Chapter 41
In three steps I was at the ladder. I climbed it up to the top of the house, where it ended at a small deck-like enclosure, which ran around the flagpole from which the pirate flag flew wildly. I managed to make the steep climb unscathed. I had no weapon and David was armed. He was meticulous enough to wait for a perfect shot.
When I reached the top, I looked down. David was following me up the ladder. He favored his wounded shoulder. His pain must have been severe, because he would pause to rest between each step. I searched for a way down but didn’t find one. There were no signs of life anywhere, not a car, person or light. The island looked deserted. Thankfully, the storm was ebbing. The winds had calmed down, while the rain, though a steady stream wasn’t as blinding as it had been earlier.
I turned to face the storm approaching. When David’s head became level with the deck, I wrapped the rope that hung down from the flagpole around my hand. I knew that my footing would be unstable on the slippery wet roof. With calculated aim, I kicked David in the forehead. The impact almost caused him to lose his footing. One of his eyes was swollen shut from his fight with Gene. Blood from a cut over his left eyebrow dripped down his face, mingling with rain.
When he tried to climb up onto the small deck, I kicked him again, but this time I lost my footing. And he lost his grip on the gun. It tumbled to the deck below. I slide towards David until the rope became taut, causing my trip down to halt. David and I began a race with him climbing onto the roof, and me climbing back up to the flagpole. My worse hopes were realized—David had me cornered and I had nowhere to run.
I looked over the side of the Pirate closest to the flagpole and saw a patch of sand and sea oaks, but nothing else to break the fall if I decided to jump. I knew that if I jumped from the top of the house, I could get injured seriously or even killed. But if I got desperate I would do it. David finally climbed onto the roof. His face was bleeding worse than before. Across his forehead was a bloody imprint of my shoe. Rage was written in the blood on his face, and in the rage my name was branded. I scrambled over to the flagpole, trying to keep it between us.
The flagpole rope was still around my hand. It never dawned on me to remove it. David grabbed the slack area of the rope and jerked me too him. Before I could react, he wrapped the rope around my neck and began to twist. I manage to get one of my hands between my neck and the rope. We see-sawed back and forth with the flag pole line, he push me away from him and I would pull myself close to him, trying to keep the rope from completely tightening. The screws that held the flag in place must have been weakened with rust and weather, because slow low moans of metal announced that the flagpole was titling over. Since I was putting more weight on it due to the line was being used to strangle me, it tipped towards me. David was standing on its base and when it gave way; he was knocked off balance, causing him to release the rope. But the rope was still around my neck and if the pole fell my neck could snap with the fall. To keep this from happening, I threw my free arm around the pole and wrapped my legs around it. I prayed as the pole and I fell over the side of the house with it.
The top end went first and I slid down the pole, trying to keep the rope from tightening. Part of the base held in place, keeping the pole from striking the ground. It yanked me back and I felt the noose tighten, but this one wasn’t made of golden moonbeams. I swung for a moment, trying to get control of the swing. My lungs burned from lack of air. I used my weight to make the rope dance, but I couldn’t get a decent swing going. I wanted to swing hard enough to catch hold of the pole and work the rope off my neck. Then to my joy a behemoth gust of wind pushed at me and I was able to grasp the pole and create some slack on the rope.
I barely had it off my neck and hand, when the pole began to dance. I glanced up and saw David bouncing on the flagpole, trying to knock me off it. I held on, but didn’t know how long I could last, because my wrist was in agony. I was still too far off the ground to jump without injury. Gene’s life depended on me to make it down in one piece, so that I could run for help. I felt the urgency of the situation and was beyond grasping it in a controlled grip.
David was fueled with hatred and I was energized with stubbornness. Our head to head butting was at a stalemate. Then I heard a heavenly voice calling to me, “Kerrie hang on. Perry’s coming.” I glanced down and there was Nova in the rain, calling to me. She aimed the flashlight up at David, then back at me. I heard her yell, “Hurry Perry, someone’s trying to make her fall.”
Perry was running towards where I hung with a very long foldout ladder. I held tight to the pole, watching as my knight rode his wooden steed to rescue me. David saw what was happening and began to careless jump on the flagpole, trying to break the base away from the wood, so I would plummet down. Perry had the ladder erected and was climbing up it. I was two feet too high and couldn’t put my feet down on the top of it. Perry’s arms wrapped around me legs.
He shouted, “Let go, Kerrie. I’ve got you.” As I did, the flag pole’s anchor broke, sending David sliding down the roof and causing me to lose my balance. Perry and I became unstable, but we managed to keep the ladder from falling. He helped me down the ladder. Nova was frantically shining the flashlight’s beam at the second floor balcony. David had landed there when he slid of the roof.
I started to run towards the house, but Perry grabbed my waist. “Kerrie, don’t go in there.
We don’t know where he is.”
“I’ve got to. Gene’s hurt badly and he needs me.” I cried with a voice that was barely a whisper due to the near strangulation by the flagpole line, fighting Perry’s grip.
The electrical power was magically restored. We were blinded by the sudden blaze of the security lights from the house and the boathouse. Nova screamed out a warning, “He’s got a gun.” A white fire creased my left cheek. I felt a warm trickle and then had the taste of copper on my lips. A bullet had grazed my cheek. Perry pulled me down. David was shooting at us from the balcony.
