riwa
Governor
Lisa McKowell checked for oncoming traffic before turning right onto Central Avenue in her Honda Civic. She was running late again for work. As usual, she had gotten all worked up by her mother, and had lost all track of time.
Seeing the ball fields approaching off to her right made her think of Krispy Kreme. It was only a little further ahead. There was even a traffic light right there for her if she wanted.
When she got there, the light caught her as it often did, making her stop. She was tempted to turn off and go in to pick up a donut and some coffee at the drive-thru. But she was running late, and she really didn’t have the time.
The traffic light finally released her. Lisa drove on by, looking at the donut shop with longing. Her mouth tingled at the missed opportunity of a fresh-baked donut and some coffee. Her stomach growled at her decision to keep going.
Lisa was feeling a little stressed this morning. She was tempted to light a cigarette. But her mother would not ride with her if she smoked in her car.
Lisa got caught at another light, this one on twenty-fourth street west. She had to stop behind a white Ford Focus. It looked like a short, older lady was behind the wheel. Lisa hoped the woman wouldn’t slow her down much, as she was already running behind schedule.
It was a longer light, making her wait impatiently. She cursed herself for not leaving her apartment sooner. If only she hadn’t called her mother and gotten into another argument about that Jesus thing again.
The light finally released her, and she drove through the intersection behind the Focus. That’s when a yellow van in the Taco Bell drive-thru on her right caught her eye. It had JESUS SAVES in big, emblazoned letters, with a cross illuminated by sunbeams.
Lisa scowled and shook her head as she drove on by. Had her mother arranged for them to be there while she was on her way to work? No, that was impossible. But it sure seemed as though her mom was trying to bring Jesus to her attention every chance she got. It was really starting to annoy her.
Traffic was becoming heavier. The Focus in front of her was forced to settle in behind a dark blue sedan. Today, it seemed like everyone had chosen to go to work at the exact same time. If this kept up, she was definitely going to be late getting to the hospital.
Both the sedan and the woman in the Focus got caught at the next light. Lisa impatiently cursed under her breath. A glance over revealed three cars beside her, making it impossible for her to switch lanes and scoot around the Focus. Damn!
Lisa subconsciously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel until she caught herself doing it and stopped. Now was the time she really needed a cigarette. But her mom could not handle the smell, nor could she deal with the lingering odor in her vehicle. It was a small thing she was trying to do for her mother. But today, she was seriously thinking about going back to smoking in her car.
The light finally released the sedan, allowing her and the Focus to move forward as well. A quick check revealed a string of vehicles in both lanes. A pickup pulling a trailer full of mowing equipment was now coming up on her left.
Lisa looked ahead at the light coming up at the next intersection. The cross street either took you to the right and down to the city golf course clubhouse, or it took you left to the cemetery. She could see some ducks in a pond at the golf course near the street.
She mentally prayed for the light to stay green. But it went yellow just as the sedan was clearing the intersection. What was the Focus going to do?
Thankfully, the woman in front of her kept going, being as how she was too close to stop in time. Lisa instinctively hit the gas to follow her through. She rushed through the light just as it was turning red. The car behind her followed her right on through.
She anxiously glanced at the cars waiting to cross through the intersection. She was hoping not to see a police cruiser waiting to pull out or hit its lights. Getting pulled over was the last thing she needed, as she was probably going to get to work a few minutes late.
Lisa almost jerked with a start upon seeing those ducks suddenly burst up into the air, squawking like crazy. It was as though something had spooked them. But she didn’t see any nearby golfers, nor did she see any errant balls splashing into the pond to disturb them.
It wasn’t just the ducks. Birds were now launching up into the air from the trees, shrubs… everywhere! They were all putting up an incredible fuss.
Lisa found herself looking around at all the birds rising up into the air. Damn! It looked like every bird in the immediate vicinity had suddenly taken flight. What the hell was going on??
She put her eyes back on the road just in time. Drivers were slowing down in alarm. Some were swerving from having been distracted.
Two squirrels suddenly dashed out onto the road. But they were not trying to cross the street. They looked like something had upset them and they were trying to get away. But they were acting as though they had no idea which way to go!
The pickup towing the mowing equipment had just cleared itself from beside her when it nailed one. The Focus took out the other. “Crazy squirrels,” Lisa muttered, shaking her head while at the same time feeling bad.
Further down the street, Lisa thought she saw a dog dash out into the road. Car horns went off in alarm as drivers tried to avoid the upset pooch.
No more than a scant couple of seconds later, there was a sudden flash of brilliant light up in the sky. Every driver facing east instinctively glanced up in surprise. That’s when Lisa thought she heard a voice. It was accompanied by what sounded like the blaring of a horn, but not one she was familiar with.
Drivers were instinctively slowing down while looking confused. Lisa prepared to hit the brakes. That’s when all hell broke loose over in Sunset Memorial Cemetery off to her left.
Caskets suddenly began popping up out of the ground, forcing up the earth they were under. It was as though the ground was vomiting up some of the dead! Coffins popped out of the dirt and tumbled everywhere, spilling their contents. Lisa just happened to get a brief glance inside one long enough to observe no body inside.
