Indestructible by Jack Lucas

Author:Jack Lucas [JACK LUCAS AND D. K. DRUM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 2011-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

8

God, Please Save Me

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

—John 15:13

The blast was deafening. One moment I was prostrate on the ground, and the next, I was floating upward. With eyes wide open, I watched as my body rose above the trench floor. From the corner of my eye, I could see my team running for cover. After the initial blast, silence filled my universe. The peace and tranquility was euphoric and calming. There was no noise, no pain, no battle, and no real time, only total and absolute peace.

I never lost consciousness. The force propelled me into the air, rotating my body 180 degrees. When the momentum had spent itself, I dropped to the earth, landing on my back. My ears began to ring as though I had received a near-knockout punch. Barely audible above the escalating ringing in my ears was the sound of my team finishing off the enemy. My mind struggled to process the muffled noises but everything sounded as though I were underwater. My right arm was pinned underneath me and my first impression was that it had been blown away. Except for an intense tingling sensation, I had no feeling. I was numb all over. I had suffered over 250 entrance wounds. Shrapnel ranging in size from that of a BB to a .22 caliber had riddled the circumference of my body from my head to my thighs. Slivers of wood from the rifle stock were blown into my chest.

Slowly, but surely, I perceived warm blood running down the arm beneath me. As feeling gradually returned to my body, the initial unpleasantness of pain made its presence known, and soon accelerated to an excruciating level finally enveloping me completely in an unrelenting grip of agony.

I detected the distinct taste of blood as it trickled across my tongue, gradually at first, but increasing in volume, until my mouth overflowed with the metallic tasting liquid. Attempting to draw a breath, I sucked blood in with my wind. I choked and gagged, struggling for air. With all the strength I could muster, I forced myself to spit. The fluid gurgled forth and cleared the way for life-giving oxygen. I remained conscious enough to keep my airways free of blood; otherwise, I would have drowned.

My clothes were in shreds and my backpack blown away. I raised my head as much as possible and saw blood spewing from my chest and thigh. I thought, Is this how it’s going to end? Was I meant to survive such an explosion, only to bleed to death afterward? How long does it take for a body to bleed out? I could not remember. With my flesh in so many tears, would death come quickly?

One lung was punctured, and the sensation that I was suffocating was unbearable. The bleeding was profuse. I pleaded to my Maker, “God, please save me. Please save me, God!” I did not think about Mama or anybody else. I knew on Whom to call.

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