Chapter 3
1099 Words
A cold, damp cloth pressed upon my forehead woke me up. My eyelids lifted and my blurred surroundings slowly grew clear. I saw a lot movement, I hear a lot of chatter, and a lot seemed to be going on around me. Still feeling dizzy, I slowly got up from the cot where I was lying. I removed the damp towel on my head and felt a bandage patch on it. Two male nurses went inside the tent, carrying a stretcher with a woman with a broken arm. How did I get here? I have no idea.
I scanned my eyes around. I was inside a medical tent filled with cushions, bloody towels, injured patients, nurses and doctors running here and there. The rescuers had clearly built this place up for the less critical victims of the crash. I looked around. My heartbeat went convulsive when I didn't saw my cousin. I got up and started searching for her around the cots but I bumped into a female medical staff who told me to go back to the cot.
"Sir, you must stay here until the doctors confirmed that you're good to go," she said.
"Hey, have you seen a certain Olivia Sanchez?" I asked. "She's my cousin. Where is she? Is she alright?"
"She's probably in the other area of the tent sir. Now if you please, stay in your cot until the doctors come in."
I didn't have a choice but to sit down and wait for the doctor. Behind me, a young man at about the age of 15 screamed as nurses gathered around him, trying to get him into the stretcher so he could be carried into the ambulance. He had a broken leg and a severed arm. I couldn't help the sight and the sound of it. It made me want to vomit seeing the blood spattering on the faces of the nurses. So I got out of the tent. I need to find Olivia. I am actually pretty worried about not seeing her around.
The moment I got up, I felt incredibly light and strong I think I could already knock heads with a Sumo wrestler. I honestly don't feel like I was injured or anything.
Weird.
I looked around the cots and the benches and saw no sign of my cousin. There was just more blood, more wounds and more screaming.
"Pete!" I turned around and saw Olivia running towards me from the bunch of police officers behind a patrol car. She looked fine so I was able to breath freely seeing her unharmed.
"What were you doing back there?" I asked.
"They're conducting an investigation. Asked me a few questions. Are you alright?" she asked.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"
"I'm fine," she replied and shrugged. "I hope you are too. You saved my life."
I gave her a small smile. "Don't think too much about it. It's nothing."
I found myself staring back into the site of the crash. The bus was still there, stuck infront of the ruined establishment. Rescuers and policemen are still struggling in pulling out dead bodies and injured citizens. I grabbed Olivia's arm. "Come on. I'll get you home."
She came to a halt and gestured me a stop sign. "But shouldn't you be waiting for a doctor's clearance?"
"Nah, I'm fine," I said. "Look at me! And besides there are a lot of people around who needs medical attention more than I do."
"Okay. If you say so."
I myself wasn't convinced that I was really fine. That impact of the crash clearly knocked me off but surprisingly, I did not feel any pain at all. It was as if nothing happened and my body was never involved in that accident. I felt dizzy when I woke up but that's just it. The wound on my forehead doesn't even sting. Or maybe it was because of Anaesthesia. The doctors must have given me pain reliever shots. Yeah, that was probably it. That means sooner or later I will have to endure more of the body pains.
I drove Olivia home that evening. It was already 7:00 pm when we got to their house. It was a simple Tudor-style suburban home painted in nude and brown with a tiny porch facing their lawn. I parked the car infront of their gate and Olivia's mom hurriedly rushed outside to meet us. The look on her face made me guess that she already knew about what happened.
"Oh my, thank God you're all fine!" Aunt Connie, Olivia's mom said. She grabbed Olivia into a tight hug and started bombarding her with scolds for worrying her.
A big fat guy with a bald head approached me from behind. He tapped my shoulder and gave me a smile. "Are you okay, Peter?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Uncle Royce. Thanks" I smiled, putting my hands inside my pockets.
"Well, come on in. That crash must've taken a whole lot out of ya." He walked ahead of me towards the porch.
I smiled and was about to follow him when I came into a halt. All my body hairs stood causing me to gaze down at my arms. Goosebumps had formed in them like a snowflake had melted at the back of my neck. I can feel it in my entire body, like I was dipped in icy water.
Rustling.
Snap!
Wooosh!
I turned around behind me. I know I felt someone zipped past me. Something fast. Something chilly it made my knees buckle. My eyes gazed around the place. Unbelievably, I can see quiet well through the night. I can see a mouse running around pavement and dived into the rose bushes. I saw a bird under the branch of the weeping willow thirty meters away, pecking through the bark. And whoa, I can clearly see the ants crawling from the ground and above the willow tree.
But something caught my attention when I was about to turn around.
Beyond the branches of the weeping willow silently dancing to the evening breeze; beyond the bird, rodents and insects, I saw human figure standing under the faint light of a weak lamppost. I tried to see clearer so I stepped forward to see it. The figure was wearing a black hooded-trenchcoat and a. . . wait. . .is that a stick? There was something criss-crossed behind his back (I assumed it was a man). But to me, he clearly doesn't look like anyone with a good intention. I wanted to get closer so I could figure what he is.
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