(note--I may edit the near strangulation scenario)
When I reached the top, I looked down. David was following me up the ladder. He favored his wounded shoulder. His pain must have been severe, because he would pause to rest between each step. I searched for a way down but didn’t find one. There were no signs of life anywhere, not a car, person or light. The island looked deserted. Thankfully, the storm was ebbing. The winds had calmed down, while the rain, though a steady stream wasn’t as blinding as it had been earlier.
I turned to face the storm approaching. When David’s head became level with the deck, I wrapped the rope that hung down from the flagpole around my hand. I knew that my footing would be unstable on the slippery wet roof. With calculated aim, I kicked David in the forehead. The impact almost caused him to lose his footing. One of his eyes was swollen shut from his fight with Gene. Blood from a cut over his left eyebrow dripped down his face, mingling with rain.
When he tried to climb up onto the small deck, I kicked him again, but this time I lost my footing. And he lost his grip on the gun. It tumbled to the deck below. I slide towards David until the rope became taut, causing my trip down to halt. David and I began a race with him climbing onto the roof, and me climbing back up to the flagpole. My worse hopes were realized—David had me cornered and I had nowhere to run.
I looked over the side of the Pirate closest to the flagpole and saw a patch of sand and sea oaks, but nothing else to break the fall if I decided to jump. I knew that if I jumped from the top of the house, I could get injured seriously or even killed. But if I got desperate I would do it. David finally climbed onto the roof. His face was bleeding worse than before. Across his forehead was a bloody imprint of my shoe. Rage was written in the blood on his face, and in the rage my name was branded. I scrambled over to the flagpole, trying to keep it between us.
The flagpole rope was still around my hand. It never dawned on me to remove it. David grabbed the slack area of the rope and jerked me too him. Before I could react, he wrapped the rope around my neck and began to twist. I manage to get one of my hands between my neck and the rope. We see-sawed back and forth with the flag pole line, he push me away from him and I would pull myself close to him, trying to keep the rope from completely tightening. The screws that held the flag in place must have been weakened with rust and weather, because slow low moans of metal announced that the flagpole was titling over. Since I was putting more weight on it due to the line was being used to strangle me, it tipped towards me. David was standing on its base and when it gave way; he was knocked off balance, causing him to release the rope. But the rope was still around my neck and if the pole fell my neck could snap with the fall. To keep this from happening, I threw my free arm around the pole and wrapped my legs around it. I prayed as the pole and I fell over the side of the house with it.
The top end went first and I slid down the pole, trying to keep the rope from tightening. Part of the base held in place, keeping the pole from striking the ground. It yanked me back and I felt the noose tighten, but this one wasn’t made of golden moonbeams. I swung for a moment, trying to get control of the swing. My lungs burned from lack of air. I used my weight to make the rope dance, but I couldn’t get a decent swing going. I wanted to swing hard enough to catch hold of the pole and work the rope off my neck. Then to my joy a behemoth gust of wind pushed at me and I was able to grasp the pole and create some slack on the rope.
I barely had it off my neck and hand, when the pole began to dance. I glanced up and saw David bouncing on the flagpole, trying to knock me off it. I held on, but didn’t know how long I could last, because my wrist was in agony. I was still too far off the ground to jump without injury. Gene’s life depended on me to make it down in one piece, so that I could run for help. I felt the urgency of the situation and was beyond grasping it in a controlled grip.
David was fueled with hatred and I was energized with stubbornness. Our head to head butting was at a stalemate. Then I heard a heavenly voice calling to me, “Kerrie hang on. Perry’s coming.” I glanced down and there was Nova in the rain, calling to me. She aimed the flashlight up at David, then back at me. I heard her yell, “Hurry Perry, someone’s trying to make her fall.”
Perry was running towards where I hung with a very long foldout ladder. I held tight to the pole, watching as my knight rode his wooden steed to rescue me. David saw what was happening and began to careless jump on the flagpole, trying to break the base away from the wood, so I would plummet down. Perry had the ladder erected and was climbing up it. I was two feet too high and couldn’t put my feet down on the top of it. Perry’s arms wrapped around me legs.
He shouted, “Let go, Kerrie. I’ve got you.” As I did, the flag pole’s anchor broke, sending David sliding down the roof and causing me to lose my balance. Perry and I became unstable, but we managed to keep the ladder from falling. He helped me down the ladder. Nova was frantically shining the flashlight’s beam at the second floor balcony. David had landed there when he slid of the roof.
I started to run towards the house, but Perry grabbed my waist. “Kerrie, don’t go in there.
We don’t know where he is.”
“I’ve got to. Gene’s hurt badly and he needs me.” I cried with a voice that was barely a whisper due to the near strangulation by the flagpole line, fighting Perry’s grip.
The electrical power was magically restored. We were blinded by the sudden blaze of the security lights from the house and the boathouse. Nova screamed out a warning, “He’s got a gun.” A white fire creased my left cheek. I felt a warm trickle and then had the taste of copper on my lips. A bullet had grazed my cheek. Perry pulled me down. David was shooting at us from the balcony.
(note--I may edit the near strangulation scenario)
penned by Painter Lady at 3:07 PM
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