Hidden Truths

Chapter 4: The Storm

I read the sentence again…

And again.

Maybe I was missing something.

I turned the paper over and saw another thing.

The same flower symbol engraved on the key was also drawn on the paper.

I opened the drawer where I had kept the brass key and took a good look at it again.

None of it made any sense.

Although, the symbol looked oddly familiar, I still couldn’t connect anything.

I held the note closer to the kitchen light and read it one last time to see if I’d there’d be a hidden message somewhere.

The only thing I kept seeing was the same sentence I read before;

If you’re reading this… You are on the right track.

And flower symbol drawn behind the paper.

I frowned.

“Right track to what?”

I actually considered spending the rest of my evening trying to figure out what that meant but instead, I folded the note back carefully and kept it in the same drawer where the key had been laying then slid it shut.

“What ever this is, it can wait.” I muttered.

I opened the freezer and grabbed a frozen meal and flung it into the microwave.

As it spun, my mind went back to the florist.

“Could she have known what was in that pot?” I thought to myself.

“No she couldn’t have… If she did, she wouldn’t have sold me the pot.”

The microwave beeped, interrupting my train of thoughts.

I ate my dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and headed off to bed.

I forced myself not to over think anything and both the key and the note stayed exactly where I left them, the drawer.

The next morning started off like everyother normal day.

I parked outside the fire station, picked up my duffel bag and went into the garage.

“Morning, John.” said one of my coworkers.

“Morning.” I replied.

The garage was already busy.

Someone was checking the oxygen tanks, another was testing the radios.

The captain stood by Engine Two making sure everything was intact.

He looked up the moment he saw me.

“Great! You’re here” he said ecstatically.

“Morning, Cap.”

He immediately threw me a pair of gloves.

“Weather departments just updated the warnings again.”

“I heard.”

“They say the storm is coming far worse.”

I shrugged.

“They’ve said that before.”

He looked at me for a bit before chuckling.

“I hope you’re right.”

So did I.

Rachel’s POV

The sound of wind woke me up before my alarm even did.

Tree branches scraped my window every now and then.

I slowly pulled the curtains apart and saw how dark the clouds had become.

“Well, there goes my beautiful morning.”

By the time I arrived at Scents & Blossom, the streets already looked different.

People were walking much faster than usual, some were even running.

Some shop owners where removing their signs outside their stores, others were covering up their doors and windows.

I unlocked my shop anyway, people panic way too easily. It was just a simple windy day, that’s all.

The moment I stepped inside, the sweet scent of fresh flowers greeted me.

I smiled.

“No storm is ruining my day.” I said as I began my daily routine.

Business was painfully slow. Almost every customer that came in kept talking about the weather.

“You should close early.”

“Stay safe.”

“I heard it’s going to be terrible.”

I smiled politely every single time.

“I’ll be okay.”

Around lunchtime the bell above the entrance door rang again.

I looked up.

“Anya!”

She stepped inside carrying two takeaway cups.

“I brought backups.”

I laughed.

“You are starting to spoil me too much.”

“I know.” She replied as she hands me one of the coffee cups.

“You look exhausted.”

“I blame the customers.”

“What did they do this time?”

“They’ve spent their entire morning trying to convince me that the world is coming to an end.”

She glanced outside.

“Maybe they are onto something.”

“Aw, not you too.”

“Just take a look outside.”

I followed her command.

The trees across the street bent with every push from the strong wind.

The sky had become almost like the color of charcoal.

I shrugged.

“It’ll pass.”

She didn’t look convinced at all.

The rest of the afternoon passed by quietly.

We cleaned the shelves, watered the flowers, wrapped the bouquets and talked about absolutely nothing.

It felt…

Peaceful.

Then…

Anya’s phone rang.

She frowned after reading the screen.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“My Dad.”

I watched her expression slowly change as she spoke to him on the phone.

When she hung up, she sighed.

“He wants me home before the roads gets worse.”

“I don’t blame him.”

She hesitated.

“I can stay.”

I shook my head immediately.

“No.”

“But, Rachel….”

“I’ll finish up and close immediately.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Are you sure?”

I smiled.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ve survived without you before.”

“Hmm…Barely.”

I couldn’t help laughing.

“Go.”

She wrapped her arms around me for a quick hug.

“Promise me you’ll actually close early.” she whispered into my ear.

My mother’s voice echoed in my head.

‘Promise me you’ll close the shop early.’

“I promise.”

She finally nodded.

“See you tomorrow.”

I walked her to the front door and bid her goodbye.

After Anya disappeared down the street, I stood outside for a bit.

The wind had become much stronger.

It pushed against my clothes and sent some leaves rolling down the street.

I held unto my skirt with one hand to prevent it from lifting away and wrapped my other hand against my body.

“Okay.., this storm thing is getting a little dramatic.”

