Ascension

Chapter Three

((hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! and here is a picture of Lina😃))

It's funny how something that passes through so quickly can leave so much destruction in its wake.

I can hardly believe my eyes when we enter the noxious bubble that has consumed Green Rapids. Everything, everyone, and everywhere is coated in a thick layer of dust. The damage to the buildings is not nearly as bad as the damage to that old, dilapidated barn, but loose pieces of wood and stucco scatter the sides of the Main Road. Allison and I slowly walk down the road, still too stunned to say anything. All that we can do is stare; stare at the ghost town of a road that was just recently crowded and bustling with shoppers and street vendors.

There are only a few adults outside, stand outside their houses and coughing. Some of them are bent down, picking up pieces of litter, while others wipe the grimy windows of their homes with cloth in a desperate attempt to remove the dirt and dust that has fogged them over.

It's quite a depressing scene.

A torn STARLINE poster blows toward us, swirling around in the dry wind. I catch a glimpse of its stupid slogan before it blows past us, skidding along the sooty ground.

It is only when we finally reach the fork at end of the Main Road that I finally speak.

"I'm...I'm going to go home," I say quietly, my voice hoarse and scratchy.

"Same," Allison replies robotically.

I glance at her one last time, then begin to walk away, heading left towards my section of town.

My section of town.

The poor section of town.

Green Rapids is divided into two sections; Briar Hills (the wealthy side) and The Basin (the non-wealthy side). However, I don't really mind living in The Basin. There is a strong sense of harmony between the people, something that Allison says doesn't exist in Briar Hills.

"Hey, Lina?" Allison calls out behind me.

I stop in my tracks, turning around to face her.

"Everything's going to be okay. Your father's going to come home tonight, I know it," she says.

I nod, unable to find the right words to say, then turn back around and continue walking down the dirt road. It's a short walk from town to my house, and I arrive within a few minutes. To my relief, my house is still standing, along with all the houses around it. Honestly, I am surprised that it isn't in shambles. It's definitely not the finest-built structure in town.

I walk up the front steps, which creak and groan under my weight. One day, the steps are going to collapse. I just know it.

Just as I am about to reach my hand out to twist the knob, the door bursts open. I jump, nearly falling backward down the stairs.

"Oh my god, LINA! You're okay!" my mother cries.

Before I can say a word, she pulls me into a bear hug, squeezing me so tight that I can barely breathe. I can hear her crying and stand there awkwardly, my arms hung limply around her sides as she continues to squeeze me even tighter. If she doesn't let go soon, I think I'm going to suffocate. Finally, when I begin to cough, she lets go.

"When you didn't come home right after school, I was worried. And when that terrible dust storm blew through, I..I..."

My mother pauses, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I thought you were gone," she sobs.

My mother has always been a worrier. I don't blame her, though; I can't imagine how she feels every day, anxiously waiting for her husband to come home safe from the mine every night.