No sooner had Dave finished reading the statement than more whistles could be heard off in the distance but getting closer by the second. The sky was soon full of trails of light…more bombs were coming.
"Get down!" he yelled to Kari. He threw the both of them onto the ground, hopefully providing them some protection from what was to come.
There are always a few times in a person's life where, when looking back, they can remember everything in agonizingly minute detail. Dave knew in an instant this would be one of those times. The dirt that flew up into the air as they landed on the ground. The woman a few feet away, staring up at the sky and paralyzed by fear. The look in Kari's eyes before he pushed her head down to protect her from the impending blasts. Those few seconds seemed to last an eternity, but passed by in a heartbeat.
And at the end of that heartbeat, all hell broke loose.
There were at least three explosions close by, possibly more. It was hard to tell --- the first was so close and so loud, Dave's ears immediately began to ring. Debris began to rain down, pelting their bodies and bouncing onto the ground surrounding them. He could feel Kari shaking under his arm and pulled her closer to give her some comfort just as much to protect her.
"It's going to be ok," he half yelled into her ear. "We'll be alright."
She pulled away from him briefly and looked at him in disbelief. "Are you fucking crazy?" she mouthed.
His mouth twitched into a half smile before her pushed her back down. In truth, he'd said that for his benefit just as much as hers. He said a silent prayer before ducking his head down. A prayer for them that they would be safe. And a prayer for those that wouldn't.
After what seemed like hours the explosions around them stopped. Dave picked his head up and glanced around, surveying the chaos around him. The air was quiet now, and the glow of scattered fires gave off enough light to see that people were moving about. He could hear shouting off in the distance, but was unable to discern what was being said.
"I think it's over," he said to Kari as he slowly sat up.
She sat up as well. "Where's Megan?" she asked, looking around to where they had been standing a few minutes earlier. Unfortunately the ground where they had been standing was now a crater.
"Where are they?" she repeated, looking over to Dave expectantly.
He glanced over at her, then quickly turned his eyes away. "They're gone," he said quietly.
"They're gone? What do you mean, they're gone?" Tears sprang to her eyes, the fires around her suddenly looked like they were under water. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. "They can't just fucking disappear!"
Dave slowly let out the breath he had been holding and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look at where the bomb made contact, Kari. Nothing could have made it through that."
"So they just…disintegrated?" Her voice was louder now, unable to comprehend what happened. "That's not…they can't…"
A sob wracked through her body as she finally began to accept her friend's grizzly fate.
Dave rubbed her shoulder awkwardly, unsure of what to do. They'd been his friends as well, but right now he was torn between comforting Kari and trying to find out what was going on. Finally he couldn't bear to see her crying and pulled her into a hug. She buried her head on his chest while she cried.
"Hey, come on now," Dave said quietly, "I don't mean to sound harsh, but we've got to see what's going on around here. We've got to see if we can get out of here." He rubbed Kari's back one last time and then gently pushed her away. She looked up at him, fear and sadness in her eyes.
"Ok…I'm ok," she said as she took several deep breaths to calm herself. "At the risk of sounding stupid, where the hell is Sarusdia? And why are they pissed off at us?"
He shook his head and shrugged in response. "I know they're over in Europe somewhere…as for why, I have no idea. I don't follow the news too closely, so I haven't heard anything. But we need to see if we can get out of here and worry about all that later."
Taking her hand, he started to head in the general direction of the parking lot. Their progress was slower than he would have liked but it wasn't to be helped. The ground was treacherous, between holes, debris, and bodies.
"Don't look down," he said, as he maneuvered them further out of the field.
"Why?" she asked, and then looked down to see an undistinguishable body part several feet away. "Holy shit."
Dave turned around and cocked an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything. Normally he would have had a rude comment about not being able to follow directions, but given the circumstances he felt it was better to bite his tongue.
"Hold it there!" a voice called out to them from the right. "You're not going anywhere."
"Get down!" he yelled to Kari. He threw the both of them onto the ground, hopefully providing them some protection from what was to come.
There are always a few times in a person's life where, when looking back, they can remember everything in agonizingly minute detail. Dave knew in an instant this would be one of those times. The dirt that flew up into the air as they landed on the ground. The woman a few feet away, staring up at the sky and paralyzed by fear. The look in Kari's eyes before he pushed her head down to protect her from the impending blasts. Those few seconds seemed to last an eternity, but passed by in a heartbeat.
And at the end of that heartbeat, all hell broke loose.
There were at least three explosions close by, possibly more. It was hard to tell --- the first was so close and so loud, Dave's ears immediately began to ring. Debris began to rain down, pelting their bodies and bouncing onto the ground surrounding them. He could feel Kari shaking under his arm and pulled her closer to give her some comfort just as much to protect her.
"It's going to be ok," he half yelled into her ear. "We'll be alright."
She pulled away from him briefly and looked at him in disbelief. "Are you fucking crazy?" she mouthed.
His mouth twitched into a half smile before her pushed her back down. In truth, he'd said that for his benefit just as much as hers. He said a silent prayer before ducking his head down. A prayer for them that they would be safe. And a prayer for those that wouldn't.
After what seemed like hours the explosions around them stopped. Dave picked his head up and glanced around, surveying the chaos around him. The air was quiet now, and the glow of scattered fires gave off enough light to see that people were moving about. He could hear shouting off in the distance, but was unable to discern what was being said.
"I think it's over," he said to Kari as he slowly sat up.
She sat up as well. "Where's Megan?" she asked, looking around to where they had been standing a few minutes earlier. Unfortunately the ground where they had been standing was now a crater.
"Where are they?" she repeated, looking over to Dave expectantly.
He glanced over at her, then quickly turned his eyes away. "They're gone," he said quietly.
"They're gone? What do you mean, they're gone?" Tears sprang to her eyes, the fires around her suddenly looked like they were under water. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. "They can't just fucking disappear!"
Dave slowly let out the breath he had been holding and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look at where the bomb made contact, Kari. Nothing could have made it through that."
"So they just…disintegrated?" Her voice was louder now, unable to comprehend what happened. "That's not…they can't…"
A sob wracked through her body as she finally began to accept her friend's grizzly fate.
Dave rubbed her shoulder awkwardly, unsure of what to do. They'd been his friends as well, but right now he was torn between comforting Kari and trying to find out what was going on. Finally he couldn't bear to see her crying and pulled her into a hug. She buried her head on his chest while she cried.
"Hey, come on now," Dave said quietly, "I don't mean to sound harsh, but we've got to see what's going on around here. We've got to see if we can get out of here." He rubbed Kari's back one last time and then gently pushed her away. She looked up at him, fear and sadness in her eyes.
"Ok…I'm ok," she said as she took several deep breaths to calm herself. "At the risk of sounding stupid, where the hell is Sarusdia? And why are they pissed off at us?"
He shook his head and shrugged in response. "I know they're over in Europe somewhere…as for why, I have no idea. I don't follow the news too closely, so I haven't heard anything. But we need to see if we can get out of here and worry about all that later."
Taking her hand, he started to head in the general direction of the parking lot. Their progress was slower than he would have liked but it wasn't to be helped. The ground was treacherous, between holes, debris, and bodies.
"Don't look down," he said, as he maneuvered them further out of the field.
"Why?" she asked, and then looked down to see an undistinguishable body part several feet away. "Holy shit."
Dave turned around and cocked an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything. Normally he would have had a rude comment about not being able to follow directions, but given the circumstances he felt it was better to bite his tongue.
"Hold it there!" a voice called out to them from the right. "You're not going anywhere."