Excerpt from Mesmerized
Sean and Christian are in Trinidad during a violent attempted coup led by a religious madwoman. Their only hope for safety is to try to make it from their home to the US Embassy.
In the growing darkness, the back streets were eerily quiet. Terrified residents who had also heard the talk of approaching bandits had literally battened down the hatches. Many of them had nailed planks across the doors and windows and set their dogs loose. The pale flicker of candlelight could be seen behind drawn curtains.
“All these frightened people,” Sean lamented. “Does this madwoman know what she’s done?”
They passed few cars, the occupants of those they did see had the determined air that said they were on the same mission; seeking out safety. Delta’s apartment lay on the other side of town, and there was no choice but to brave the burning city, just for a few moments.
As they approached, the orange glow and smell of smoke spoke of the violence and panic that was going on around them. Sean watched in horror at the dozens of scurrying individuals who were carrying everything portable from the smashed and pillaged downtown shopping area. Men, women, and even small children ran with radios, televisions, clothing and food. Cases of rum and scotch were passed hand to hand, bucket brigade style, to small vans and vehicles that were parked anywhere, filling up with illegally gotten gain.
“They don’t even seem to notice us here,” she breathed in awe as people skirted the car, so intent on their looting that they paid no attention to anyone else.
“Good. We’re almost out of San Fernando. The roads beyond should be clearer." Christian was forced to slow to a crawl as he navigated the panicked, delirious throngs. As they inched past a shattered supermarket, Sean saw three or four men exiting with shopping carts full of loot. As they made their way gleefully down the sidewalk, a small, thin boy who was barefoot despite the broken glass shattered all around him, passed in the other direction. With the skill of a practiced thief he lifted what appeared to be a large frozen leg of lamb from one of the men’s carts and ran off.
He was instantly spotted by the man closest to him, who raised the alarm. Two of the men took off in hot pursuit, while the other stood grimly by their goods with the self-righteousness of someone who had forgotten that he himself had stolen them a few moments earlier.
Sean watched as the two men caught up with their quarry and brought him to the ground. Even above the chaos and din she heard him squeal in pain as they wrested the leg from him, and, using it as a club, proceeded to rain merciless blows about his body.
“No!” she shouted, and threw open the door. Before Christian could stop her, she was out and running towards the scene.
“Let him go!” Sean demanded, and held onto a man’s upraised arm with the tenacity of a pitbull. The man tried to shake her free, but her height was greater than his, and this gave her enough leverage to hang on. His partner was not so disadvantaged. With a quick hand he snatched onto her hair and yanked her head back, pulling it painfully until it was close to his own.
“You can’t mind yuh own business, bitch?” He breathed a gust of foul air into her face. Sean released her grasp on the other man and brought both hands up to her hair to try to free herself from the mean grip.
Her original target laughed, reaching out for her and grabbing both her hands, twisting them brutally behind her. The pain made Sean sob; the fear and the stench of smoke made her gag.
“Hold she there, man,” the other gloated, “we go teach she that cockroach have no right in fowl party.” Sean grimaced at the local dictum that meant that for people who stuck their noses into other people’s business, the consequences would be dire. Before she could wonder what form those consequences would take she felt the man’s rough, fetid tongue drag it’s way up from her chin, pausing at her lips before proceeding to disgustingly explore her nostrils. The bile rose to her throat, but before she could make one last bid for freedom her assailant was lying on the ground with Christian’s foot on his neck.
“I’ll break it,” Christian promised. “Don’t doubt me.”
Unable even to breathe, much less put such a threat to the test, the loathsome creature lay still. His tiny eyes held Christian’s like those of a cornered animal. Leaning forward, Christian increased the pressure of his steel-tipped boot at the apex of the man’s Adam’s apple. The man’s breathing became a hoarse rattle.
The sharp prick in her abdomen drew a gasp from Sean, and Christian’s head whipped around to see the man who still held Sean holding a small blade to her. “Let he go,” the man snarled. “Let he get up, or I going to cut she. Real bad,” he emphasized, and to prove it he forced the tip of the blade into the soft flesh of her belly.
She grated out her pain through her teeth as the warm gush of blood that spilled over the blade and began coursing down towards the waistband of her jeans told her that she was cut.
“Sean!” Christian reacted in horror. With one move he let up on his fallen opponent, only to grasp him by the shirt and slam his head against the concrete sidewalk. His eyelids fluttered shut.
Before his partner could react, Sean had obeyed Christian’s shouted order to duck. The bulk of Christian moved past her like a charging bull as the hand holding the knife was wrenched away from her belly. Sean threw herself out of the fray, rolling herself into a tight ball. She could only hear the crunching of fist against bone, and then a clatter as the knife went spinning away.
Then Christian was dragging her to her feet. “The car,” he barked. “Run!”
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