Sweet Fire

The pickup truck dipped into a pothole and remained stuck. The tires rolled in the thick mud as the driver of the vehicle tried to get it out. When nothing happened, Samira Alvaro declared in frustration.

“We’re stuck!”

Thunder clapped in the dark cloudy sky as the rain poured down harder, beating the car. She gripped the steering wheel and threw her head against the headrest, sighing.

“I guess we will have to wait out here until the rain stops.” Another young woman said. She was Tamera Alvaro, Samira’s sister and she was sitting in the passenger seat. Unlike her sister who was beating her head against the headrest because they were stuck, she was not upset at all.

“No, we’re not staying here.” Samira said and glared at her sister.

“Then what are we going to do, go out in the rain and push the car out of the pothole?” Tamera yelled while rolling her eyes and then Samira turned around in her seat to face her sister. Anger burned inside her eyes.

“Tamera, do not upset me right now.”

“Oh, don’t worry Samira, I won’t. The rainstorm is already doing that for me.”

Tamera retorted and folded her arms on her chest defensively. She blamed Samira for being stubborn and not listening to her. Everything would have been fine if she had only listened to her.

That morning when Tamera was packing her clothes for the trip, she saw on the news that there was going to be a rainstorm in the south around the Adibo area, where they would be travelling. She informed Samira about it. However, her sister refused to believe it and said.

“The weather man is not always right.”

Tamera tried to convince her, but Samira as stubborn as she was, was determined to make the trip. They had not been long on the road when dark clouds gathered in the sky. She had warned Samira again and asked her to turn back before it was too late and still, she refused.

“It won’t rain heavily.” She had said. A few more miles on the road and the rain proved her wrong.

“Tamera do not get me upset, am warning you.” Samira warned. Averting her gaze away from her sister, she took in a deep breath to calm herself.

“Just accept that this is your fault.” Tamera screamed.

The original scheduled date of the trip was tomorrow, however, due to one or two things known to Samira, she decided for them to go a day early.

Turning away from her annoying sister, Samira looked out the window. It was pitch black all around them. The only light was of the truck’s headlight, casted on the wet and muddy road ahead of them. Heavy winds blew outside and the temperature inside the car kept dropping with every passing second.

Ah, why did it have to rain today of all days? Could the clouds not hold the water for another day? Samira thought bitterly.

Their trip was ruined. Now what were they going to do? They cannot possibly go out in the rain and push the car. Neither of them was strong enough and who knows what could be lurking in the dark out there.

Samira removed her phone from her purse and found out the battery had run out. This day could not get any worse. “Tamera,” she sighed while stuffing the phone back where she removed it.

“What?” Tamera snapped and then Samira lost it. They got into an argument, blaming one another for the failure of their trip. That argument brought up unfinished arguments of the past and they went on a screaming contest.

MEANWHILE,

A distance away from the sibling chaos, a young man was slowly approaching the car. He saw the headlights of that pickup truck moving on the road, all the way from his cabin and it surprised him as to which idiot would be driving in such a deadly rainstorm.

Everyone knew that the roads of this town were not in good condition and it was even worse when it rained. Perhaps was this person from out of town, or was he or she just plain stupid?

Thunder clapped and the rain poured down even more. The farmer was dripping wet from head to toe, but continued his journey. He could not even understand what made him leave his warm cabin and risked his life by walking through a rainstorm, just to see if this stranger needed help. The young man noticed the pickup truck has not moved for a while and guessed it might be stuck in one of the big potholes.

That is what you get for travelling at night. He thought and finally reached the main road, now the car was not too far from him. He turned off his flash light and went on.

“Tamera, stop accusing me of things I do not remember.”

“You choose not to remember because you do not want to accept the fact that you are at fault. You always do that!”

The young man heard women screaming, as he got closer.

Oh great, it had to be women.

He thought and cursed his luck. He was about to get into a girl fight and probably gain a few scratches as a souvenir. Their voices were very loud and they looked ready to rip each other’s heads. He bet they would have done that, if there were a little more space in the car.

The two young women did not see him coming and he was glad, because he intended to scare them and perhaps put an end to their little fight. He got to the window, at the driver’s side of the car. If not for the little orange light glowing inside the car, he would not have noticed and the woman sitting behind the wheel. His heart almost skipped a beat at the sight of her.

She had wavy curls of blonde hair tied up in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were big, brown and beautiful, but not as beautiful as her red stained lips. One look at them and he was already imagining how they would feel against his.

In the car, “Samira!” Tamera tried not to scream, but failed. “There’s a man outside your window!”

It was as if Samira suddenly gained Barry Allan’s super powers. Because by the time Tamera finished her statement, she was out of her chair in a flash and sitting on her sister’s laps on the passage seat.

Now was the time for the young man to show himself. There was no need to scare them anymore because the mere presence of him already did it. He knocked against the window and turned on his flashlight, showing it inside the car.

The bright white light reflected on two women, the blonde-haired, he already saw and the other one, he noticed had black hair. They both got brown eyes and they were clinging onto each other as if their lives depended on it. These women were replicas of one another, from identical cheekbones to pointy nose and full lips. There was no doubt in his mind that they were twins.

“Roll down the glass.” He said and they remained locked in their scared position.

Samira held onto her sister and did not move. The man outside her window was knocking, wanting them to open up, but she was not going to do it. If he were a rapist or a serial killer, he would have to break that lock first before he would get to them. This was more terrifying than watching a horror movie, because they were actually going through it.

