Page 8 of Organized Chaos

“No.” He groaned and rubbed his forehead. “I knew there wouldn’t be. How could there be a signal down here when the whole house is like a giant black hole that never gets reception.”

“Hopeful optimism is never wasted.” She retrieved her own phone while grinning and pressed the power button. Nothing. Shoot. She’d forgotten her phone was dead. She took a closer look at the screen and let out a deep groan. A crack ran thelength of the phone from the bottom left corner to the top right. Spiderweb fractures spread out from the center, where something had made contact. Not just dead but brokenanddead.

Great. Fantastic. She smacked her palm against the side and bared her teeth at the blank screen. “This is my third phone this year.”

Phillip’s left eyebrow lifted. “Because you’ve broken them, or you enjoy buying new things?”

“You think you’re being funny.” She crossed her arms even as she grinned. “I’m a terrible klutz. New phones come with the territory.”

“Well, try not to break anything while we’re down here.” He sighed and put his phone back into his pocket. “You want to sit down? I need to think.”

Sarah shook her head. “I can’t sit still. I think best on my feet.”

Phillip backed toward a stack of boxes in the corner. “Be my guest then. Just try not to get hurt in the process.”

“Oh, if you only knew how hard that is for me.” She chewed on her lip and paced up and down the narrow corridor between shelves. Now that they’d been down here a while and her eyes were fully adjusted, she managed to avoid bumping into anything else.

How could they escape? The longer she paced, the more tension gathered between her shoulder blades and pushed her feet faster. Her breaths grew tight from a combination of fear and distraught exercise.

She felt Phillip’s gaze but kept her eyes averted. She didn’t want to see the resignation or whatever else a planner like Phillip experienced when trapped in a hopeless situation.

Not hopeless. She refused to believe that. There was always hope. She needed to figure out where to look. Help, Lord. Thesilent prayer lifted her spirits. God was always with her, even in the deepest, darkest moments of her life. And this certainly qualified for that particular place of honor.

How could she make the situation better? Better yet, how could she get them out of the cellar?

A hint of a thought crossed her mind and Sarah reacted before taking the time to think through the validity of her idea before she acted. Without looking at Phillip or saying a word, she made her way back to the staircase and climbed.

She spotted the second section of staircase overhead, exactly as Phillip described. Six feet away but at an odd angle that made it impossible for her to stretch forward and grab the step.

“What are you doing?” Phillip appeared under her, his eyes wide. He took one look at her and moved his head in a slow shake. “No. Don’t even think about it.”

“Too late.” Sarah eyed the distance, then turned and trotted down the steps. She heard Phillip’s breath of relief before she turned and sprinted. The steps shuddered under her feet. She hit the last step and jumped, arms stretched straight up.

Her palms slammed into the step. She dug her fingernails into the wood and clawed for purchase. Splinters dug under her fingernails and she gritted her teeth against the pain. Her legs swung back and forth like a pendulum and the force dragged her downward. Ah, the lovely effects of gravity. Sarah managed to gain purchase on the crumbling wood. All her weight settled into her hands and she realized the futility of her plan. She’d never managed a single chin-up much less pulling up her entire body weight by her fingertips.

Phillip’s hand brushed her legs. “Let go. I’ll catch you.”

“I’m not giving up.” She heaved and pulled.

Wood splintered with a groan and a crack that rent the air. She plummeted toward the ground.

Warm arms wrapped around her waist and jerked her to the right. The remaining stairs crashed to the ground right where she would have fallen.

Phillip’s heart thundered under her palm, making her realize she’d grabbed hold of him, wrapping her fists in his shirt. The perfectly pressed shirt that told her he was likely as stuffy as his demeanor warned. A man who did everything by the book. He likely never did anything without a plan. Probably plotted every day of his life on a giant calendar.

“Thanks.” Sarah unpeeled her hands from his shirt despite her own heart threatening to leap from her chest and run away in fright. She curled her hands into fists and shoved them into her oversized pockets to hide their shaking.

“You’re determined to give me a heart attack.” Phillip moved away from her. His mouth was a tight line and his hard glare caused her shoulders to roll back.

She refused to apologize. “I had to try.”

“You could have told me. I’d have helped you find a safe way to appease your curiosity.”

Sarah waved off his reply. “Can’t always do the safe thing. Life’s meant to be lived, and I’m going to enjoy mine as much as I can.”

“Keep up this way and it’ll be shorter than you’d like.” There was a warning in his voice that Sarah ignored.

What did he know about her and her lifestyle? Nothing. That’s what.

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