A loud rumble echoed somewhere in the distance.

I looked up.

The sky was completely black now. It looked more like night time than afternoon.

I quickly went back inside the shop.

This place always made me feel safe no matter what was happening.

I locked the door behind me and walked to the counter.

I started counting the money in the register.

“Ten…

Twenty…

Twenty five…”

Another loud rumble shook the windows.

I looked up.

“Okay… okay, you’ve made your point.”

“I’m closing.”

My mum was probably somewhere smiling, knowing she’d finally won.

I finished counting the money and placed it into the cash bag.

I was about to get my coat and run along then, I froze.

My ledger.

I had forgotten today’s sales ledger in the storage room. I couldn’t leave without it.

“It’ll only take a minute.” I assured myself.

I picked up my phone from the counter, turned the flash light on and headed to the storage room.

The wind outside grew stronger, it now started to sound like a whistle.

“Found you.” I said as I picked up the ledger and tucked it under my arm.

Then…

The lights flickered.

Once…

Twice…

And went out completely.

There was a total blackout.

Darkness filled the entire shop.

“Oh great.”

I tightened my grip on my phone and pointed the flashlight ahead of me.

Another loud thunder echoed outside.

I felt the building shake a little.

I stopped walking.

Something didn’t feel right.

I started making my way to the front door again.

And suddenly…

BANG!

I screamed.

The front door slammed violently against its frame.

Flower pots crashed to the floor.

Glass shattered everywhere.

I started breathing fast. I got scared.

Really scared.

“...Okay…Okay…” I tried to calm myself down.

I started walking faster.

I just needed to get outside, I could still make it.

CRACK.

A terrifying sound echoed above me.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

My heart stopped.

CRACK.

There it was again,

That awful sound.

I tried to run as fast as I could.

But everything was happening too fast

Wood splintered, glass exploded, shelves collapsed.

Something heavy slammed into my leg, forcing me to fall on the ground.

I screamed in great pain.

Dust filled everywhere.

I couldn’t see or breathe properly.

I looked up to the broken ceiling

“Dear God, please” I whispered in pain, struggling to move the stuck cabinet from my leg.

I could barely breathe.

My whole life’s work was collapsing before my very eyes.

“Maybe this is the end of my story” I thought to myself.

Then…

Someone grabbed my arm.

“Hey! Stay with me!”

It was a man’s voice.

Firm and calm.

But I couldn’t see him.

The only thing I managed to see were the pieces of broken wood around me.

“I…I can’t” I coughed, my throat was burning.

“You can.”

His grip tightened around my wrist.

“I’m gonna get you out.”

I tried to move my leg again.

“I can’t move.”

“I know.”

His voice stayed unbelievably calm despite the chaos going on around us.

“I need you to listen to me.”

I tried to nod,

“Okay.”

“Can you feel you toes?”

I tried my best to concentrate through the pain.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“That means we still have a chance.”

A loud crash echoed somewhere behind him and the entire building shook again.

He crouched beside me.

“I’m going to lift this cabinet.”

“I need you to pull your leg the moment I tell you to, is that okay?”

“I… I don’t think I can.”

“You can.”

“You can do it, I believe in you.”

For some reason, those words encouraged me to give my all.

He planted both hands beneath the shattered cabinet.

Every muscle in his arms tensed.

“One…”

He took a deep breath.

“Two…”

The cabinet adjusted a little but it wasn’t enough.

He adjusted his footing.

Rain fell through the broken roof and dust continued hovering around us.

“Three.”

With one massive effort, he lifted the cabinet of my foot.

“NOW!” he yelled.

I screamed as I used every ounce of energy I had left in me to pull my leg free.

I tried to stand up on my own but the pain was unbearable.

The moment I stood up, my leg gave out beneath me.

Before I hit the ground… Strong arms caught me.

“I’ve got you.”

And for the first time…

I looked at him properly.

Although I couldn’t make out his features because his helmet covered most of his face. I could only see his eyes.

Brown.

Calm.

Focused.

He wrapped one arm around my back and the other under my knees. Then he lifted me off the floor.

I was too tired to protest.

“My shop…” I whispered.

He didn’t answer me, he just simply carried me towards what remained of the entrance door.

Another person rushed over.

“This place is coming down!” I heard them yell

He tightened his hold on me.

“Move!”

The three of us made it out before another crash almost deafened our ears.

The remaining section of the building collapsed completely.

I stared in horror.

Scents & Blossom.

The only place I poured my entire heart into…

Was gone.

The flashing lights from the fire engines became blurry.

Sirens echoed through the streets.

Someone placed an oxygen mask on my face.

The last thing I remember was the man holding my hand.

“Stay with me.”

I wanted to answer him, to thank him for just saving my life.

But my eyes refused to stay open.

And just like that,

Darkness overtook everything.