Finding Hope

Chapter 1:

Sirens were the only thing that could be heard blaring through the few blocks that separated the other houses and Lorelei’s 3rd floor apartment. Smoke was pummeling the sky like it was angry, raging and desperate to fill it up. Cars were swerving on the streets where people ran away from a building ready to collapse from the fire. Thankfully, Lorelei wasn’t in the crossfire happening down below. Her curtains were closed where the windows faced the mayhem below.

Instead, she was too busy comforting the wailing infant by holding her to Lorelei’s skin. She couldn’t be sure what was going on outside the safety of her apartment, but her priority was on calming down her 7 month old daughter. She walked around the living room while gently rocking the bundle of terror. In her bedroom across the quaint kitchen there was a 5 year old boy playing with blocks and a 10 year old girl watching Peppa Pig. The tv was loud, at least loud enough to not question whatever was going on.

The bedroom door was open so that they could be watched, but she wanted to keep the two there for a reason. “Shhh… It’s okay. It’s okay dear.” escaped her soft lips as goosebumps rattled her skin. Everything would be okay. The city was panicking, but it should calm down soon. That was what she told herself.

She didn’t even want to think about leaving until she was sure it was safe outside. And it didn’t seem like it would be anytime soon. Something was going on for sure. She just wanted it to end so she could go about her day normally. But, would it ever be after today?

Her phone exploded with missed calls as if the connection froze and suddenly returned, ringing out in a jingle bells sort of musical tone. The baby was almost inconsolable in her mother’s arms. The noises and ringtone continuing to freak the poor thing out. She adjusted her and grabbed the phone off the coffee table to see who it was. Crap. The kids.

She quickly swiped the green icon on the call and held it to her ear, trying to keep her voice down, “John, are you coming to get them?” She didn’t want to scare the kids anymore than they might be by hearing her panic.

“I can’t. Everything’s shut down over here, the street’s flooded with people.” The man on the other end was naturally gravelly in tone. She tucked her dark hair behind her ears and walked further into the apartment, away from the bedroom. Responding concernedly, “Can’t you-” She breathed heavily and stopped herself, “Nevermind. It’s not safe to try coming over here with everything going on. Stay where you are.”

The situation was stressful because she was meant to give the kids to John for the weekend, it was a part of their deal. She took them for a week, and he had them for the next week to make it fair. She didn’t know what to do with all three of them here in the midst of disaster. It would be better if he could get here and not be alone in the upper part of Topeka, Kansas. It was silent for a few solid moments before she heard his voice again, “You’ll be okay, right? It didn’t get hit as bad up there?”

Lorelei bit her lip. He couldn’t see all the fires going on downtown, the screaming and car crashes, the sirens. She hoped he wouldn’t worry too much and would stay put. She wanted to tell him how afraid she was because he wasn’t here. She spoke with a thick voice, remembering to keep rocking the little one.

She had a thickness of emotion fill her throat, “It’s okay, I’m trying to keep Emily and Chris occupied so I have the T.V. on. I’m not sure how much longer it will be on though…” She noticed the noise from outside quieted down a bit. But why?

“Something’s happening. It’s crazy- People are chasing-” He cut out twice, worry in her eyes now, “What’s going on down there?” There was no answer from him, just static. Her heart thumped hard against her chest. “John?!?!”

She rubbed circles around her infant’s back as she slept. Partly to soothe her own anxieties that were through the roof at this very moment. There was still only static on her end, and she wondered what he was possibly trying to tell her. Something important, for sure. It had to be.

She swallowed and turned towards the large window in the living room as little light came in through the soft green curtains. She needed to see what was going on out there. She had 3 kids, safety was the main priority no matter what. And she was starting to feel like it wasn’t a good place to be anymore.

She went back to the living room and over to the curtains that shielded the horrors, though it couldn’t forever. She tentatively pulled the curtain away from the center, revealing what she feared the most. The fire a few blocks away had stopped and the smoke plume was diluted to a lighter gray in color.

Her eyes widened at the state of the street below, “Oh my….” She gasped in shock. Cars were upside down and scattered, car doors sitting ajar as if the owner of it had to flee for their life. She even saw a few people on the ground lifelessly. She couldn’t tell from where she was but she was sure she saw blood as well.

