Beauty in the ashes

“It wasn’t supposed to end like this!” I thought in despair. Currently in a hole, trembling, scared and hopeless, as the onslaught of violent energy rocked the earth silly. This continued with the heart wrenching, ear-splitting screams of poor souls giving out their dying breath.

Let’s backtrack to the beginning,40 minutes prior. 

I was on a camping trip with my dad, wrapped in a honey-colored sleeping bag that was situated in a green outdoor camping tent, pretty much in a desert-like place.

“Everything is packed except your sleeping bag and this tent then we’re ready to go”, I heard distantly, like from a faraway land.

‘Ready to go’ I thought waking up, ‘you have got to be kidding me.’

I sat up and saw that everything was cleaned up. Not even my belongings were in the tent anymore.

‘It seemed like he was up a long time ago’, I thought, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

‘ I wonder why he never woke me earlier to get ready’

 Dad was dressed in his blue flannel shirt and grey cargo pants.

“Dad-”

“Your tea is on the top of the car, let me finish up here so we can get a move on.”, he said folding up the sleeping bag, which I just left moments ago.

“ If you don’t move faster than this”, He continued, “You will definitely miss breakfast, probably only left to catch up on having lunch.

 ‘Just because of his gut, I’ll be stuck in my t-shirt and sweatpants now’

Moodily, I  put my shoes on then went off to drink tea, still not believing that dad would allow this to happen to me.

20 minutes in and halfway through the destination, the air is charged with an apprehensive tension. Just minutes after leaving the camp sight in Dwarf Town, I was shocked to see a wild man picture of the story of Noah and the ark. It seemed that something worst than a flood was just over the horizon. Animals of all kinds were heading south. Blackbirds swarmed the skies with loud wails, strangely followed by the screams of goats, crazy dogs, wild cows, and even horses.

“If you had listened to me we wouldn’t have been in this predicament!”,I said furiously.

Immediately after turning the corner out of the campsite, we were stopped by the animals on the main road. We weren’t able to head out. My Father thought they had finished running off so he quickly made a dash into the sea of animals. It was obviously a very bad mistake and now we had to pay for it.

‘The car isn’t slowing down’

Why isn’t the car slowing down?’, 

I hurriedly put my seatbelt on as the car moved faster by the second.

The tires made some crazy squealing sounds as the car drifted in, around and out of animals way. It was like drift car racing but this time being in immediate danger, like ensuring that a car doesn't run off a cliff. The worst part about this situation is that Dad caused other people to follow his ‘mad driving skills’ so he has to ensure that he doesn’t hit any car in this darn crisis too.

“Put on a seatbelt will you!”, I shouted fearing for our lives.

“Shut up boy, we need to get home fast”, He said with a wrinkle on his forehead, “If our phones were charged, we would have been able to call them. Your Mom and Sheri. What if something bad happens to them?”

“Then I hope that all is well with them, to me we are the ones that are in a critical danger right now.”, I said trying to force my fears down a bit.

‘What if I do have something to worry about?’

Suddenly, I almost found myself flying through the windshield, Thank God I had on the seat belt.

‘Why did he use the emergency break?’

Before I asked the question, I felt it. 

Whatever hit the earth have caused everything to shake with vicious energy. I felt the vibration shoot from the edge of my toe to the fiber of my hair.

Dad only had a little scratch on his face.

“We need to get o-” 

There was noise everywhere. I couldn’t figure what he was trying to tell me and before any of us could say anything, I blacked out with the distinct sound of my Father’s voice screaming loudly.

I woke up feeling numb and disordered. I didn’t know where I was or how I got in this suffocating situation. Like a rocket, memories came flooding back. A scream. We must have gotten hit. I unclipped the seatbelt then crashed on my face. I felt loud ringing in my ears with black dots all over my peripheral vision. 

“Dad! Dad!”, my calls died out when I saw the condition he was in. He looked like a broken doll, worst than the wheelchair guy in 'Family Guy’

“Son”, he wheezed, choking on his own blood, It was hard to look at him like this but I held on to him, listening to his dying words, “I love you, please live for your dad’

I choked on my own sob. Before I could even say anything, he took his last breath.

He felt so cold.

No.

This can’t be happening.

“I love you too dad!”,I cried out, “don’t leave me!”

