The Mountain

Carlos climbs a mountain

I was 12 when it happened. My mom was driving me and my brother to the movies for my birthday, a thing of rarity in my family. We weren't exactly poor, just short on money as mom put it. I knew otherwise though, I didn't tell my brother; I didn't want to scare him. Mom didn't see the drunk driver and apparently he didn't see us, or didn't care. I'm the only one who survived. I wish I hadn't.

A chunk of icy snow landed on my face, shocking me back to reality. I took in my surroundings again, remembering I wasn’t in the car anymore. I tried to sit up and with great difficulty I was able to, but barely. The fall must have broken something. My heart started to palpitate, and I tried to take a deep breath to calm myself, I felt as if I couldn’t breathe, like an elephant was sitting on my chest, determined to suffocate me. I remember what the doctor called them; panic attacks. He said mine, “are caused by significant trauma in my life” and “ if I’ve had any recent trauma” as if he couldn't see what was left of my leg I thought.

My vision started to go dark as a flashback crept into my mind, but I shook it away, I had to stay focused on getting rescued. The doctors said I might get flashbacks a  “symptom of PTSD” he said. He told me that “if I just let the flashbacks play, then maybe they would stop.” I tried ... they didn't stop.

The flashback came back stronger this time and I couldn't stop it. I'm back in the passenger seat of my mom's car. Some pop music played in the background and I found that I couldn't make out the lyrics, but I recognized the tune, Stayin Alive. I turned my head to face my mom as she asked if we wanted to buy some popcorn when we got there. We didn't get a chance to answer.

I jerked awake at the sound of metal crunching and the flashback finally released its hold on me. I looked over the edge and my breath caught in my throat as I saw the bodies that littered below the ledge that saved my life, I guess those people weren’t so lucky I thought. I turned my head to see if there were any climbers who could go for help. I saw a sherppa and what looked like a walking marshmallow but I looked again and it was only a man wearing all white. “how idiotic” i found myself saying before i took a deep breath and yelled “HELPPPP” they didn’t hear me so i tried again “HELPPPP!” i yelled and yelled until my voice grew hoarse and I couldn't yell anymore. I turned my gaze upwards and stared at the shattered ice where I once stood. It's completely my fault that I fell, I thought to myself, I didn’t test the ground before I stepped, I guess i really should look before I leap... er step. “At least the ledge caught me” I said softly, “now I will die from hypothermia instead of falling, what a way to die” I silently scolded myself for being so negative, maybe I’ll survive I tried to convince myself, but I subconsciously knew I wouldn’t. I laugh at the sheer stupidity of my actions, mom would be so proud.

Without warning, a flashback forced its way into my mind. I was back in mom’s car again, I turned my head as she asked if we wanted popcorn. I stared in horror as I saw the car, speeding towards us, I tried to yell out, but my voice betrayed me and I knew it wouldn’t change anything. The driver struck mom’s side first, our car slid on the road, slick from the ice and snow and then hit the curb while time seemingly stopped. We flew through the air, defying gravity. Mom was killed instantly on impact with the driver, I will never forget how she reached out her arm and held me against the seat, the doctor said she saved my life. Sam was killed after being impaled by a post that was missing its sign. I sat in my seat for what seemed like hours as I waited for the ambulance to arrive, my pulse was so weak the paramedics thought I was dead until I opened my eyes and reached out for my mom’s hand, which was poking out from under the black tarp, shielding her mangled body from onlookers who were driving by, I stared at the blood stained grass and as my vision went dark as I wondered whose blood it was.

I thought I was dead until I woke up in a white room full of balloons and flowers from friends and relatives, the room smelled thickly of disinfectant.  The doctors said I almost died 3 times on the way to the hospital, but I couldn’t remember a thing til dad came in and told me what happened. I didn’t believe him at first, or rather I didn’t want to. He told me of the crash, how both mom and my brother were killed, and that i was the only one that survived, I tried to sit up but he forced me back into the bed. He told me that I couldn’t leave, at least until they fixed my leg up as best they could. At the mention of my leg my face grew pale as i looked at the blankets covering them and saw that my right leg ended just below the knee, I blacked out after that. I woke up again a few days later, the room smelled less of disinfectant this time and the flowers were wilting and deflated balloons littered the floor.

The doctors let me sit up for the first time, and they allowed me to have solid food. Of course I wouldn’t classify what I was given to be food. I stared at what used to be my leg. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought about how I could never run track at school anymore or join the ski club or live my lifelong goal of climbing Mount Everest. The doctor, jake he told me to call him, told me that I could still do track and ski, just that I won’t be as good as I use to be. Oh great I thought to myself, I sucked before and now I’ll suck even more, at least now I will have a reason. Dad said I should be grateful that I survived when mom and Sam did not, I don’t feel grateful. A blast of icy air released me from the flashback. I had to find a way off the mountain I thought, I can’t die here and leave dad alone, with not only his wife dead but his two sons dead. I dug around in my bag, looking for something ... anything that could help me get off the ledge. My heart skipped a beat as my hand closed around my flare gun. I yanked it out of my bag and aimed for the sky and pulled the trigger. A bright red flare shot out from the barrel of the gun and exploded against the sky, sending red shards of light everywhere, making the look like a painting that a toddler would have made. I prayed that someone would see, and they would get help, my heart skipped a beat as a flare shot up from below, a thin trail of smoke following it as it exploded against the clouds. As an hour passed I started to give up hope for getting rescued. Maybe that flare was from another person who was stuck, I looked around, my hope was diminishing by each passing minute that I layed there in the freezing damp snow. “I’m so sorry dad” I croaked out, my voice barely audible from yelling.

As my eyelids grew heavy, I looked up into the sky and prayed, even though I’ve never been to church, I felt compelled to do so. I couldn’t decide if I was compelled to pray because I knew I was going to die or I was praying for a miracle.

See you soon mom.  I thought as my eyelids grew heavier and slowly closed.

Author's Note

ignore the underlined parts, any advice/reviews welcome

Reviews

[Elim]

This was a really interesting story, I like how you had flashbacks alongside the actual situation, however it's slightly confusing which is which at first so maybe you could try having them in separate paragraphs and/or italicizing the flash backs? Just an idea for future stories. I can really relate to this (well kind of), because one of my friends, her brother and her father were in a car crash and her brother(Andrew) was the only one to survive. I had always tried to imagine how Andrew felt, and this really helped me sympathize. Also, there were no grammar or spelling mistakes so well done on that. I liked this story a lot, you are a talented writer. :)