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[10 Apr 2005|09:13pm] |
I sat in the dining hall thinking how bad this damn gyro tasted. Tarek just left and the conversation left a bad after taste in my mouth. I realized just how bad we really were in highschool. He always had this idea of how American schools included drugs everywhere and sex in the hallways. I laughed and said not quite, but after some thought, I realized that my alma matter wasn't that far off. Also that the chicken tasted like ass too.
Across the room two kids were trying to plan a food fight, but the one in a blue shirt spilled his drink and just brought unneeded attention to themselves. As they got up to walk away the clumsy one bumps into another guy, only this guy was 6'3" and the nickname on the back of his gym shirt read "HULK". Seconds later the kid was on the ground with a broken and bleeding nose while his friend tried to defend their honor. Thats when it started.
From outside I heard a faint boom. Sitting with my back to the window, I turned to look just in time to see the tail end of a flash off in the distance. I couldn't see much. The lights inside the builing created a mirror effect on the windows. I looked back to see if anyone else noticed or heard, but everyone else was focused on "HULK" as he held the second kid in the air with one hand and hit him with the other. God forbid any of his friends say thats enough and stops it. Then BOOM! A closer one. A louder one. A brighter one. This caught everyones attention, either the flash of light from pitch black outside or the shaking of the glass and walls. Everything halted as we watched the Engineering building go up in flames.
What happen? What could have happen? Did somebody mess up a lab or something? Hulk dropped the poor boy and made his way to the window behind me along with the rest of the crowd. The two boys took this time to make their grand get-a-way. I tried to get away too. I knew something was wrong. The first one had to be a blast too. Thats two explosions in just as many minutes. Inside a building is the last place I wanted to be. After clearing the growing crowd I made a brake for the door.
I immediately felt the heat pressing against my face. It reminded me of my firefighter training this past summer. Now I wished I had stayed awake during that breif.
It was just as a crowd starred to gather on the street that we heard the third and fourth ones. Far off in the distance bright flashes came out of the air, marking the upper floors of Beaty Towers. Screaming followed. My heart dropped as i thought about my friends, but no time. At some point the Univeristy Police got there and began pushing us out the street and off the coner. To add fear to confusion, they were wearing riot gear. I thought to myslef why a uninversity police department would have such extensive riot gear, then BOOM! Another explosion followed by gun fire. This one was from somewhere behind us. Again, more screaming.
I began to panic. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to be home. I thought maybe if I just get home i'll be safe, so I started to run for my dorm. Somebody must have seen me and thought it a good idea to run too, so soon the whole crowd broke out in a run of different directions. Behind me, I hear the police screaming, "Please Remain Calm", right!
As i get to my building there is yet another crowd lingering outside. They all watched in silence as I came running down the path in a heavy sweat making for the door. Had I been in that crowd, something would have told me to run, but these are intelligent young college students, I'm sure they know what they are doing.
I got to the door and fumbled with my keys. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I stopped myself and sat down. Started to take deep breaths. Told myself I was having a bad dream then proceed to close my eyes and and reopen them as though it would wake me. Then it happened. This one was the loudest. A roar sounded that shook everything and everyone around me. I instantly felt my skin go dry as a wave of heat went over me, then wet as my body broke back out into a sweat. I looked back out at the crowd that watched me run here as some of them tried to run now. Others lie on the ground curled into the fetal positon.
A girl layed on the floor crying. As she turned to look and scream for help I could see that shards of glass had cut into her face and side but she wasn't asking for help for herself. There was a boy beside her. He lay bleeding from his right side. At a second glace I realized it was the same clumsy kid from the dining hall. His buddy was no where in sight.
People came running down the stair well and out the door. THe same door i had trouble getting in to. Girls were being carried out, severly burned. The fourth floor. Amanda's floor. I didn't see her come out. I thought to myself, I'm sure she's fine. She's never home anyway. Then I saw her roommate. She was in nothing but a bath robe, and had burns all down her arms and legs. She yelled to me as she saw me, "She was sleeping. She's still in there." It was as though instinct kicked in. I lept to my feet and ran inside, making my way up the stairs.
We had known each other for sometime, but not too personally. Always hi and goodbye. It wasn't until just a few days ago that we got to know each other fairly intimately. We went on a impromptu date around one in the morning where we ate and then talked for hours. The conversation took a turn for the gutter fairly quickly but made for a good time. It was made pretty clear that this, if happened, would be strictly for the sex. Ultimately the night ended with her having to go pick up a drunk friend and me, though I had a good time, leaving with nothing.
The stairway was longer than I remembered. When I finnally reached the top i realized i had no way to get in. The doors had to be opened with a slide card. It was my luck that, what appeared to be a singed slipper, was caught between the door and the frame keeping it open. I went to touch the door with the back of my hand, as I learned from my YNC back in highschool. Never did I think i would remember that, much less need to use it. I felt the heat before i made contact with door. I slipped my boot between the door and frame and pulled back hard as i could to get it to open. The other side was fairly clear and I ran in.
Amanda's room is one the first ones. For some reason i couldn't remember which one, but leave it to Florida to require that the RA's put our names on the door. Her's was unlocked and a mess on the inside. I saw her curled into the corner beneath her computer desk with a shirt over her mouth and nose. The smoke was thick and my eyes had started to burn. i got down on all fours and crawled over to her. It wasn't until I touched her shoulder that she even knew i was there. She lept at me and the two of us fell over. Normally I wouldn't complain about a girl like her jumping on me, but we landed on some kind of stick that dug into my side. After screaming and pain and getting up, i saw that it was a shower rod. Why a shower rod was laying in the middle of her room floor was just another bullet added to my "shit to question" list. The list was growing fast.
I picked her as though she were my bride and after about ten feet the pain from that rod started to hit me. This wasn't going to work, plus it was too hard to get through doorways. I set her down. There was no way i would make down those stairs standing if i carried her like that. I picked her up by her arm and her crotch and slung her over my back and shoulders. I felt like a real fire fighter. Like i was in Ladder 49. Then i heard something from down the hall blow and the came to and realized I don't have time for such stupid shit. The heat and smoke motivated my ass to move. The trip down the stairs was a lot shorter.
As i walked out the doors at the bottom of the building i could hardly breathe or see. All i could make out was a series of flashing lights. I felt someone grab Amanda. I tried to hold on to her, but my body felt so weak. I had lost her. I was so confused. What was going on. I turn in time to see someone reach for me. I push forward my right fore arm to block the coming arm, and swing away with my left. I hit whoever it was. I got him good too. I couldn't make out a face, but he who ever it was was backed off. It was then that two guys grabbed me from the sides. I tried to fight them off, but I tired out and had trouble breathing. They kept saying something but their voices were faint. I couldn't get away. Finnally i gave in and blacked out.
When I came to, I found myslef laying on the floor with two firefighters over me telling me to take deep breaths. Thank God I thought. In the distance I could see two more fireman. One laughing while the other sat at the truck with his head tilted back holding his nose. I started to question what happened to him but didn't have the energy. A fifth fireman enterd laughing as well. With him was Amanda wrapped in a big blanket. She looked at me and mouthed something but i couldn't make it out. I had a bad headache. I closed my eyes and felt the firefighters lift me. In the background I hear talk and laughter among the firefighter. But as we pass a crowd of people I hear crying. I look over to see the girl cut by the shards of glass from before. There was now a white sheet placed over the boy.
Just as they close the doors of the Fire Rescue truck, I can see the sun rising. It was over. Whatever it was, it is over.
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