Who We'd Die For

The Downfall of Us All

My eyes traced its path skyward, and I watched with a slow, growing panic as cracks began to splinter relentlessly across the ceiling. I couldn't be sure if the shouts that I heard came from my own lungs. I could barely feel the weight of my body shift upwards as my legs forced me to run. The room erupted into chaos just as the thunder of the caving ceiling erupted through the noise.

A sea of bodies flooded the room. People were screaming at the top of their lungs, grasping for hands, pushing forcefully through every exit. It almost seemed as though the walls were ready to burst under the pressure. I looked around frantically, desperately trying to see if anyone needed help before I ran for myself. I should have known better than to look back. A monstrous chunk of concrete fell through the ceiling that had been just barely hanging on. I fought to keep my balance against the current of people, watching in horror as the entire ceiling crumbled as though it were weightless and fragile. No matter how quickly I turned to run I could still hear the agonizing screams of those who couldn't escape the room in time. I wanted to answer their pleas for help, but my instinct told me what I already knew. I had to find my little sister and little brothers.

I managed to duck between flailing limbs and force my way through the crowds of people running down the intertwining staircases until I reached the fourth level. The high-pitched whine of sirens pierced through the screams as I broke from the crowd, sprinting across the marble floors. I couldn't afford to steal a glance out of the windows to see where the sirens were coming from. Were they coming to help us? Or were they racing to fight bigger, more significant battles than a crumbling building full of dying children?

I barely had time to process my racing thoughts before another deafening roar burst through the air around me. I had to find my family. There was no way I was leaving them behind. It didn't matter if I survived this, but they absolutely had to. I pushed as hard as I could, the dusty air burning like fire in my lungs as I forced my feet to pound against the ground. My muscles ached, but I could not stop. I could not die before I saved them. I had to make it. I had to reach them. There was no other option.

A searing pain tore through my body and I felt my muscles give way to a much greater force. The last thing I remember was my final breath escaping as I fell towards the ground, my voice screaming out so that maybe my siblings could hear me, could know that I had tried, could know that they would make it.

I felt my head crack against the marble floor, and could only lie watching in a helpless daze as the ceiling crumbled around me, crashing in a pool of crimson.

They were my last thoughts. 

My family.

 I could have saved them.

Without a sound, the world went black.

                                                                                                   ➵

I could hear my pulse, loud and heavy, thudding against my ears as though desperate to pull me from my slumber. A shrill ringing reverberated between the beats, coming in waves with each weighted breath. The darkness swirled around me, and I was uncertain of what I would see if I tried to open my eyes. I could just barely feel the tips of my fingers resting against something hard and cold. I tried to move any muscles that I could, but couldn't sense any movement through the icy numbness that enveloped my body. At first, I wondered if this was what death felt like. Probably should have just stayed dead while I had the chance.

I struggled to pull air deep into my lungs, coughs racking my body as putrid dust filled them instead. My eyes opened gently, not in any way prepared to see the sight of pure destruction. Colossal pieces of stone towered above me, sunlight beaming through a gaping hole in what used to be the ceiling.  With every ounce of strength that I had, I leaned against the nearest stone. The sharp edge cut deep into my palm the more I struggled to push myself up. My muscles screamed in protest and my head spun with a dizzying force. Only then did I notice the splintering pain in my skull.