The Smog Storm (Discontinued)

Chapter Three

I walked timidly down the street, trying not to walk into anything. While it wasn't as bad as my apartment building, it didn't exactly make walking very easy. It was like a cloudy day with very dark, fog, mist stuff making it hard to see ten feet in front of you.

I still kept the shirt over my nose as I hobbled downtown, hoping against hope that I would find another survivor of this doomsday scenario. I didn't have to walk miles or anything like that to reach downtown because I lived somewhat close to it. Still my feet were sore and I was wary by the time I made it to my destination.

That's when I noticed the screaming and sounds of car alarms going off. As I walked further into the city I had grown up in, the sounds became louder. They really tore at my heartstrings because they were sounds of terror, misery and utter devastation. I had to choke back a sob of my own just listening to it.

Dear Lord, what is happening, I thought to myself.

I was reluctant to go further, but knew that I needed to find help, if any existed in the world of destruction that transformed something I used to love. I kept walking not sure exactly where I was going, I just knew there had to be someone who could help me.

All of a sudden I stumbled into an alleyway with an un-graceful flourish. I put a hand on a brick wall to catch myself, but then got an unfortunate whiff of the alleyway. The stench of urine and trash drifted towards me and it nearly singed my nose hairs, it was so bad. I gagged on the repulsive scent, but my shirt muffled the sound.

I looked up, only to come face to face with three hooded guys. The smog made it hard to make out anything distinguishable or specific detail of the men. The only thing I could make out was that they were men, hooded and were much bigger than me. At first I was glad that I had found people that weren't dead, but then it registered in my mind that these weren't the kind of people you'd want to meet on a normal day.

Of all the people to run into, it just had to be hooded guys in a dark, smelly, alley, I thought to myself with distaste. It's official, I have crappy luck!

"What do we have here?" One of the men sneered. His voice sounded as if rusty nails and concrete had a baby. It was not a pleasant sound to listen to say the least.

"Looks like a lost little girl,"another commented. I was pretty sure this one had quite the goatee.

Lost little girl? I'm 22, not 10. Also that's the cleverest thing you could come up with? I thought.

"Why don't we show her the way," the man with the goatee joked. The last man nodded his head and they all started to move closer.

That's it, I am so out of here, I thought with vehemence.

At that point I had already started to slowly back up. I might have been perceived as a good-girl, but even I wasn't naive enough to think that these men had any intentions of helping me. One of them lunged forward to grab me, but quick as a bullet I took off around the corner.

I heard them yell at me to stop as well as the sound of feet hitting the pavement, behind me. My lungs ached, not only from the running but from the smog itself. I kept going because I knew if they caught me, it would be horrific. It wasn't easy to see where I was going and I was quickly running out of energy.

I knew I couldn't keep it up forever and it sounded like they were hot on my tail. I need to loose them, I thought. Just like in the movies. I saw an alley coming up between what once was a restaurant and a laundry mat. Okay the alleys either going to be a dead end or my ticket to freedom, I thought.

Taking a chance, I swung around the corner of the laundry mat, into the alley. This alley didn't smell to good either, with the stench of rotting vegetables in the air coming from the dumpster. If you looked on the positive though, if you stayed to the right you could detect the faint scent of laundry detergent coming from the laundry mat.

I still heard the men chasing behind me and sent up a quick prayer that this alley didn't lead to a dead end. I kept running, trying to avoid as much garbage as possible and still stay ahead of the hooded guys. My feet hurt like they were broken and at that point it wouldn't surprise me if they were. I reached the end of the alley which led to a tall fence.

I didn't bother slowing down to see if the fence was open or not I just climbed as fast as I could possibly go. The fence rattled as I climbed and even though I swore my lungs were going to burst and my feet fall off, I kept going. Once I got to the top of the fence I just jumped down, more worried about escape than a possible injury.

Thunk! I landed on the ground and a racing pain shot up my ankle, but I ignored it. I continued forward even though I was slightly limping. I turned a corner and then another corner. I did this for ten solid minutes just to make sure I had lost those scumbags. It was there after I had made my 7th turn that I came across an old women crying.

They were pitiful sobs that broke my heart in half. I rushed forward to help her.

"Mame, or you okay?" I asked "Do you need help?" She looked up at me and the look of utter devastation broke my heart further if that was even possible.

"Nobody can help me. Nobody can help us. Can't you see what's happening? God is punishing us for our sins!" The older women exclaimed.

Is she crazy? I thought for a panicked second.

I was prepared to sprint away if necessary, but then remembered that almost everyone was dead and some people were probably looking for a scapegoat. This women must have been religious and this was probably the only answer her grief filled mind could come up with. I sat down beside her and took her wrinkled hand in my own.

She looked me in the eyes and it was if a part of her understood me. Knew me even. She lifted up the sleeve of her blouse and took off a necklace that was wrapped around her wrist. On closer inspection I could see that it was beaded with a cross on it.

She handed it to me and said gently: "I have to have hope that the Lord has a plan for us and I apologize for thinking He had abandoned us. We have to have faith in what God has chosen for us. So go and flee from this cursed city. May the Lord guide you."

I wobbly stood up and looked down at the necklace. I believed in God, but I didn't go to church, nor was I particularly religious. It was a hazy memory, but I could've sworn that a Catholic friend told me when I was little, that the necklace was called a rosary. I wrapped it around my wrist like the women had done, then glanced down at her.

"So what do I do now?" I questioned.

She looked up at me sadly and said quietly: "Try to Survive."

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Thanks to my readers for being awesome! Hope you enjoy this chapter. I apologize in advance for any mistakes you may find. Also sorry if this book is dragging on and on. Remember this book did start off with no determinate direction. So please be patient. Don't forget to:

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