I couldn’t understand why people weren’t coming to our rescue. I wanted to die right here.

‘Live for me’ the voice whispered.

I checked his pulse, did CPR, everything but still nothing. He was gone and I was never even able to let him know that I loved him.

‘Live for me’

I used my feet to make a bigger crack in the glass and crawled out, just realizing the chaos surrounding me. Alarms were going off non-stop, cars were flipped over, people were screaming for help. I was about to help an old lady leave a car, but I saw a huge fireball in the sky, seemingly aiming for me. I ran away into the direction of a huge hole where loads of trees used to be.

Everywhere shook with the impact.

“It wasn’t supposed to end like this”, I kept repeating like a mantra, curling myself on the hard pavement of the earth, keeping the sounds from penetrating my ears.

‘Silence’

I have to get home fast. Before I left the hole, I saw what looked like a meteorite 50 inches from where I was at. This explains it all.

‘Could Mom and Sissy be dead because of this?’ 

The vision of their dead bodies sprawled across the ground gave me the boost to run with all my might the whole journey home.

Upon seeing a crumbling green shop, I started to doubt that they were even alive. I didn’t even think about food, My family was more important to me. It had been an hour of running and I wasn’t planning on quitting now. After only 5 minutes of running, my body was thrown back by a huge ass explosion which caused me to hit the ground hard.

‘Live for me’ 

Opening my eyes, black dots clouded my vision. I could barely lift myself up. I needed to fight for life even if I die trying. I crawled up on my hands and my knees smiling. My dad was right. Sometimes the will is stronger than the weakness of the flesh.

I watched billows of smoke whiskering in the sky. They are gone too.

“God, what am I still living for!”, I shouted

Why should I live when everybody else is dead?

I shouted and screamed and cried till my body felt drained and empty. 

I tried standing up, but I fell back down on my hands and knees. I had nothing to live for anymore.

‘Hopeless’

‘yes’

‘This is what it feels like.’

My body collapsed like a deflated balloon.

Damn it my head hurts. God, why am I still alive.

“No moving!”

‘What!’

 ‘Am I in a hospital’ I tried to get up, but someone pushed at my chest to keep me down.

When I opened my eyes, I saw green orbs staring at me. It looked worried and I could hardly even fathom why.

“You're all fixed up for now, but you still need to rest”, she told me still resting her hands on me.

‘Fixed up for now’

“You’re not dead!”, I shouted stupidly frightening the poor girl.

She fell on her butt looking at me like I had two heads.

For some reason, I just smiled. 

“If you want to speak, I am all ears?”, I said not caring if I had offended her?

“I’m glad you’re alive. I only heard my dad saying run, run as fast as you can.”

Tears rolled down her eyes as she recalled what had happened to her.

“I ran away from the people I loved. I wanted to die with him!”, she suddenly shouted.

Red puffy eyes, ragged blouse, twisted skirts…………., and medical supplies?

Anyway, I felt like I owed it to her to tell my story too. I recounted all the events that happened over the past two or so hours. It really felt refreshing to tell her everything.

“Well, I rocked my brain to change the subject, “My name is Tom, what’s yours?”

“Kacy”, she said wiping her tears.

I smiled, grateful that  I am alive because of her.

‘Live for me’

‘And my dad’ 

“I’m hungry”, I say as I remembered that I still had an empty stomach.

“We can get something from that broken shop out yonder. But before that….”, she broke off looking almost shy. She was still in the dirt looking at me strangely. I rested my head back in the dirt, not sure of anything.

Suddenly a shock of pain engulfed me as she wrapped her arms around me.

I could only smile through the pain

“I’m so sorry”, she said, remembering my injuries which she already knew of since..looking at the medical supplies, since she nursed my wounds.

I dragged her back to me, not wanting her to let go. This just felt comforting to me.

 I wound my own arms around her and held her close to me. Surprisingly, she never backed away, I guess she felt the same way too.

Whoever she is, wherever she came from, since she found me, fixed me up, I will always love her till the end of time.

Though dirty, smelly, incredibly hungry, I was enjoying her company and I knew she was enjoying mine.

I guess I was given a second chance of life. Thank God that we are both still alive. Other people could be alive too, but who cares. I’m happy now and I know I will be later on and for the rest of my life. I am no longer alone. The saying is true. There is beauty in the ashes.