In A Different Time

Chapter 7

Hard raindrops hit the glass window sounding like someone was pounding on it. The sudden change of weather was surprising. It was all sunny and blue skies a few days ago. The weatherman promised a good weather this Wednesday but I guess he didn't see this coming. Business was slow because of the rain. I busied myself by cleaning and sorting books. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were in their office sorting documents and book inventory. Ken took the vacant time to experiment new coffee drinks.

I glanced at the wall clock and saw it was quarter to 7:00. It was almost closing time. I put away the cleaning materials away and brought the trolley back to the office. I knocked on the door first before entering. I saw Mrs. Johnson doing inventory in her computer while Mr. Johnson sort through a pile of documents and bills.

"Hey, I'm gonna head out soon. Is there anything else you need?" I asked them.

Mrs. Johnson snapped back to reality from my voice. "No, thank you Grace. You can go home now."

"Wait. Is it still raining hard outside?" Mr. Johnson asked. He dropped the papers in his hand and craned his neck to side.

"Yup, still raining." I nodded.

"Maybe you should wait it out a bit, dear? It's dangerous to be driving in this rain. Something might happen to you. A lot of accidents happen in this weather."

"I'll be fine. I still have an essay to do in English and an upcoming test."

"Just be careful, alright? Don't drive too fast and be cautious when you get to the bridge. The roads slippery so you have to drive slowly. Okay?"

I smiled and nodded. I said goodbye to the couple and went to get my bag from the counter. Ken stopped wiping the table when he saw me walking towards the door.

"You seriously gonna drive back home in this weather? You sure about that?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'll be careful, I promise. Nothings gonna happen." I reassured him.

"Just... be careful, okay? Especially at the bridge."

"Yes, I will. Bye, Ken! Get home safe too."

I opened my umbrella before leaving the shop. The wind almost blew my umbrella. I had a tight grip on it and walked towards my car. As I got inside, I turned on the heater and fixed my slightly damped hair and sweater. I turned on the engine and drove off.

The harsh rain was beating down on my car. The strong wind whistled in the night. I turned on the radio to quiet down the noise outside. I drove slowly and carefully on the wet slippery road. I was already at the bridge and the wipers were doing a poor job. I have to squint so I could see if I'm going to hit something. A flash of light and loud rumble made me jumped on my seat. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.

I steadied my driving when I neared the middle of the bridge. I screamed when lightning struck the bridge right in front of me. On instinct, I swerved my car and lost control. I couldn't hit the brakes in time and I went straight to the bridge's barrier. Because of the impact, my car broke through the barrier and my car dropped to the rising river. I took of my seatbelt and the water was coming in. The car was sinking. My bag floated to the back and I grabbed it. I took out my phone but I forgot to charge it at the shop. Trying not to panic, I tried opening the door but couldn't. I searched through my compartment for something to open the door or window but couldn't find anything useful. The water was rising fast and it already reached my chest. I ignored the panic rising in my chest as I try to budge the door open. The water almost reached the ceiling. I breathed in deeply collecting much air as I can before the car was fully submerged in the water.

Determined, I tried to open the door. I swam a little; creating a small distance between me and the door. Using all my strength, I kicked the window. My chest was burning but I didn't stop. By some miracle, the window broke. Hope sprang inside of me. I kicked the glass to create an opening. When it was big enough for me to fit, I swam through it. My pants got caught in a shard and I aggressively pulled my leg. I winced when I cut my leg but it was the least of my worries.