The call came in just minutes after the voice spoke to them, forcing them to leave a massive elephant in the room, but saving people always comes first. They expected a minor car crash, perfectly in line with their usual jobs. Sure, they had received worrying reports, a fireball frozen in a car, it really sounded concerning. However, years of collective experience had tought them to be prepared, of course, but also recognize such reports for what they often were, nothing more than delusions of old folk.
Sure, there was the occasional big accident. Something like a multi car high speed crash, but stuff on that scale luckily only happened once every few months. When they arrived and actually saw the rumored fireball, they were shellshocked. Only slowly were they able to process the scene before them, normally the fuel tank had the highest risk of explosions. Apart from that the engine and the tires were the most flammable. Neither was involved today.
The fireball sat comfortably in the drivers seat. The former occupant scattered across the surface of the ball like decorations on a Christmas ornament. Curiously the only part actually damaged was the driver seat, the rest of the cabin, the hood and the trunks were completely pristine. If you ignore the girl and bike stuck to the bumper.
They had seen their fair share of gruesome scenes but never one this unique. They had been shaken to the core, *Click* the characteristic sound of a smartphone camera brought them to their senses. They quickly snapped into their usual routine. A part of the crew quickly set up the anti-gawking barrier, a tragic necessity, their boss reported back the details, requesting reinforcements, finally a few brave men had tried to go closer to the girl. Inspect her, maybe perform first help, until the paramedics and emergency doctors arrived. They had run into a wall. It looked like a cartoon, it may have looked funny seeing them run into an invisible wall, but it had made the job functionally impossible. The team couldn't help the poor soul.
That's how they ended up securing the parameter for 30 minutes. Watching in shock as team after team, specalist after specialist arrived, only for all of them to fail. A lot of things had been tried, punching it, hitting it with axe and hammer, even water had only revealed the perfectly spherical barrier, that kept them out.
Now all they could do was stay around and wait. Made even worse by the fact, that with every vehicle of support that arrived the number of bystanders rose as well. By now there were about 200 people just standing around stretching their necks trying to see any details past the barrier.
Forty minutes into the operation they finally made progress, their third and final attempt with the battering ram penetrated into shell. It was only a few cm deep, but it was better than nothing. Reinvigorated by the small success they redoubled their efforts.
Forty-five minutes into the operation they were almost halfway to the trapped girl, each available muscle was gathered around the sphere pounding it with everything they got. They had quickly realized, the sphere shrinks as a whole, meaning they could use all angles of attack.
Finally, they reached the halfway point. An exhausted sigh left their collective throats, beating air for minutes on end was exhausting, some of them made encouraging noises. "She's moving!", one of them shouted and they were no more.
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Jannick's wings beat furiously, the first few kilometers had been easy, relaxing even. Flying in the forest was fun sure, but here he was free from those pesky trees he could just sore through the air with speeds normally reserved for cars or trains.
Seeing the river and city from above was exhilarating, he almost couldn't recognize the city he had spent so much time exploring for the past week. He thought he had seen much of the city. Now however he saw more the bend in the river, the nature reserve that was just under his nose the whole time. The villages were you completely forgot that only twenty minutes separated you from the city center.
He wanted to take it all in, capture this experience, hold these realizations close to heart. But his mind drifted and his eyes focused forward once more. An enormous cloud looming over the horizon. Slowly it drifted upward, peacefully the mushroom resided over, the undisturbed waters he was following. Gradually it took up more of his vision, leaving no space for anything else.
The peace of the water slowly fell apart, as the waves climbed higher. The first flooded fields, broken branches and twigs appeared below him, the wind shifted a mild breeze encouraging him forward had become a heavy hand pulling him towards the center, towards the shadow of the cloud.
The world slowly grew darker as Jannick glided over Mannheim. The blue sky reduced to a reminder in his rearview. Below he could see people rushing to cars, the gridlock of panicked drivers desperate to get away from the disaster. People hopping for trains and busses that may never arrive. The main station they crowded, had lost its glas front and part of its roof. Compassionate people tended to the wounds of those unfortunate to be near the building as the blast occurred.
With each flap he spotted more broken windows more wounded. He could see ambulances as well. Brave souls trying to get to the more heavily wounded, that suffered closer to the epicenter. Seeing them head toward the smoky stem of it all, his heart softened, only to harden again when he spotted the first looters carrying whole stacks of boxes as they rushed away from the trouble, or into stores through broken windows or doors.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
A part of him wanted to stay here to look at the mayhem, maybe help a few wounded, he was no expert, but he had done a first aid course, but the bigger part of him still felt the drive that had brought him here. Somehow he knew, something told him what he was looking for, other skills, they weren't here they were deeper inside, inside the cloud of smoke. In the area his head told him to avoid.
He turned around, steeled his nerves, gave one last irritated look to the looters and headed forward into the cloud of smoke. The seemingly fresh spring air quickly got replaced by a warm and dusty sud. He could feel his lungs getting sore, breath after breath more sore points appeared. When the air streamed in the spots burned and slowed, when it flowed out again, he could feel it resist compression. He had been out of breath plenty of times, but not like this, his lungs were getting infiltrated. That wasn't supposed to happen!
