Carefully running my tongue over my teeth, I could feel that my lower lip was split open and distended as though I’d received a double dose of Novocain. The gritty texture of gravel and dirt bit into my skin, and a heavy pain in my chest made me wonder just how badly I’d been hurt. Cautiously moving one hand, I felt beneath my ribs, grateful to find that my bag was still there. When I lifted my head the street whirled around me, a battlefield littered with moaning and broken bodies. Laying my cheek back on the ground, I knew I should try to get up, but my aching head wanted nothing more than to stay put. A hand came down in front of my face, and I braced myself for the worst. “Are you okay?” I let out a painful breath and turned the question slowly over in my mind. I was carefully rolled onto my back, and looked up to see the double image of a man. A lump the size of a grapefruit decorated his forehead. I concentrated on focusing the twin images into one. “I think I’m all right.”
