Ch. 1

The world fades as the light is put out. Eyes flutter shut and the pull of the blackness calls me to itself. I know not where it will take me this time. Darkness envelops me and my conscious mind rests. The subconscious takes over, and my mind takes me to a wondrous place. I see people I have never met before. Faces of those in my future, faces of the past, and faces I am not destined to know. Sensations wash over me as I sleep.

Walking around, never knowing where I'm going. No control over my actions.

* * *

"Look out!" I yelled as an explosion rocked the store. The concussion knocked me to the ground and I could hear the screaming of people trying to flee. I felt debris impact me as glass cuts into my back. I already felt the warm liquid flowing down. Getting over the initial physical shock of the explosion, I got up to see if I could help anyone.

Screams of agony cried out and I was almost overwhelmed with anger and grief. Looking around through the settling smoke, I could see the bodies of dozens of people. Some were still alive.

"AAAAAHHHHGGGG!!" came a cry from a woman near me. My eyes shot to her position and she looked straight in my eyes. "Please. Help."

Her injuries were extensive, but not life threatening. Somehow, the training of years of disaster relief I could hardly remember come back. "Ma'am, I'm going to get you out of here. Don't worry, you're going to be fine." Assessing her injuries, I made a snap decision. "Can you stand?"

"…I... I think so." I helped her up and she wobbled a bit from the disorientation. Walking her over to the edge of the blast zone, I gave her into the waiting arms of the paramedics. They hustled her into an ambulance with another victim and then the aid car sped off. One of the other EMTs turned to me.

"Thank you so much for your help."

"It's the least I can do. And I mean that. I have to get back in there and see if there is anyone else I can get out.."

He stared at me like I just grew three antlers. "Hey, man, you can't go back in there! The zone is too dangerous. There are gas lines around the area of the explosion. They could burst at any moment!"

"Hey buddy, there are people still in there and I don't know about you, but I am not about to leave them to die! I'm going in! No arguments!" He looked at me again, but then just nodded in acquiescence. Rushing back in again, I yelled over my shoulder, "Just be ready when I come back out!"

"Will do," the medic said under his breath. "Will do."

* * *


My nostrils were assaulted with the acrid smell of smoke and burning flesh. I knew that by now I would be at risk of smoke inhalation and carbon poisoning, but I didn't care. I spotted a man lying on the floor, unconscious. Kneeling down, I tried to pick him up as gingerly as I could, but it wasn't easy, as he wasn't light. For the thousandth time that day, I thanked God for my gym membership. Once I got him out to the EMT's, I laid him on a stretcher. Finally, the fire trucks drove up, sirens blaring. I spotted a firefighter jumping out of one of the trucks and advised him of the situation.

"The place was blown to hell. Since it happened in one of the high traffic times for the store, we've got a lot of injured in there. While I was in there, I noticed there was a fire next to where I think the gas line might be. We need to get these people out and treated." Nodding, the fireman notices the blood that had seeped through my shirt.

"You better get yourself looked at. We'll take it from here."

I stared at him with a look of determination. "There is no way I am staying out here. You need help and there might be people in there that I know." I could tell he was about to say something to ease my worry and cause me to stay away, but I kept going. "Look, I was a fireman for five years. I know what I'm doing and I know for a fact you need all the help you can get." He looked like he was considering what I was saying, so I pressed on. "This place is a ticking time bomb, and we need to get everyone out that we can. You guys need to clear the area as well while we wait for the police to arrive."

Finally, he nodded and we move in.

After forty stressful minutes, we had gotten almost everyone out. The burns and cuts on my back were a constant annoyance, and I was having trouble staying on my feet. Looking around one last time, I sew that they everyone was out. A rescue worker hollered, "Hey buddy, we gotta' get outta' here! This place is about to blow again and there's nothing we can do!"

"Okay," I yelled back. "I'm coming!" I took one last look around. Just then, something caught my eye. Looking closer, I saw two little shoes beneath a pile of rubble. There were legs attached to them! "Wait!" I yelled back at the rescue worker. "Someone's still in here!" Seeing that he didn't hear me, I ran over to the spot and started clawing at the debris covering the person. Tossing rubble aside, I finally reached them. It was a brown-haired little girl of about six, lying unconscious. She had small lacerations on her face and forearms. I thought to myself, "She probably tried to block her face with her hands and got knocked out by the blast."

Picking her up as gently as I can, I started to sprint out of the near-demolished department store. I could hear something start to build in the back of the store, where the gas line resided. I tried to run faster. But I was too late.

BOOM!

I felt extreme heat on my back and tried to cradle the child in my arms as tightly as I could. The explosion gripped me full-force and fire washed over me. My legs were swept out from under me as I was launched forward, trying to shield the little girl from the worst of it. I prayed a quick prayer that she would be all right, even if I didn't survive. Before I even hit the ground, everything turned to blackness.