tracy morgan

we found the child lying beneath a heavy fascia that had been laid over the back of a sofa. as we uncovered her, her body remained perfectly still but the the look in her eyes was wild fear. she didn't know me but the instant she recognized that i was not her assailant she made her way into my arms and wrapped her arms so tightly around my neck that it was difficult for me to speak. 'is your mother still alive?' i whispered. she held her eyes open wide like a person in total darkness and i remember thinking that i couldn't discern the color of her iris's because her pupils were so dilated. she looked into me as though she wanted me to see the images in her head. she nodded yes. 'can you point to where she is?' i asked gently. she blinked slowly, knit her eyebrows for a moment and then said, 'he's coming back with her.' i felt a rush of adrenaline and instinctively jerked my head around to check the room for my own safety, 'when?' i asked. 'maybe now.' she said softly. i pulled at her arms and said, 'you're too big for me to carry and we have to move fast' she resisted and clung to my neck with the strength of a chimpanzee. 'listen,' i said as i looked into her huge black eyes, 'you can hold my hand as tight as you want, but you have to use your own feet.' she loosened her grip and slid down my body until she stood solidly on the floor. her little hand gripped my own like a vice. we began to move like wind toward the back of the space to find an exit that would not run us into danger. headlights wiped just above our heads across the wall we were running toward and we all froze for a moment. 'now!' i whispered as i pointed to the back door and placed the hand of the girl into the palm of my fellow rescuer. they both slipped out to safety and i hid behind a stack of boxes. within moments the front door opened and tracy morgan shoved the girls mother in before him with enough force that she almost lost her footing. i saw the woman look at the fascia. tracy morgan saw it too. 'that little bitch ain't goin' NOWHERE!' he yelled as he grabbed the woman's hair and yanked her to her knees. the man tossed his keys near my hiding spot, stumbled and began talking to himself. i realized he was under the influence of something and would be able to use that to my advantage. 'DON'T YOU MOVE!' he ordered the woman as he walked toward the large screen tv. 'WHY ARE YOU SITTING THERE? GET ME SOME MOTHER FUCKING BEER!' he screamed and then he plopped down into an ugly brown pleather recliner. as the woman made her way to the refrigerator i caught her eye and motioned for her to come with me. she shook her head no and mouthed, 'my baby' as she pointed to the couch. i wagged my finger 'no' in response and mouthed, 'i have her, she's safe'. the woman sprang toward me, i grabbed the man's keys and we both flew out of the heavy steel door. as the woman ran down the driveway to safety i locked the double dead bolt and opened the valve on the industrial size hose-bib that emptied into the warehouse. by the time i made it to the driveway tracy morgan was already knee deep in water. he was laughing maniacally, screaming threats and kicking through the water looking for his keys. 'OK THAT'S FINE!' he screamed at the blackness outside of the wire-impregnated windows, 'I CAN SWIM, BUT YOUR BABY'S GONNA DROWN UNLESS YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK IN!'. he sat back into the recliner with a splash and a big false grin on his face as the tv shorted out and the water rose around him. i walked to the front of the warehouse and stood just outside the light-fall from the windows. i thought about how he would soon be paddling like a dog just to stay alive. i walked slowly away into the darkness.