The Escape

Chapter Nine

The last thing I can remember was losing my balance and falling down into a massive water pipe. I woke up laying on my back in about three feet of water. I tried to sit up, but it was very painful. I think I might have dislocated a rib! I had no idea where I was.

So I played the lost girl act.

"Hello." I called out. I was holding onto my side as I called out again, "Hello. Is anyone down here?" Oh my god this hurts! I sat up against the wall to try and relax.

Then I heard someone with a real deep southern accent calling out to me, "Who's there?"

The voice startles me a little as I answered, "My name's Taylor." I slowly started moving towards whoever it was that was talking to me. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Beau." He answered.

About twenty feet ahead of me I could see a pair of boots. Thats probably him. I told Beau, "Beau. I'm hurt and I can't seem to find a way out of here."

He replies, "I know a way out."

I saw his right hand emerge out of the shadows. Why is he hiding from me? I tried to thank him as I reached out for his hand, but I lost my footing and fell face-first into the water, "Ah!"

Everything was so dark that it was hard to tell exactly how much the was had risen. I'm only 5'8" and I could feel the water rising about my waist. I panicked for three reasons. First I was in pain and it was hard to lift my head about the water. Second I was scared at how fast the water was rising.

Third I'm still going through the trauma of nearly drowning a few weeks ago.

That same fear was kicking in. It felt almost paralyzing. Until Beau pulled me out. I opened my eyes as I saw we were out of the basement. Beau held me in his arms like I was a fragile toy as I was coughing up water.

After a while I just started crying. Beau almost seemed confused as he was watching me ball my eyes out. Like he didn't fully understand why. His reaction to me crying was to hug me. Beau then says to me, "You'll get better soon."

Beau carried me to someone who could he believed could help me. Who? I don't know. In that time I was trying to figure him out. I could see that he could clearly speak, but he didn't say much.

By looking at him Beau had to have been at least twenty-five years old. "Why were you crying?" He asked.

I told him, "Before I was brought here. I was in somewhat of an accident."

"What happened?"

"I almost drowned."

Beau then asks, "Is that why you were crying?"

"Part of it." I replied.

We turned the corner as we ran into Noah and Francis. Noah asks me, "What happened?"

I told him as Beau carefully sat me down on the floor, "Long story. I think I dislocated a few ribs."

Noah kneels down to check and see how many were dislocated. I winced in pain as Noah was feeling just below my chest. Francis tells Beau reassuringly, "You did good Beau."

I wondered to myself as I saw a smile form across Beau's face. Does Beau have Asperger's? Noah then tells me, "I can put them back into place."

"How many are dislocated?" I asked.

"Two," Noah answered. He then tells Francis, "Your gonna want to hold her steady."

I carefully scooted over to Francis as he takes his left arm, wraps it across my chest grabbing my right shoulder. Francis then asks me, "You ready?"