A Tale of a Guardian

A blue Prius hybrid crawls into its assigned parking spot stopping as far away as possible from the deranged woman in the tattered pajamas who sits on its curb. The engine cuts off, and the driver side door shuts quietly as the mousy, pony-tailed driver approaches the woman cautiously.

“Lilah?” She coos like one would to a wounded, corner animal.

Delilah raises her head towards her assistant, Esther, but doesn’t really seeing her.  Her eyes are too glazed over in a mixture of grief and disbelief.

Esther crouches down in front of Delilah, slightly leaning on the grill of the car.

“Lilah, what are you doing here?” She asks worriedly, her eyes surveying Delilah for injures.

Delilah’s head cocks to the side like a bird at the sound of Esther’s voice.

“I need to get into the lab.” Delilah says as if her mind is far away.

“Lilah, you shouldn’t be at work right now.” She whispers gently laying her hands on Delilah’s shoulders. “Zac told me about the damage. I thought…” She chokes on a sob before embracing the vacant Delilah.  “I thought you were gone, Lilah.” She cries.

Delilah pushes Esther away.

“Zac?” She asks, a spark of awareness finally reaching her eyes.

“Yes. Zac, my husband. The fire captain.” Esther states deliberately, even more concerned for her ever-mindful friend.

Esther slides her hands down to Delilah’s elbow and guides her to stand.

“Lilah, let’s get you to the hospital.” She beseeches leading her friend to the passenger side of the car.

Delilah shakes Esther off violently making the mousy woman stumble and fall onto the curb.

“I need to get into the lab.” Delilah shouts as anger overpowers her sorrow.

The ground trembles and the wind squalls making Delilah’s hair to whip across her face. Rage fogs up her eyes as she starts to shakes uncontrollably. Fighting for control, she crumbles to the pavement like a rag doll. Everything stop. The ground stills. The wind dies. The only thing that remains is Delilah’s haggard breath.

Esther stares at Delilah in disbelief, her scientific brain trying to find another explanation for the drastic weather but not finding any.

Delilah stares over at Esther like a lost child to a new home.

“Please,” is all she says but the pain in her eyes speaks volumes to Esther’s soul.

Pushing herself up, Esther strides slowly to Delilah and extends her hand. Delilah reaches up and grabs the outstretched hand. With Esther help, Delilah stands.

“Ok.” Esther says sternly. “But then the hospital.”

Delilah chuckles to herself.

“After all this is over, you'll understand how unnecessary hospitals are.”

The two women approach the building entrance. Esther fishes out her employee badges from her pocket and passes it over the sensor beside the double paned glass door. The lock clicks loudly, and both women reach for the door at the same time. They pause until Esther pulls back her hand letting Delilah open the door. Delilah gestures with her free for Esther to enter and follows her inside.

As they walk down hall towards the elevators, Esther glances at her friend, who is slowly appearing in this stranger beside her. She examines Delilah closely seeing the scorch marks on her skin, the singes in her clothes, and that her feet are bare.

“How'd you get here like that?” She asks with forced indifference.

Delilah looks down at her disheveled state as if seeing it for the first time.

“My own form of transportation.” Delilah shrugs.

Esther halts to stare while Delilah keeps walking.

“But your car isn’t here.” She thumbs back to the entrance doors in confusion.

Delilah stops and pivots to meet Esther’s stare.

“Exactly.” She replies in seriousness.

Huffing out her frustration at Delilah’s cryptic response, Esther takes off to the elevators without another word. Delilah follows with an expression of conflicting emotions on her brow.

Esther jabs the up button for the elevator. She crosses her arms and waits in silence as Delilah strides up beside her.

“I’m sorry.” Delilah whispers. “I'm not myself.”

Esther jerks around to face Delilah.

“No shit.” She expels. “What happened to you?”

Delilah gapes at the floor as the sorrow washes back over her face.

“Joshua…” She squeezes out before she starts to weep.

Realization finally hits Esther as she watches her friend break down.

“He didn’t…” She stops, not wanting to say the words that would make reality that much more real.

All Delilah can do is nod that he truly is gone before launching into her friends arms for comfort.

After what felt like hours of silent mourning, the two women part with a shared understanding in their eyes. Delilah taps the up button to recall the elevator. It dings. The doors open, and the women get in. Esther reaches for the button next to three but Delilah stops her.

“We are going to the seventh floor.” She states with fierce clarity.

Esther stares at her in confusion.

“But that floor is restricted.” She relies. “It houses the bio-terrorism sector.”

Delilah glares straight ahead staring at her distorted reflection in the silvery elevator door.

“Exactly.”