Cheryl Tardif - Submerged

Arizona eyed the ravine, her tongue lolling to one side, and he debated on letting her go off leash. They could cut through the ravine. It opened up near a small strip mall with a 7-Eleven, and he had a craving for a bag of chips.

The ravine offered more than a shortcut. It presented a complete immersion into nature, and it was often used as a meeting place for local drug dealers, something Marcus had zero tolerance for. It wouldn’t bode well to have temptation just outside his door. He’d taken to scaring off any of the young hoodlums he came across, threatening to sic Arizona on them.

He looked at his dog. “I know you want to go in there.”

Arizona would be one happy dog. She’d also end up being one big tangled mess. Did he really want to spend the next hour brushing twigs, leaves and dirt from her fur after she dove into the brush and rolled around on the path?

“Sorry, girl,” he said, patting her head. “Not tonight. We’ll take the long way around.”

Seemed like that was what his life had amounted to―taking the long way around everything.

Rebecca awoke to a dark house. It left her disoriented. Hadn’t she left the lights on? Had the power gone out? Wait, that couldn’t be. The TV was still on, but the movie was long over. The clock on the TV read: 1:49.

She stood, stretched, then reached for the lamp. She flicked it on, and light filtered into the room. Must have been a power outage.

Wesley had always looked after anything electrical or automotive. Now that he wasn’t around, she had to call a handyman and mechanic to fix those problems. She was useless around anything mechanical. She’d never even changed a flat tire, though she could stop on the exact penny in one shot when filling her car with gas. Not exactly something she bragged about. Except to Kelly.

She wandered into the kitchen, turned on the light, then set her glass on the counter. Fastened to the fridge by a peacock magnet was her latest To-Do list. Have someone check circuit breaker, she added to the bottom.

She turned off the light, left the living room lamp on and headed down the hall. Her bedroom was at the far end, and as she stepped inside, she shivered at the cool air. She’d left a window open that morning and had forgotten to close it. She cranked it until it shut, then locked it. She’d become more vigilant with door and window locks after the whole Fog thing.

She resisted the urge to check on Ella and Colton. They were safe. She knew that. She had to shake this weird feeling that had come over her. It reminded her of the time she’d found Wesley skulking around in the pitch black. She’d been to Bingo with Kelly and they’d gone for a drink afterward at Boston Pizza. It was after midnight before she’d arrived home, and all the lights were off. She assumed Wesley was in bed. Instead, he was waiting for her. In the dark.

That was one of the very bad nights. One that solidified the divorce.

She shrugged off the cobwebs of old memories and climbed into bed. She had a trip to look forward to. Some time alone to heal emotionally. It was long overdue.

Shutting her eyes, she slipped into a troubled sleep. She dreamed she was swimming in the ocean, trying to escape someone, trying to reach the lights of the shore. If she could reach them, she’d be safe. She took in a mouthful of salty water and gagged. Her muscles ached with exhaustion.

Swim, dammit!

Rebecca was so tired. If only she could stop, close her eyes, sleep for a bit.

With a sigh, she gave in to exhaustion. Her head slipped beneath the water.

And she slept.

“Glad to see you finally made it,” Shipley said the second Marcus stepped from the elevator.

“I’m two minutes late, not an hour.” Asshole.

“Late is late.”

When Shipley wanted to bust someone’s ass, Marcus knew damned well he couldn’t argue.

“Fine,” he said, staring his supervisor straight in the eye. “Dock my pay by two minutes.”

Shipley twitched. “Don’t think I won’t.”

Marcus caught sight of Leo leaving the break room. “Sorry, Pete. I don’t have time to chat with you.”

“I’m watching you, Taylor.”

Marcus pasted a smile on his face. “I hope you like the view then.” With that, he strode toward his cubicle, clenching and unclenching his hands.

When Leo saw him, he gave Marcus a pained look. “Why do you always have to goad him?”

“Goad?” Marcus snickered. “I see you’ve been reading the dictionary again.”

“Thesaurus actually.” Leo grinned. “Did you know there are, like, four dozen synonyms for the word idiot ?”

“Did you find Shipley’s name on the list?”

“You aren’t getting my not-so-subtle message.” Leo folded his arms across his chest. “Marcus, you are heading for trouble if you keep this up.”

“Lombardo!” Shipley barked behind them. “Cut the chitchat. I’m sure you’ve got paperwork to file.”

Leo rolled his eyes at Marcus. “The Almighty has spoken. Do not piss him off.”

“No more than usual.”

Marcus sat down at his desk and stared at the computer monitor. He picked up the headset. The second he set it on his head, the phone rang.

“Nine one one. Do you need Fire, Police or Ambulance?”

“Help me,” a woman shrieked. “There’s been a terrible accident.”

“Ma’am, do you need Fire, Police or Ambulance?”

“Send them all!”

“What’s the address of the emergency?”

“Twenty-five―” A loud explosion cut her off.

“Please repeat the address, ma’am.”

The woman stammered out an address in an older residential neighborhood.

“It’s a house,” she cried. “Two floors.”

“What’s the number you’re calling from?” When the woman gave him a cell phone number, he said, “And your name?”

“Addison. Addison Lane.

“Ms. Lane, tell me exactly what happened.”

“I’m not sure. I just got home from works and my… my house is on… fire. I don’t know where my kids are.” The woman choked back a sob.

“Okay, Ms. Lane, I’m notifying Fire and Ambulance right now.”

Marcus typed in the code 69-D-6t―structure fire, residential single, with trapped people. He immediately paged emergency crews and dispatched fire and ambulance to the address.

Behind him, Leo took over the radio work with the crews. “House fire,” he heard Leo confirm. “Possible children inside.”

“Ms. Lane?” Marcus said. “Are you at the location now? Do you see flames or smoke?”

“Both.”

“How many kids do you have, ma’am?”

“Three. Amanda, James and Bryan.”

Marcus’s fingers stumbled over the keyboard. “Ryan?”

“Bryan.”

Marcus’s heart slowed.

“My babies!” The woman screamed.

“Ms. Lane?”

The line was muffled, but in the distance he heard sirens. Finally, the woman came back on the line.

“My babies are okay,” she said, weeping. “They were at the mall.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

He talked to her until the emergency crews arrived.

“Thank you,” she said repeatedly.

“You’re very welcome.”

After he disconnected the call, Marcus realized his hands were shaking and his forehead was covered in a thick sheen of sweat. He took in a deep breath of air and released it slowly, doing his best to relax.

A round of applause broke out in the center.

“Well done,” Leo said, patting Marcus on the shoulder.