Capitulo 12
"Maria, calm down. We won't let him in here. OK? You're safe in here. If he keeps going on like that then the alarm will go on and the cops will come." Esme told Maria who was just sobbing on the floor in Chris's arms.
"O..K..' Maria said the two letters in between sobs. "I am so sorry, you guys. Ever since I met you, I've caused nothing but trouble. I'm so sorry"
"Maria, don't even say that. You have not caused trouble. We all love you and will not let anything bad happen to you. " Chris told her as he held her closer.
"Chris is right, mi amor. I love you like a sister. These past two weeks of working together have been great." Esme said as she held back tears, fearing for everybody's safety.
The pounding just kept coming and coming.
"Maria..open this damn door right now." They could hear from behind the closed door.
Then the pounding stopped.
Everybody looked around.
"Maria...mi amor, mi vida, mija. Open the door, por favor." Now the pounding turned to soft knocking.
"Oh God." Maria sobbed into Chris's shoulder.
"Don't worry bebe. Everything will be OK." Chris gave Esme and Harry a look of panic. 'Do something" he whispered.
"Ay Dios, why aren't the police here yet?" It was Esme this time who sobbed.
"It's gonna be OK, Esme" Harry told her as he gave her his hand.
Esme took it and went into his embrace. She desperately needed some support.
The pounding started becoming worse and worse with each coming minute.
It seemed to them that hours had passed since the terror began but it couldn't have been longer than 5 minutes.
"The cops will never come, you ungrateful bitch. The alarm you have on this building has been disarmed. No one, and I mean no one will keep you away from me. Your mother will pay for what she did to me. Sending me to jail for doing nothing worse than loving my daughter too much."
Then the shots came. One...Two...Three...Four...Five..Six.....All aimed at the door. They could see the indentation of the bullets in the door.
Maria, Esme, Harry and Chris sat there in shocked silence. The girl hiding their heads in the shoulders of Harry and Chris.
And then it stopped. The shots, the pounding, hurtful words aimed at Maria, everything stopped.
They looked at the door. Then another shot sounded off, but not at the door.
They stood still, not even breathing.
Then a soft knocking sound came.
"Hello. Maria. Are you OK?"
The voice was familiar but not from Maria's father.
"Paul??"
It was Chris who said his name.
"Chris? Is that you? How's Maria?"
"Yeah it's me.Maria's fine."
Chris signaled to Harry that they should go open the door. Both girls went with them with their arms around their waists. Their eyes red from the tears that they shed.
"Paul, are you alone?"
"Yeah, I'm alone. I just came to check with Maria about our project and I saw this a**hole pounding out the door."
"Where is he now?" Chris asked Paul carefully.
"He's here. On the floor. I shot him." Paul said the last part slowly.
"Is he dead?" It was Maria who asked this question.
"I'm not sure. I'm not going to check if he is either. Can you guys open the door please?"
"Yeah, sure." Harry said.
He opened the door carefully. Chris was shielding Maria with his body in case that the sorry excuse of a father tried to hurt her again.
Paul came in. He tried to hide his discomfort at the fact that Maria was holding Chris so tightly. Instead he looked at Harry and Esme, who were apart but still held hands.
"What happened? Who was that guy?" Paul asked.
"We don't know. " Chris said this. He didn't feel like disrespecting Maria's privacy. He had a feeling that her father is at fault for all the fainting spells.
It was then that Chris felt Maria go limp in his arms.
"O..K..' Maria said the two letters in between sobs. "I am so sorry, you guys. Ever since I met you, I've caused nothing but trouble. I'm so sorry"
"Maria, don't even say that. You have not caused trouble. We all love you and will not let anything bad happen to you. " Chris told her as he held her closer.
"Chris is right, mi amor. I love you like a sister. These past two weeks of working together have been great." Esme said as she held back tears, fearing for everybody's safety.
The pounding just kept coming and coming.
"Maria..open this damn door right now." They could hear from behind the closed door.
Then the pounding stopped.
Everybody looked around.
"Maria...mi amor, mi vida, mija. Open the door, por favor." Now the pounding turned to soft knocking.
"Oh God." Maria sobbed into Chris's shoulder.
"Don't worry bebe. Everything will be OK." Chris gave Esme and Harry a look of panic. 'Do something" he whispered.
"Ay Dios, why aren't the police here yet?" It was Esme this time who sobbed.
"It's gonna be OK, Esme" Harry told her as he gave her his hand.
Esme took it and went into his embrace. She desperately needed some support.
The pounding started becoming worse and worse with each coming minute.
It seemed to them that hours had passed since the terror began but it couldn't have been longer than 5 minutes.
"The cops will never come, you ungrateful bitch. The alarm you have on this building has been disarmed. No one, and I mean no one will keep you away from me. Your mother will pay for what she did to me. Sending me to jail for doing nothing worse than loving my daughter too much."
Then the shots came. One...Two...Three...Four...Five..Six.....All aimed at the door. They could see the indentation of the bullets in the door.
Maria, Esme, Harry and Chris sat there in shocked silence. The girl hiding their heads in the shoulders of Harry and Chris.
And then it stopped. The shots, the pounding, hurtful words aimed at Maria, everything stopped.
They looked at the door. Then another shot sounded off, but not at the door.
They stood still, not even breathing.
Then a soft knocking sound came.
"Hello. Maria. Are you OK?"
The voice was familiar but not from Maria's father.
"Paul??"
It was Chris who said his name.
"Chris? Is that you? How's Maria?"
"Yeah it's me.Maria's fine."
Chris signaled to Harry that they should go open the door. Both girls went with them with their arms around their waists. Their eyes red from the tears that they shed.
"Paul, are you alone?"
"Yeah, I'm alone. I just came to check with Maria about our project and I saw this a**hole pounding out the door."
"Where is he now?" Chris asked Paul carefully.
"He's here. On the floor. I shot him." Paul said the last part slowly.
"Is he dead?" It was Maria who asked this question.
"I'm not sure. I'm not going to check if he is either. Can you guys open the door please?"
"Yeah, sure." Harry said.
He opened the door carefully. Chris was shielding Maria with his body in case that the sorry excuse of a father tried to hurt her again.
Paul came in. He tried to hide his discomfort at the fact that Maria was holding Chris so tightly. Instead he looked at Harry and Esme, who were apart but still held hands.
"What happened? Who was that guy?" Paul asked.
"We don't know. " Chris said this. He didn't feel like disrespecting Maria's privacy. He had a feeling that her father is at fault for all the fainting spells.
It was then that Chris felt Maria go limp in his arms.
