| General Fiction posted August 9, 2016 | Chapters: |
1 2 -3- 4... 
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Revised 2nd chapter , explaining one of the characters
A chapter in the book The True Test
Return to the auditorium
by jusylee72
Doug's natural instincts took over.
"Move the chairs. Find anything we can use as a backboard. Coaches, I need your help. We need to fset up triage. Use the Xylophone for a cart to transfer the severely hurt to the 2nd band hall. Find anything we can use, water bottles, shoelaces, first aid kits. Move."
No one questioned his position. Coaches, teachers, principles all jumped to action. Doug stabilized many of his coworkers, then ordered the others to move them. He stopped for a brief gulp of water. He knew his next choice.
He estimated close to fifty people in the Band Hall. Taft has at least 100 teachers plus administrators. Time was important when people are injured.
He stood on the conductor's platform in the main band hall.
"I need your help."
He waited for silence.
"We can't wait until morning. We have to go back to the auditorium to see who is still alive. I need volunteers. Who will go with me?"
Doug knew he spoke the truth. First aid training emphasizes quick action Traumatic injuries have to be addressed within the first 24 hours. After that, the survival rate drops dramatically.
For one brief moment, Doug thought about Patty. Earlier that day, she had accepted his offer for dinner this weekend. Now he was filled with worry. Patty was not in the band hall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judy the Choir teacher
The young man who helped me out of the auditorium stood in front of the room. He cupped his hands around his mouth and loudly asked, "Who will come with me?"
Now I recognized him, he was the Athletic Trainer.
I started to shake.
I remembered seeing my best friend, Krissie. I couldn't admit she might be dead. I wasn't sure how or why, but I needed to go back.
I raised my hand like a small school child. I had to know if Krissie was dead.
At the age of 55, I knew I wouldn't physically be much help but I was good with comforting words. I did have the gift of understanding.
The head coach and two of his assistants volunteered along with Kenny our head custodian. The band directors gave us flashlights. We headed back into the disaster.
We gathered three flashlights in the back prop room. Kenny, our custodian, insisted on leading the way. We crossed the small hallway to the entrance to the auditorium.
I wanted to hear silence. That is not what happened.
Two voices rang back and forth to each other.
"Don't leave me. Help me. I can't walk."
"Keep talking I'm crawling toward you."
The first voice, soft, weak, the second masculine, confident, with an edge of fear.
Kenny aimed the flashlight in the direction of the first voice.
"They're here now, look they came back. I knew they wouldn't leave us."
I didn't recognize the voice until I saw her. Terry, the math coordinator, sat against the sidewall in the auditorium, a large ceiling beam covered her legs.
We aimed the lights at the floor, afraid to travel without knowing where we were stepping. We pieced our way to her location.
"Terry," I tried to sound comforting. "We are coming for you."
Now I knew the second voice.
Jack, Terry's husband called her name.
"Terry," pretending he was confident.
We had two couples on our faculty. Terry and Jack, a likable couple with a quirky sense of humor, often threw faculty parties at their home. Jack loved to tell jokes and innocently flirt. I turned back to look at him. He had a large gash in his head. Covered in blood, he crawled toward Terry, ignoring the shards of glass on the floor.
"They came back for us. Jack are you near. I'm getting sleepy again." The athletic trainer and I approached her. She shooed us away. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Go get my husband."
I knelt next to her. She smiled at me.
Doug caught my eye. He mouthed the words, "Hold her hand".
"Judy, you are here. So good to see you. Are they going to get Jack? I am feeling better."
Her eyes were glazed. I made the mistake of briefly looking down at her legs. One was completely amputated below the knee. Ironically, the beam had clamped the blood vessels. It was the only thing keeping her alive. I destracted her from want looking down.
"Don't worry Terry, the others are helping Jack."
"I woke up in darkness." Her breathing shallow. "What happened? How long have I been here? Jack, can you hear me?"
"Yes, dear, I am over here. Mike is with me. I love you. I wouldn't leave without you. It's so dark. We are going to be okay."
Doug and I both knew that wasn't true. Terry was going to die. If we moved her she would bleed out.
"Should I call your daughter or son?"
I knew my cell phone was useless. I wanted to give her hope.
"What are their names again? I know your daughter is Anne. Didn't she get married? What is her last name now?"
Terry's eyes brightened when she heard her daughter's name.
"Decker, Anne Decker. We are having a grandchild soon. We find out if it is a girl or a boy next Friday."
The others carried Jack to where we were setting him down next to her.
"Love you, Terry. It will be okay now."
He put his arm around her.
"Put your head on my shoulder dear. I am here now."
"Love you, Jack. I am so much better now. I can sleep now."
A look of contentment came into her eyes.
"I know now, Jack. The baby is a little girl."
Fate made our choices easier. The ground started to rumble, shake, not like the first time. Smaller. It was just enough to slide the beam off her leg. The blood no longer held back. She'd said her last words.
Jack leaned against the wall and went with her.
-------------------------------------------------------------
We stayed there in silence for at least three minutes, then we heard it - a pounding. It was coming from the left side of the stage.
"Where are you?"
More pounding. Stage right, louder now.
Debris covered the door to the black box on the left side of the stage. Silence. We heard a faint sound, people screaming on the other side. Heavy debris covered the way. We started moving what we could making a path. The men found a way to pry the door open. We turned our flashlights to the room.
Another 20 or so survivors, covered in dust, became illuminated by our flashlights.
Many crying, some injured, all afraid.
Our principal was among them. Alive but unconscious, covered by a coat from the costume room. A shirt used as a bandage, soaked with blood covered his head.
All of us, not knowing what to do, but moving anyway, began to show them the way to the band hall.
