The thundering sound reverberating through the house woke Jeremiah from a sound sleep. As he reached for the lamp on his night table, another loud roar - like a car crashing right outside the door - shook the lamp and toppled it. Louise awoke and started coughing; acrid smoke burned her eyes. As she reached for the nearest piece of cloth to cover her mouth, she realized that her face was wet. She turned on the overhead light and saw blood on the towel. "Get the children!" she yelled, fighting back frequent coughs.
Jeremiah ran to the bedroom where his 3-year-old daughter was crying as she rubbed her eyes. His 5-year-old son was coughing and crying, but between sobs managed to say, "Papa."
Jeremiah ran to the kitchen, grabbed some towels and soaked them under the faucet. He ran back and placed a towel on his son's face and told him, "Hold it there and breathe through the
cloth.". He grabbed his daughter and son, holding them tightly in his muscular dark arms and ran to the door as
he yelled, "Louise, come on!"
As the family ran toward their beat-up pickup truck, they saw others running away from the railroad tracks, which were less than a mile away.
This was the poor part of the quiet Virginia town. On this side of the tracks lived the "colored folk." The houses were clean, small, and simple, with white or gray wooden shingles. Some had earth-swept yards. Most had open porches with large wooden chairs where residents enjoyed the cool shade on hot summer days. Air conditioning was a luxury most could not afford, with antiquated wiring often incapable of handling even the basic necessities. It was a peaceful area, not like the slums in the city. Those who lived here were proud people. The men usually worked at the local chemical plants or far-away factories, with a few still holding on to the family farm. Those who finally got an education moved to Charleston or New York. On Sundays, the old folks went to church, sang, listened to a sermon, met their friends, and later enjoyed a picnic. But on this day, this sleepy, peaceful town awoke to a sight of such horror that some town folk could not run, but stood frozen, staring back at the tracks in disbelief. The black plumes reached high into the sky. Blazing orange and yellow light from the fires illuminated the derailed cars and some of the homes. The faces of the people staring back at the fire had an orange glow; their eyes reflected the light. As Jeremiah passed a woman he heard her say, "O God, the gates of hell have opened up, please protect us!"
"Come on Mary," he yelled, pushing her along while holding the children, "We've gotta get out of here, it's a chemical spill!"
