5. True Dark

...Sienna POV...

The ground begins to shake and beams begin to fall all around us. My dad grabs onto me, pulling me closer as sparks shoot out from all around us. I feel him hold me firmly in his grasp as the lights begin to flicker. A bright light emits, throwing everything into chaos. I feel us being ripped apart from one another as the force pushes me away from my dad.

"DADDY!" I scream out as everything goes black.

I feel a weight on me, but it's too dark to figure out what's keeping me from moving. My hands slide around me as I attempt to gather my barrings, but nothing seems familiar. My hands slide over various sizes of rocks and concrete. I feel a slight prick as my hand protrudes into what feels like glass. My head is spinning and my eyes make it difficult to stay awake. The pain from my previous injuries finally became unbearable. The adrenaline rush wearing off, and I am no longer able to control the waves of pain that rack my body. 

What's going on? Am I alive? I shouldn't be. I should be dead. I think to myself.

Is this the afterlife? Nothing but a paralyzing and endless black void? My head begins to spin as I raise my head. My ears are ringing from the impact, making it difficult to get my bearings. 

No one has a bomb strapped to them and survives. So where am I? I wonder. I lie back down, closing my eyes as the pounding in my head increases. I don't know how long I've been lying there when I hear a faint noise in the distance. I can't distinguish the sound, instead choosing to lie back down in hopes that the pain in my head will vanish.

"Si!" I hear a faint sound from somewhere. I try to listen but the sound disappears. 

Is this the afterlife? I sure hope not. I think once again, allowing my eyes to close. I had pictured picturesque lakes and mountains. Not sheer black and anguish. 

"Si-enn!" I stiffen as I hear the sound once more. However, just like before, the sound disappears just as quickly as it came, making me think I must be hearing things.

I hear a slight shuffling sound, not sure if it's my mind playing with me or if someone is nearby.

"Si-enn-a!" I hear someone shout, but it sounds a bit muffled. I open my eyes slightly. However, the pain in my head only increases. I close my eyes once more in hopes that the pain will subside.

"SIENNA!" I hear the voice shout again.

My eyes flutter open in hopes of seeing where the voice is coming from, but everything around me is dark. I've never known dark as this existed. I've lived in the city all my life, so have never been exposed to true darkness. A realization I'm truly only understanding right at this moment. Even at the darkest of nights, there is still some light that manages to protrude. Whether that be from the moon or a streetlight. Light pollution is there. I always considered myself good with the dark. Never requiring the use of night lights or flashlights to make my way across a room at night. 

But as I continue to look around me, I find no matter how hard I try to allow my eyes to adjust, my vision never changes. Almost as if someone had placed a dark cloth over my eyes. I find the darkness to be overwhelming as fear rushes through my veins. I close my eyes in an attempt to relax myself. However, the fear I feel continues to loom over me. Doubts begin to swarm my mind like an infestation. I feel tears prick at the side of my face as it becomes too much, from the pain to the pure darkness. 

Right now, at this moment, the space around me is so dark that it's as if I'm staring into all black. I can't make anything out around me, no matter how hard I desperately try. I raise my hand up to my face but am unable to even see my hand. I touch my nose, making note of my bearings. But can't see at all. 

Am I blind? I guess it's a possibility I can't rule out. Perhaps the force of the blast damaged one of my nerve endings and rendered me blind. I begin to think back to my medical training in hopes of figuring out what's going on and calming myself down. Dwelling on the intrusive thoughts is only causing me more harm than good. So to relax, I use my medical knowledge to distract myself from the unknown.

"SIENNA!" I hear the voice again. 

I must've really hit my head because it would be impossible for anyone to get to me. I don't even know if I'm even alive. I sure don't feel like it. Rather, I feel like an anchovy in a tin can. Squished and unable to move. 

"SIENNA!" The voice shouts once more. The voice seems to be getting louder. I'm sure it's just a figment of my imagination, but what else is there for me to do? I could try to ignore it, but something is telling me that I should respond.

"He-ll-o?" I meekly call out, coughing profusely, making it difficult to form a full word. My voice was quiet, even to my own ears, so I doubt anyone heard me.

I try again; however, the more I try, the worse my coughing becomes. I feel my lungs restrict, making it more and more difficult to breathe. Each time I try to talk, it's as though sand is being poured down my throat, making it more and more difficult to respond. I feel my mind immediately go on alert with each cough. I don't know what's going on, but my mind has already moved directly to the worst-case scenario, making me believe that I'm suffocating. If I don't get air into my lungs soon, I'm going to pass out. 

"SIENNA!" The voice screams out. I want to respond, but that doesn't seem like an option. Instead, I shift my free hand around to find something of use.  My hand comes in contact with a rock. It's not the best option, but at this moment, it's my only option. I pick it up and bang it on the surface below, creating a muffled noise.

"SIENNA!" I hear the voice shout out. However, my mind can't place it. I try banging the rock harder and harder in hopes that whoever is nearby can find me.

"Wait... I heard something..." I hear the voice call out.

I bang the rock harder and harder, using the remaining energy I have left to indicate where I am.

"I hear her!" The voice shouts out.

"SIENNA! We're coming!" The voice says as I hear muffled bangs in the distance.

The air around me becomes thick, making it more difficult to breathe. I close my eyes once more, allowing myself to relax. Soon the sounds around me become increasingly more muffled.  Soon, the sounds dissipate altogether and everything fades into nothingness.