Even worse the feeling spread, it invaded taking over more and more territory every flap. A nudge, a gut feeling, coaxing him down to the left. Jannick didn't resist it's pull any direction was a boon right now. He crossed the river and spotted the first damaged buildings. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before, sure he had seen pictures of the ruins left behind from the world wars, but those were pictures.
This was real, his improved bird vision picking up all the little details. The small and medium fires burning between the rubble. The pieces of debris strewn all over the streets and riverbanks. The little reminders left behind, small tidbits of the thousands of lifes destroyed and taken just minutes prior. He saw dolls, posters, plants and of course the remains of people unlucky enough to be hit by the blast directly. Their remains charred from the heat; their chests collapsed from the pressure. Lucky ones were being tended to by the paramedics, that had started to arrive en mass. The unlucky ones were those that only barely held on, only for their neighbors to get prioritized by the outnumbered helpers.
His instinct guided him away from these scenes, a part of him wanted to help, but he also knew that he was neither equipped nor qualified. He didn't like it, but the decision came way easier than last time, no room for introspection he had a feeling to follow. With a bleeding heart he flew over the dead and wounded, over the few capable of searching for their loved ones. The suffering was endless, as he roughly circled the core of the disaster, moving away from the former lively city center and into a more residential area.
To his relieve he saw less gruesome scenes here, sure there was the occasional body, but most of the people had been away from home at the time of the explosion. Those that had remained were, well, at home. In the homes that had collectively collapsed from the blast, only for some of them to catch fire afterward, eliminating all chances at survival.
Jannick was drawn to one of those ruins, a former midrise. Through the smoke of the nearby fire, he could make out a frantic figure, sifting through the debris, lifting and casually tossing aside pieces of furniture. Closing in Jannick was able to spot black hair, and bulging muscles moving under a flowy shirt. "Sis, sis, sis! Where are you?", Jannick had come into earshot, a sob, "Please please say something!".
The cool guy, the buff guy, someone he would normally avoid, was giving his best, ignoring terrible burns of his own to search for someone dear to him. His gaze drifted, why hadn't he done this earlier, maybe he could have spotted victims under the rubble. His birds eyes were able to pick up so many details. His perspective was unique. For example, there some children's books he could even make out the title. Sadly, they were for boys, he had to look elsewhere. A pair of nice sneakers, why would someone spend so much money on something like that.
Finally, a piece of wood sporting pink stickers, a good clue. Next to the door, he saw a pink rain jacket, kid sized. She had to be somewhere nearby. There a small selfmade bracelet laying right next to a big slab of concrete. He flew down peering into the gap.
A small hand outstretched, the wrist decorated with bracelets similar to the one he had landed next to. Slowly his eyes adjusted, he peeked deeper into the grevis. Eyes that widened in shock, eyes surrounded by a charred face and what must have been a long ponytail. Her chest was slowly rising and falling, her legs, he couldn't see them. She opened her mouth, no sound left her cracked lips. Jannick jumped backwards, turning his beak away. The bracelet with the name caught his eye, it read "YARA". "Yara, sis, where are you?", her brother must have come closer.
Jannick jumped into the air wings beating. He shot toward the voice. The guy was currently trying to lift a cabinet, his muscles strained, his gaze determined. Jannick chirped, no reaction, Jannick tweeped, still no reaction. "CRRRIII", Jannick had flown as close to the guys ears as he dared. A step back, the cabinet got gently lowered, the bird realized that the burns were way worse than he believed. "Pli", he vocalized, flapping his wings slowly turning around.
Flying slow on purpose had never crossed Jannicks mind, that it would be exhausting even less so. So many wingbeats just to stay in the air, there was nothing graceful about this. He turned around seeing the brother stumble over a broken table. Well maybe there was a little grace. Eventually he had reached the bracelet again. The small eyes looked up to him wide full of hope. She tried to call out to him, but he couldn't read lips and he had to step away. Her brother was almost here.
From a safe perch Jannick could see the guy pick up the bracelet, slowly, carefully putting it into his pocket. Hands tried to reach inside, tried to give comfort. The crevice was too small. Jannick could see the determination, no he could feel it, it resonated deep in his mind. The tips of his feathers tingled. He saw hands, arms grab onto the concrete slab. Muscles strained, knees tried to straighten, but nothing moved. A reset, they both took a deep breath, muscles strained, strained further. Burnt skin cracked, blood oozing from the wound. "AAAhhh""Chiii", they burst out.
The slab flew away, the shirt ripped, blood was flowing, his left side was completely red. Jannick could see Yaras legs, bone sticking out, a 90 degree bent above the knee. A red pool rapidly forming. The brother rushed forward, gradeling her in his arms. She looked up to him, opened her mouth slightly, the light left her eyes. Her brother gently closed her mouth and eyes and broke down crying.
There was the soft sound of beating wings as a swallow took flight.