The Day of Terror

It was a beautiful and sunny September morning in New York City. I woke up and pretended that everything was normal, but on that day, it wasn’t. I went straight down to the kitchen and brewed me some coffee while making breakfast. I turned on the news and started working on my big breakfast. Halfway through the meal I checked the time, even though I had checked the time every day at exactly six o clock for the last 10 years in NYC. The day was not normal because my watch said eight, and I could not understand it. After some hard thinking, I found out that I had slept through my alarm because I was out on the town last night with some colleagues from work.

I was not home before two the other night and now I was going to be stuck in the traffic.

I noticed the lapis blue sky and the sun warming up the skyscrapers. It surely was a nice morning to walk to the subway. I used to drive my car and reach my office at the world trade center before rush traffic started, but that was impossible this fine morning. I missed a train right before my eyes and had to wait another 10 minutes. The fact that I had to wait another 10 minutes was not a bad thing since I met an old friend at the station. Susan was my chemistry partner at high school and we were actually good friends at that time. I remember Susan told me to call her tonight so we could meet and talk more. My train came and drove me all the way to World Trade Center station.

I was running late that day and I arrived World Trade Center at 8.40. I sort of walked and ran through the lobby in direction of the elevators. The lobby was full of businessmen who were talking in their cellphones. No one had no idea of what was going to happen the next 5 minutes. I saw Joe Dalton in one of the many elevators. We had eye contact and I thought he would understand that I was in a rush and wanted him to hold the lift for me, but he completely ignored me. Joe was with me last night, but today it looked like he did not even know me. I got into another one with some others, but none of them worked for Brandon life insurance as I did. In the elevator I finally got to relax from the stress. The elevator started to move, but it stopped and the alarm bell started ringing. I heard a big bang and felt a heat wave hitting us inside of the elevator.

I pressed the lobby button but the elevator did not move an inch. The whole building started shaking and we heard a loud and sharp whistling. People from the levels above us started screaming. It was a creepy feeling to be stuck in an elevator without knowing what had happen. After a short time, the elevator was full of smoke and it was quite hard to breathe in there. We had to lay down on the ground to be able to breathe properly. I had never been in a situation like this before so I did not know what to think or do in the elevator. After 15 minutes in the lift we heard another bang, which we assumed was an explosion.

“Hello!” shouted a man outside of the elevator. “Here! Open up the door!” answered Tim who also was stuck in the elevator. The man outside the elevator did not answer. Tim continued shouting after help, but no one answered. After several minutes in the elevator door started to open up. A crack of light lighted up the lift and the smoke finally let out. Three firefighters came in and helped us out of the elevator. We were still in the ground floor and the lobby was completely empty. The firefighters told us that a plane first hit the North – Tower and another plane crashed into the South – Tower. That explained the two explosions we heard. I did not understand what the firefighter said because I had never experienced something like that before. The massive lobby were now full of firefighters putting out small fires and trying to help people stuck in the building. There were police cars, ambulances and fire engines surrounding the two towers. We ran out in the street and joined the crowd staring at something on the top of the north tower. I bursted into tears when I first saw what had happened. Brandon life insurance´ offices and everyone up there were gone. I thanked God for letting me miss the first train on the subway today and joined the terrifying crowd running away from the World Trade Center.

Today I am living In Los Angeles with Susan. I moved to Los Angeles with Susan the day after the plane crashes happened because I could not handle to be remembered of 9/11 every day. It is the worst day of my life and I am still recovering from that day. I wrote the book “The day of terror” because I felt like talking to people about what happened. It is not many who understand how hard it is to lose your closest friends or family. My advice to my readers is to show the people that means something for you that you love them, and do it every day because tomorrow can be the last time you see them.

#terror #911