Something
by Lezdy Bonilla
Embedded Files
His eyelashes raised unwillingly as stroking aches swarmed his brain. Groans bellowed deep within him but then he realized, it wasn’t just him. The torn down walls and pillars roared their own agonizing song as exposed wires danced, leaving sparks wherever they touched. However, he could not pay mind to their taunts because of the throbbing shocks that exploded on his lower back.
“What the...” was all his parched throat could hoarse out before he started a coughing fit. His scorched lungs convulsed from the mixture of dust, smoke, and other noxious substances it was intaking. Once his shoulders slowed their bounce and his breath returned he was finally able to scan his surroundings. A rugged ground was what he sat on while teal and tan lumps of stone towered over him. Then his eyes trailed to a much softer substance, skin. That skin turned to people, immobile people, with red ink spilling out of their paled skin.
I need to find a way out. With that thought in mind, he drew back his legs and pushed forward only to meet the jagged ground again. The overwhelming pang that pulsed through his cerebrum caused him to stumble back to his defeated position. Heated liquid was seeping from under the crown of his head and stained the few gray hairs he had developed over the years.
Head injury, probably from impact. Possibly affected areas: parietal and occipital lobes. It’s best if I make no sudden movements and wait for help. So he crawled back and sat against what seemed like remnants of a staircase. This helpless state finally allowed him time to reflect.
···
“I’m so sorry sir! Here’s your order,” the woman sheepishly apologized, “Here, a coupon for making you wait so long.” A coupon could hardly fix the numbness that had already taken over his right thigh after the extended pressure he placed on it while waiting. Regardless, he accepted the coupon and coffee, not forgetting to leave a mumbled “hmph” during the exchange. For the slight moment they had, the woman’s earthy fingertips brisked against the man’s cream hands and he was surprised by the stiffness of her skin. Since youth still glowed in her irises he expected a soft cushion rather than stiff sandpaper. However, he continued striding across the platform only to stop in place when he saw a crack. Had it been a small crevise he would have just walked on by but this indent was particularly interesting. The ravine in the tiles only expanded as the man’s eyes chased its journey. The balance beams began to howl and metal poles screeched from their interaction. Particles fell from the ceiling and coated the man’s jacket. Then, before he had any time to think of what next, Grand Central Station fell.
···
A clash of metal against stone and what seemed like a moan drew him from his thoughts.
“Hello? Hello! Hello!?” he whispered before belching it out. A minute passed and all he received was the razed building’s cry for help. The idea that he must be losing his sanity quickly passed his mind till he heard the softest of “Hello”s.
“Hello? Is someone there? I need help, please!” the woman sobbed desperately. A debate of whether he should trust his state of mind and answer or save his breath occurred in his mind. Blood still trickling down his opening he came to his decision.
“Hey! I’m here! I’m here! Where are you?” he replied.
“O-over here! Please! I-I can’t move!”
“Alright, I’ll head to you. Just, keep talking to me and I’ll find you.”
“O-okay...”
With their plan set, the man slowly swiveled to all fours and pushed through the tunnels of rubble. The twinge in his head continued but he worried more of the vibrating walls of the tunnel.
“Alright ma’am, talk to me.”
“Oh… alright. Mmm… m-my name is Hope. Hope Carter. I-I’m 26. I’ve lived in New York all my life...I...”
The stench of shriveled ashes surrounded him and the twisted paths challenged him. The chords of her voice slowly began to attach itself to his ear but then they were ripped away by deafening silence.
“Miss. Carter, is something wrong?” he inquired, worried that his theory of hallucinations caused by insanity was correct. However, a sniffle reassured him the contrary.
“Yes… no! I’m okay. I just… I don’t want to die.” At this point, her words began to jumble with her weeping.
“Miss. Carter, I can assure you that I can be of some assitance once I reach you so in order to expedite the process I need you to keep talking. I am nearby so a bit more talking should do.” he consoled as he learned to do in his profession.
“A-alright… I have a child. Damion is his name a-and… ha… he’s the greatest kid you could ever meet,” she started, “Smart too. I have no clue as to where he got his smarts from. Didn’t come from me, and certantly didn’t come from his daddy. But he has potential, unlike the rest of us. I just… I want to make sure I get out of this so I can see the great things he will do.”
Just as she was finishing up her last word the man crawled into the small pocket of air she was in. Her eyes bulged in recognition of another human and soon her vision fogged.
“You’re actually here,” she exclaimed as her breath unbalanced and the corners of her lips tugged upward, “I thought I might have made you up in my head.” Her fingers pulled her shirt to press and dry the happy tears that came. He crawled a little closer to examine her state. A hulky support beam claimed most of her left leg as she laid against a destroyed wall. Her barista uniform was smeared of dust and dirt.
“Can you wiggle your toes for me?” he asked.
With much effort, her thumb slid slightly against her other fingers.
“That’s good! That’s good.” he chirped, mostly for her, which prove to be effective since she let a breath escape from her lips.
“Here, let me help you out of this,” he added while wrapping his fingers and palm against the smooth rods. With all the weight of his body, he pulled and pushed but the beam proved too stubborn to move. With a heave, he plopped down and hung his head in defeat. Hope was about to open her mouth but a thunder interrupted her. A wail louder than anything they had heard before came from above and what they saw turned their blood blue. A billboard sign was barely dangling above their heads with wires that were slowly giving way to its weight.
“Fuck...” he mumbled before realizing words had even come out of his mouth. Scattering arms and legs threw him back up to grab hold of the rods.
“Stop! There’s not enough time! You need to save yourself!” she begged while picking his hands off the relentless beam. Then he froze and recognized what he was sentencing himself to. He did not know this woman nor did he know the person she was. It made no logical sense for him to exchange his life for a chance to save her’s. So he agonizingly fell back to his bottom and stared at his unfortunate situation. The beam, the stone, the billboard. He examined it all. Then he looked at her eyes and saw the youth he saw before in a simpler time. A youth that he has once taken for granted and later lived to regret. And that thought alone made him too frighten to continue with his ideas of abandonment. With another push in the calves, the man launched towards the enemy with all will in his body.
“Are you crazy! You’re going to get yourself killed! Get out of here,” she wept as if she was killing the man herself.
“You have to get back to your son!” he bayed letting adrenaline take over his muscles and gradually drove the beam off Hope’s leg.
“Oh my god...” she exhaled mostly in disbelief.
“Here put your arm around me.” he insisted while lifting her petite figure off the ground. Together they stumbled across the danger zone to their escape until a monstrous snap echoed from above them. The sign hurled towards them with every intent of smushing both beings. Its plan would have been accomplished had it not been for the man’s reflex to shove Hope into the small tunnel he came from while he remained behind. Before her eyes, the billboard engulfed the man she did not even know the name of. A sigh of relief came from the sign as if it was satisfied with at least taking one life and dust particles applauded its accomplishment by exploding in a frenzy after impact. With quaking hands, her heart sank to the pits of hell where it burned and set aflame to her already dry throat. Silence filled the void her heart left resulting in no expression brave enough to appear. Then a pick appeared. Then another. Then another. Soon enough the picks turned to the drilling sound of construction equipment.
“Hello! Hello?! Is anyone down there? Are there any survivors?!”
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