The voice came from a pickup behind.
I blinked hard. Rainwater stung my eyes and blurred my vision.
An older man in work clothes was leaning out of the truck, waving me over.
It was Mr. Pollard, one of the resort staff members.
He carried my suitcase the day we arrived. Mom complained that I was walking too slowly. She kicked the suitcase so hard she broke it. Without saying a word, Mr. Pollard picked it up and carried it to our room.
He shifted to make a little space and shouted, "Come on! We can squeeze you in!"
I ran toward the truck.
Mr. Pollard was already reaching out to pull me aboard.
"Everyone, look! That janitor is a fraud!"
Mom's harsh, shrill voice suddenly rang out from the bus ahead.
At some point, she'd rolled down the window. Now she was leaning halfway out, pointing at Mr. Pollard and screaming.
"He's trying to abduct my daughter! Don't let her into his truck!"
My hand stopped in midair.
Mr. Pollard stared in disbelief.
He'd worked diligently at the resort for nearly 30 years, repairing countless rooms and helping more visitors than anyone could count.
He'd lived an honest life. When had anyone ever pointed a finger at him and smeared him like this?
"What the hell is wrong with you?" His voice shook with anger. "I've worked here for most of my life! I even helped with your luggage when you arrived!"
"I don't care who you are! You're going out of your way to be nice to my daughter for no reason. Who knows what you're really after?"
The passengers erupted.
"Are you out of your mind? Mr. Pollard is so kind!"
"Exactly! What a nasty thing to say. Have a little decency, for God's sake!"
An older woman stood up, unable to hold back.
"There's a red alert! That wooden cabin will fall apart in this wind. You're sending your own daughter to her death!"
Mr. Pollard's face went white with anger. He pointed a shaking finger at Mom.
"You... I've watched you treat that girl worse than a dog these past 2 days. That's why I tried to help her! Everyone here can see how heartless you are!"
"She's my daughter. How I raise her is none of your damn business!" Mom didn't even flinch. "She's safest staying right where she is!"
I stood in the driving rain, staring at her bus.
In the front passenger seat, Dad had reached for the door handle.
Then Mom turned and fixed him with an icy glare.
"If you open that door and get out, I'm going back to my parents' with the kids tomorrow.
"You'll never see either of them again."
One by one, Dad's fingers curled away from the handle.
He turned his head and wouldn't look at me again.
I stood in the floodwater. Rain poured over my head like a waterfall and ran into my mouth, bitter and foul.
The rescue worker in charge was frantic. He looked at the dark sky and shouted, "Final warning! The main landslide zone is expected to give way in 1 hour! If we don't leave now, none of us is getting out alive!"
The passengers beside Mr. Pollard dragged him back into the truck.
He clung to the doorframe and shouted at me at the top of his lungs,
"Run to the visitor center! It's concrete! It's solid!
"Don't just stand there! Run to the center! Now!"
They forced the door shut.
The pickups' taillights disappeared one after another.
The entire resort sank into darkness and an eerie silence.
Aksara