SOS
December 15, 2024•372 words
He woke to silence, a stillness heavier than death. His eyes held a darkness deeper than night. He strained to remember how he got here. Flashes were all that came: the metal, the bursts of plastic, the deafening roar. Then nothing. His mind raced. He remembered. The crash. Where was he? Why couldn’t he move? He tried to speak, to scream, but no sound came. Panic surged as he realized the truth – he can’t feel his body. Arms, legs, even his face, why can’t he feel his face? Oh god, he remembered, the fire. The melting of the car seats. His body is gone.
The whirring of the machines confirmed his worst fears. They had saved him. Keep him alive in this prison of flesh. Time blurred. Days, maybe months, how long had he been this way? He longed for an end, to tell someone, anyone, to pull the plug. But he had no voice, only the faint tapping of his tongue against the roof of his mouth. 1…2…3…he counted.
He counted, over and over, clinging to the rhythm like a lifeline. 1…2…3… It was all he had in the suffocating silence. The steady tapping of his tongue against the roof of his mouth felt like a heartbeat, a reminder that he was still alive, though he wished he weren’t.
The sound of footsteps brought hope. Faint murmurs followed. Were they doctors? Nurses? He tapped again, this time in a pattern. Three slow taps. Three quick. Three slow. SOS. It was a desperate plea, the only way he could reach them. He repeated it, tirelessly, his tongue raw from the effort.
At last, someone noticed. A shadow loomed above him, the warmth of their breath close. “Wait,” a voice said. “He’s trying to say something.”
They leaned closer, decoding the message. A nurse gasped, then fell silent. Joe waited, praying they understood. SOS. He tapped the words again. SOS.
There was hesitation. He felt it, sensed the tension in the air. “Go get the doctor!,” someone yelled.
The footsteps retreated, and he was alone again. He tapped, faster now, his tongue aching. SOS. Help Me. SOS. Help Me.
But only the machines answered, only one help was needed for him.