Traffic immediately started honking and swerving as brake lights came on ahead of her. Lisa had to slow down even more from speeding through that light behind her. She was looking at the Focus ahead of her, trying to leave enough space between her and the old lady.
To her utter astonishment, she thought she saw a figure emerge up out of the driver’s seat of the Focus through the roof! At that exact same time, Lisa thought she saw what looked like more human figures going up into the air.
A big, white delivery truck coming from the opposite direction suddenly swerved into oncoming traffic. Lisa got enough of a glimpse that she could have sworn there was no driver behind the wheel!
The pickup with the mowing equipment plowed right into it, along with the Focus. Lisa screamed as she instinctively jerked on the wheel. There was a deafening sound of metal crashing against metal all around her as she skidded sideways.
Cars were swerving to avoid hitting each other, only to be hit from behind and twisted around. Lisa’s Honda Civic slid sideways into the trailer with the mowing equipment. That’s when a Kia behind her slammed into the corner of her rear-end as her passenger side windows shattered.
For a moment, Lisa was sure she was dead. Instinctively, she closed her eyes as the crashing sounds continued. She didn’t want to witness her last moments. She also didn’t want flying debris getting into her eyes.
The sound of metal against metal finally died off as she came to a screeching halt. For a moment, there was an eerie silence. That’s when Lisa realized she was not dead.
She began to hear cries and screams from all around her. Lisa opened her eyes and stared in shock. This part of Central Avenue was now filled with cars twisted and smoking. It reminded her of news scenes of winter freeways filled with motorists having crashed into each other from snow or fog.
She did a quick inventory. She had gone sideways, and had thus avoided crashing head on into the mowing equipment trailer. She was stunned, but otherwise, she seemed to be unhurt.
Lisa looked upwards through her now cracked windshield. The rising figures were gone, as was the brilliant display that had briefly appeared in the sky. But the birds were still squawking and flying around as if in a daze.
She turned to look over at the cemetery as though that was what had started it all. Caskets lay strewn everywhere. It was as though some giant kid had pulled a bunch of them out of the ground, only to indiscriminately toss them helter-skelter.
A clear view into one revealed the empty contents. The material looked as though a body had been lying in there at some point in time. But it was no longer there. Where the hell had it gone??
The first thing that came to mind was her mother’s voice, telling her about Jesus and that she shouldn’t put a decision off too much longer because the rapture was imminent. Lisa gasped in horror as she cried out, “Mom??” That’s when she frantically pulled out her iPhone and punched in the number.
To be continued
Seeing the ball fields approaching off to her right made her think of Krispy Kreme. It was only a little further ahead. There was even a traffic light right there for her if she wanted.
When she got there, the light caught her as it often did, making her stop. She was tempted to turn off and go in to pick up a donut and some coffee at the drive-thru. But she was running late, and she really didn’t have the time.
The traffic light finally released her. Lisa drove on by, looking at the donut shop with longing. Her mouth tingled at the missed opportunity of a fresh-baked donut and some coffee. Her stomach growled at her decision to keep going.
Lisa was feeling a little stressed this morning. She was tempted to light a cigarette. But her mother would not ride with her if she smoked in her car.
Lisa got caught at another light, this one on twenty-fourth street west. She had to stop behind a white Ford Focus. It looked like a short, older lady was behind the wheel. Lisa hoped the woman wouldn’t slow her down much, as she was already running behind schedule.
It was a longer light, making her wait impatiently. She cursed herself for not leaving her apartment sooner. If only she hadn’t called her mother and gotten into another argument about that Jesus thing again.
The light finally released her, and she drove through the intersection behind the Focus. That’s when a yellow van in the Taco Bell drive-thru on her right caught her eye. It had JESUS SAVES in big, emblazoned letters, with a cross illuminated by sunbeams.
Lisa scowled and shook her head as she drove on by. Had her mother arranged for them to be there while she was on her way to work? No, that was impossible. But it sure seemed as though her mom was trying to bring Jesus to her attention every chance she got. It was really starting to annoy her.
Traffic was becoming heavier. The Focus in front of her was forced to settle in behind a dark blue sedan. Today, it seemed like everyone had chosen to go to work at the exact same time. If this kept up, she was definitely going to be late getting to the hospital.
Both the sedan and the woman in the Focus got caught at the next light. Lisa impatiently cursed under her breath. A glance over revealed three cars beside her, making it impossible for her to switch lanes and scoot around the Focus. Damn!
Lisa subconsciously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel until she caught herself doing it and stopped. Now was the time she really needed a cigarette. But her mom could not handle the smell, nor could she deal with the lingering odor in her vehicle. It was a small thing she was trying to do for her mother. But today, she was seriously thinking about going back to smoking in her car.
The light finally released the sedan, allowing her and the Focus to move forward as well. A quick check revealed a string of vehicles in both lanes. A pickup pulling a trailer full of mowing equipment was now coming up on her left.
