and they stood and watched as the fifth bomb went off, then the sixth and then all of them seemed to go off at once in the biggest blast Elias had ever seen. The people of Horseshoe stood in stunned silence as they watched their school go up in a plume of dark smoke.
“Let’s go home,” Elias said to Maribel. But they didn’t get far. The Rebel family mobbed them with hugs. Then Wyatt was there with an ambulance within six feet of him.
“I’m not going to the ER, Wyatt.”
“If you don’t care about yourself, you might think about Maribel. She was unconscious in there for a while. She needs to see a doctor and I’m here to see that she does. You saved my family and now I’m going to help yours.”
“Wyatt...”
“Elias, I don’t feel very good,” Maribel murmured and Elias caught her before she slipped to the ground. In seconds, they were in the ambulance, blaring down the highway to the ER.