HUMAN

Chapter Three

Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'Ole

***

Nicole had been lying with Kirstie in her bunk for the past hour. She desperately tried to offer comfort by humming "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" to her friend, stroking her hair as she cried into her pillow. She had never seen her like this and she hated it.

Kevin had joined them and sat on the floor of the bus to hold Kirstie's hand and pray. That was the only thing he could think of to help right now. He prayed for God to comfort her during this hardship. He prayed for a miracle, for Jeremy to have never even gone to the airport and to be safe at home with their dogs. They didn't say the location of the planes, so there was still a chance he was safe. He also prayed for all of their safety and for their family's safety during such a scary, uncertain time. In reality, no one knew if their loved ones were safe. Due to the power outages, they couldn't even reach out to them to find out. They were still all in shock. The three were separated from the rest of the group, who were all sedentary in the front of the bus. 

Jenevieve was driving to yet another gas station so that they could stock up on as many supplies and extra cans of fuel as possible. The traffic had died down a while back, to the point that the road was completely open and empty. Not a single car had been seen for about thirty minutes. Before they left for this drive, after they heard the news, Avi went back inside to buy more fuel at the rest stop. Unfortunately, the shop owner must've just learned about it too. He had locked the doors and turned off the lights. Luckily, thanks to the solar panels, the pumps were still working. He filled up the tank and paid the machine with cash. They knew it wouldn't be safe to go into the city, based on the news reports. They hadn't driven past one hotel that was open, every single one had its lights out. They figured they should just stock up on supplies and find somewhere to camp out, until this blows over. They hadn't prepared for something like this, so they would definitely need more supplies. That was just what Jenevieve was attempting to do. She was set on a mission and she had to focus. She definitely could not allow this terror to be a distraction from her task of getting supplies and getting them there safely. She didn't quite know what else she could do for them, or for her own sanity. She played a Bon Jovi cd as a purposeful distraction. "Bed of Roses" repeated for the second time in the past hour. Everyone was so zoned out, that it had not received one objection thus far.

Avi and Esther sat across from each other at the kitchen table. Avi's eyes were locked on the back of the bus and he began to nervously tap his fingers on the table's edge. He only had a view of Kevin praying on the floor, but he could tell that his best friend was holding back tears. Esther was facing the front so she could only stare at the eerily empty, open road.

Avi spoke, "When's the last time you heard from Mom? I talked to Dad... I think it was three days ago. He was saying that they were almost all packed for their trip. But, I haven't heard a single thing since."

"Yesterday. I talked to Mom yesterday. They were on the road," Esther said. "Avi, I'm really scared. I wish we could call them or even just talk online somehow. I hope our phones start working again soon... Ugh. I feel sick."

"I know," Avi replied. "Me too."

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING," Esther proclaimed. The lack of control she felt consumed her and actually made her feel physically nauseous. "The rest of the crew is in the city. My husband is in the city!"

"I know, Esther. I know. We'll just have to wait to find out what's going on. I'm sure this'll just be temporary," Avi unconfidently said as he looked past his sister towards the back of the bus again, concerned for how Kirstie was handling this terrifying news.

He always respected how strong and resilient she was. It took a hell of a lot to break her down like this. Even when she was just 19 and they were worn-down, sick, or exhausted on The Sing-Off, she never seemed defeated. When the rest of the room was somber, she brought the much needed air of positivity. That was missing right now and it was easily noticeable. He could see her sitting up for the first time in about an hour. She hugged Kevin, who closed his eyes and softly patted her back. Nicole was rubbing her back and saying something to console her, but Avi couldn't see what it was.

He turned his head to look at Scott, who was sitting upright at the end of the couch. He was staring through the window that was behind Avi and Esther's heads, only able to view a blur of the landscape. Mitch was cuddled into his side, while his left arm was loosely wrapped around his best friend. They were in such a state of shock that this was the best that they could do to comfort each other. The two sat completely numb, quiet, and still, which was a very rare occurrence. They had attempted to comfort Kirstie before she decided to lie down, but were at an absolute loss for words. They desperately wished they knew how to respond to something like this. It was different and it was terrifying. It was a tragedy unlike anything they've ever seen before, and still there was so much unknown.

Mitch broke the silence, "I need for this fucking God awful music to stop."  

***

"Someday, I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me, where trouble melts like lemon drops high above the chimney tops. That's where you'll find me ."