When I come to I begin to cough. Thick black smoke billows all around me. There's a sharp shearing pain on the left side of my head that only permits me to open my right eye. Blood seeps past my right shoulder down the floor of the room and into the open hallway where the smoke is coming from. A moment later I realize that the blood is not mine. Although I'm unable to turn to my left to confirm whose blood it is -- in my heart I know. I try to assess the situation: my hands are bound -- as are my legs.
I scream.
I scream until the walls in my throat rip open -- and then I scream some more. Somehow my anger fuels me into a sitting position.
I see a bound Consuela on the other side of the room.
To my left is Maria. Her blood saunters along the floor past me with a quiet purpose -- as if the last of her life is pointing the way out.
It takes me a moment to realize that the blood is coming from a gaping wound in her belly. Her baby is gone. They've taken it.
"Maria, I'm so sorry." I whisper to her as I try to get to my feet. On the other side of the room I see Consuela rubbing her bindings against the sharp metal corner of a cabinet door. A moment later she frees her hands -- then her legs, before shimmying over to free me.
"How could they do this to her?" I say to Consuela as she grabs her scalpel and frees my hands.
I sit there for a second allowing the tears to flow for Maria, but eventually the smoke takes over and we have no choice but to leave. I crawl on my hands and knees under the smoke along the hallway -- but somehow my left leg catches fire.
"AHHHHH!" I yell from the agony as Consuela tries to douse the flames with her body. She drags me into the stairwell and rips off my pants; then hoists me over her shoulder and runs as fast as she can down the stairs. My mind is a blur. The entire building is on fire and the strange smell of smoke and flesh takes control of everything as I sway in and out of consciousness -- hoping against hope that they haven't taken my car; but knowing that our first obstacle is to get out of the hospital.
We make it to an exit on the first floor and Consuela uses her feet to kick it open -- but it won't budge. They've barricaded us in. There's only one other exit in sight, with no guarantee that they haven't barricaded it as well.
"We need to get to a window," I say to Consuela who nods in agreement. We both cough our way to the first room we see and crawl as fast as we can to the glass. The flames are now in the hall. Time is of the essence.
Consuela breaks the glass easily with her elbow and a moment later I'm through -- but not before having my burnt leg sliced open from the jagged frame.
I fall to the ground in sheer agony. Every emotion I have races through my mind as I try to stay conscious, but the pain is too severe and a moment later --
