© 2012 Phylicia Joannis
“We have to help him,” I heard myself speaking to the group. “We’ve come this far. We can’t give up now.”
“I want to help him, but there’s nothing more I can do here.” the Nurse shook her head gravely. “He needs a hospital, and unless help comes soon, he’ll die.”
I shook my head defiantly. “Then we get him to a hospital.”
“Sweetheart, those chunks of cement aren’t moving,” the Climber spoke softly.
“Then we try something else!” I shouted. “We have to try!”
“Calm down,” the Congressman put his hand on my shoulder. “I know you want to help him, but we’ve done everything we can do.”
“No we haven’t!” I pried myself away. “There’s got to be a way out of here! We can’t just give up. I don’t want to die! I don’t want any of us to die!”
“None of us wants that,” the Congressman agreed.
I stared at him, an idea forming in my head. “Liar!”
The Congressman’s eyes grew wide. “Excuse me?”
“You’re a liar!” I repeated. “You want me dead! You’ve always wanted me dead!”
“Now hold on,” the Congressman began, but I cut him off.
“You’re a liar! You lie to everyone! You lied about your affair, you lied about your job, you probably lied about that drone thingie, too! You lied about everything!”
“No!” the Congressman shouted gruffly. “What I did in the past is in the past. I’m not a liar. Not anymore!”
“More lies!” I screeched. “You wouldn’t know the truth if it hit you on the head!”
“Would you just calm down?” the Climber cut in. “Miss, you’re becoming hysterical!”
“Hysterical?” I widened my eyes as large as they’d go. “You haven’t seen hysterical! You nearly killed us when the train flipped. You’re the one who should be dead!”
“I was trying to survive!” the Climber defended himself. “That’s all anyone can do in this world, kid. I don’t owe any of you anything!”
“Except your life!” the Nurse retorted. “Or has that already slipped your mind?”
“And you have the right to judge me?” the Climber exploded. “What makes you think an ex-stripper is any better than an ex-con? Or has that slipped your mind?”
The Nurse’s face turned red. “That information was private, and you swore not to say anything. I knew I shouldn’t have told you!”
“Doesn’t feel good to have stuff thrown back in your face, does it?” the Climber bristled. “If you didn’t act so high and mighty all the time, I wouldn’t have to knock you back down to my level!”
“I’m not at your level!” the Nurse raised her voice. “I had to pay for my education and I chose a legal way to do that! That’s more honorable than conning old women out of their entire life savings with fake schemes!”
“I only did that once!” the Climber matched her elevated voice. “And I would have given the money back if she hadn’t died!”
“Because she’d been hustled out of her money and couldn’t pay for proper care!” the Nurse replied. “You have blood on your hands that will never, ever wash off!”
“Would you all just stop it!” the Congressman exploded. The Nurse and Climber turned towards. “We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, every one of us! And you know what? I’m tired of apologizing for my mistakes! I’ve been paying for the sins of my past for years and years and I’m not going to do it anymore!”
A hush fell over all of us as a familiar rumble sounded overhead.
“Dear God,” the Old Woman whispered. “Everyone take cover!”
We all huddled together as we watched the ceiling begin to crash at our feet. I trembled in fear as the sounds grew louder and louder.
I hoped my plan didn’t kill us all.