Tribulation Terror

Trumpet 4 – Light & Dark

 

The shattered street of broken dreams stretched before her. She faced it almost every day and it never improved; it only got worse. In the distance the sun was setting in another glorious display with hues of every color. In times past, Janice could have given all glory to God for this marvelous evidence of His good work on the earth. Not now, for more reasons than she wished to count.

The sunset itself was a lie; its beauty a fabrication. The skies had been so heavily seeded with toxic chemicals over the years that they now hung suspended in the atmosphere instead of making their way to the overly poisoned planet. All those noxious substances did wonders for the sun’s rays as they shone through the massive diffusion. For life at the surface level, however, they simply added to the means by which people could die.

This daily walk served no purpose; it was just something to do as Janice killed time waiting for whatever end would claim her. Pier Park had been constructed with a hometown type of feel. From its main street it had several smaller ones branching out, but the overall size of the place was fairly contained. Surrounding this primary shopping mecca were numerous strip mall developments circling the inner location.

Janice usually stuck to this core area, passing ruined storefronts with signs hanging precariously, broken windows, darkened interiors seen through entrances where the glass doors had been ripped away, and where the uneven street fought for supremacy with weeds growing through cracks in the pavement. This was an immensely depressing place, but that matched the condition of Janice’s mental state.

The sun went down in a blaze of glory, and the evening dusk settled over her. No streetlamps lit the way. Because of that, the shops took on an ominous threat. Who knew what might be lurking inside waiting for this time to emerge, whether man or beast? Janice didn’t wait around to find out. She lived in a semi-gutted condo building nearby and made for home.

The next day she was here again, this time sitting on the remnant of a park bench by the entrance to the beach, across from what had been a popular restaurant at the time. The part that was left of its sign read “J____ Buf____’s Mar___it_vill_”. She’d never been impressed with the place, seeing it as the tourist trap it had been, which served hamburgers definitely not from Paradise.

Pier Park didn’t get many visitors these days, so the black SUV with dark tinted windows slowly cruising her way down the main street was a surprise. Whoever was in the car, they must have missed the memo that nobody shopped here anymore.

The car turned at the intersection where Janice sat and continued for a block until the brake lights went on. It sat there for a minute, then continued out of the park.

Oddly, for the next several days the same thing happened. Janice was on the bench, the car came, turned, halted, and carried on.

Some people have nothing better to do, Janice thought. A moment later she realized that applied equally to herself.

The fifth day, everything repeated, except that when the SUV stopped down the street, the rear door opened and a woman emerged.

She headed toward Janice while the vehicle stayed where it was. Janice was close to the fifth decade of her life. As the young woman approached, Janice saw that she could have been the age of a daughter if she’d had one. Blonde, beautiful, evidently athletic from the way she carried herself, it was obvious she’d soon talk with Janice.

It didn’t thrill her. Solitude was all that made sense in these terrible days before the end, but Janice sighed and bolstered herself for their brief interaction and the inevitable question of why she was here.

The woman sat beside Janice on the bench, composed herself, and simply took in the sights of the ruined businesses with their soul crushing decay. It must have been five minutes before she finally spoke.

“Do you ever go down to the beach?”

Making a face, Janice said, “Not much point. Can’t swim in that mess, and the stench is enough to make you gag.”

Her nose twitched. “I smell it now. Not so pleasant. Would you walk with me down there anyway?”

With a whatever shrug, Janice followed. The woman picked her way through the overgrown weeds on what had been a wooden walkway that spilled onto the beach. The bones of thousands of dead fish, washed ashore when the waters had turned to blood, littered the sand. The Gulf of Mexico shimmered red in the morning sun. That was its only allure. It was a dead sea in which no creature could live.

“My name is Dani. I’m from Chicago.” She shook her head. “I never imagined it was this bad.”

“Try living here and seeing it every day.”

“There are few places to escape the carnage. I guess one is as good – or bad – as the other.”

“It’ll only get worse.”

Dani turned to Janice. “Do you think so?”

“I know so. There are about five more years to go and then we all go to hell.”

“Why do you say that? How can you possibly know?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have nowhere to go. My driver is paid whether we’re traveling somewhere or sitting still.”

Janice apprised her. Dani seemed like she really wanted to understand, and Janice had nothing else going on – ever. “Let’s get away from this stench. It’s not as bad on the bench.”

They made their way back up to street level and sat, facing each other.

Janice said, “I wouldn’t bother telling this story, but. . . well, I guess I finally have to tell someone, and since you’re willing. . . ?”

“Yes, please.”

Janice introduced herself, continuing with, “I used to be a Christian.”

That brought raised eyebrows from Dani, but she stayed silent, encouraging Janice to continue talking.