Footsteps came to a stop right at her hip, two sets of them, leaning on her in confusion and wonder. Chris was the first to say anything as his mother was glued to the window, “Mommy?” He was almost tall enough to see what was going on, his head just slightly reaching over the frame of the window. Emily was taller and 5 years older than him, so she witnessed some of what was going on, growing fearful.

Lorelei quickly snapped to their presence and shut the curtains, turning to them and running her hands through her son's brown hair. Her heart was still absolutely pounding but it was okay. She knew what she had to do and that these kids being terrified was what she wanted least, “Hey, it’ll be okay as long as you stay with me, alright?”

Even herself wasn’t so sure on how to keep them safe during this crisis. The world was crashing around her and all she could do was hope, pray that she could find somewhere else that was better than being in the third story of an apartment complex that was close to a lot of the wreckage.

At this point her phone had shut off from the call, laying on the coffee table with a black screen where she tossed it after it cut off from John’s voice. Emily was looking at her mother uncertainly about those words, having seen what she did, “But… it’s scary… there was smoke..” Chris buried his head into Lorelei’s hip and she used her free arm to hold both children close in a hug.

She sighed heavily but it had a certain shake to it, “I know….I know sweetie. Something happened and now it’s not safe. We need to go find a better place.” It was going to be hard to get them to understand why they needed to. But she was going to try and not leave them in the dark.

Chris sniffled and shook his head as he cried out, “This is home! I don’t want to go… I want daddy!” Muffled cries were heard from him which crushed Lorelei’s heart along with the fact that he wanted his father. She did too, wherever he was out there… She could feel her eyes moistening as she listened to his cries and pleas. It was finally starting to set in. The gravity of it all.

Lorelei had to compose herself before letting go of the children, tears staining her cheeks with pink. She looked at both of them warmly and lovingly as she told them what to do in a slightly stern way, “The backpacks you brought over, use them. Pack more clothes and anything else you want to take with you.” She gave them a loving, yet emotional smile and kissed them both on their foreheads.

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25 minutes later.

Strangely there hadn’t been much commotion since the phone, but that gave Lorelei a sense of ominous dread within her once she packed the biggest bag she had. She had to put her own sets of clothes inside along with the baby’s clothes and diapers. Then of course there was the matter of food and other survival supplies. It seemed that all the power went dark, including the T.V. about ten minutes ago.

She was furiously stuffing as much as she could into that backpack, if she forgot anything important she would be screwed. Right now Hope was laying on the bed, on her back, a binky in her mouth to keep her from wailing. She zipped up the main part of the pack once it was full, thankfully there was another pocket.

She rushed from her bedroom to the kitchen pantry, taking canned goods in her arms. Hugging the cans and putting them in the empty pocket of her bag. Both kids were packing in the room they shared, it was small but big enough for a bunk bed, desk, and dresser. Lorelei made sure that the baby was wearing a travel onesie just in case she got cold. It was a light gray shade with purple polka dots.

She zipped the rest closed and lifted it by one of the straps. It proved to be heavy and bulky, weighing her down. But it was a necessity. Going into the living room and setting it on the floor in front of the couch, she knew this would be hard. Her phone was dead, the power was out, the streets were quiet. Eerily. She had to be strong for her kids.

Her heart was heavy like the backpack she just stuffed with everything that could possibly fit and be used in any situation out there. Who knew when they would be safe again? All she could do was hope, pray, and try to live through this. She leaned in the doorway to the kids room, seeing them laughing and joking around as they got their stuff together.

Emily probably knew the stakes they had, she was good at being cheerful for her brother. It was sweet. A way to make everyone smile. The two saw their mom in the door and turned to her, the laughter ceasing into nervous silence. Lorelei softly and amusedly questioned, “Are you just about done in here, or do I have to tickle you?”

Giggles lifted the room once more, a joy, one that was precious when the world would likely take most of it. She went farther in the room and Chris bursted out laughing, backing away from the wrath. Emily squeaked and curled in on her body to save herself. Overall, they didn’t know what would lie ahead.