by David Manoa
I looked across to see Jessica, still traumatized. I held out my arm for her to jump.
“Jess hurry up jump!” I shouted. I could see the liquid spilling out of the container into the balcony creating a sheen of flame that was burning under the table. She moved forward in a position ready to jump.
“You can do it!”
“I’ll catch you c’mon!”
Her head tilted up just about to jump…
My heart sank.
Greg came out from nowhere and pulled her back by the ankle. She fell head first into the table when Greg twisted her ankle making her shriek out in pain. He looked like Freddy Kruger, the flesh all burnt, Charred black and bubbling. All his ash blonde hair now singed clumps of black. There were flames still on him, smoke coming off him. His pig blue eyes were the only thing that could identify him. It was like the devil grabbing her leg to bring her back to hell.
Jessica freaked out, terrified at Greg tugging at her leg as he pulled her back to the end of the table.
“Rooks help!” She screamed holding the sides of the table with her dear life.
“Help Me!”
My Jaw locked when I ran and jumped back across to the other side flying through the air like superman, I landed over her legs knocking Greg back into the ground as he fell back parting a wave of ethanol and flame in his path landing the other end of the balcony.
I spotted the gun on Jessica’s vest pulled it and aimed it at him. The bastard was walking over even with the flames burning. I aimed for his head.
“Game Over Motherfucker.”
The shot from my baretta, hitting him between the eyes. Greg fell back into the fires of hell. The flames overwhelmed everything.
I lay back on the table exhausted, but we still had to jump to the other side. The flames were edging to the middle of the table and were rising higher. I turned to Jessica, who wept.
“Rooks my ankles busted I won’t be able to jump…”
“C’mon standup.”
She tried to but collapsed.
“Fuck!” I said slamming the table with my left fist. It was that moment when I turned to Jessica she had that sheen of tears over her deep brown eyes. The look of hopelessness and fate, she took my hand that held the Baretta and pointed at her chest.
“I don’t want to die the way my mother did…” she said.
“Do it!”
“Fuck off!” I said trying to pull it away. She pulled it back to her chest.
“You know… Save yourself Rooks!”
“I deserve some dignity…” She cried.
I held the baretta tightly, a tear rolled down my left eye. My hand was shaking and I closed my eyes as my forefinger began to squeeze the trigger…
A childhood memory of my dad, piggybacking us as kids flashed into my mind.
My eyes opened.
“Jess there is no dignity in giving up!”
I took off her vest to lessen the load and I took of mine as well.
“Climb onto my back and hold on!”
“Rooks I’m too heavy we won’t make it!”
“We will, a running start from the end of the table and we can make it!”
“Believe...”
Jessica nodded and climbed on, her face right next to mine I could feel the wet tears on the side of my face.
“Hold on tight!” I stepped back to end of the table.
“Wait!”
“What?” I turned my head to my right.
She kissed me.
Everything went in slow motion and I ran like anything when we sprung forward, both hands out as we flew through the air. I could hear Jessica screaming in my ear. It was then all I could see was the rail on the balcony and the hope to reach it.
C’mon…
I caught it.
The momentum made us swing forward hitting the bottom front of the balcony, It was a flat concrete nothing below to hold. The impact made Jessica lose her grip. My eyes widened as I felt her body fall back. I dropped my left arm and she caught the top end of my forearm. The weight of her making my fucked shoulder even worse, my bicep was bulging, the veins were sticking out and the sheen of sweat.
Fuck.
The sweat…
I could see the matted tears in those deep brown eyes of her. I could see my reflection in her eyes. I don’t want to be the last person she sees if he falls. We have come too far to fuck this up. Her grip slipped to the middle of my forearm.
I tried to pull her up, but the sweat on my arm made it worse. She slipped down to my wrist.
“Jess hold on.” I said shaking.
“Use your legs and grab on onto my legs and climb up!”
“I’m sorry Rooks…’ she said.
“Don’t you fucking let go!”
“Grab my Leg!”
Jessica’s grip slipped, but she wrapped her legs around my left leg like a koala. We both we were breathing in relieved. I reinforced my grip on the rail with my right hand.
“Okay…” I said panting.
“We are almost there…”
Jessica nodded and sniffled.
“Climb up!”
“C’mon Jess! Everything you got!”
I could feel the sharp pain in my left shoulder and my right arm was spent from holding her before. It was like I was already on my last rep to failure on a heavy weight in the gym. But the difference was I couldn’t fail this last rep.
Not for her.
“Now!” I shouted.
She began the climb up my body and I could feel my grip starting to lessen.
“GRR!” I was grunting, panting and heaving hard. Both arms my biceps and forearms were bulging. I closed my eyes to channel every bit of energy in holding on. My arms at this point were full of lactic acid from the exertion. They were ready to give out. I was going to blank out. That point in your eyes mind when the blackness starts to go bright white.
Don’t let go…
Don’t you fucking let go… I said to myself.
“Jess use your legs to grab the rail as soon you can!” I screamed.
“Argh!”
“C’mon! I can’t hold on for much longer…”
What felt like an eternity finally ended. I felt her weight ease off. The tension and pain in my arms dissipated. I lifted myself up and Jessica pulled me in. We fell back to the ground where we held each other. Her face beside mine, both of us catching our breath, I held the sides of her face and kissed her forehead. I was so exhausted.
“Like I said, I got you…”
“I got you too…” She said.
Thank you for reading Tevita Suarvea: Manukau Vice.
Rooks will return in
Tevita Suarvea: New York Minute
Please visit my Facebook page for more action / romance stories.
There is plenty more there for you.
Thanks again,
David
