“I don’t think that we will be able to go up any further. It just ain’t safe. I checkedsome of the rooms and I was able to find these,” he said, handing me some wool blankets.
“We are going to have to sleep in shifts, so one person can man the fire,” he said. Iwrapped the blanket around me and looked outside again.
“It looks like we’re stuck here until morning,” he said.
“Are we the only ones here?” I asked. Ali took a fresh roll of newspaper and lit itagain. He walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the drawers and shelves. Hecame out holding an old rusty knife.
“Just in case,” he said. He then walked over and made a bed by spreading newspaperon the ground.
“Am I going first?” I asked.
Ali looked up at me. “What to sleep?”
“No. Am I keeping watch first?” I said.
“No, this bed is for you, you’re going to sleep first,” he said.
“But what if you can’t wake me up again?” I said. “Well, then I just won’t be able towake you up.” “Ali!” I whined.
“Shit. Just chill and get under the fucking covers so you can get warm. I got this,” hesaid.
I hesitated and then crawled into my makeshift bed. I rolled onto my side in the fetalposition, tucking my hands between my legs. My teeth chattered and my body trembled.Man it was cold. I looked over at Ali, staring at his profile in the dim light. He didn’tseem worried, but I knew that he was.
“Good night, Ali,” I said while snuggling in the covers. He didn’t answer me.
~ ~ ~
Chapter Eight
I had a hard time sleeping. I kept tossing and turning; my body ached from lying on ahard cold floor. Then, I felt something thick and moist. I shot up. It was pitch black.Frantically, I felt all around me and cringed as I cupped a handful of mud. It felt like cakebatter as it ran through my fingers and down my wrist. I couldn’t breathe. Fear moved inlike a tidal wave, seeping into my lungs, nostrils and mouth.
I saw a light. It was a lantern. The lantern flung from side to side, revealing the darkcontour of a woman. There was another light. There was someone who was trailingbehind her. The lanterns danced in the night like two fireflies. Suddenly, they stoppedalmost twenty feet next to me. I wanted to call out for help, but something told me not to.The lanterns glided through the air. Then there was a sudden spark that illuminated twosolemn faces that I instantly recognized. Oh my God! It was mommy and abuela! Myheart began to pound. There was something inside of me telling me, no urging me to runaway, but I seemed to be glued to the ground.
They ran towards me. There was something, chasing them! My mom got about fourfeet away from me before she stumbled. The mud splattered around her like an ash cloud.She was holding the lantern; the fire enlightened her face, unveiling the fear in her eyes.Her face was caked with grime and her mouth looked twisted and grotesque.
“Nelly, you got to run!”
My survival instincts took over. With my spine erected and my legs in tow, I sprangup and ran as fast as I could. I saw my abuela’s heavy frame running ahead of me. Ilooked back and noticed that my mom was nowhere in sight.
“Momma,” I screamed. My voice echoed through the night. I watched in horror asmy abuela’s black silhouette moved farther and farther away from me. I decided to turnaround. I had to go back and save my momma. It was so dark. I ran, and I could not evensee my feet moving, all I could feel was my mud-soaked shoes plunging into the earth’ssoil. My body was leaner, and a lot faster than my momma’s. I stopped, my heart waspounding and I kneeled down, resting my hands on my knees while I struggled to catchmy breath.
“Momma,” I screamed.
“Momma, where are you?” I whimpered.
It was then that I got a brief reminder of why I was running. It took me a while to
process what was happening because my sight and my mind were quarrelling indisagreement. I shook my head, wanting to tell myself that it was not real, but it was.Shit! It was so fucking real. It was the shadows, hundreds of them, and they weremarching forward like angry soldiers on the brink of war. I tripped as I tried to run away.I was sacked, and then wrestled to the ground by a mysterious cloth covered being. Itpinned my arms to the ground and then tugged and rolled me around like I was on fire.Then I felt hands, dozens of hands. They were turning me, rolling me around in thesludge.
I felt the imprint of one of their bare feet on my back as it forcefully shoved meforward. I rolled off a sharp edge. My arms and legs swung wildly. My heart stoppedbeating, and my lungs had stopped breathing. I was pretty sure that this was my body’sway of preparing itself for death. After what felt like a one hundred foot drop, my bodyslammed against a cold dark pavement. My rib caged ached. My body remembered tobreathe, and I began to whiz like an asthma patient with no inhaler. I grimaced as I rolledover on my back. My mouth was wide open and my eyes soon followed when I looked upto see a fountain of dirt being shoveled into the pit. The soil smothered my face like awool blanket. Its grains swelled into my mouth. I stuck out my tongue and used my upperlip and front teeth to sweep away the dust. I moved my arms to protect my face rightbefore another patch of dirt was dumped on me.
“Leave me alone!” I screamed.
The cloth-covered beings were now walking around my gravesite. They moved information, singing their own despondent cadences. Gigantic spoonfuls of soil werepouring down, covering my feet,
