Sisters of Mercy Convent
Front lawn
August 2005
The next morning I hesitated at the edge of the pale ruins of the convent, where the strong smell of smoke clung stubbornly to the air. The charred rafters, relics of the fire's fury, stretched out like skeletal fingers, and gray clouds hovered above. I let out a breath, and the image of the fire danced in my head, reminding me of the glowing embers that burned the Cathedral. With Sinéad inside.
"Why?" I whispered, my voice barely above the rustle of the wind. "Why did it have to end like this?"
The soft crunch of gravel beneath my bare feet shattered the silence as I turned away from the ruins. In a damming contrast to the devastation behind me, the sky above was a pale blue, big and inviting. The remnants of the rose garden and the gate lay in the distance, a haunting reminder of what once was.
Time to move on.
Where would I go? I have no idea. But I just started walking until I found the main road.
The sun was now shining, casting long shadows on the cracked asphalt as I stood by the roadside. The world around me pulsed with the sound of cicadas, their incessant buzz filling the air. I squinted against the light, scanning for any sign of a car that might stop.
"Come on." I muttered, shifting weight from one foot to the other. "Just one car."
A rusty pickup truck rumbled into view. My heart quickened. The driver slowed but then shook his head and sped past, the wind from his tires kicking up dust and gravel.
"Ugh!" I groaned, running a hand through my tangled dark hair. "Why is this so hard? I turned my back from the road for just a second, when I heard someone pull up.
"Need a ride?" A scraggly middle aged man in a Sedan asked.
"Yeah, get me the hell out of here!"
"Where to?"
"Anywhere."
"Well I'm on my way to the Appalachian mountains?"
"That sounds great."
"Names Tom.."
"Sheva." I introduced.
