A Collection of Accidents
by
athenalacus (student)
ACCIDENTS The bus lurched(撞) to one side and the next moment we were all either(或者) on the floor or clinging(抓住) desperately(危急的) to our sets. There was pandemonium(大混乱) in the bus as screams and yells filled the air. The bus was hanging(挂着) precariously(危险的) at the edge(边缘) of a steep cliff(悬崖). We scrambled out(逃跑) through all available exits including the windows and made it in the nick of time(关键时刻) before the bus tumbled over(坠落). From the corner of my eye I saw a dark shape looming(隐约地出现) in front of us. The next moment I felt my body being launched into space as the impact(冲击) of the collision hurled us into the air. I was blinded by powerful lights. I heard voices talking anxiously(焦急) and footsteps hurrying in my direction. I was in a daze(迷乱) and vaguely(模糊地) remembered being carried into a car. I felt too stunned to protest(反对). I felt dizzy and then blacked out. My father reversed the family car, bundled me into it and sped towards the hospital. We reached the hospital in double quick time. Suddenly a car swerved(突然转向) into my path and I had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. I managed to do so but in the process I crashed into a drain. By the time I picked myself up the car had disappeared. So I stood there fuming(发怒). The cuts and bruises(伤痕) sustained from the crash were nothing compared to the anger I felt at the hit-and-run driver. If I had been killed the driver might have got away with murder. All of a sudden the silence in the cabin was broken by a loud whirr. The passengers were jostled(推挤) about as the plane shook and tilted(倾斜) from side to side, hit by some unknown object. We held our breaths for the most crucial(艰难的) moment had arrived. The plane came down with a tilt but was straightened in time. It jolted horribly but came to a perfect stop beside the fire engines on the tarmac(柏油碎石). While the passengers scrambled out to safety, the firemen put out the fire in the right wing of the plane and saved it from utter(发出) destruction(毁灭). The attendants in the ambulance party had great difficulty in extracting the bodies of those dead inside the wrecked(失事的) cars. Many of the spectators
could not bear the sight of the grisly(恐怖) task and some even fainted(晕倒). We rode five abreast and all of a sudden a speeding(超速) car came towards us. We had no time to take evasive action and the next moment we fell in a sprawling(庞大) heap(堆). The road where the accident had taken place presented a horrible sight. There were puddles of blood all over the place. Scattered(散乱) here and there were pieces of flesh(血肉) torn(撕裂) from the dead bodies. I heard the screeching of brakes followed by blaring(刺耳) of horns shattering(打破) the silence of the peaceful morning. I rushed(赶到) ...
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could not bear the sight of the grisly(恐怖) task and some even fainted(晕倒). We rode five abreast and all of a sudden a speeding(超速) car came towards us. We had no time to take evasive action and the next moment we fell in a sprawling(庞大) heap(堆). The road where the accident had taken place presented a horrible sight. There were puddles of blood all over the place. Scattered(散乱) here and there were pieces of flesh(血肉) torn(撕裂) from the dead bodies. I heard the screeching of brakes followed by blaring(刺耳) of horns shattering(打破) the silence of the peaceful morning. I rushed(赶到) to the scene(现场) of the accident. Meanwhile, a large crowd of onlookers(围观) we had gathered to watch the two drivers engaged in a war of words. Both drivers were shouting their lungs out, blaming each other for the accident. The car swerved to the right and left. I looked on alarmed that the driver might have lost control of the vehicle. My worst fear was confirmed. An instant later, the car crashed into a brick(砖) wall(墙). There was a sickening crash of metal being twisted at the moment of impact before the engine died and the car lay in a heap of fumes(烟堆里). I heard shouts of glee(喜悦) coming from their direction. To my horror, I saw them throwing a javelin at each other. I guessed it saved them the chore of having to retrieve(检索)the after each throw. It was scary watching them. A couple of times I was sure the javelin would strike flesh but it missed by inches. Then disaster(灾难) struck. Ali threw the javelin and it arched towards John who had difficulty judging the flight path. He was not sure which way to go. The javelin came down hard on his thigh with a sickening thud. Instantly a spray of red blood gushed out(涌出) from the stricken thigh(大腿). John gave a howl of pain and fell on his back, writhing in pain(在痛苦中扭动) and his hands clutched desperately(拼命抓住) at the embedded javelin. A motorist horned furiously behind me and before I could swerve to the side I felt the bumper of the car hitting my bicycle. For a split second, I felt my bicycle wobble(摇晃). There was a screech of brakes and the impact sent me flying through the air. I fell heavily on the ground and then blacked out. I regained consciousness(意识) fifteen minutes later. By then a curious crowd had gathered around me. My friends were kneeling down, vigorously fanning my face with exercise books. My head was throbbing and a sharp pain shot through my arm when I tried to lift it. I fell heavily on the grass verge(边缘) of the road and rolled into a monsoon drain. The rough concrete(混凝土) sides of the drain brushed my knees and elbows but other than that I was unhurt. I scrambled out of the drain, dusting my clothes and examining(检查) my bruises. I crept(悄悄) out of the plane through a small hole in the fuselage. I was rather dazed and shaken. Of the other passengers, many were slumped lifelessly in their seats, others had been thrown out of the plane by the impact of the crash. Those who were still alive had managed to crawl out of the plane, and were sitting on the ground