Lisa looked ahead at the light coming up at the next intersection. The cross street either took you to the right and down to the city golf course clubhouse, or it took you left to the cemetery. She could see some ducks in a pond at the golf course near the street.
She mentally prayed for the light to stay green. But it went yellow just as the sedan was clearing the intersection. What was the Focus going to do?
Thankfully, the woman in front of her kept going, being as how she was too close to stop in time. Lisa instinctively hit the gas to follow her through. She rushed through the light just as it was turning red. The car behind her followed her right on through.
She anxiously glanced at the cars waiting to cross through the intersection. She was hoping not to see a police cruiser waiting to pull out or hit its lights. Getting pulled over was the last thing she needed, as she was probably going to get to work a few minutes late.
Lisa almost jerked with a start upon seeing those ducks suddenly burst up into the air, squawking like crazy. It was as though something had spooked them. But she didn’t see any nearby golfers, nor did she see any errant balls splashing into the pond to disturb them.
It wasn’t just the ducks. Birds were now launching up into the air from the trees, shrubs… everywhere! They were all putting up an incredible fuss.
Lisa found herself looking around at all the birds rising up into the air. Damn! It looked like every bird in the immediate vicinity had suddenly taken flight. What the hell was going on??
She put her eyes back on the road just in time. Drivers were slowing down in alarm. Some were swerving from having been distracted.
Two squirrels suddenly dashed out onto the road. But they were not trying to cross the street. They looked like something had upset them and they were trying to get away. But they were acting as though they had no idea which way to go!
The pickup towing the mowing equipment had just cleared itself from beside her when it nailed one. The Focus took out the other. “Crazy squirrels,” Lisa muttered, shaking her head while at the same time feeling bad.
Further down the street, Lisa thought she saw a dog dash out into the road. Car horns went off in alarm as drivers tried to avoid the upset pooch.
No more than a scant couple of seconds later, there was a sudden flash of brilliant light up in the sky. Every driver facing east instinctively glanced up in surprise. That’s when Lisa thought she heard a voice. It was accompanied by what sounded like the blaring of a horn, but not one she was familiar with.
Drivers were instinctively slowing down while looking confused. Lisa prepared to hit the brakes. That’s when all hell broke loose over in Sunset Memorial Cemetery off to her left.
Caskets suddenly began popping up out of the ground, forcing up the earth they were under. It was as though the ground was vomiting up some of the dead! Coffins popped out of the dirt and tumbled everywhere, spilling their contents. Lisa just happened to get a brief glance inside one long enough to observe no body inside.
Traffic immediately started honking and swerving as brake lights came on ahead of her. Lisa had to slow down even more from speeding through that light behind her. She was looking at the Focus ahead of her, trying to leave enough space between her and the old lady.
To her utter astonishment, she thought she saw a figure emerge up out of the driver’s seat of the Focus through the roof! At that exact same time, Lisa thought she saw what looked like more human figures going up into the air.
A big, white delivery truck coming from the opposite direction suddenly swerved into oncoming traffic. Lisa got enough of a glimpse that she could have sworn there was no driver behind the wheel!
The pickup with the mowing equipment plowed right into it, along with the Focus. Lisa screamed as she instinctively jerked on the wheel. There was a deafening sound of metal crashing against metal all around her as she skidded sideways.
Cars were swerving to avoid hitting each other, only to be hit from behind and twisted around. Lisa’s Honda Civic slid sideways into the trailer with the mowing equipment. That’s when a Kia behind her slammed into the corner of her rear-end as her passenger side windows shattered.
For a moment, Lisa was sure she was dead. Instinctively, she closed her eyes as the crashing sounds continued. She didn’t want to witness her last moments. She also didn’t want flying debris getting into her eyes.
The sound of metal against metal finally died off as she came to a screeching halt. For a moment, there was an eerie silence. That’s when Lisa realized she was not dead.
She began to hear cries and screams from all around her. Lisa opened her eyes and stared in shock. This part of Central Avenue was now filled with cars twisted and smoking. It reminded her of news scenes of winter freeways filled with motorists having crashed into each other from snow or fog.
She did a quick inventory. She had gone sideways, and had thus avoided crashing head on into the mowing equipment trailer. She was stunned, but otherwise, she seemed to be unhurt.
Lisa looked upwards through her now cracked windshield. The rising figures were gone, as was the brilliant display that had briefly appeared in the sky. But the birds were still squawking and flying around as if in a daze.
She turned to look over at the cemetery as though that was what had started it all. Caskets lay strewn everywhere. It was as though some giant kid had pulled a bunch of them out of the ground, only to indiscriminately toss them helter-skelter.
A clear view into one revealed the empty contents. The material looked as though a body had been lying in there at some point in time. But it was no longer there. Where the hell had it gone??
The first thing that came to mind was her mother’s voice, telling her about Jesus and that she shouldn’t put a decision off too much longer because the rapture was imminent. Lisa gasped in horror as she cried out, “Mom??” That’s when she frantically pulled out her iPhone and punched in the number.
To be continued
