City of the Dead (ePub)

Pain exploded inside of me. Faintly, far away, I heard Bear howl in either anger or pain. Then that sound, all sound, was quickly cut off, replaced with a low snapping sound that quickly turned into a heavy crackling sound. The smell of Ozone filled my nose, but something else quickly began to replace that smell. Gasoline. Gasoline and something else... Diesel? And then, with a low wham, the heat came. I struggled to free myself, but it was no use. I had time for one more quick thought … Gizzel … Gizzel … Why …? And then the explosion came and the pain flared, then ended almost as fast as it had come and I found myself flying through the blackness of the void... Flying.... Falling... Panic building... Lungs trying to pull a breath... Voice trying to scream... Nothing coming out... Then sight returning in a rush... The street racing up to meet me... The remains of the Van and the Garbage truck burning far below me.... Red and blue lights pulsing... Cars parked aslant in the street where they had skidded to a stop... Cops behind open doors... Crouched to fire... Their guns pointing... Rain falling... The pavement coming closer... So close I could see the individual pebbles of the surface embedded in the asphalt mix...

The impact came with no pain. The remaining air crushed from my lungs... I tried once more to scream, but it was no use... I hit hard, bounced, came down once more and my eyes flew open wide as I impacted the second time...

Gray half-light... The buzzing of the alarm clock... My own sheets tangled around me... Damp with sweat. The red numerals on the clock read 6:47 A.M. I sucked air greedily, like I had never been among the living at all. Never known how to breathe. Just returned from the dead. I released my breath in a long, shaky shudder, found myself half sitting up in the bed and fell back to the mattress urging my racing heart to slow... Calming myself... Morning had come...