Truckstop Nuns

The loud noises were indescribable, like thousands of things scraping and banging and crashing all at once. Alice could feel the wall she was leaning against shuddering and vibrating. She was expecting the walls to be ripped apart at any moment and to be carried off to a violent death. She had never been so terrified.

Alice tried to calm her breathing and clasped her hands together under her chin. She began praying. "The light of God surrounds me. The Love of God enfolds me. The Power of God protects me. The Presence of God watches over me. The Strength of God renews me. Wherever I am, God is!" She repeated it over and over again as the weather raged around her.

Eventually the rumbling began to die down. An eerie quiet followed and Alice realized that the danger had passed. She was alive and unharmed. "Thank you Lord, Amen." Then she immediately thought about Lucia, she had to know that she was all right.

She crawled out from under the mattress. There was debris scattered all over the room. The mattress from the other bed had been thrown against the far wall. Alice immediately noticed the large gaping hole in the far corner, where the door was. The door had been ripped away as well as a large chunk of the wall and ceiling.

She stepped over the smashed glass and rubbish as she walked over to the gap. What she saw shocked her. The whole area had been devastated. The small buildings had been reduced to piles of scrap. Debris of all shapes and sizes was scattered around everywhere. What few trees there were, now looked like bare sticks leaning over. A white car was upside down nearby. The truckstop in the distance looked like it had partially collapsed, and what appeared to be Grace's office was still standing but was badly damaged.

Alice made her way out from the room. She had to find Lucia, but she was very scared at what she might find. She stepped over the loose debris and materials as she made her way toward the front entrance. A large chunk of splintered wood caught her frock and tore it as she walked past. She saw a car that had been crumpled up like tin-foil.

She walked past the damaged car and saw a man lying on top of a pile of debris. He was dead. His clothes were torn, as well as his skin and he was battered and bloody all over. He was lying on his back with his legs together and his arms spread out wide. Alice saw his face and realized it was Randal Roberts.

Alice made the sign of the cross gesture as she looked over the dead man and moved on. She was afraid that she might find Lucia the same way. "Please Lord, let her be all right," she said softly. She started calling out Lucia's name as she made her way through the devastated area.

She got closer to the damaged motel office when she heard someone crying out for help. It sounded like a woman's voice. Her heart beat rapidly as she quickly made her way toward the sound. Then she saw someone trapped under a large concrete slab. It was Grace.

She was on her stomach on the ground with the large slab and other debris looming over her. Dirt and blood was smeared over her face and arms. There was money scattered all around her, notes fluttering in the breeze. "Help! Someone help me please." She called out. Then she looked up and saw Alice, "Sister, oh thank God. You have to help me, I'm trapped."

Alice looked down at her. The fat lady looked very vulnerable and frightened, "You have to help me!"

Alice quickly moved over to her and got hold of the concrete slab. She strained as she tried to lift it, but it was too heavy. She started pulling rubbish away from the top of it. Then she turned and walked away. "No wait! You can't leave me here!"

"I'm not," said Alice, looking around. She picked up a large strong steel sign pole. She came back to where Grace was and pushed the pole underneath the slab. The pole sat on another chunk of concrete that was on the ground. She started pushing down on the other end, using the pole as a lever. She grit her teeth and strained as she pushed the pole with all her might. Slowly, the slab began to raise a few inches.

"Ungghh!...You gotta...crawl out!" Grace grit her teeth and groaned in pain as she pulled her heavy body along the ground, slowly making her way out. Alice couldn't hold it any longer and dropped the slab down again. Grace had come out far enough and had been freed. Alice moved over and gasped and groaned as she helped pull her out further.

Her left leg had been crushed and was lacerated and bleeding, Grace cried out in agony. Alice knelt down beside her and ripped off a long strip of her torn frock. She wrapped the black material around her leg in a makeshift bandage to stem the bleeding. "We need to get you out of here," she told Grace.

Alice strained again as she helped the plump woman up. She had her arm around her shoulder and helped support her weight as they slowly walked off. Damn she was heavy. "Nggh...Thank you sister. God bless you...God bless you."

"Ungh...Don't say that! Just...just be quiet...please."

They walked by the damaged office building where she first met Grace. Then Alice heard her name being called out. She looked up, "Lucia!" She settled the wounded woman down on the ground.

"No, don't leave me here!" She cried out.

"I'll come back for you," said Alice as she made her way toward the voice.

"Alice!" called out Lucia. Alice saw her, and was relieved that she appeared uninjured. She was wearing her black frock, but her dark hair hung loosely around her face. They both quickly made their way to each other, stumbling over the debris. They threw their arms around each other and hugged tightly.

Lucia was crying, "Oh thank the Lord. Thank Jesus."

Alice looked into her teary eyes, "It's going to be okay Lucia. It's all going to be all right...come on."

They both made their way back to where Grace was. Grace looked up at them and called out, "Oh thank God you're both all right. I never meant any harm for you. I swear to God." The damaged wall above her groaned and creaked. Suddenly part of it crumbled away, a sheet of metal slid down and sliced cleanly through her neck as it crashed to the ground.

Alice and Lucia both shrieked as they saw her decapitated head roll along the ground. It came to a stop and she seemed to look up at the two nuns as the life left her eyes.

Alice and Lucia both looked away in horror and hugged each other tightly. Soon a man appeared behind them, making his way through the debris. He was wearing the bright orange uniform of an emergency worker. He approached the two girls, "Ladies, are you okay? Are you injured at all?"

Alice looked up at him with her teary eyes, "No, we're all right."

He looked over and saw the fat severed head sitting on the ground, "Good Lord! ...Come on, let's get you out of here. You're safe now."

He led the two nuns toward the front entrance, and they left the fat head of Grace behind amongst all the debris and rubbish.

END

Thanks for reading. Your comments are welcome. Just for fun, here are some sordid verses from the New International Version of the Holy Bible;

Genesis 38: 15,16 "When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you."

II Samuel 13: 1,2, 11, 14 "In the course of time, Ammon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. Ammon became frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her...But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said "Come to bed with me, my sister....But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her."

Genesis 19: 5 "They said to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."

Genesis 38: 9 "But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with brother's wife, he spilled his seed on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother."

Song of Songs 7: 7,8 "Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit. I said "I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit."

Ezekiel 16: 17 "You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them."

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