The Son's Desperation
The son's hands trembled as he grabbed a nearby crowbar, the room's tension thickening with each passing second. Maria's protests were a maddening buzz in his ears, but he couldn't stop now.
"No! You can't do this!" Maria's voice cracked, her hands clawing at his shoulders. "He's not in there! It's too dangerous!"
The mourners watched in stunned silence, their faces a mix of confusion and fear. Some stepped back, others looked away, unable to bear the scene unfolding before them.
The son's eyes were fixed on the coffin, his mind racing. He had to save his father, no matter the cost.
With a grunt, he wedged the crowbar under the lid, feeling the resistance give a little. The sound of metal scraping against wood echoed through the hall.
"Please, listen to me!" Maria's voice was a desperate plea, her composure fracturing by the second. "It's not just a disease, it's—"
The son ignored her, his muscles straining as he applied more force. The lid groaned, a thin crack forming along its edge.
The mourners shifted uneasily, whispering among themselves. A few tried to intervene, but the son's determination was unyielding.
He could feel the weight of time pressing down on him, every second a race against the unknown.
"I don't care!" he shouted, his voice breaking. "I have to see him!"
The crowbar slipped, and he fell to his knees, but he didn't give up. He found the leverage again, and this time, the lid gave a little more.
Maria's eyes grew wide, her face pale with fear. "You're going to kill him!" she screamed, her words a desperate attempt to stop him.
The son's heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. He knew he was running out of time.
With one final, desperate effort, he pushed the crowbar deeper, the lid creaking and groaning as it began to lift.
Maria's Desperation
Maria's eyes widened in horror as the lid of the coffin began to lift. She stumbled backward, her words coming in a frantic rush.
"He always believed in the most absurd things!" she cried, her voice trembling. "He demanded to be buried alive to prove a point about the afterlife!"
The son froze for a moment, his mind reeling from the revelation. His father, the man he knew, would never have agreed to such a dangerous and irrational act. But the doubt only fueled his resolve.
"That's a lie!" he shouted, his voice breaking. "You're the one who trapped him!"
Maria's eyes flashed with a mixture of desperation and fury. "It was his choice! He was always so paranoid, so convinced of his own delusions!"
The son's hands tightened around the crowbar, his eyes never leaving the coffin. He knew he had to keep going, no matter what Maria said.
"I don't believe you!" he snarled, his voice filled with a newfound determination.
Maria's face twisted in a final, desperate act. She lunged for a nearby vase, her hands shaking as she gripped it tightly.
"Stay back!" she shouted, her eyes wild with desperation. "Or I'll—"
The son didn't hesitate. He charged forward, the crowbar still in his hand, ready to break through any barrier that stood between him and his father.
Maria, her eyes wild, raised the vase, her last line of defense. The room held its breath, the tension reaching a boiling point.
The lid finally gives way
My fingers slipped on the steel pry bar, the metal biting into the wood as the lid groaned.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd, the murmurs turning into a stunned silence.
“No, stop!” Maria shrieked, her voice cracking like glass.
I ignored her, hammering harder until a thin crack split the darkness.
Through the fissure, a thin ribbon of stale air escaped, carrying the faint, desperate sound of my father's ragged breathing.
The mourners stepped forward, eyes wide, some clutching their rosaries, others whispering in disbelief.
“He’s alive,” I whispered, half to myself, half to the room.
Maria’s composure shattered; she stumbled back, eyes darting for an exit.
“You can’t—” she started, but the crowd formed a wall around her, hands gripping her arms.
A man in a suit shouted, “You’re not going anywhere, Maria.”
She tried to wrench free, but the weight of dozens of shocked witnesses held her fast.
“What have you done?” a voice cried, trembling with a mix of fear and fury.
