A Black Friday

A Black Friday

I had never been in a situation where there was such a feeling of hopelessness that all other emotions vanished. Fear gave way to resignation in the end.

Early on, after the flood doors were opened I could hear the pleas for help through the earpieces of the communication radio’s our team were required to wear. At times I caught glimpses of individuals rallying to aid others but those sights were lost beneath the waves coming through those damned doors.  There was no helping the others now; survival became personal.

These living things all appeared well fed if not bloated and slothful until the flood doors were breached; the speed with which they came at us was incredible. I wondered how these things, so large, could move with such swiftness. The hunger of greed came to mind. Love, hate, anger, jealousy are all wrought of emotions of the heart involving others and thought to be the strongest of emotions by many. But I believe greed is the strongest … greed is a self-emotion and the most powerful inner force found.

There was a pattern to their movements interrupted only by extreme bursts of speed to snap up whatever attracted their eye. I began to see the circling of the creatures as a slow dance backed by angry music and I found myself humming ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ with my voice rising in pitch each time I was bumped.

Towards the end I was past caring. They could have torn me limb from limb and I doubt I would have felt pain. My mind was numb and I was sure I would be found barely recognizable surrounded by the sea of red I had been witness to for hours.

As it was I was one of the lucky few. I survived with no physical injuries and helped with the rescue of the rest of the team. We had all survived the physical onslaught but the fragility of the human mind was all too apparent on many of my fellow warriors. I glanced at one of my older friends who, with shoulders slumped, voiced what had been on all our minds: “I hate working the day after Thanksgiving.”