nursing their injuries. I leaned(俯身) and peered(看着) through the window. The dark sky was illuminated by flaring bursts of lightning followed immediately by loud shattering blasts of thunder. Then, as the plane shuddered(颤抖) violently(剧烈), baggage(行李) from the racks above fell and cries of panic broke out. Almost immediately the plane began to lose height. I could feel the plane spinning over and over. Some of the passengers started screaming in terror while others said their prayers loudly. I remember being thrown about in the pitch darkness. Then I heard a tremendous crash and I passed out. When I regained consciousness, I was only aware of the throbbing pain in my head. Through my tattered clothes I observed the patchwork of numerous cuts and bruises all over my body. I looked around me but there were no signs of life. Blood splattered corpses and dismembered(肢解) limbs(四肢) lay scattered everywhere. I felt a lump rise in my throat. Wincing(畏缩) with pain and fear, I struggled to stand up. My legs were weak and my hands were trembling. I fumbled and stumbled as there was no trail to follow. We could see the flashes of lighting in the distance. Very soon the aircraft was beginning to feel the storm and was pitching and tossing in the turbulence in the air. Hailstones as large as tennis balls were smashing against the aircraft. All of a sudden I heard a crack like a pistol shot. A feeling of danger crept into our minds. I received a violent jolt and my body hit against the steering wheel and the front windscreen. I was dazed and had a faint feeling that I was thrown out of the car with terrific force. My eyes were losing the power of holding a purposeful steady gaze. I made a vain(徒劳) attempt(尝试) to get up but I crumpled and fell. I did not have the strength even to raise my body. In the meantime people gathered around me and there was the usual fuss and excitement but very little action. The sunlight streaming through the thick canopy in the early hours of the morning revealed the ghastly(恐怖) and gory(血淋淋) sight that lay before us. The acrid smell of smoke overwhelmed us and parts of the wreckage(飞机的残骸) were still smouldering. Not one body, personal belongings or equipment was found intact. All we could pick were charred and mangled remains from the debris. The stench(臭味) that emanated from the area was overpowering(无法抗拒). It was the wee(凌晨) hours of a drizzly morning when Roslan Khamis finally managed to get some sleep. His wife and three children were curled up in the living room after catching the last show on TV, and Roslan, who was earlier feeling a little uneasy(不安), had retired to the bedroom of their house in Pantai Dalam. Then, at 6.15 a.m., a loud explosion rocked the house. The next thing he knew, Roslan heard a rumbling sound and was buried under a pile of sand and rubble. Clawing his way out, Roslan was greeted(迎接) by sight of his six-year-old son, Affendi, lying lifeless under a huge boulder that had landed in the living room. A loud blast followed by a commotion on the streets interrupted out conversation. We later learnt that a bomb hidden under a bus went off in a street some distance away. When I arrived at the blast site, the place was cordoned off by the police and surrounded by a huge crowd. All of a sudden, a newsflash appeared on my screen. A newscaster appeared and stated in a serious voice, “We interrupt this program for an important announcement. It has been discovered that a large meteor is travelling at a fast pace towards Earth and has been calculated to hit Earth at approximately 12.00 p.m. Tuesday. We urge(督促) everyone to move in a calm manner to a storm shelter or any other form of security.” There I stopped to watch a distant commotion; cops moving back and forth; paramedics rolling a stretcher towards an apartment complex. A crowd was already forming as the police move back and forth. The scene was eerily(怪异的) quiet and peaceful. My feet struck the ground, launching me faster heading for the sound. Finally I reached it, almost wishing I hadn’t. Here lay a mother, child in hand and a red stream flowing down her lifeless face. The bundle in her arms screamed again, snapping me back into reality. Soon the medics rolled someone out - a small person, a child - and loaded the patient onto the chopper. The helicopter coughed and wheezed as it began its mercy flight to the hospital. Then flash, in the blink of an eye, the world was turned upside down. When I finally got myself together I was lying about 20 feet from the wreckage. I stood up and in front of me lay tons of terrible carnage(大屠杀) strung across the field like a satin sheet after a restless night. Fire was everywhere with its delicate destruction. We got into the car and raced to the scene of the accident. I could feel my heart beating rapidly inside my chest as if it might try to jump out. There was an endless shattering of glass breaking, metal grinding, engines melting, leather tearing, and plastic cracking as everything was covered with a blanket of glass. Then at last everything stopped and the world was black. I never saw the car coming. The bumper hit my knee, shattering it, throwing me onto the hood. My glasses were thrown from my face I slammed into the windshield, cracking it and shattered my ribs and spine. I rolled over the top of the car and slammed into the pavement, cracking my skull. I couldn’t feel anything. My spinal chord was severed. I heard the screech of brakes; the opening and closing of a car door echoed in my ears. I felt my life slipping away. I heard the deafening(震耳欲聋) crash and felt a terrific jolt. Glass and steel flew everywhere. My whole body seemed to be turning inside out. I heard myself scream. Suddenly I awakened; it was very quiet. My body was mangled(撕裂). I was saturated with blood. Pieces of jagged glass were sticking out all over. Strange that I couldn’t feel anything.