Five Seconds.

Five seconds. I turned a corner and pushed out the unlocked doors. Halfway down the walk I heard the building blow behind me, a deafening boom. The air screamed and the earth shuddered beneath me. I took a chance and dove behind a short cliff. Shards of glass and chunks of stone flew over the edge after me. Weeks seemed to pass as I sat motionless under the ledge. The atmosphere was so still, I dared not move for fear I'd shatter it. When I thought the last pebble had tumbled down the side of the cliff, I lifted my head to survey the damage.

I pulled myself up onto the top of the hill. Before me was a vast wasteland. Nothing remained of the Industry but a cloud of dust and a few miscellaneous human limbs. I nearly tripped over a leg as I slowly moved toward the ruins. The name struggled to escape my lips; the result was a harsh whisper, "April." I swallowed hard. I lifted my left hand to my eyes to block out the dust. The sun was almost set on the horizon; the sky was alive with brilliant colors: red, orange, yellow, and purple. The moment was so peaceful it seemed grossly out of place. I watched the sun until it became merely a glowing red dot behind the distant trees.

The molecules in the air around my ears vibrated with the aftermath of the explosion. I tried to speak again. This time the name came out louder, clearer, "April." .No response. I willed my legs to move. My right hand found the Remote in my pocket. I lifted it slowly, trembling. My reflection in the large red button was ghastly. I recognized this pallid face. The pale blue eyes seemed familiar, yet different somehow. They had certainly lost their luster: the sparkle of what must have been hope, faith, promise. I stared at this depraved looking face in disbelief, and it gaped back at me in despair. Several minutes passed. With much effort my thumb finally pressed the button. For a moment I heard nothing, save the flapping wings of the hungry vulchers already circling above. The hill seemed frozen in time. Reluctantly my feet began to move. Then I heard it: a faint beep. It sounded miles away. I stopped dead in my tracks. Moments later it beeped again. I ran toward the sound. My feet pounded almost as fast as my heart.

I came across a large pile of heavy brick and other building remains. From beneath two enormous metal doors at the bottom of the pile protruded a small hand and forearm, around the wrist of which was the familiar gray bracelet bearing a large red button identical to the one on the Remote. The button flashed in time with the beeping. I drew in a breath so sharp that it seemed to jab at my throat.

Quickly I began to lift the pieces of the building. Sweat poured down my face. It was difficult to breathe. My muscles and fingers ached. Finally all of the rubble was removed. I brushed away dirt and particles. An eerie pang of familiarity exploded in the pit of my stomach. I recognized the small girl with curly brown hair who lay motionless, facedown in the dirt. It was April. I hesitated to approach her, afraid that she was gone. I felt a lump rise with celerity in my throat. It was all my fault. It wasn't supposed to end this way. She was supposed to escape before the building blew, but something had gone terribly wrong. Almost no one was able to escape. We had ended up destroying the very people we had come to save and, with them, ourselves.

I knelt in the dirt beside April. I touched her arm gently. Two fingers on her left hand twitched ever so slightly. Suddenly everything around me seemed to glitter. Here was a tiny ray of hope. I placed a hand on her back; I felt it tremble and rise and fall as she breathed. My eyes shut slowly. I breathed deeply. I sat completely still, letting every part of me relax before turning my attention back to April.

My hand pulled quickly away at an abnormal jerk: a cough. My eyes flew open. April coughed again. Blood sprayed from her mouth, staining the ground a striking red. I took hold of her shoulders to turn her over. A third cough made me pull away. Her right shoulder moved, tugging at her lifeless arm, but the arm wouldn't move, for building remains had severed it until it was broken almost completely off. April pulled her left arm beneath her and propped herself up on one elbow. More coughing; more blood. She gasped for air. Her left arm shook and she collapsed back onto the ground. I clutched her shoulders again, and rolled her onto her back. She winced in pain. She swung her head in every direction, struggling to breathe. She wheezed, then coughed again. Her chest moved unsteadily up and down with each breath she took.

I touched her cheek gently. She relaxed a little bit. I moved my hand along her face. I ran my fingers through her hair. I waited for her to open her eyes; she didn't. I held her right hand in mine, careful not to pull her arm the rest of the way off. I whispered her name. Her eyelids twitched, then slowly lifted halfway. Her deep brown eyes were distant; she seemed to be looking at something behind me.

I whispered her name again. She moved her mouth as if trying to speak, but no words came. Her breathing was audible, a quivering wheeze. Her body trembled all over. Her face was a mask of blood and tears. Bruises and cuts covered her arms. Rips in her clothes displayed deep gashes in her skin. Her left ankle was twisted in an unnatural direction. The tip of the index finger on her left hand was missing and blood squirted from the stump that remained. Her right arm hung loosely at the elbow; a few single tendons were all that held it together. The bone in her arm was visible and it was shattered. Blood oozed from somewhere on her head; I could not locate the wound. I knew she would not survive.

I sat there for a moment, helplessly stroking her cheek. Meanwhile the sun had slipped away behind the horizon. Stars were appearing in the now rich purple sky. A cold breeze blew across the hill, pushing away clouds of dust and smoke. April's eyes slowly closed. Her breathing slowed, then stopped. I lay my head on her chest; I heard no breathing. Her body had stopped trembling. I touched her left wrist with two fingers; I felt no pulse. My eyes closed again. Darkness covered the hill where the Industry had been, as night fell over the nearby town. In the valley below, streetlights clicked on. Life continued all around the destroyed building on the hill.

I shivered. My eyes opened to a radiant night sky. I looked hard at April's lifeless body. There's something about people after they die, perhaps it's their absence. It's almost as if they were never there; they never existed. A gaping void occupies the space they used to fill in your life. Their existence is like a long dream that you wake up from one day, and then forget.

After what seemed like a decade had passed, I managed to gather the strength to stand up. I brushed the dirt from my pants. Then, with my hands in my pockets, I walked away from April, away from the hill, away from the Industry. It was over; I had won, but for what? I had lost everything and everyone I had once held dear. I couldn't help but wonder if it was all worth it.

At the west end of the hill there was a steep, rocky cliff. I stood as close to the edge of the cliff as possible, so that my toes hung over the sleeping valley. The tiny houses in the town below were like a vision. I let my eyes close and stretched my arms to feel the wind blow around me. Behind me, I could hear the sirens of rescue vehicles arriving too late to save the Industry. I lifted one foot in the air. It was hard to keep my balance now. I thought about all I had been through just for this moment. A smile crossed my face, but only for an instant, as I lifted my other foot from the cliff and fell. The sensation of falling held the promise of sweet release. Five seconds passed, and it was over; I had won.