Free Amanda's Story by Brian O'Grady

here to die.”
    â€œTela had a mandatory evacuation. There should only be military and rescue personnel in the entire town.” After Hurricane Mitch destroyed nearly half the country in 1998, Hondurans developed a near-religious zeal for hurricane preparedness. “I can’t believe that there are more than a few hundred left in town.” Luis scanned the shoreline with his binoculars.
    â€œDad,” Jorge said, a moment before a sharp crack. “Dad, get down!” Both men dropped into the well of the boat as something pinged off of the boat’s tower. A second sharp crack followed almost immediately. A third was almost lost to the sound of the two engines as Jorge steered the boat from under cover out into the open ocean. After two minutes with the throttle wide open, he slowed the boat and hazarded a quick look. “Okay, we’re out of range.” He was breathless from the excitement. “I’m going to try the marine radio. Maybe the Tela harbormaster knows what’s going on.” He flipped open the watertight console and turned up the volume. He was greeted with static.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Luis asked.
    â€œNothing. I was tuned to the Maderas harbormaster, and I have to find the correct channel for Tela.” He slowly turned the dial, resisting for the moment tuning directly to the emergency channel. “This is Whale Shark One out of Isla Maderas trying to reach Tela harbormaster.” He repeated the message three times on three different channels.
    â€œAre you sure Tela has a harbormaster? They really don’t have much of a harbor.” Luis knew next to nothing about boats, fishing, or harbormasters. He was strictly a landlubber. Jorge, on the other hand, ran a successful dive and fishing charter service and was on the water almost every day.
    â€œHe’s not really a harbormaster; he manages the dock and relays search and rescue messages. I met the guy a few times and he takes his job very seriously. I doubt this guy would have evacuated, voluntarily or not.” He tried a fourth and then a fifth channel before a voice answered.
    â€œHave you come to rescue us?” asked the voice of a frightened woman.
    â€œI am trying to reach the harbormaster,” Jorge answered. He turned to his father and they shared a look of confusion.
    â€œAre you here to rescue us?” Her scream was so angry and wretched that Jorge answered without thinking.
    â€œYes, we can rescue you. Where are you?”
    â€œI’m in my house.” Frustration caused each of her words to become successively louder.
    â€œWe are trying to reach the harbormaster. Do you know where he is?” Jorge asked, hoping for a more lucid response.
    â€œHe’s DEAD!” She screamed. “He had to go out and now he’s dead.” Her wailing was cut short by Jorge.
    â€œOkay, calm down.” He waited for her to stop crying, but it took several seconds and two more reassurances from Jorge that they were here to help before she allowed him to continue. “All right, can you tell us what’s happening?”
    â€œWhat’s happening is that my husband is dead and there are people outside with guns shooting everything that moves.” She was back to screaming now, and her words were starting to slur together. Both Jorge and Luis needed a moment to understand exactly what she had said.
    â€œAre the police there, or the military?”
    â€œThey’re the ones with the guns.” She began to curse him for his lack of intelligence and breeding. Jorge and his father listened quietly, waiting for an opening.
    Luis took the microphone from his son’s hand. “Can you get to the dock?”
    â€œYes,” she said after a long second, her anger now exhausted. “I think so. What should I bring?”
    The two men shared a confused look. “Nothing. How long will it take you?”
    â€œI’ll have to wait for the bus.”