Prologue
It's dark, that's all I know for certain. I can't feel my limbs, my body feels like it's been detached from me. The world is foggy, distant, as if I'm surrounded by a glass bubble. Everything I hear is distanced, unreachable. I want to move, to scream, but I can't seem to function.
The first bit of strength I find is my eyes, they open and I'm staring up at a giant hole above me. The light shining down is bright, blinding but I can't protect my eyes, so I reluctantly close them, silently hoping they'll open again.
They do, and I glance around as best I can and see nothing but rubble, ash and smoke all around me. What's happened? Where I am? I don't know, I look up again, the light is shimmering white, like the stories I heard growing up about heaven. Is that what this is, should I give in and go towards the light?
Well, that'd be a fine sentiment if I could actually move, but I can't. So I take a long, deep breath and try and get my brain to move the muscles in my hand. There is a pain, a shooting pain that goes down my arm and I'm thrilled by this simply because I can feel it. My hand twitches, I lift one finger, than two, than a third and suddenly I'm pulling my right arm up ever so slightly.
That's when the feeling starts to return to the other parts of my body, and I realize that I was much better off numb.
My back hurts, as if it's been stabbed with a thousand blades, cuts are searing at my skin from every nerve. My leg is throbbing, my neck is tight, and my left arm feels as if it's been broken.
I can't decide which pain to focus on, they're all fighting for supremacy.
Finding enough strength in my neck, I lift my head just enough to take in more of my surroundings. That's when I see the boulder pressing my left leg to the ground. It's big, bigger than anything I could move on my own.
I check my arm next, yep, definitely not moving it with this thing. It's broken, no doubt as I try to move my wrist and can't.
A rush of breach comes into my lungs, I feel it strike my throat and it stings. I have no choice, it may hurt but I have to try.
"HELP!" I cry, my throat feeling as if it's caught fire as tears sting at my eyes. The tightness the scream puts my body through sends shockwaves of pain to every inch of me. It's overwhelming, I can feel the world around me darkening as I struggle to stay awake.
It's hopeless, I lay my head back down and rest, exhausted as I stare up at the beam of light above.
I want to believe it's heaven, I want to believe it's peace…waiting for me.
But…I don't want to die. I don't want to leave.