by Lisa Ricco

Created on: April 12, 2011

BOOM...BOOM...BOOM

Instantly I am thrown forward as if I am a human slingshot. My body slams against the front of a building and amidst all of the background noise I can still hear bones breaking. I fall to the ground where my head meets the concrete and everything goes black.

When my eyes finally open I have no idea how much time has passed. As my vision clears I see police cars and ambulances and I hear screaming. I open my mouth to yell for help but no words seem to come out. Either that or my voice is getting lost in the world of chaos that is forming before me. I am lying on my back and as I try to get up I realize that my head is the only part of my body that I can move. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing as I turn my head and see the horror surrounding me.

I’ve landed in a spot that has given me a clear line of sight to what is going on in front of me. Two cars are on fire as firefighters work frantically to put them out. I can see the thick smoke emanating from both vehicles. Looking at the window of one car I can clearly see an arm hanging out of it, partially black, almost charred to the bone. I immediately get nauseous and feel the bile coming up from my stomach.

Police are shouting out orders to each other as they run around trying to calm the situation. I can see some people walking around in a daze, clearly wounded, with blood on their faces and clothes. Medical personnel try to get them to sit down and be checked over. I see their blood and wonder if I am bleeding. I have no way of knowing. I really don’t feel any pain and again I wonder if this is a good thing or not. My body is numb and at this moment I wish my mind was numb as well.

After what seems like hours, but I’m sure is only minutes, an EMT worker comes over to me and kneels down beside me.

“Sir, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

I don’t know if I am and I don’t know if I ever will be.

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