Deluge by Design

I hate rain. The sky had been marred by falling sheets of water for the better part of an hour and there was no sign of it letting up. I sat peering through the streaky windows into the deluge, wishing I hadn’t parked so far away. Sigh. I stomped off to my coatrack and gowned up, grabbing my umbrella for good measure. It was a faux pas, but that’s what foes get. I am at war with the rain.

Now to see about the arrangement. I picked up the paper flowers carefully. They were wrapped in multiple layers of cellophane, but it could only do so much against the torrents outside. This client had made a special request for extra glitter, and it was getting everywhere.

The elevator chimed at the ground floor. I braced myself as I walked through the lobby, then sprinted out into wet hell. I was pelted on all sides. I could feel the flowers wilting imperceptibly from the sudden jump in humidity. I made it to my car and hurled myself inside.

There was a sign reading “Tunnel May Flood” but I had driven this road in worse weather and never had an issue. Besides, the tunnel was mostly underground. There wouldn’t be as much water in a tunnel with no way for rain to pour in.

There was. My car hit the water just quickly enough to get stuck, sending pillars of the foaming, hateful stuff soaring. I shifted into reverse, but the wheels dragged strangely, then the engine went silent.

I pushed with all my strength against the  door, but it wouldn’t open. The water was pressing too hard against it from the outside. I sat shivering for a minute, then realized I could get out through the window. I went to roll it down, but it didn’t respond.

The car had drifted further into the tunnel. The water was half way up the side of the car now, and the inside had started to fill up. I banged on the glass in frustration. The car suddenly went dark as the water rose past the windows. I could feel the malice.

I was running out of air. The car was fully submerged, and rolling even further into the tunnel. Something brushed up against my arm as I coughed through the water fighting its way into my lungs. It was the flowers, now a soggy mess.