HE WAS RIGHT...I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED.

"Hey, man. You should go. Get out of here...NOW."

I never saw his face. Only...his helmet. The back of his dull black firefighter's jacket...walking away. His name...emblazoned across. Yellow reflective stripes...shining.

That...was it...

I never told a soul. Never divulged to anyone...that I'd made it Down There.

Not sure why. Shame? Fear? Survivors guilt? Really...I don't know. But I never wrote about it. Never spoke about it. Not to family, friends, colleagues. Not a word. Not to anybody.

Ever...

I have to write this. For my sake...not yours. I need to deal with this.

I Can't Stop Crying...Dreaming of the Dying.

THE HOT SUN WAS ICY COLD.

AND JUST LIKE THAT...I EXISTED ONLY IN A

BLACK-AND-WHITE WORLD.

A WORLD TRADE CENTER WORLD.

A CACOPHONY OF CHAOS...

DISSONANCE...DISCORD...DISCONNECT.