bioluminescence

9/11

(this is a recount of the events that took place on 11th September 2001. I've added a few extra elements to make the story more personal to the characters and uh, dramatic lol. but the general idea remains the same.)

Quinn didn't particularly believe in miracles. So when one of the most terrible events in history took place right before her eyes, she was not too disappointed that no revelation magically saved her life.

The first building to fall was the tallest. After that, all hell broke loose.

It was late afternoon and Quinn was casually walking down the streets of New York City with her little sister, Beth who had just turned seven, when the first plane crashed and the World Trade Centre came crumbling down right before her eyes.

Quinn had watched in horror as the top of the building crashed in on itself raining a thousand pieces of glass and the explosion sent up a thick cloud of smoke. She could barely make out the licks of flame but she could clearly see the damage it made.

For the first few seconds, New York seemed to stop. The hordes of people all stood frozen and stricken, a hush settling among them. But then, those seconds passed and it was pandemonium.

To Quinn, the most horrifying thing about the whole ordeal was the people. They were jumping off the highest floors of the building, unable to take the heat from the explosion. She watched helplessly, petrified as one after the other, they flung their bodies out and fell to their deaths. Just like that. She wondered if they were even thinking about what they were doing. A loud thud punctuated every fall.

Quinn felt sick. Terrified and sick.

Later, Quinn could appreciate the cleverness of the terrorists. Targetting the most important buildings in the tri-state area first, caused a certain hysteria in the authorities that hindered their work efficiency. They'd spend more time startled than initiating rescue and defence protocols.

Quinn and Beth were very close to The World Trade Centre when it Fell. So much so that it had rendered Beth deaf. When the plane crashed into the tower Beth had screamed, then immediately grabbed at her ears, her expression horrified as realisation dawned on her.

"I can't hear!" she yelled over and over again while clutching her tiny ears. Quinn's stomach clenched in panic. She picked up Beth, held her tightly and she began to run. She could only hope the deafening was not permanent.

But the terror wasn't over yet. Somewhere behind her a gunshot went off. Quinn jumped, alarmed, her heart thundering in her chest. Next thing she knew, there were gunshots everywhere, terrorists were open-firing at civilians whilst the meagre ranks of police made futile attempts to take them down. The bullets came down on them like rain and filled their lungs with smoke and ruin.

For the first time in her life, she felt fear. Raw, unrefined fear. This must have been what all those characters in her action and adventure books felt. She'd been underestimating that feeling until that moment.

About thirty seconds after the first plane crash, there was a second. Just as loud, just as terrifying. Any doubt that the first might have been an accident, disappeared.

New York City was under attack.

Beth was crying loudly now, screaming at every gunshot. Quinn herself was shaking with fright. She reached her house a lot quicker than she'd thought she could. Their mother was standing at the door, holding it open. She yelled a cry of relief when she spotted her children and ran to them with her arms outstretched. Quinn realized that her mother must have called her cell a thousand times but she hadn't heard it ring once. She could hear nothing over the sound of this destruction.