A Nightmare Come True

He ran down the street in a panic, his lungs on fire as they were forced to breathe in the smoke and dust that hung heavily in the New York air. As he neared his apartment building he hardly noticed the many people in the streets who were covered in dust. The normal hustle and bustle of South Manhatten had been replaced by an intruding sense of vulnerablility and grief. A news chopper buzzed above his head as he continued to force his way through the crowds of blank faces.

Panic washed over the streets like a wave after the first Twin Tower was hit by the hijacked airplane but the terror really began after the second one was hit and then collapsed shortly after. He had been forced to take a different way home in an attempt to avoid the debris and the rush of rescue workers.

The only reality that existed in his heart now was a very small flicker of hope that his wife was waiting safely at home.

Though his attempt to run from the tragic scene only led him toward more hard evidence of it’s reality, he told himself that it would all just exist as a bad dream if his bride of two months could still rush into his arms.

“I should have never asked her to move here with me!” He thought hastily as he pushed his way through a crowd on the sidewalk. “She would have never taken that job at the Trade Center and we would both be safe in Orlando, away from this horror!”

He was overcome by a fit of coughing and had to stop until it passed. He could see the apartment building now and the image strengthened his will once more, giving him one last rush of energy to carry him to the door. He ran up the single flight of stairs and found the door to be locked. His last flicker of hope began to dwindle. He quickly fumbled with his keys and managed to open the door with shaky hands, rushing inside.

“Rebecca?” he shouted. He shut the door and listened but no reply came. He made his way into their bedroom but it was empty. He picked up her pillow from their bed and held it against his cheek, carrying it down the hallway as he checked the bathroom and study. He called out her name once more on his way to the kitchen but she was nowhere to be found.

He pulled off his suit coat and dropped it, along with her pillow, onto the table. His collapsed in the chair and tried to slow his breathing to normal, his eyes darting abou the room hopelessly. He caught a glimpse of the small light flashing on the answering machine across the room and quickly rushed to it, pressing the retrieval button. He listened to his own voice instruct the caller to leave a message and then heard the resounding beep…

“Sweetheart, it’s me…” Her voice was trembling. “I…I’m stuck in the top of this Trade Center and there’s been an explosion…”

He could hear shouting and coughing in the background as she continued.

“A plane crashed, or there was an explosion or something. I’m not sure. I don’t know how or if I’ll make it out so I just want to let you know how much I love you.”

She was sobbing now and he felt his heart drop with her tears.

“You’re the best husband I could ever wish for. I’ve never been as truly happy as I am when I’m in your arms. I wish you could hold me right now. This is really hard to say but if I can’t get out of here, promise me you’ll get on with your life.”

He clutched her pillow tightly to his chest as he listened. He soon heard a loud noise and then the sound of her catching her breath.

“Something’s happening here, I’d better go. I…I love you Nickolas Gene Carter.”

Nick felt numb. This couldn’t be happening to him. It had to be a nightmare, it just had to be! He breathed in her scent from the pillow and then slowly walked to the window, resting his forehead on the glass.

“I love you, Rebecca Carter.” He whispered under his breath. “Please God, let her come home to me.”

The smoke and haze the first collapse had caused made it hard to even see the first tower. Nick went back into their bedroom and picked up a framed picture of the two of them on their honeymoon just months ago. Rebecca’s long brown hair hung loosely over her shoulders and her dark eyes captivated his every emotion. Nick’s sense of hopelessness was instantly replaced by a wave of anger when he realized that he may never have a chance to look into those innocent eyes again.

He heard a thundering sound and ran to the window by the bed only to see the remaining tower tumbling to the ground.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he stared until the scene had been enveloped by a large cloud of smoke and dust. Nick fell to his knees, weeping uncontrollably. A thought crossed his mind that maybe the message had been old enough that she had escaped before the collapse. The thought quickly disappeared, for deep inside Nick knew that his love was lost. A piece of his heart was collapsing just as the tower had done in front of his eyes.

-In remembrance of all of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and in the Pentagon.