It was raining. I was late. I was the cause and this was how it had happened.

Running and gasping for air under the heavy rain. I could have gone home for an umbrella but then I’ll be even more late for the test waiting for me in school. It was raining so heavily that I couldn’t see a thing except for the little ground before me but with three years of the same route, I have made acquaintance with the pavements. Yes, I could walk with my eyes close but there won’t be a need to do that, is there?

“Three more steps. One, two, three.” I counted in my mind. Taking the third step, my eyes struggle to the distance. There was a light in the opposite side of the road and the bus stop was right over there, the last thing to do was to cross the road.

The rain was so heavy, I could barely see the road, let alone the approaching traffic but I was sure there wasn’t any vehicle at that time as I couldn’t hear a roaring engine. Thirty steps to cross a road without traffic in a rain that almost blinds you. Nothing would go wrong. Would there be something amiss?

With a deep breath, I charged madly across the road.

“Ten steps taken, twenty more, what would go wrong” I thought.

“Fifteen steps left, charging in darkness is kind of fun once in a while.” I thought.

“Sixteen, sev….” I slipped and slid across the road. It was very ironical when I fell, I let out a small guffaw when I was climbing to my feet but I wasn’t really sure whether I’ve let out a laugh or not as I remembered clearly that I saw a bright yellow light approaching with speed towards me.

“So I was about to die, who could I blame?”

Not knowing what to do. I crouched and shut my eyes and my ears with my hands as a lot screech roared across the skies.

There were screams, there was a bang, there were many things I couldn’t describe. My eyes opened, I was on the ground. The rain was still falling. It was so peaceful looking at the skies from the ground. The air so cold and safe, it gave me a feeling of comfort. A moment ago, I was in the edge of death and now I’m feeling euphoric. Am I dead or dying? I couldn’t help asking myself.

I sat up from where I was and realize that the rain water that fell on the road were red in color. It took me a moment to realize that the car did not overran me. Instead, it had gone through the bus stop that was full of people. Students, workers, labors, the old, all these people were there and pretty much of them were dead.

The scenery was ugly. There were torn limbs, broken bodies and open backs and chests. At one side of the bus stop (if you could still call it a bus stop(, I saw a cluster of legs and no bodies were near to them, at least they weren’t attached. There were survivors in agony, dying in pain they did not deserve. My pain, it was my pain, I was suppose to be the one in their pain as I was the one that caused this. If I did not cross the road, none of this would happen.

It was so ironical that it was humorous but I had not the strength to even smile at that moment. It seems that the driver did not die, only heavily injured by the impact and he had called the ambulance. I sat there for as long as I remember. Was it because that I was stunted with shock or was it a mere sense of responsibility? Nonetheless I could not decide at the time.

I remembered the sirens, the music of urgency and it brought me out of my shock.

“This one isn’t heavily injured, lucky guy. Leave him for now, we have others to attend to” I remembered one of the paramedics saying this. Yes it was true, I need not feel their pain, was it simply because I was the cause?

The next thing I knew, I was in the ambulance, tied down to the bed and beside me was a guy. His face was so mashed up, I couldn’t differentiate his features. All there was, was a half open eye, torn lips that reveal no teethes and a hole for a nose. It was terrifying but I had to look at him as he was baring the pain I befell on him. I felt responsible.

At the hospital, I heard parents moaning, daughters crying and sons and men broke into tears. I remembered my dad saying “God be with you, so many died and you survived”. I couldn’t explain what happened. Partly because I don’t know how, partly because it was hard to tell the loved ones of those who had died but it’s mostly because I couldn’t speak. The experience was unimaginable. The scenery kept coming into my eye where bodies were apart and faces weren’t exactly faces.

Everything I ate taste like blood, every reflection I see are of moans of strangers and faceless peoples. I couldn’t sleep for one whole week.

Today, finally I’ve gotten my voice back but it was amidst of the night and it was raining. The window a plain darkness. My mind with an etched moment, constantly repeating itself again and again and again. If this is my punishment, I accept it.

I talked to myself and the ghostly figures in mind. In the window, there was his face, lipless and toothless, without a nose and a hole for an eye, I speak, whispered and mumble to my sleep. The last thing I remembered saying was “It was raining. I was late. I was the cause of all. I could go with them but guilt kept me a life and held me responsible. It was raining, I was crossing, I live, they did not. It was raining, I will never pass this way again.

Exam question

End story with I will never pass this way again