Dead Chord

 1.Tetris

The paramedic, sweat and blood both flowing, looked at his partner. Both were working as fast as possible to save lives. “This is like the beginning of ‘Saving Private Ryan,’” he said, pulling pieces of brick and chain-link fence from the woman on the ground, along with a group of 30 others, most of them already dead. The only light available was the light of the sirens and the light coming out of the back of the ambulance. There was no time to get her into the truck, her insides partially lying on the concrete beside her, and she was still breathing as they played Tetris with her guts in the worst of circumstances. Though the fire had been chiefly contained, the building’s heat beat on his skin. There was not enough gauze or suture, and for goddamn sure, not enough morphine. He was amazed she was not in shock. The concrete was still warm from the blistering summer heat. Her blood began to run across the yellow lines on the road. She would try to say something every few minutes, but her top lip was torn in three places. Her teeth, now just a blank, bloody canvas where teeth used to be, had what looked like a coke can stuck out of her chin, deep into the bone. In the background, a woman sat on the curb smoking a cigarette amongst the chaos, watching calmly.