The stranger kept knocking. “Samira,” Tamera trembled and held her tighter.

“Don’t worry I won’t let him get to us.” Samira assured, however, she did not know how to do that. If he should break that lock right now, she would be the first to pass out. The man stopped knocking and blew his breath on the window. What was he doing? She thought, not moving her gaze from the silhouette. He lifted his hand and started to write on the steam-covered glass.

I… am…

Samira was so frightened of what the stranger was writing that she closed her eyes and made a silent prayer.

“Samira look,” Tamera shook her, but she refused to open her eyes. “He’s here to help us.” She added with a sigh.

Samira finally looked, and indeed, it read; I am here to help.

She stared at the window, unsure if this stranger could be trusted. What if he was only pretending to help and when they got out, he would murder them. She had watched too many horror movies to know that this was how the killing always started. Samira was about to tell Tamera not to open the door, however she was a little too late. Her sister had already rolled down the glasses and opened her side of the door.

“Tamera,” Samira screamed as Tamera pushed her off her laps and went out. Samira scrambled to her seat behind the wheel, rolled up the glasses, locked the doors to the car and watched her sister with a pounding heart as she walk over to the silhouette. She braced herself for murder, blood… Then they started to exchange words. Samira’s raging heart slowed down as she watched them. Tamera walked away from the man after exchanging more words with him and then came to knock on her window. She gestured to Samira to open the door. Instead, she lowered the glass.

“Tamera you get back into this car right now!” Samira said sternly, exercising her seniority over her sister.

“The man is here to help. He says it’s dangerous to stay out here and wants us to go with him to his cabin for the night.” Tamera explained and turned to spit water out of her mouth. The rain had already drenched her and she trembled.

“No, I am not leaving this car.” Samira was convinced the man was either a rapist or a murderer. She found it hard to believe how a man would appear out of nowhere in the middle of a rainstorm, ‘claiming to help them’.

It was very difficult, nowadays to find a generous soul whose only intention was to help. She did not even believe in good souls anymore, and the silhouette she was looking at did not fit that of a generous soul. The stranger’s silhouette was tall, muscular, and a little bit intimidating for her.

“Ma’am, it’s very dangerous out here. You’ll be safe in my cabin.” The voice, which spoke, was as intimidating as its silhouette and she did not like it. Things that usually intimidated her were always things she could not control, and those things never failed to bring her trouble.

“Do you have food in your cabin? I am starving.” Tamera asked.

“Yes of course, ma’am.”

“Yes!” Tamera beamed at him and then turned to her sister with a frown creasing her forehead. “Get out of the car right now, or we’ll go and leave you here.” Samira did not move and then Tamera groaned. “Just come out already, it’s freezing out here okay?” She hugged herself and shuddered.

“Go ahead then, I will be fine right here.” Samira told them and gripped the steering wheel confidently. She did not want to get out because she thought she would be safer in there than with the stranger, who made her uncomfortable.

“Alright we cannot force you to come with us, so have a nice time sitting in your truck.” Samira nodded at his words, raising her chin up to show defiance. The young man started to walk away but stepped back again and added. “Yeah stay here. You do not even have to worry about the cannibals who will come for you later in the night.”

“Cannibals?” Samira gasped. “There… a… are c… cannibals?” she stuttered.

“Stay in the car for a little while longer if you want to find out.”

Samira quickly opened her door and in her rush to get out, missed her step and slipped. A squeal left her lips as she braced herself for a muddy impact, but then a pair of big, muscular arms caught her and pressed her against a ripped chest. Her breath caught in her chest as she stiffened against him.

The young man was more than delighted to have her in his arms. She was slender and soft against his huge and muscular self. There was an explosion in his chest when she looked up at him with her big brown eyes. He had seen and even dated women with brown eyes, but none had eyes as alluring as hers.

He began to wonder. Who was this woman? Where did she come from? Why did she have an effect on him, when he only just met her? Moreover, where that hell had she been all his life?

“Excuse me, sir.” She said and got out of his arms. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around herself as the rain droplets hit her, wetting her.

“Eros,” he told her.

“Mr Eros…”

“Eros Johnson,” he corrected.

“Mr Johnson, we do not want to impose. By the way, I’m Samira and this is my sister Tamera.” She said and stepped further away from him. “I am sure your wife would not be too happy…”

“I do not have a wife.” He cut in.

“Okay, but am sure you’re with somebody.”

“No I’m not. I am all alone there.”

Samira felt something churn in the pit of her stomach and she could not decide if it were hunger or agitation. She was not very sure about going with him, but seeing the pathetic situation they were in, it seemed like the right thing to do.

Their truck was stuck in a pothole, they were starving, there was no food and she definitely did not want any cannibals having her for supper. Moreover, she did not attend the most prestigious schools, acquired the best grades, worked hard in the gym for the amazing body she had and lived twenty- five long years on this earth, just to end up inside the belly of a damn cannibal. That would be unfair.

“Don’t worry about anything.” Mr Johnson assured them. “Let’s head back now, the storm is getting stronger.” He added. Just then, lightening cut through the sky lighting up the dark place for a slip second and then leaving it in darkness once more. No sooner, after that, thunder clapped. Rumbling loudly in their ears.

The sisters turned off the engine of the truck, locked it up and took only their purses with them. Mr Johnson directed Tamera to hold her sister’s hand, and then he held his out for Samira. She placed her small hand in his and he clasped it.