It was normal to hear sirens going off in cities and towns so when I got off of the train, I didn't think much of it. Well that was until the screaming became apparent. The screaming and running away from the train tracks, that is. I wasn't one to run without a purpose and the sight of dozens of citizens running away from what appeared to be danger only sparked my interest. I walked against the rippling currents of humans to the source of the panic. I walked the entire length of a train and then some until I saw what everyone was scared of. I took my phone out of my pocket and took a picture.
There was a pale faced, blue eyed man with a bomb strapped to his chest and a look pleading in his eyes. "RUN! I'M SO SORRY; RUN!" He screamed. Well, that was terrifying. It was then that I noticed the countdown clock. I digress but the idea of a countdown clock is rather horrendous. It gives a person a time table revealing the exact moment of their demise and this one foretold of this man's demise and in extension of my own. We had less than 30 seconds. Well, shit.
I had a few options 1) run as fast as I can and get injured in an evitable blast, 2) pass out in fear, 3) try to help this man. I decided on the stupidest and most absurd of options and jumped down from the platform and approached him. "GET OUT OF HERE-" I held up my hand.
"I wouldn't be able to make it." I walked closer to the man and wrapped my arms around him and his vest which was made of materials that can only be described as 'the '. He was apologizing and crying; he held me tight. My heart was skipping beats. "Think about it this way, they're gonna be forced to remodel this shitty platform. Future generations will thank you for your noble service." There had to be some upside to this. He chuckled nervously. At that second it was worth it. If I was gonna die, the least I could do was make another person's last seconds less terrible.
But then I didn't die.
I blinked and felt a pressure on my waist and a gust of wind and saw a red blur. And suddenly I was no longer on train tracks and holding a terrified man. Suddenly I was on the edge of a group of reporters being pushed back by police. Suddenly I was watching as the man stumbled out of the train station with his clock beeping at zero. There were wires pulled and clipped and a man in a red and yellow suit slowly lead him to an ambulance. I wanted to push past the police to get a better look but I didn't have to. Suddenly the masked man was standing right in front of me and the reporters turned for a better look. He put a hand on my shoulder and looked down at me before saying,
"Why did you do that? You could've died." His voice was stern but concerned.
"I had less than 30 seconds. I wouldn't have made it; the least I could do was try to make that poor man feel better." His face was a blur that was making me nauseated but I could swear that I could see a green sparkle; perhaps those were his eyes? He was silent before saying.
"Wow, that was so thoughtful...you're totally the bomb." I stared at him blankly in response. "Too soon? Or do you just have a short fuse..I'm sorry I'm just having a blast over here."
"You suck." He laughed.
"Not you, you're pretty dynamite. I'm sorry, I'm sorry you just went through a terrible and traumatic experience. I'll leave now. I suggest you go talk to the police and get checked out by a medic." Before I could respond he was gone in a streak of red and gold. Lucky for him, the puns didn't really hurt me in the slightest and actually made me fit a little bit better about the entire situation. I did do as he asked, I went to the the police officers, I got checked out by a medic and they said I was probably fine. I met the bomb guy and he hugged me and I learned his name. And then I went back to the platform and retrieved my luggage from a sympathetic officer before heading to my new apartment.
I sat on my faux hard wood floor and typed up a new post for my blog.
MY FIRST DAY IN CENTRAL WAS A TOTAL BLAST; I SAW AN ADAM BOMB