with my eyes focused on my feet. We were quiet most of the way; Sara only asked a few questions about where we were going.
Just before dawn we made it to the burned out section of downtown. We stopped and stared at it for several minutes, Sara in awe of the destruction, and me reliving the horror of that fateful day. As the sun rose and its rays peeked around the buildings to the east of us, it cast a pinkish-orange glow in strips amongst the dark shadows of burned-out buildings. It reminded me of the first few nights after PF Day, when the aurora borealis made strange reflections on the dark buildings at night, although those buildings were now mere rubble for the most part. I could only watch it for a few minutes before I turned away. Sara noticed my distress and grabbed my hand, saying,
— C’mon. Let’s find a place to stay.
We headed toward a building at the edge of the destruction, one that had some fire damage on one side, but which was still mostly standing. We tried the front door of the building, but it was locked, so we went around back into the alley, looking for a back door. We found it. It looked like someone had tried to bash in the glass, as it was cracked like a spider web, but had not succeeded. They had been able, however, to break the lock and it hung off the frame, which had also been mangled. We entered cautiously. It was still quite dark, especially inside the hallway, and we had no idea what might be lurking inside. We made our way down the hallway, keeping our voices to a whisper, and quietly checking apartment doors to see if there were any that were unlocked. All on the first floor were locked, so we climbed the stairway at the end of the hall to the second floor and tried those doors, as well. It wasn’t until we got to the third floor that we found an unlocked door.
This door opened into a room that faced south toward the destroyed part of downtown. As soon as we opened the door, we knew that we could not stay in that room. Part of the outer wall had been burned and was crumbling away. A cold wind blew in the hole and several birds were perched on the edge singing to greet the morning sun. We closed the door quickly and turned our attention to the north side apartments instead. At the end of the hall, we found one unlocked and we entered it cautiously.
The room looked like nothing had happened to the building, although the faint smell of smoke still hung in the air. We moved around quietly, checking each room to see if anyone was there. After finding it completely empty, I locked the front door and began to explore more carefully. The apartment contained the typical furniture: sofa, easy chair, coffee table, and television stand in the living room, but with no TV—that must have been taken by the previous owner or looted; little kitchenette at the end of the living room with a breakfast bar and three stools, but no table; bed, dresser, and bedside table with no lamp in the single bedroom. There were a few pieces of clothing still hanging amongst the many empty wire hangers in the closet, but no food in the kitchenette.
The bedding on the bed smelled strongly of smoke, so Sara stripped it off and pulled a blanket from her duffle bag. She smoothed it out on the bed and threw herself on top of it, exhausted. I pulled another blanket out and covered her with it, as she murmured thanks. I made myself a cozy bed on the sofa with yet another blanket, which we had brought with us. I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the cushions.
Chapter 10
Getting Acquainted
I awoke later in the day just as th e setting sun shined through the west-facing living room windows of the apartment. Sara was already up, washing her face in the cold tap water that was, surprisingly, flowing through the building’s pipes. It had been so nice to have running water again after the power came back on at Whitley’s house, but I didn’t expect the water to be on in this partially burned out and
Just before dawn we made it to the burned out section of downtown. We stopped and stared at it for several minutes, Sara in awe of the destruction, and me reliving the horror of that fateful day. As the sun rose and its rays peeked around the buildings to the east of us, it cast a pinkish-orange glow in strips amongst the dark shadows of burned-out buildings. It reminded me of the first few nights after PF Day, when the aurora borealis made strange reflections on the dark buildings at night, although those buildings were now mere rubble for the most part. I could only watch it for a few minutes before I turned away. Sara noticed my distress and grabbed my hand, saying,
— C’mon. Let’s find a place to stay.
We headed toward a building at the edge of the destruction, one that had some fire damage on one side, but which was still mostly standing. We tried the front door of the building, but it was locked, so we went around back into the alley, looking for a back door. We found it. It looked like someone had tried to bash in the glass, as it was cracked like a spider web, but had not succeeded. They had been able, however, to break the lock and it hung off the frame, which had also been mangled. We entered cautiously. It was still quite dark, especially inside the hallway, and we had no idea what might be lurking inside. We made our way down the hallway, keeping our voices to a whisper, and quietly checking apartment doors to see if there were any that were unlocked. All on the first floor were locked, so we climbed the stairway at the end of the hall to the second floor and tried those doors, as well. It wasn’t until we got to the third floor that we found an unlocked door.
This door opened into a room that faced south toward the destroyed part of downtown. As soon as we opened the door, we knew that we could not stay in that room. Part of the outer wall had been burned and was crumbling away. A cold wind blew in the hole and several birds were perched on the edge singing to greet the morning sun. We closed the door quickly and turned our attention to the north side apartments instead. At the end of the hall, we found one unlocked and we entered it cautiously.
The room looked like nothing had happened to the building, although the faint smell of smoke still hung in the air. We moved around quietly, checking each room to see if anyone was there. After finding it completely empty, I locked the front door and began to explore more carefully. The apartment contained the typical furniture: sofa, easy chair, coffee table, and television stand in the living room, but with no TV—that must have been taken by the previous owner or looted; little kitchenette at the end of the living room with a breakfast bar and three stools, but no table; bed, dresser, and bedside table with no lamp in the single bedroom. There were a few pieces of clothing still hanging amongst the many empty wire hangers in the closet, but no food in the kitchenette.
The bedding on the bed smelled strongly of smoke, so Sara stripped it off and pulled a blanket from her duffle bag. She smoothed it out on the bed and threw herself on top of it, exhausted. I pulled another blanket out and covered her with it, as she murmured thanks. I made myself a cozy bed on the sofa with yet another blanket, which we had brought with us. I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the cushions.
Chapter 10
Getting Acquainted
I awoke later in the day just as th e setting sun shined through the west-facing living room windows of the apartment. Sara was already up, washing her face in the cold tap water that was, surprisingly, flowing through the building’s pipes. It had been so nice to have running water again after the power came back on at Whitley’s house, but I didn’t expect the water to be on in this partially burned out and
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