A continuation from Ch1. Again if you want quick and to the point this may not be for you.
Thanks again Redwings1202
Enjoy
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Carefully we all began to filter out of our cage. It felt nice to have the sun on my skin, but it hurt my eyes. Debris was scattered all around. It was spooky to look around and see and hear nothing moving. Mama was r weak and sick with a fever so she sat on the ground and looked around. It was cold...colder than normal for December in Georgia. Uncle John spoke and told everyone to gather wood for a fire and find a metal container for boiling water. The women started working on cleaning up the cellar. It was our only shelter. Firewood was gathered And enough water was pumped into an old cattle trough to let us bathe and wash clothes.
Relief.
I was up early the next morning and walked to the door, unsure if it was still safe outside. The early morning stars were beautiful. West of the farm, there was a strange colored lightning in the sky. Purple lightning. I'd never seen anything like it. To the east the sun was coming up and there was no glow from Macon's lights, just orange rays from the sun peeking up.
"Hey handsome, what are you doing up so early?"
Jess was beautiful in the early morning light.
"Just trying to get my mind in order. It's so quiet, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I was hoping the fire was still going so I could get in that tub of clean water for some alone time before everyone else got up. Care to wash my back?"
Was she kidding?
"Um. I don't know Jess. What if someone sees you naked and me there looking?"
"Ok, your loss."
I stood there peeking for at least fifteen minutes. God, she was beautiful. She gave a real show. Im sure she knew I was looking. Stretching her legs out of the water, she bathed them carefully , taking quick glances to see if I was still looking.
"Jess. C'mon and hurry up. That cloud looks like the poisonous ash and the storm is moving our way fast!."
January 2017
Mama was real sick. My cousin Michael and my sister Leslie were also sick. The fever was brutal. The ash clouds were always accompanied by storms and blew out in a day or two. We didn't know if was still poisonous, but didn't take any chances. The cold was so brutal it hurt to breathe. This was unlike anything we had ever experienced in Georgia. It reminded me of to the time I spent at a recruiting camp for Michigan State in February, 2015.
Leslie fell asleep and never woke up. She passed away in her sleep. Michael became unresponsive two days later and passed away that night. Mama and Aunt Linda were crushed, but Mama found the energy to visit the place where Uncle John and I buried them, a small spot by the creek that was flat. It was the prettiest spot on the whole property, especially in spring. Jess was inconsolable and leaned on me while Uncle John read from a bible we stashed in the cellar.
Mama came through her sickness but we had one more casualty. Three weeks after Michael and Leslie passed, Brannon fell gravely ill. It was quick and nearly painless. He passed away while Mama rubbed her hands through his hair, wet from fever and mamas tears. I couldn't muster the strength to bury my baby brother. Jess, Becky, Michelle, Stephanie and I were the only children left. As young adults, the disaster had us wasting away. We were scared and didn't know what the mysterious sickness was.
I took it upon myself to leave early the next morning and go to the Johnson farm, five miles down the road. I knew they had a storm cellar also but didn't know much else. As I was leaving, I was caught.
Stephanie heard me shut the door, probably already awake. She was quiet... the quietest one of all my aunt's kids. A beautiful woman, with auburn hair cut just so it fell on her shoulders. She was married to a Marine. He was a little abusive when he drank, but other than that, he was a nice guy. I'm sure there was more to the story, if she would talk. He was killed by an IED in Iraq.
She said she wouldn't let me go to the Johnson's alone, so we started the journey together. I left a note on the door, saying where we were going and why, and that we would be back before dark. It was a long miserable walk. January and February are Georgia's coldest months but this kind of cold was insane.
We arrived at where the Johnson farm was before noon and began looking for the entrance to their cellar.
"Owwww, RUSTY!"
I scrambled to find Stephanie on the ground, with her leg in a hole up to her calf. It wasn't broken, but was badly bruised.
"Well you found the ventilation shaft.." I laughed