Strange Memories | ONC 2024

Chapter 2: Emergency

The siren blared through the pattering rain, the sound deafening by now. Mia knew the ambulance was close to her. How would they find her in the midst of the darkness? That question was soon answered when she heard someone calling out in the night.

"Is anyone here?" a man's voice called out.

"Here!" Mia yelled.

I hope they find me in the dark.

Mia heard multiple splashing sounds as feet hit the wet ground. Suddenly, a bright light fell on her face, blinding her momentarily.

Great! It's already dark, and now my vision is blurry.

"You take her arms, and I'll take her legs," said the man.

In a minute or two, Mia felt herself being lifted off the wet ground and onto something soft, most likely a stretcher. The next thing she knew, she was being wheeled forward into a brightly lit area.

Hearing the motor confirmed her thoughts. She was indeed in an ambulance, and her body still ached from the sudden fall. She felt the vehicle start to move forward, speeding along the dark night road.

"What is your name, young lady?" a man's voice asked Mia.

Mia's vision was still blurry, and she couldn't make out the man's face.

"Mia Steve," Mia replied.

"Mia Steve, pull up her medical file," said the man to someone else. "I'll get all the info from her, just write down what she says."

"So please tell me what happened to you," asked the man.

"I was struck by lightning," Mia answered. "I collapsed when the realisation hit me that I had been struck by lightning."

"Jake, step on it! She's been struck by lightning. A million volts of electricity recently coursed through her body," yelled the man to someone who Mia presumed was the driver of the ambulance.

"She's lucky she didn't go into cardiac arrest. We need to check her heart for irregular beats," said someone in the ambulance.

Mia felt something cold against her chest.

"ECG readings are normal. Her heart is beating normally," she heard the voice say. "She'll need to be checked again at the hospital."

"No burn marks on her body," said the man. "Write that down, James."

James, that must be the other person. There seem to be three people in the ambulance.

"Mia, we are here in front of the hospital. I'm Robert, and that's James. Richard is at the wheel. We are part of the local paramedic team," said Robert.

Mia heard a sudden squeal of brakes. The ambulance had stopped. Her vision was clearing up, but it was still a bit blurry. She looked around and noticed the stretcher she was lying on. There was a slight jolt as the stretcher was being pulled out of the ambulance. It was wheeled along a ramp and through a pair of electronic doors into the emergency room.

"Patient was struck by lightning," yelled Robert.

In a minute, Mia was swarmed by doctors and nurses, one of them taking the stretcher from Robert and wheeling her away until she was behind curtains.

"What did you get from her, Robert?" asked a female doctor.

"Mia Steve, fifteen, struck by lightning, no burn marks, ECG normal," said Robert.

"Thank you, Robert. Charles, write that down and get the ECG machine and EEG machine," commanded the female doctor.

The female doctor came over with one of the machines and attached some wires with small flat metal discs called electrodes to Mia's scalp.