Lost Stars

Chapter Fifty Six

-Dick's POV-

I was knocked to the ground. I wasn't sure how long I laid there. After however long, I sat up and blinked my eyes open. Buildings and cars were destroyed, their parts littering the city. My arm was trapped underneath a section of window. Luckily, it wasn't too heavy. I flipped over, tearing it off of me.

Slowly, I looked around. My vision was still blurry, my ears were ringing, and blood trickled down the side of my face.

Screams came from every direction. My eyes darted from side to side, scanning. For every limp citizen in the streets was a living person sobbing. My heart squeezed. Who had done this?

I struggled to stand up. My ankle was twisted for sure. I rubbed at the side of my head. It was cut open, throbbing, and swelled. I wasn't sure what I had been hit by and I didn't really care. My ears were still ringing and I could barely hear anything over the shrieks of pain and grief.

I glanced around and barely managed to see the tiny hand sticking out from underneath a pile or rubble. Adrenaline filling every inch of my body, I dashed over to the pile. I checked the pulse. Still alive. Wrapping my stiff fingers around the concrete, I lifted as hard as I could. Barely, I managed to create a small opening.

"Come on! Come on!" I shouted, straining. A small, wounded body crawled out of the hole. The boy was probably no older than fifteen. He was scrawny and bleeding. He pulled himself out onto the street and passed out again. I was thrown into panic mode.

Faster than the Flash, I changed into my Nightwing uniform and called the Bludhaven Police Department. "I need some backup in the North end of the city. Bring as many ambulances as you can spare," I ordered.

"We saw the bomb detonate. The entire East has been wiped out. Units are stationed in your area and will arrive shortly," the cop on the other end instructed. I nodded and hung up.

I looked up at the sky. There was still a green gash that streaked across the night sky. The bomb had came out of nowhere. Whoever was behind this was going to get what was coming to them. No one messes with my city and gets away with it.

When the cops showed up, I helped load people into the ambulances and assist in any ways that I could. It was a sight no one should ever have to see, but one that I should've been accustomed to. As a hero, its my duty to be on the front line when something bad happens. That being said, I saw a lot of tragedy and destruction. But this was different. A few tears slipped from my eyes as I watched people desperately search for their loved ones.

Several people refused to get into the ambulance and insisted that their daughter, their father, their husband, was still alive. It pained me so much to watch. Others turned into robots, following instructions given to them by the BPD with blank expressions and tight lipped silence. I could see the light that had left their eyes.

Everywhere there were tears and crying. The sobs almost drowned out the screams of the injured. No one knew what to do. No one had prepared for this. Not even me.

After an hour or so, I had to step away. I felt like I was going to pass out. Whether it was the dent in my head that I refused to get treated or the ocean of emotion I was drowning in, I couldn't take it.

I slipped away into an alley, shoving my back against the wall. My legs immediately gave out and I slid to the ground. I dropped my head into my hands and began to outright cry. The tears rushed out of me like a broken flood, leaving me heaving for a single breath.

I just sat there. Crying. I knew I needed to help -- those people needed me -- but I just couldn't bring myself to move. Everything was just too much.