Page 108 of The Promise Of Rain
Spinning around, I pounded on the glass and yelled at Charlie instead.“Charlie!Charlie!”
He cocked his head and began to turn toward me.
Hope sparked in my heart.
He stilled and turned further, looking but not seeing.
“Charlie!”I renewed my efforts, waving my arms and throwing my shoulder into the glass.“Charlie!”
I hauled my arm back and punched the glass as hard as I could until my knuckles split and bled.
“Stop!”I screamed, the bones in my hands shattering.“No!”
Ground control saluted Charlie and the airplane, and Charlie laughed, offering a fist bump and a handshake.
I pounded my fists on the glass and screamed.“Charlie!Charlie, don’t get on that plane!”
The Deacon standing at the fence raised a fist in support.
Deacon.
A voice called my name.
My vocal cords burst.Blood pooled in my mouth and dribbled down my chin.
I cried like a baby, trapped behind the glass.
Behind the glass, I couldn’t look away, but the me at the fence could still save himself the visual.
Deacon.
It was a woman’s voice.
Tears streamed down my face, choking me, blurring my vision.
I swiped them away and splayed my bloody hands against the glass.
“Don’t look!”I cried, falling to my knees as the plane took off.“Please, don’t look.”
For the Deacon who stood at the fence, I prayed, “Look away, oh God, please make him look away.”
Deacon.
It washervoice.
My eyes sprang open.
I looked around.Not recognizing the room, I lurched out of the bed.
“Deacon, sweetheart, you’re safe,” she cooed.
I found her kneeling in the middle of the bed, hands reaching for me.
Was she really here, or was this some new torture the dream conjured up?
“You had a bad dream, baby,” she soothed.“You’re okay.”
Fuck.
