Finding Home

Finding Home

Chapter 1
It all started when the Wars began. There was great technology, and humongous confusion. The first Four Wars were of prejudice, hate, dictatorship, and money. The people left the world in total confusion, but after every War they built over the mess and rebuilt their lives.
But in the year 2049, the 5th War broke out. It was a complete slaughter; there was no mercy shown.
Major scientists were cramming anything explosive into one huge bomb. They named it “The Egress,” which means the escape. Those few scientists had found the solution to ending all Wars-the end of all destruction. They made the bomb in risk of themselves. This bomb meant the end of terror, but it also meant the end of all life.
In the year of 2050, “The Egress” was finished. The scientists were waiting for the right moment to release the bomb.
November 27, 2050, the bomb was dropped. The people watched as it dropped right in the center of Europe. It seemed like slow motion. Families ran for cover, people stared into the sky with a deadly fear in their eyes. Finally, it landed. In less than 30 seconds, the world went black.


Chapter 2
Lily remembered the “Last Day” like it was only a few hours ago. She was 15 years old. Now she is 17 and the year is 2052. Lily and her family had managed to escape. They were working in a cement tunnel when the bomb landed and had survived “The Egress.” The family was now living in an old rickety town in Southwestern Wisconsin.
Lily’s family was made up of Ma, Jimmy, Lydia, and of course, herself. Ma was in her late 40’s, Jimmy was turning 14, and Lydia was 6. The children’s father was brutally killed in the 5th War.
The family never talked about their father much and all of them wished that he was there with them. If he were with them now, it wouldn’t be so hard to get food every single year. They would know how to build up a house and furniture. All they could do was hope and pray that they would make it.

One day Lily was with Jumpy in the garden that Ma had managed to supply. They were standing in the beans and were looking at the house they had built. They had been working on the house for about two weeks and were very tired of the hard labor.
“Do you think that this will work?” Lily questioned.
“I sure hope so, because it will be hard to build a new one again.” Jimmy replied.


Ma came outside and eyed the children closely like a hawk. “What are you two up to?” She asked, “You need to get inside and finish the chores. We don’t have much more to do.”
Lily and Jimmy rolled their eyes at each other behind Ma’s back. But out of respect, they went inside and dutifully worked.
At the end of the day, the family all sat around a homemade fire to keep warm. Lydia was building a little hill with many small rocks. Jimmy was carving something out of a piece of wood. Ma was staring into the fire with a glazed look in her eyes. Lily was listening to a noise off in the distance.
After a little while, the noise sounded like the rattle of a wagon on a road. It sounded so real, but she thought that it was just her imagination. What could be making that noise?
Lily knew that her family was the only survivors. She remembered searching for other people, but had found none.
Maybe somebody else had made it. They could start a town, search for more survivors. They could even start civilization over again.
“Jimmy, would you please tell me that I’m not imagining this noise?” Lily burst out suddenly. “It sounds like a rattling but I’m not really sure.”
“No, I hear it too,” Jimmy replied with some sparkle in his eyes They listened to the noise for about an hour before they saw the wagon appear. It was pulled by what looked like a horse, but the family wasn’t sure. On top of the wagon was a group of people. Two sat on the front bench, and about five in the hold.
They gradually came closer to Lily and her family. When they finally arrived, the man in the front jumped off and said, “Are you folks loners?”
“I think that we are, would you be so kind and tell me if you can help us?” Ma said cautiously.
“Sure can, we are going around and findin’ us some loners to take back to the city.” The man patted the horse head. “Old Bessie here is at her end, so ya’ll are our last stop.”
Ma and the man talked for a few minutes before Ma said, “I wish your father was here right now the help us out. But, pack up your things kids, we are leaving this horrible place.” And that was that.

They traveled for days and days, living off of the wild. The nomads stopped only for meals and sometimes sleep. After about two weeks, they rounded a corner and Lily saw the most wonderful sight ever.
It was a city, shining silver and gold. Hundreds of people were in the streets, laughing uproariously. All looking like “The Egress” had never hit.
The wagon tumbled into the city as the residents eyed the newcomers with respect. Lily and her family stared wide-eyed at everything around them. The wagon

jerked to a halt. The man up front told everybody in the hold to get down and go into the building right across the street.
It was a hotel. The clerk at the front desk took one look at them and motioned for them to follow him. They bustled along into a large room with what looked like fluffy beds, wonderfully soft pillows, and tons of food.
The newcomers all looked eagerly at everything. It was amazing! Lily sat there and just stared, thinking of what her father would say if he was here now. She couldn’t believe that they finally had somewhere to go.

Chapter 3

For the next few weeks, Lily and her family became accustomed to the city life. All of the hardships they had suffered were always kept in mind. So they could see that this life was so much better.
One day Lily sat on the family’s new porch thinking about how the city was kept in order.
In the beginning of the founding of the city, all of the founders agreed that all the citizens were to vote on how things were managed. One thing Lily did know was that everybody in this wonderful place looked different. They had some sort of glow to them. They all worked together, and each person had something to do. The people all worked together in harmony.

Lily was so amazed at how these people worked that she went to the Main House to get a work permit. Once she arrived, she went brusquely to the front desk and asked the secretary, “May I please receive a work permit?”
The woman looked at Lily with a bright shine in her eye. “Where were you at the time of the explosion?”
“I think somewhere around Iowa, in the United States.” Lily answered almost instantly. “But what does that have to do with anything?” She questioned.
“How old were you when you died?” the woman went on.
“I died!?” Lily shrieked. “No, this isn’t right Ma’am. I am alive and well.” She protested.
“No dear,” the woman replied softly, “ nobody survived the bomb. You are in Heaven.”
“I just can’t believe it!” Lily quickly cried as she raced out of the Main House, down the lawn, and back to her house.
Even though she didn’t want to believe it, she was dead. This was Heaven. Nobody survived “The Egress.”
Lily looked down the street to see a tall man walking long strides toward her. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t tell who he was. As he got closer, she knew straight away who he was and where she was living. It was her father and she was home, in this beautiful shining city, she had found home, Lily was in Heaven.