As we left, a force unkown to me made me turn to look where I had been sitting. Krissie hadn't moved. I had my proof. She was gone.
Doug's natural instincts took over.
"Move the chairs. Find anything we can use as a backboard. Coaches, I need your help. We need to fset up triage. Use the Xylophone for a cart to transfer the severely hurt to the 2nd band hall. Find anything we can use, water bottles, shoelaces, first aid kits. Move."
No one questioned his position. Coaches, teachers, principles all jumped to action. Doug stabilized many of his coworkers, then ordered the others to move them. He stopped for a brief gulp of water. He knew his next choice.
He estimated close to fifty people in the Band Hall. Taft has at least 100 teachers plus administrators. Time was important when people are injured.
He stood on the conductor's platform in the main band hall.
"I need your help."
He waited for silence.
"We can't wait until morning. We have to go back to the auditorium to see who is still alive. I need volunteers. Who will go with me?"
Doug knew he spoke the truth. First aid training emphasizes quick action Traumatic injuries have to be addressed within the first 24 hours. After that, the survival rate drops dramatically.
For one brief moment, Doug thought about Patty. Earlier that day, she had accepted his offer for dinner this weekend. Now he was filled with worry. Patty was not in the band hall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judy the Choir teacher
The young man who helped me out of the auditorium stood in front of the room. He cupped his hands around his mouth and loudly asked, "Who will come with me?"
Now I recognized him, he was the Athletic Trainer.
I started to shake.
I remembered seeing my best friend, Krissie. I couldn't admit she might be dead. I wasn't sure how or why, but I needed to go back.
I raised my hand like a small school child. I had to know if Krissie was dead.
At the age of 55, I knew I wouldn't physically be much help but I was good with comforting words. I did have the gift of understanding.
The head coach and two of his assistants volunteered along with Kenny our head custodian. The band directors gave us flashlights. We headed back into the disaster.
We gathered three flashlights in the back prop room. Kenny, our custodian, insisted on leading the way. We crossed the small hallway to the entrance to the auditorium.
I wanted to hear silence. That is not what happened.
Two voices rang back and forth to each other.
"Don't leave me. Help me. I can't walk."
"Keep talking I'm crawling toward you."
The first voice, soft, weak, the second masculine, confident, with an edge of fear.
Kenny aimed the flashlight in the direction of the first voice.
"They're here now, look they came back. I knew they wouldn't leave us."
I didn't recognize the voice until I saw her. Terry, the math coordinator, sat against the sidewall in the auditorium, a large ceiling beam covered her legs.
We aimed the lights at the floor, afraid to travel without knowing where we were stepping. We pieced our way to her location.
"Terry," I tried to sound comforting. "We are coming for you."
Now I knew the second voice.
Jack, Terry's husband called her name.
"Terry," pretending he was confident.
We had two couples on our faculty. Terry and Jack, a likable couple with a quirky sense of humor, often threw faculty parties at their home. Jack loved to tell jokes and innocently flirt. I turned back to look at him. He had a large gash in his head. Covered in blood, he crawled toward Terry, ignoring the shards of glass on the floor.
"They came back for us. Jack are you near. I'm getting sleepy again." The athletic trainer and I approached her. She shooed us away. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Go get my husband."
I knelt next to her. She smiled at me.
Doug caught my eye. He mouthed the words, "Hold her hand".
"Judy, you are here. So good to see you. Are they going to get Jack? I am feeling better."
Her eyes were glazed. I made the mistake of briefly looking down at her legs. One was completely amputated below the knee. Ironically, the beam had clamped the blood vessels. It was the only thing keeping her alive. I destracted her from want looking down.
"Don't worry Terry, the others are helping Jack."
"I woke up in darkness." Her breathing shallow. "What happened? How long have I been here? Jack, can you hear me?"
"Yes, dear, I am over here. Mike is with me. I love you. I wouldn't leave without you. It's so dark. We are going to be okay."
Doug and I both knew that wasn't true. Terry was going to die. If we moved her she would bleed out.
"Should I call your daughter or son?"
I knew my cell phone was useless. I wanted to give her hope.
"What are their names again? I know your daughter is Anne. Didn't she get married? What is her last name now?"
Terry's eyes brightened when she heard her daughter's name.
"Decker, Anne Decker. We are having a grandchild soon. We find out if it is a girl or a boy next Friday."
The others carried Jack to where we were setting him down next to her.
"Love you, Terry. It will be okay now."
He put his arm around her.
"Put your head on my shoulder dear. I am here now."
"Love you, Jack. I am so much better now. I can sleep now."
A look of contentment came into her eyes.
"I know now, Jack. The baby is a little girl."
Fate made our choices easier. The ground started to rumble, shake, not like the first time. Smaller. It was just enough to slide the beam off her leg. The blood no longer held back. She'd said her last words.
Jack leaned against the wall and went with her.
-------------------------------------------------------------
We stayed there in silence for at least three minutes, then we heard it - a pounding. It was coming from the left side of the stage.
"Where are you?"
More pounding. Stage right, louder now.
Debris covered the door to the black box on the left side of the stage. Silence. We heard a faint sound, people screaming on the other side. Heavy debris covered the way. We started moving what we could making a path. The men found a way to pry the door open. We turned our flashlights to the room.
Another 20 or so survivors, covered in dust, became illuminated by our flashlights.
Many crying, some injured, all afraid.
Our principal was among them. Alive but unconscious, covered by a coat from the costume room. A shirt used as a bandage, soaked with blood covered his head.
All of us, not knowing what to do, but moving anyway, began to show them the way to the band hall.
As we left, a force unkown to me made me turn to look where I had been sitting. Krissie hadn't moved. I had my proof. She was gone.
 Recognized |
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