Chaos and Destruction

Date: 1/14/2019

I was watching a documentary about a terrible attack on some city I’ve never been to. The documentary showcased video footage from iPhones of victims. The narrator spoke about gunshots that destroyed homes, and lives that were lost. That’s when I saw a video clip of a crowd of people standing on a 2nd story balcony in what appeared to be a historic town. There were loud rumbles and gunshots and it seemed like they all knew what was coming. Four boys and their dad stood in line and the oldest directed them. “Ok guys we have to jump on the count of 3, ready?” The kid shouted over the growing rumbles. “One...” The camera turned to show buildings collapsing toward them like dominos. People were screaming and panicking. Some jumping from buildings in desperation. “Two...” Looking back at the kids and their dad, they braced themselves. The building started to move. “Three!” The balcony collapsed under them as soon as they all jumped forward. They all landed hard on the street below, probably breaking their legs. Rubble, debris, smoke, dust... it all poured down and engulfed them, despite their best attempts to escape. The camera cut to another man who ran as fast as he could from the building. A large shadow engulfed the road around him as he ran. Giant boulders of brick and cement showered into frame above him. He was quickly lost in a cloud of dust and debris. Next, I found myself watching an interview with a woman who spoke through tears about losing her sister in the attack. I was able to see the whole event take place from an omniscient point of view. As the building rumbled around them, the woman pleaded with her sister to hide inside some plastic laundry hampers, which were rigged up like a small cage. Her sister refused and insisted on running. The woman crawled into her little hampers and BOOM! The floor collapsed beneath her. The walls caved in. Bricks and cement rained down on her and a fog of dust enveloped my view. Next, I saw her waking up on a grassy turf. Somebody helped her get to her feet. “Wow, I don’t know how you survived!” The man said. She looked around, and saw nothing remained standing from her building – only a foundation, like ancient ruins. Her sister was gone. I woke up to my dog whining to go outside so she can pee.