Life's a bit different

As the darkness descended on my clouded mind, I couldn't help but grin stupidly at my would-be assassin. A kid without even a hair on his face to consider calling a beard, blood on one hand, knife held loosely in the other. No older than my 16 year old daughter. Strange, I never noticed the small scar over his left eye. Nor the sharp cheekbones, nor the small highlights of blond in his tousled fringe. All was covered by the river of crimson flowing from his brow.

I never knew that bullets could hurt so much. The movies show the hero taking three or four bullets to the arms, legs and torso, grimacing for a split second before foiling the villain's nefarious scheme, and riding off into the sunset with a stunning woman that looks like she couldn't stand within 10 feet of a microwave for fear of melting all that silicon within her body. What a load of crap! I was down on the pavement clutching my gut, my mind a bit more preoccupied by the gaping wound there and the two bullets that had ripped through me than with what Tom Cruise and James Bond or whatever those other prettyboys do in the movies.

Life's a bit different....

The nothingness was more absolute now, spreading from my mind and creeping in around the edges of my vision. My hearing was completely impaired, partly by the excruciating pain, partly by the sirens of what I hoped was an ambulance, but mostly by the piercing screams that I never thought before could have possibly come from a human..... Of course, they were emanating from me. The gunman rushed forward towards the boy and I as we lay sprawled on the pavement not two feet from each other, our blood forming a communal pool between us. The man's gaze didn't leave the knife in the boy's hand for what seemed an eternity, the colour all the while draining from his face.

I never knew that rage could be such a blinding and driving force. The absolute overriding power over all other emotions. That first plunge into my abdomen, the instinctive counter punch. The adrenaline rushing through me whispering my muscles into powerful action while my brain screamed for reason. No sense was understandable, no sight or sound could deter me. The cracking sound that was made as I stamped. The bang-bang of the gun as I was shot in the back; my foot over the kid's head. I wasn't giving some little prick my wedding ring, no matter how young he was, I didn't give a shit. Wallet, keys, cash, anything but no way was I giving him my ring. My wife would kill me if I came home without that ring. Funny, she mightn't get that chance.

The sirens...never getting any closer...

The gunman stood over me now, watching as I screamed at him, "You'll never take my wedding ring you dick!" over and over. I wasn't screaming so much anymore than I was whispering, I was so tired. I could make out a few of the words he was saying into his shoulder,"....victims.....scene..stabbing...dead......emergency......". He had a large build which made his silhouette against the red and blue lights even more intimidating. But as I thought he was about to finish the job he knelt down beside me and said in a booming voice "Sir, stay down, we are getting you help. What happened here?" The badge on his chest glistened while it was so close to my face; it didn't matter. The nerves in my brain were shutting off one by one by one and all I could do was triumphantly whisper into his ear, "You're not getting my wedding ring". The sirens blaring eased up as the lights grew dim, and in my confused mind I was content with the fact that I had won. The True Nothingness finally came.

Life's a bit different all right.........