Seth Astill: Church without the pope

All going black

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Seth just looked at the bodies in front of him dumbstruck. His mind had gone blank, he just stood there white as a paper.

"Move on boy, we have to take the bodies," a ward boy said forcing his way between him and the body.

Seth went back a few steps in daze, he looked lost. He still couldn't accept the fact that his family was dead. How was it possible.

Everything was just fine and normal in the morning when he left them. How?

"Seth ar-are you alright" A voice called, Seth looked up to see a lady. Seth knew that she lived in his own building, just a few floors below.

Seth could see that, there were scratches and bruises on her hand, most of it was covered by bandage, even her head had a bandage around it.

"Seth.....Ar-are"

"How," Seth said more to himself than to ask the lady.

"There was a blast on your floor..... actually..." the lady let the sentence dragging.

Seth looked at her, giving her a forlorn look, the lady just came forward and hugged him.

"The...... blast occurred at your.....house," the lady said still hugging him.

Seth didn't hug her back, soon the lady let go of him. She wiped her eyes.

"How," Seth repeated again in a slow voice.

"Nobody knows but, they are saying it was a gas leak explosion," the lady said pressing his shoulder assuringly.

Seth didn't pay any attention to her act of sympathy.

"How... Many... Killed" he said, his voice came out wobbly.

"Just your parents....... Are you alright" the lady said pressing his shoulder again but, Seth jerked off his hand and turned around to run.

He came a little away from the mob just past the line of fire vans when he heard a familiar voice calling him.

"Seth......"

Seth turned around to see Lavanya running towards him from ahead.

"What..." She started saying but, didn't finish as her eyes went to the burning building behind Seth.

She covered her mouth and looked at Seth wide-eyed.

"Seth, don't tell me," she said weakly her eyes darting from Seth to the building and then back to Seth.

Seth just stood there, having a stoic and hard face.

"Seth tell me... Wh.. what happened" Lavanya said a little frightened, "Are.. are you alright"

Seth just nodded his head up and down one time. He saw that she calmed down a little.

"How are aunty and uncle, are they both alright," She said looking him in the eyes.