Like a mother whose child cried out in pain, Sabrina ran to Carlos’s blasphemous cry. She pushed the bathroom door to get in, but it was locked from the inside.
“Carlos, what is it?” she asked and knocked on the door. There was a sudden commotion and a crashing sound.
“Get the fuck off me!” someone said in a strained tone as if the air was squeezing from its lungs.
The sound was of a distress signal that she knew all too well. She ran to get her phone to call the police. She looked around the bedroom, on the couch, and the kitchen, but she did not find it. She picked up Carlos’s pants from the floor and found his phone in the pocket. The phone’s screen was locked with password protection. Frantically, she typed in codes that she believed he might have used. She tried the number address of his shop, his birthdate, and his license plate number, but none of the combinations unlocked the phone. While tears flowed down her cheeks, she ran back to the bathroom door.
“Who are you?” a man asked?
“None of your concern,” Carlos answered.
“What are you doing here?” the man asked.
“Listen to me, I am not here for trouble,” Carlos answered.
“Who are you?” the voice asked again.
“Can I sit up?” Carlos requested.
“Don’t move or I’ll blow your fucking head off,” the voice responded.
Sabrina listened to the exchange, and was unable to identify the other voice. She ran to the sofa and put on her clothes. A fear overcame her as she dressed. Carlos’s life was in danger because of her. She ran outside to her neighbor’s door and banged on it. The intruder was there for her.
“Help!” she shouted. “Please help me!”
The neighbor opened the door in an instant as if he heard the commotion and was waiting to assist. He was dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt. She stepped in, and he closed the door.
“Please call the police! There is an intruder, a man, in my home and he is with my boyfriend in the bathroom. The intruder has a gun and is threatening to shoot my boyfriend. Please call them,” she cried.
“I have already called them; do not go back over there until they get here,” he begged her when she spun to leave.
The neighbor was Craig, an elementary school teacher. He and his wife, Novia, moved into the complex around a year ago. Novia was an ER nurse who worked the night shifts; Craig was home alone.
“The police should be here soon,” he said to her to reassure her not to leave the safety of his apartment. He stood between her and the door.
“I have to get back to Carlos and see if I can help him,” she muttered and pushed Craig to get to the door.
“I cannot let you leave, Sabrina,” he said and placed his hand on her shoulder. “You will have to stay here until the police get here, and it is safe to go out. The police will do whatever they can; it is their jobs.”
“What is taking them so long to get here. I want to call them back. Can I use your phone?” She stretched her hand out.
Graig dialed 911 and handed her the phone. “Where are they? What is taking them so long to get here?” she screamed into the phone at the operator. “My name is Sabrina. There is an intruder, a man, in my home and he is with my boyfriend in the bathroom. The intruder has a gun, and he is threatening to shoot my boyfriend,” she paused. “I am in my neighbor’s home at 444 E. You are wasting time here. I am okay; Carlos is the one in danger. Please send the police. She recited her address and hung up the phone.
They were frightened by a booming sound that echoed throughout the quiet building.
“Carlos!” she wailed and collapsed on the floor.
… to be continued.
Ok, I said it!
Can’t wait to read the next post…