10 seconds

10

The bomb is ticking and I know I can't do anything about it. There are twelve people in this car with me and I have so few options. The doors are locked and we tried to bust them open 18 times. I can tell them, or I can lie. If I lie, then we all die, if I tell the truth, we might all die anyway. If I lie, no one panics, and we can die in some state of peace, no screaming mothers and children.

9

I know how this bomb works, no loud boom, at least not at first, a soft pop and gas will leak out, ten seconds later it'll blow. I can try and get us out of here, but if anyone gets desperate, we will all die. Here and now. My mind is racing and even if I know it's more than black and white, it feels like it is.

8

They think I'm fixing it. They don't know how little time we have left, and everyone here thinks I'm saving them instead of having an invisible mental breakdown on the floor. We can try to break the window and throw it out, but somewhere inside me I know we won't be able to. The panicked cry of someone's kid reaches my ears, high pitched and squeaky, a bright red. His mother's join them, tinted green with desperation. But I can't even tell what she's saying.

7

Mariah's voice pierces the veil of gray that blocks the sound. Blue and fading.
"You can fix it, can't you?" She knows I can't, she can see it on my face, in the way I'm trying to breathe and failing. Somewhere inside she knows. But she'll never show it, never say it. She'll keep holding onto that last shred of hope.
Someone screams and a reddish haze surrounds me.

6

Time is speeding up. People are throwing themselves against the doors.

5

I can't focus on anything the clanging sounds around me are dull and gray.

4

I can't breathe. The world is spinning, I was supposed to fix it. I was supposed to save them. I was going to be a hero.

3

Suddenly, I see what I can do.
"Everyone in the front of the car. Put the kids as close to the windshield as possible." I call. I know exactly what to do now. It seems so clear.

2

They do as I say almost without a sound.

1

I am going to be a hero

0

The sour smell of gasoline reaches my nostrils and I know we've reached the end of the countdown.

-10

The bomb goes off with a loud bang. Fire engulfs the car as the windows shatter, glass blowing away from the vehicle. Time slows down again as we are sent flying into the hot night air. The two kids land I a pile of shrubs first. The young couple hits the ground and immediately grab for each other. The mother is thrown from the back and I don't see  where she lands. I hear Mariah call out asking where everybody is. It's not long before I try to sit up and see the long piece of shrapnel jutting from my chest. My breathing slows. Blood seeps from my chest into the desert sand. Mariah rushes to my side. Tears are in her eyes.
"John, hey John," she says fighting to hold in the tears and lightly tapping my face. I smile up at her. She looks like an angel. "You're gonna be okay. I promise. We'll get you to a hospital and they'll patch you up. Good as new." But we both know it's too late for that. I try to speak but I can't get the words out. The world is spinning and my mind is going blank.
"Love.... You." I say. Gasping as everything goes black.