Short Story: 5 Minutes

5 MINUTES
by Gary Anderson

5:00

Pain. At the moment the only thing that is in my world is pain. There’s noises, I think. I mean, I know there are noises but I can’t distinguish any of them from one another. It’s all a huge amalgamation of voices and a car alarm somewhere. I feel as if I am moving, but I don’t think I really am. I’ve had this feeling before, when I had a concussion playing football in high school. If I move my head to the left or right, everything seems to speed up around me as if it’s the little brother struggling to keep up with their bigger sibling in the mall. I blink my eyes a few times trying to get some semblance of balance to my world. All I can think is where am I?

The Noises begin to separate now, and I can begin to identify them. The alarm is coming from our car. Why is the alarm going off? Shouldn’t it have been deactivated if we were in the car? Wait. We. Allison. I turn my head quickly and am rewarded with a gigantic shock of pain unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my life. My eyes are clenched shut as I scream out in agony and surprise. That’s when I hear her.

4:45

I open my eyes again -- slowly. I turn my head a little at a time in an effort to avoid the pain and I see her. Oh Allison. I lean forward, and realize as I do that the seatbelt is not around me. It snapped during the crash. So much for safety. My legs are useless. I look down and blink a few times. There’s a strange disconnect as I stare at someone’s mangled legs where mine should be. I couldn’t feel them at all. I scoot over to her, and try to open her door, but it’s smashed against a tree. I look up and the roof has been caved in and I suddenly realize that the roof smashed into the top of Allison’s head. She is looking at me. Her mouth is moving, but nothing is coming out.

4:15

Breathing is near impossible. I have to try to get some air in small gasps. Her breathing is very rapid. I reach over as far as I can and pull her towards me. She doesn’t move. I look down and see that her body is pinned by the steering wheel. I lean over and grip the wheel by the top and push as hard as I can, but in my weakened condition it won’t budge. Tears form in my eyes as I feel frustration and futility set in. I move over as far as possible and wrap my arms around her. She looks into my eyes and I bite my lip in anguish, to stop myself from breaking down in front of her, but despite my best efforts, the tears engage in a free fall down my cheeks.

3:55

I lean my head back and close my eyes. “Please God, save her.” I whisper. “Please”. I open my eyes and look back to her. Her mouth is moving again. “Baby” she manages. “I –“ I place my finger against her lips gently. “Shhh. Save your energy. You’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be –“ I choke back tears. In the distance I hear sirens. Oh please hurry. For the love of everything Holy, please hurry.

3:30

Her eyes begin to close and I gently tap her chin with my thumb. “Allison…just hold on. They’re almost here. Can you hear them? They’re almost here”. I couldn’t think of what to tell her. I knew in my hear to of hearts that she wasn’t gonna make it. Just like I knew I wasn’t gonna make it. Just looking at my legs told me that I would not see another sunrise. The legs were filled with blood and I could feel something inside my chest was broken. I could feel my own life slipping, just as I knew she was slipping away from me. I held her closer and placed her head on my shoulder. “God, please. I’m begging you, don’t take her. Take me, just leave her be.”

3:00

The sirens seem to be closer and farther away at the same time. I see the ambulance lights in the distance. I look down at Allison and she’s gone. How long? 10 seconds? 25? 30? How long has she been gone? How long do I hold her? Can I let her go? Not just physically but…can I let her go? Will I have the chance to have that option? I’m suddenly blinded by a bright light shining through the cracked, busted up windshield and I cover my eyes.

2:45

I’m alone, but… not. I look around and everything seems vaguely familiar. I’m standing on the dock of a lake. I look over the water, and there’s nothing. No movement. No boats, no movement in the distance, on the other side. I turn around and see her. I cock my head to the side in surprise. What’s going on here? “Allison?” I ask, stupidly. She smiles and nods. “Where are we?” I ask her.

2:30

She takes my hand, as we sit down on the edge of the dock. Our feet dip into the cold water. I look around and then to her. “I know this place”, I said. “I know” she replies. I slowly turn my head as I take in the beauty of our surroundings, trying to place it. Then it hits me. “Where we first met” I say matter-of-factly. “You always wanted us to have time alone here, but it never worked out. Our parents kept interfering. Then we moved away, and …” her voice trailed off.

2:00

We sit in silence as we look out over the calm water. “I wanna stay here forever” I said. “We can’t” she says. I look at her with confusion. “But…why not? “ She looks at me with a sad look. “You’re not ready. It’s not your time.” “But…we’re dead…aren’t we?” I asked. She shook her head. “But I held you…I saw you…you’re…” “No.” she said. “I had to leave early to set this up. We have to move on now.” I sighed, suddenly realizing my breathing was normal again. “But…where?” “Home” she said.


1:30

Tears filled my eyes. “But Why?” I ask, anger filling my voice. “Why show me this and then take it away?” She turns and puts her back against the large pole supporting the dock. “Better things are in store. If you want it” I stare at her with confusion. “Who are you?” “Your girlfriend”. I shook my head. “No you’re not. “ She smiled. “I was brought into your life to save you..”

1:15

“Save me? Save me from WHAT?” “Yourself” she said simply. “You have many things to do. But you are not a believer. You have said God’s name twice in the last three years. Both of them were to ask a favor. This awaits you…” she waved her arm over the landscape. “…if you accept Him.”

1:00

I’m silent as I try to wrap my head around what I’m hearing and seeing. “And If I don’t?” More silence. Then. Pain. Immense pain fills my head. Then screams. Voices from my past, everyone I’ve ever known and loved. Everyone I’ve ever cared about. Screaming in pain and unadulterated agony. And the most intense heat I’ve ever known. All in the blink of an eye. I stare at her with not a small amount of fear. “I don’t know you” I say. She smiled sadly. “That’s the point”

0:30

“No, I mean. I – I – I don’t know you. You’re not my girlfriend are you?” She is silent and then she takes my hand back and holds it lovingly. “She’s fine. When you get back, she’ll be there waiting for you. “ “You aren’t her?” I ask. “No.” “Well…who ARE you?”. A smile. “I would have thought that would be fairly obvious.”

0:10

“You have to go now.” “But I don’t understand. I – I need more time, I need--"

0:00

“—more time”

“Hey buddy. You’re back. Man, I thought we were gonna lose you for a second there.”

I look up and there’s a light in my eyes but nothing like last time. I close my eyes and feel the light disappear. I open them slowly and there’s an EMT kneeling over me. I’m in an ambulance and I can hear the siren. “Allison” I managed.

“She’s fine. She’s in the other ambulance. You’re both pretty lucky if you ask me. Your seat belt broke and her airbag never deployed. Somebody upstairs must love you two.”

I closed my eyes and had a vague memory of a lake. Kinda like a dream I could remember certain things but not others. But I remembered enough.

0:30

“How long before I see her?” I asked.

The man looked at his watch, and looked through a small window between us and the driver. “How far out are we?”

A voice from the front came back and said something I couldn’t make out.

“We’re five minutes out from the hospital. You’ll be able to see her in no time. Just lay back and take it easy. You got your whole life ahead of you man. It’s just past midnight. It’s a brand new day man.

“Yeah.” I mumbled. “I guess it is.”