The Smell.

The smell. What is that smell?  It's everywhere.  The food, air, people!   At first, exotic and promising.  A spice most assuredly.  What is it hiding?   The first hint. The large rat under the table.  The thinness of the people, so many people.  It came slowly.   In waves.  Go outside!  Breathe! Fresh air?  That smell, it is everywhere!  Liquid.  Boiling liquid.  The heat.  Sweat.  Just across the yard.  Not far. The gray, closing in.  No one is helping.  I recall the body on the sidewalk. Christ's not here!   Keep moving!  The cool comfort of a locked door and porcelain!  The SMELL!