Pompeii

Chapter 11

Warning:  THIS CHAPTER WILL MESS WITH YOUR EMOTIONS!!! Read at your own risk...

After Pompeii

Life After Pompeii - Day 1:  6,000 people remained in Pompeii, after the city swept out from under us.  2,000 people were saved - myself included - 2...out of 6 - thousand. This left many survivors to grieve, mourn, suffer...and my life to darken.  I have lost my friend, my family, and most importantly...my great love. That evil, stone beast - known as ‘Mount Vesuvius’ - took everything I had from me, and many others.  Hot obsidian washed over the shaking city, and erased it off the map. All objects and memories of what was once a beautiful town, seemed as if they had washed away. A truly traumatic experience that has changed my life...forever.  I have returned from this to my home back in England where I found that my sick father has died, and my stepmother (the one who does not believe in falling for the lower class) ran off with the help/malevolent bodyguard...Mr. Dunn. Quite funny though; ain’t it?  That witch always tried to force me to marry someone rich because money was more important; but now here she is, running off with a poor, strong, but enslaved worker! Ha...I had once planned to do something rebellious like this as well; but now here I am...alone!  Mount Vesuvius ripped absolutely everything from me, and has now left me with nothing but struggle. Debris collapsed and crushed my close friend, Tommy, my family was driven off, and worst of all...poisonous toxins suffocated the man that I love to death...John. The morn of yesterday, a last rescue ship had come to save those left behind.  John and I planned to exit from where we had camped out overnight, and catch this ship; along with many other groups of survivors. We honestly thought that we would have everything after this! A life, a house, a marriage, and a family...but little did we know that those would be our final moments together.  The split seconds where we tried to get from point A to point B.  As us and others traveled across the melted streets, the ground that was below us started to shake; as it had done so many times before.  We were all frozen, expecting to see another fiery geyser shoot out from that damn volcano once more, but instead, something else came from it...a gaseous, foggy smoke.  All of us stopped to watch as the scene unfolded, and tried to examine what the gas might do next. It then began to approach the people that were too intrigued to move. They honestly thought nothing of the thick clouds that were after them.  A man that I had recognized from a Roman tent, then extended out his arm to touch the fog that was less than a yard from his fingertips. As soon as it reached his hand, the man collapsed to the ground...dead. The smoke moved along, from one victim to the next, and continued to wash over other crowds of pedestrians, leaving them all to drop like flies.  John, me and the others that were furthest from the gas, began to hustle. John grabbed me by the arm and rushed us along as fast as he could; hoping we could outrun the transparent poison...but closer and closer it came. There was no escaping it. As we moved forward, there was a pregnant woman in front of us that struggled to run. Soon enough, she fell to the ground, where John dashed to help her.  I stood there watching as he struggled to lift her back up; then turned to see how far away we were from the rescue ship. It wasn't too big of a distance. The boat was within my eyeline which meant that we were close. Suddenly, I felt jolting hands to my back. They followed along with the screaming words of, “Emma get out of the way!” as I fell to the dirt. I then realized that it was John trying to push me to safety!  I crawled along, hoping that he was right behind me, and moved urgently to find a haven. It was a true race against time! The gaseous mass was only feet away from the tips of my toes. Finally, there was the sight of a cave that had formed from fallen debris. I made my way in, covered my face with my red palla, hid behind a rock, and looked over to watch as the toxins passed. A fast rush of smoke urged through before me.  As it flashed, my life seemed as if it was as well. As scared as I was though, I did have truly lucky end! The poison did not touch nor grasp my life. After it had eventually disappeared, I rushed back out (my face still covered) to find John...whom unfortunately was not at my side. Within moments, my eyes caught him; twitching and suffering with pain. He was too unstable to stand, so I had to grab his ankles, and drag him to where I had just hidden.  As I did this, so many lifeless bodies coated the ground before me. Only very few were still living, but most that were, struggled to crawl away. I finally made it back to the cave. I sat on the ground, and rested John's head on my lap. My fingers brushed through his dark brown hair as they had so many times before, and my eyes gazed upon his dopey blue ones that I had loved so much. I tried to tell John that everything would be ok, but he wouldn't have it.  For John was smart...he knew that his 22 year life was now coming to end. He told me that he was dying...that he knew he was dying...but it was all ok. He said that he wasn't scared, and that I had no reason to be either. But I couldn't help but sob. John snapped at me in response. He told me not to let his last glimpse of my face be teared. He then put his hand in mine, and with every last breath, with every trembling lip...he spoke the words of beauty and wisdom.  The ones that shall forever ring in my head like golden bells are his last: “Promise me Emma...promise me that you will always keep me in your heart.” Once finished being spoken, John's head turned towards the stone sky above him. His eyes remained...lifeless. The hand that was in mine, loosened its grasp. I looked to my love to find that he was officially dead. In that split second, everything that I had thought I knew...vanished. I wanted to just give up, and die with him; but I had to move on, and make it out of Pompeii alive.  I struggled to lift my hand and brush my fingers over John’s eyes to close them. I then held his head in my arms and pressed my lips to his once more. I sealed the ending of our love with one everlasting kiss. I echoed back the promise his last words spoke, “You are always in my heart, John...You are always in my heart.” I then stood up, began to walk away...but then turned back to take one last look at the man who had saved me in every way that was possible. All I could think about with that final glimpse was ‘John loved me so much, that he was willing to risk his life for mine...and I must now go on and pursue the gift that he has given me.’  The steps that I then took to get to that rescue ship, were my hardest. I felt like a toddler just learning how to walk all over again. But once I was finally on that boat deck, gazing upon the clear morning sky, it eventually crossed my mind that I was a survivor! Everything seemed so clear...like the thought had washed everything away. Just like I had felt the first time I looked into John's eyes. Though he may be dead, that man shall remain in my memory and heart forever. And as I now look down on the ring that he had given me, I now see the true meaning and connection of the engraved words, “Keep In Thy Heart.” As I read those words, it was clear of what I must do to honor John Gray.  I made my way over to the sheet where survivors were to sign their names. I then grabbed the feather pen, dipped it in the ink, and put down a signature so big it could be seen from a mile away. I put down the name ‘Emma Gray.’ I then stepped back, looked at that name, and thought ‘I can do this!’