“Shelby, it’s Earl. Open up.”
Crap, Shelby thought. She didn’t want to let Earl in. Crap. “I…I can’t,” she yelled back, trying to think of a reason she couldn’t open the door.
“Open the door, Shelby. The garage is on fire. I need to talk to Mike,” Earl yelled back.
“We know about the fire. Mike’s at the garage.” Oh shit, t
hat wasn’t smart. She didn’t want him to know she was alone.
“Did Gavin go with him?” Earl yelled back.
“What?” Shelby yelled back pretending like she couldn’t hear him.
“Are you alone in there?” Earl yelled back. “Shelby, answer me. Are you alone?”
Earl started beating on the door again. Shelby didn’t know what to do. She grabbed her phone and tried to call Gavin, only to hear it ring upstairs. Double crap!
“Umm, uh, just a minute, Earl. I have to find the key to the door,” she yelled back, stalling for time and to think. After the night the lights had gone out, Mike and Gavin had installed deadbolts on all the doors and they could only be opened with a key. Earl didn’t need to know they kept the keys on hooks by all the doors.
Earl kept banging on the door and yelling while Shelby tried to think what to do. She’d attempted to call Mike’s phone with no answer. She hoped he had it and just didn’t hear the ring. Maybe he’d check and see she called.
Shelby paced up and down trying to figure out what to do. She had almost decided to let Earl in when she heard something at the front door. Running for it, she thought maybe one of the guys had come home.
As she crossed the threshold from the kitchen to the living room, she waited to see who would come through with one hand on her phone, the numbers nine and one already dialed, and her finger hovering over the one. The door flew off its hinges, and glass and debris flew toward her. Stopped in her tracks, she was knocked off her feet by the force of the door blowing in.
As her senses were returning to normal, she heard the back door break in. Earl ran to her and wrapped his arms around her.
“Shelby, Shelby, talk to me. Are you okay?” he asked her frantically.
Shelby shook her head, trying to figure out what had happened. “Gavin, Mike,” she yelled, trying to figure out why she was sitting on the floor and why Earl was holding her. What had happened?
Looking down she still held her phone, she must have hit the final one as she fell. She heard a voice.
“Nine one one, do you need help?”
Pulling the phone to her ear she answered frantically. “Yes, yes,” and gave them the address and information.
Earl was sitting on the floor beside her. “Here, let’s get you up.”
He lifted her and helped her walk to the overstuffed chair in the living room. Sitting in the chair, she was surprised to see Hank standing where the door used to be. Still in shock from the explosion and confused, she asked, “Hank, what are you doing here? Are you here because of the fire? Did Mike send you?”
Hank just laughed and stalked into the room. “No, you stupid fucking bitch. Mike did not send me,” he yelled, moving quickly toward her.
Shelby shrank in her chair, hoping the police or someone would arrive soon.
Earl stood in front of her “Hank, let’s talk about this.” He blocked the older man’s path to Shelby.
“Get out of the fucking way, boy!” Hank yelled, still moving toward Shelby.
Shelby shrank farther into her chair. What should she do now? She’d already called 911. Should she call again? She kept her eyes on Hank and Earl, scared to look away.
“Look, old man, she didn’t do anything to hurt you. Back off,” Earl said in a calm voice.
“The bitch is fucking two men. She needs to be taught a lesson. Now get out of the way, boy!”
Hank grabbed Earl by the shoulders and moved him out of the way. Earl was taller than Hank, but Hank was bulkier and more muscular. Shelby wasn’t going to make any bets on who would win the battle. She just pulled her feet up in the chair and wrapped her arms around her knees trying to make herself as small as possible. How much longer was this nightmare going to go on?
Earl grabbed Hank back, and the men began fighting and yelling at each other. Shelby frantically called 911 again and was told help was on the way but wouldn’t arrive for several minutes. Pulling herself tighter in the chair, she couldn’t do anything but pray help would come soon and watch helplessly.