Clatter And Noise

The smoke has been getting thicker. I don't think this is the only place that  is burning. I took down the board over my window for the afternoon. I had a craving for sunlight, fresh air (I feel suffocated), and a look at the sunset. I sat back from my window, out of sight to anyone below, and stared East.

Slowly the sun arced toward the horizon. As the sky remained that dusky gray, I saw, coming from the South a black cloud. It climbed North, like a rolling wave, creeping over the desert.

Nothing it seems, happens like you see in the movies. It isn't just a solid black wall of smoke that engulfs you. It had at its forefront a powerful smell, like a stale barbecue mixed with burning tires. The sky then browned.

Then that haze I've been seeing between me, and the house across the street got thicker. After a few minutes, the sky dimmed. It blackened. The sun became red, and lost its potency. I felt a shiver. As that cloud descended the smells that cycled through the air went from worse to bad, back to worse, and at one moment - putrid.

It really makes me fear what is out there. As the smoke descended upon Cedar City we heard gunfire. It was on the outskirts (I think, it sounded far away). It was steady. Then it increased. Then there were two consecutive booms. I'm talking boom, like my walls vibrated, I heard something fall and break downstairs, Bethany shrieked.

There were four other booms. Small booms joined in.  Each reverberated off the walls, and through my chest.

"Martin?"
It was Beth.
"Come in." I said.
"What's going on? Where's that coming from?"
"Same place the smoke is coming from." I said.
Beth came to my side and hung on my arm. We watched the swirling darkness in the sky, the red sun sinking ever toward the East. We were surprised to see people emerge from their homes. Even though the air was putrid I saw more than one person take a deep breath.
Mr. Stewart was just in his socks. I could see his toes wiggle. I could feel their relief at being outside, and I could see the concern fall on their faces as they looked South.
"I wanna go outside." said Beth.
I looked down at her. Together we took off down the hall, dropped the ladder to the first floor, slid down, unbarred and unlocked the front door, and stepped onto our front stoop for the first time that month. The air was acrid, but open, with a slight breeze that felt amazing on my skin. Beth got goose pimples, and smiled as she showed me. The lawn was long and yellowing. I felt kind of ashamed. It was my job to mow. I shook it off.
We waved and smiled at the neighbors.
"Ho Martin!" said Mr. Stewart in his socks.
I put my hands around my mouth, "Hallooooo!"
"How's your father?"
I gave him a thumbs up, "Bored, but good."
Two hands reached out to us and grabbed our arms.
"What are you two doing out here?" Our smiles faltered a bit as we looked back at Mom, her worry lines deep, and dark.
I looked at Beth and winked. We grabbed Mom's arms and pulled her out onto the porch. She protested, but as soon as that breeze hit her face she stopped. She shook us off and blinked in the smoky twilight. The light was going fast, but the Utah heat stayed behind.

The gunfire, and explosions continued in the background, but only in the background.

"Oh!" said Mom, as she looked across the street. She waved at Mrs. Stewart, who had joined her husband on their front porch. Mrs. Stewart saw her, waved back, took a look up and down the street, then jogged down her stairs toward our house.
Suddenly Mom was at the bottom of the stairs and jogging toward Mrs. Stewart. They met at the sidewalk and hugged. I think they may have cried a little, but mostly I just caught tittering and the clucking of some chatty hens. Made me smile.
Someone called from the bush next to us, "Are you armed Ashton?"
It was Scott!
"Yep, I have a 9mm with a full clip."
Scott stepped out from the bush, a big smile on his face, arms in the air. Beth blushed as he winked at her.
I got off the stoop and gave him a hug. The street was filling with people.
The situation interested me.

Gunfire outside, smoke in the air above, death on the ground around us, and yet there was more of a community feeling than I'd ever felt. Uninterrupted, it wasn't long before the neighborhood wandered into the street. We began a small trade market, trading food and clothes. We even traded weapons. The guy at the end of the street, Mr. Maggione started handing out a piece of wicked looking metal he called the Reaper. It is about four feet long with a heavy spade on one end, and a sharp point on the other. I was lucky enough to get one.

Scott and I had fun with the Reapers, crossing swords as it were. Then we threw them pointy end first across the front lawn until it got too dark to see. Mr. Maggione and Mr. Stewart brought out tiki torches, lit them, and stuck them in the lawns up and down the street. It felt like a neighborhood barbecue. We've never had one, before.

As the flames flickered our shadows onto the homes I could tell we were all feeling a peace we haven't felt in a long time. I guess all the gunfire down South attracted the Zed, because we didn't see a single zombie. The gunfire faded away as the tiki torches weakened. Whatever it was they were after, and I know what they were after, it was not moving anymore.

We took our time getting back into our homes. Tonight feels like the first glimpse of hope s . . .

Ah crap. The power went out. I hope they have it back up soon. We have electric heaters.