THEY ARE COMING

I held the handle of the door and twisted downward. It creaked but stood its ground.

'How do we get out?' Maria asked. 

'Let's find another way,' Eric said, and he turned and walked back to the hall. We followed him. He stopped in the middle of the hall and pointed the flashlight around the hall, moving from the right side of the hall to the left. 

The flashlight stopped in the direction of a window close to the end of a row of windows. 

'Let's try it,' Eric said and toward it. 

We reached the window and Eric swiped the cobwebs away from the pane and lifted the hook. He rammed his right palm on the iron frame in the middle of the window. The window creaked and moved backward. Eric pushed it and the window swung opened. Fresh air rushed in, followed by a swarm of black insects. 

'Wasps!' Eric screamed. 'Move back!'

We ran back many paces from the window. The wasps flew around the window, their shadows multiplying their actual sizes and numbers, and soon the last one flew out of the window. 

Eric hoisted himself to the windowpane. He looked around the window before he placed his legs across the windowpane. He moved the rest of his body over and landed on the other side with an awkward thud sound.

We remained in semi blackness.

'I don't think I can pass through,' Maria said. 'My hips won't allow it.'

'Eric will open the door,' I said. 

'Let me check the door,' Eric said from outside the window.

 I heard his footstep moving away and saw the rays of the flashlight going away. Pitched darkness enveloped us and Maria grabbed my hand. I brought out my phone and pressed the buttons, the light came on, brightening my face and Maria's. 

'Let's move to the door,' I said. 'We will soon be out.'

Maria's gripped on my hand. We moved toward the door, barely seeing ahead of us. We reached the door and I heard Eric turning the door's handle.

 'It's not a padlock,' Eric shouted. 'He locked it with a key; it will be difficult to open.'

'Use a rock or something,' I said. 'And hurry.'

I touched the door. It's wooden and solid as a rhino's horn.

Eric yanked at the door from the other side, pulling and twisting.

'Go back and pass through the widow,' he yelled. 'We don't have time.'

'Maria won't get through,' I yelled back. 'We have to find another exit; that one won't work.'

'That's why I told her to stay back but she won't listen,' Eric murmured. 'We don't have the time for this.'

'We have to find another way,' I said. 'See if any other door is—?'

Maria gripped my arm tighter. 'Someone is coming,' she whispered. 'Someone is coming from the store. It's him.'

I swirled around and stretched my phone forward, but the light on the phone travelled only a foot from where we stood. Darkness stared back at us after that distance.

'Who's there?' I spoke to the darkness.

'What's going on?' Eric shouted from the other side of the door. 'Are you okay?'

I felt a presence—strong and close and Maria must have felt it too because she sandwiched herself between me and the door.

'It's him,' she whispered. 'I am sure it's him.'

'Paul, are you there?' Eric asked, shaking the door. 'What's going on?'

I heard the step then, soft and tiptoed. The second step came next, and then there was a pause. 

'Who's there?' I asked again and I felt shame at hearing my voice filled with fear. 

Who is it? I thought. Mr. Potter? The guard? Did he lock the door and double back into the hall?

'It's Mr. Potter,' Maria whispered in my ear. 'It's him. He is going to attack us.'

'Paul?' Eric demanded. 'Are you guys, okay?'

I swung my phone from side to side. 'Mr. Potter? Are you the one?'

'They are after me,' Mr. Potter whispered. 'They are after me.'

The sound of his steps echoed into the hall and then his face appeared in the glare of my phone's light. His eyes moved around the room wildly and he held the bag tightly to his shoulder as if afraid someone might snatch it.

'They are coming,' he said. 'They are coming after me.'

'Eric, help us,' Maria cried. 'He's attacking us!'

'Who?' Eric yelled and shook the door's handle. 'Who is it?'

'Mr. Potter,' Maria stammered. 'He is here.'

'They are coming,' Mr. Potter said and looked at the ceiling. 'I am not staying here.' He looked at his back. 'They are coming. They are—'

Gwam!

Maria screamed and jumped away from the door. The door swung opened, and I saw Eric's silhouette before he brought the flashlight out of his pocket and pointed it into the hall. Maria ran toward the door and hit the heavy stone sitting in front of the door. She stumbled forward and fell into Eric's arms. He staggered back but held her up. Maria turned to Eric's back and stood looking into the hall. 

'Let's go,' Eric said and flashed the light around. It stopped on Mr. Potter: he had not moved from where he stood 'What was he doing to you?'

'He did nothing,' I said, coming out of the door. 'He was seeing…things…saying some persons were coming after him.'

Eric kept the light on Mr. Potter. 'What's he looking at?' 

'He is mad,' Maria said. 'Let's leave him here.'

Mr. Potter dropped his eyes from watching the ceiling and turned to us. 'They are coming; they are very close.' And then he walked toward us, his eyes fixed on the flashlight. 

Maria gasped. 'Let's go. I don't want to stay here.'

Eric took a step forward. 'Mr. Potter; do you want to come with us?'

'Yes,' Mr. Potter said. 

'Don't allow him to follow us,' Maria said. 'He is mad.'

Eric took another step and stood in front of Mr. Potter. 'Are you going to be violent?' 

'No,' Mr. Potter said. 

Eric stared at him for another second. 'Okay, you can come with us.'

We walked back to the car with Maria leading the way. She got in the front with Eric, and I sat in the back with Mr. Potter. We left the cocoa factory for the last time, and by the time we reached the expressway, Mr. Potter had gone to sleep.