Lightning ripped through the sky, but I had to keep going. Rain seared the deep lacerations across my body, but my legs still chased the horizon with desperation. Hair clung to my cheeks as if in fear of being left behind like everything else; tears laced my face in haphazard patterns before falling to the sidewalk. Sirens fueled the fire of screams behind me, only to be gagged by the thick smoke that permeated the sky. A light emerged and severed the darkness; my sight became murky and time began to slow. I slammed against the seemingly seraphic door until it flung open. My senses galvanized from shock and a mass of voices pervaded my mind. Sudden warmth and the smell of coffee pleaded with me to stifle my thoughts, but the words that would change my life still spewed out of my mouth. “I saw him!” I cried. Then, the blackness became an intruder to my own body, and I collapsed.
When my eyes began to open again, a series of bright lights blinded me; I touched the white cloth surrounding me and found myself on a bed. A clamor filled the air, just as before, as the door to this room was left open. Squinting, I looked around; people in blue outfits bustled about and distress danced through the halls. A man was rushed into another room and a mass of blue chased hastily after him. Images began to fade into my mind; the memories of glass becoming upon my skin, the stampede of people, and of these doctors wheeling out enfeebled bodies. Suddenly, an image as sharp as the glass ripped through my mind at last; the strange man. A man had been speaking indistinctly on a phone as he ignited the turmoil that swept through my world. His frazzled dark hair bounced as he paced back in forth, speaking forcefully on the phone. He steps began to speed up and his thin lips moved faster. Suddenly, he realized that I was staring at him. Those quick steps stopped dead in its tracks, and he glared back. He curled his lips into a baleful smile and lifted his finger to his mouth. “Shhhh,” he whispered. Then the shards of glass appeared. When my recollection began to fade, I yelled once more, “I saw him!” The discordance of the hospital began to dim; three men hastened to my bedside and abruptly introduced themselves.
“We work for the San Francisco Police Department. Do you mind if you came with us to answer a few questions about the recent bombing at Blackwell Town Center?” The look each one of them possessed shook the walls around me. The tallest man stood in the front of the two others, showing that he was in charge. He swiftly turned to the doctor who leaned beside the door, filled with fatigue; she promptly nodded. The men walked and stood beside the door as well, as if they were ordering me to leave with them rather than asking me. Without a word, I trudged to the door and left the hospital.
The policemen took me into a black car. A new sense of silence enveloped the air and pacified my thoughts. Pain was still brought upon my wounds, and I winced at every turn, but the policemen said nothing. The car suddenly stopped, shaking my body; I screamed in agony. The shortest man began to show the slightest bit of guilt, but the leader’s glower stifled it at once. He opened the car door for me, and I dragged my body outside. Looking up, I saw the building that once beheld the divine light in the malicious darkness; it now looked lifeless and mundane. Following the men, I stepped in. Before the voices, the pungent smell of coffee, or even the warmth could graze my skin, I saw something I prayed I would never see again. My mind began to wail once again as I saw that messy dark hair. He was talking on the phone once more and I became paralyzed by fear. He didn’t pace; however, he seemed calm, as though he was sure everything would be fine. He laughed and hung up his phone; his lips curled into a smile before he even looked at me as if he knew I would be here. The voices dimmed as low as ever as he began to lift his finger to his mouth. I knew that no matter how quickly I cried, no one would act fast enough. My eyes darted around the station, looking for an alternative solution, but I knew there was only one. I instantly pivoted to the right and snatched the revolver that hid at the tall man’s side. I aimed at the strange man and tears began to fill my face. With the utmost precision, I fired; pain began to rip through my body. With a cry, the man slowly fell to the ground which began to swallow this recurring nightmare. Blackness yet again filled my mind; I had also been shot for firing a gun. This time, I did not wake up from the darkness.
