Long Story - Four Days of the Catastrophe - Part 6

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Part 6

The next day, the weather was not brightened at the time we expected. Obviously, the sun was born, but it was only sufficient to create a reddish twilight in the air. In the following minutes, when we started to have a muddy wee, we realized that this was due to the intense dust in the sky. Nihan was looking forward to going on and investigating the fate of her son. The same was true for me; if what I saw in my dream were real, I had a family, and they might need my help.

Chief cook Salih opposed our idea of leaving the hotel. He said that there were enough food and water for all of us at the hotel, that it could rain again at any time, and that we should wait at least one more day. When he realized that we were determined, he found the keys of the truck used to supply food and gave it to us. The hood of the truck, which stood by the wall in the parking lot was riddled with stones. The hotel's garden was full of seawater, so it drifted and hit the wall during the flooding. After opening the door on the driver's side and clearing the stones and glass fragments inside, we tried to start the truck. The motor was working, and even one light was on. They pulled the car blocking us aside, we got out of the parking lot, and we started moving on the road.

I accelerated the truck a bit. Except for the fact that we had to stop to pull a large piece of stone down the road, it could have said that our journey was a good one. Eventually, we could get to Büyükçekmece in an hour. After all, it was a more significant settlement; we could find out what happened to us.

It hasn't even been ten minutes since we left, we have seen a cargo boat. It was lying against us and completely blocked the road. It must have been dragged and landed during the tsunami.

It was clear that we had to leave the truck there and walk on the road. We wandered around the cargo boat and went into the mud in the twilight. Our faces were like the faces of the miners; they were covered with dirt. Fortunately, the weather was warm, and the wind was not blowing, I turned and looked at Nihan's face, and in her big eyes, there was the expression of a mother who was determined to reach her child under all circumstances.

”What were we talking about on the panel yesterday, and what are we doing now," said Nihan.

“I don't remember what I was talking about on yesterday's panel.”

“The issues I've been worried about now seem insignificant.”

“What was that?”

“Relationships, career goals, and a lot of junk.”

“These are round words.”

“My husband broke up with me and married another woman.”

“I think it's his loss.”

"It's normal for you to think like that because you don't know me.”

"What if I knew you?”

"You should have known I was a drama queen.”

“It's better than being soulless.”

“It's a matter of taste, of course.”

The rain has accelerated as we went through heavy steps on the desolate road. Now we were in a dense fog; we could see just a few steps away, we were trying to walk at the fastest speed possible, regardless of our whining wounds and the depression of obscurity.

We heard the sound of an engine in the dark, and we stepped aside to give way. As we approached, we realized that the vehicle was a truck belonging to the Metropolitan Municipality. We were surprised when the truck stopped in front of us, and then we opened the door and got in. Both the driver and the seats were in the mud like ours, so we sat back with no hesitation.

“Where is the journey?” the driver asked.

I said, “We're going to Büyükçekmece.”

“You are the people whom God loves.”

“Do you know the cause of the disaster?”

“There's a sound coming out of every head. This dust came from Africa, they say.”

“Where did the stones come from?"Nihan asked.

"There was such a great storm in Africa that the stone, and whatever it was on the earth was in the air. Of course, these are rumors.”

“Is there an official statement?” I asked him.

“There is electricity in the dust, all communication systems of the state paralyzed.”

Truck driver left us in front of the Big City Hall. This area was in better shape compared to the hotel environment, the remains and the solid windows of most buildings showed that the stone rain was not severe. Because the mud rain stopped a while ago, the air was lightened.

We went into the cabin of a taxi stop and asked the old man sitting at the table to call us a taxi to go to Terkos.

The old man said, “Taxis don't work.”

“If taxis don't work, what are you doing here?" Nihan asked. I think it was a perfectly reasonable question.

The man first looked at us with empty eyes, and then he said, “My house is ruined.”

“I am sorry for your house, isn't there even one?”

"There are a few, but I keep them to myself.”

"I'm in no position to laugh at any joke; I need to reach my son.”

“The roads are closed, don't waste your time.”

“What choice do we have?” I asked him.

"There are illegal land vehicles.”

Nihan sat in the chair in front of the table saying, “Will you take us to them?"

“They're not trustworthy, but this is your choice,” he said, and then he got up and walked out of the hut without telling us anything.

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/fishing-boat-ship-boat-fishing-1654446/