It was still dark when I opened my eyes. The sound of bombs and gunfire in the distance woke me up. I lay there, listening to the sounds of screaming and gunfire and warfare; the sounds of the night of this new world. I have never felt such a sense of fear in my life. Nothing scared me more than the unknown. Not knowing what happened to the world I once knew. Not knowing what happened to my wife and daughter. Not knowing what happened to me.
I looked around and saw that the sun was about to break on the distant horizon. Reggie was already up, reading a book with a flashlight. I couldn't tell what book he was reading. I tried to quietly get up but Reggie noticed.
"You're up early," he said mildly without looking up from his book.
"Yeah, the sounds woke me," I said a little groggily.
"Those sounds keep me up every night. I got up some clothes for you. They're folded up in the corner."
I looked and saw some clothes folded neatly on the corner of the tent. I went over bent down and picked them up. There were boxers, socks, an old torn up pair of sneakers, a white undershirt, and a black overcoat. I changed into them and went over to Reggie. I could now see he was reading a Bible. I never read the Bible that much, only when I had to at church. Madeline had always tried to get me to read more, but I never did. Before I could say anything to Reggie, he had already started.
"'He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, or the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you'." He looked up from the Bible and straight into my eyes and said, "Psalm 91, verses 1 through 7."
He closed the Bible and looked down at the ground. "This is the only thing that gives me hope in this world without hope, in this hell that we live in. You can't trust anybody. It's all I've got left."
A bomb went off close to where we were. The ground shattered and the metal tools clattered against the table. Reggie stood up. "We've got to go. We've got to go now." He went and began to pack the tools in a backpack. Fear began to crawl up my skin.
"What's going on?" I asked, my voice breaking.
"They're here," he replied, fear in his eyes.
"Who's here-!" Another bomb, even closer, almost knocked Reggie and I to the ground.
"Go. Go!"
Reggie pushed me out of the tent, I started running, Reggie right behind me, dragging a little bit due to the backpack in his hands. Gun shots now ripped the morning air, screaming as they passed inches by my ear. I couldn't see the where the shots came from and frankly I didn't care. At this moment I just wanted to live. I wanted to go home, see my wife Madeline, my daughter Julia. I wanted to wake up in bed, finding this to be a bad dream. I wanted to go back to 2003, White Plains, New York. I wanted to wake up… About 20 yards ahead was an old abandoned car parked next to an alley. I knew it was our only chance. I ran as fast as I could towards the car. I reached the car, hid behind the tire for cover and looked back. I saw Reggie coming, right there about to reach me when he let out a scream and fell to the ground, the backpack lying between him and me. Reggie had been shot in the back near the neck, blood oozing onto his shirt. I grabbed the backpack and hid back behind the tire. I couldn't help Reggie, lying five feet next to me, unprotected. Gun shots hit the dirt inches from the car, clouds of dust climbing up from the dead earth. He looked and me and weakly, gasping for breath, mouthed the word "Go".
I didn't have time to think. Everything was happening so fast. I got up and ran as fast as I could towards the alley. I kept running, my heart beating like a timpani. I didn't have time to think, time to react. The scene seemed to last forever but it probably only lasted minutes or even seconds. I kept running, jumping fences, turning corners, opening doors and climbing windows until I finally thought that I was safe. I sat inside what was left of a small building, fresh out of breath, backpack clutched tightly to my chest in my white knuckles.
That was the last time I ever saw Reggie Mason.
A few hours, I was still sitting in the small building, in silence. The only sounds that could be heard were a couple of small fires out on the street and the wind blowing outside. The blistering noon day sun shined down on this barren wasteland. I stayed inside in the shade, huddled in a corner. I had never felt so alone in my life.
I stared at the backpack that was on the floor next to me. It was a navy blue, cheap backpack. I put it on my lap and opened it. I looked inside and saw the metal tools. There was some alcohol, a couple of cotton balls, and some bandages. There was also the Bible that Reggie was reading. I pulled it out and looked at the torn cover and opened up to the first page carefully, trying to prevent from ripping it. On the inside of the cover was a picture of Michelle, Reggie's wife; the same woman she saw when he touched me. She was beautiful. She reminded me of Madeline.
Hot tears began to roll down my cheeks. How could I have betrayed her the way I did? How could I have cheated on someone so beautiful? I hated myself for what I did. I was so ungrateful for what I had. I didn't realize what I had. I was blessed and I took it all for granted. I thought this must be God's punishment for what I had done. This is my sentence. My eyes dried up as tears continued to flow relentlessly down my face. I put the Bible in one of my pockets. Clouds began to form in the sky and covered the sun, turning everything into a dullish gray. The rain began to fall from the heavens.
I watched the rain fall from the heavens tothe dead earth.