S1W25: “Silver Linings”

© 2012 Phylicia Joannis

“Are you alright?”

The Congressman’s gruff, panicked voice pierced through the darkness and I opened my eyes.

“Give her some room!” the Nurse shooed away the others hovering above me.

I still couldn’t breathe. I continued to gag until the hard, porous sand came out. My throat was on fire.

“Does anyone have any water?” the Nurse looked around, but received only shrugs in reply.

I could finally breathe, but it was difficult to speak. Every time I did I felt like my throat was on fire.

“She needs water!” the Nurse exclaimed.

“We don’t have any!” the Complainer snapped. “In case you haven’t noticed, there isn’t a 7-eleven nearby.”

The Nurse opened her mouth, preparing an ugly retort, but closed it. The Congressman, even in the dark tunnel, had turned grey.

“Are you alright?” the Nurse asked?

The Congressman nodded, but even as he did so, he lost his balance. The Climber grabbed him before he crashed to the tunnel floor in convulsions.

“What’s wrong with him?” the Climber asked the Nurse.

“I don’t know,” the Nurse replied with worried eyes.

I blinked slowly as I watched her turn her attention to the Congressman. The Climber and the Complainer watched him as well. A gleam of light bounced sporadically off the tunnel walls as the flashlight hung limply in the Complainer’s hand. My breath caught as the light reflected off of something silver and metallic.

“Look!” I rasped, though no one heard me. The Old Woman saw my lips move and walked over to me.

“Are you trying to say something?” she asked, her voice full of concern.

My words were choked off by the sandpaper in my throat, and I started to cough again. I could only point in the direction of what I hoped she’d soon see.

The Old Woman turned and squinted. Seeing nothing, she shook her head.

“There’s nothing there, dear.”

I nodded emphatically and tried to right myself. I lost my balance and the Old Woman let me lean on her until I could better control my body.  Slowly, I made my way to the Complainer and reached for the flashlight.

“Oh, no you don’t,” the Complainer pulled it out of reach. “You’re not taking any more walks, Missy.”

I shook my head and grabbed the flashlight.

“Hey!” the Complainer grabbed at the flashlight but I pulled away and pointed the light in the direction of the tunnel. 

Both the Complainer and the Old Woman saw it at the same time.

“It’s a miracle!” the Old Woman gasped.

“I need help over here!” the Nurse called out.

“We’ve found it!” the Complainer smiled happily. “The other train is just up ahead!”

Dreadlock’s eyes fluttered with hope and the Nurse turned abruptly, surprise and joy mixed plainly on her face.

“Let’s go!” the Climber motioned for the Complainer and the Old Woman to join him down the tunnel. I stayed behind with the Nurse and Dreadlock.

For the first time in a long time, I was overcome with something besides fear.

Hope.

***

Commissioner Wright wrung his hands as he paced back and forth in his office. Perry watched him nervously as he spouted off instructions to his secretary.

“This is unbelievable! Pam, cancel dinner reservations with my wife and call the mayor. I need to schedule a press conference downtown.”

His secretary nodded and rushed to her desk. Commissioner Wright rubbed his chin and looked at Perry.

“Percy, you find out what caused this and make sure there won’t be any more of them. Also, contact every construction and government official responsible for that quadrant of the city. I need answers before the media can even say ‘Wikipedia.’”

Perry stared at the Commissioner with a half-opened mouth.

“Go!” Commissioner Wright waved him out.

Perry shook out of his daze and rushed out of the room. The intercom on the Commissioner’s phone buzzed.

“Yes, what is it, Pam?”

“It’s the mayor on line one,” she replied.

***

Chuck ambled slowly up the steps to his apartment. He rubbed his temples, but the motion didn’t ease the migraine that had tormented him all afternoon. Chuck entered his apartment and tossed his keys on the coffee table. He crashed into his couch face first and closed his eyes.

“Sleep, please come and get me,” he mumbled into a throw pillow. The midafternoon light peeking through Chuck’s window shades proved to be too much. Chuck grabbed a pillow and stuffed it over his head.  Sleep didn’t come quickly. It didn’t come at all. Chuck grumbled and turned over.

“Why did I drink so much coffee?” he muttered to himself. He began counting sheep out loud. “One sheep jumped over the fence, two sheep jumped over the fence-”

“What are you doing?” A voice from above him startled him, and Chuck jumped off of the couch in a defensive position.

Chuck blinked in disbelief at his intruder. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the hospital.”

The technician shrugged. “I’m all better now.”

Chuck shook his head. “How’d you get here? How do you know where I live?”

The technician smiled. “The detective told me. I told him I needed to return something to you, and he told me where you lived.”

Chuck closed his eyes slowly then opened them. “Um, I don’t remember you borrowing anything from me,” he stammered.

The technician raised his eyebrows. “Oh? This doesn’t belong to you?” The technician’s arm moved, and Chuck’s eyes widened as the dispatch rotary phone came crashing down on his head.

The telephone rang.

Chuck’s eyes jerked open and he sat upright on the couch, drenched in sweat. His cellphone was ringing and vibrating in his pocket. He frantically grabbed for it as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

“Hello?” Chuck answered the phone in a haggard voice. He glanced at the clock. He’d been asleep for an hour.

“Chuck? Where are you?” the voice of his supervisor pierced his ears, and his migraine quickly returned.

“I’m…I’m at home,” Chuck blinked away the images of his nightmare and tried to focus.

“You need to get back here, now,” his supervisor’s voice was full of tension.

“Why? Wh…what’s happened?” Chuck stuttered.

“The technician is awake,” his supervisor replied.

Chuck dropped his cell phone. The shrill voice of his supervisor continued on, muffled by the carpet.

“Chuck are you there? Hello? Hello?”