*******

A hard hand cupped her jaw, turned her head. She blinked up into Alex’s concerned face. He was saying something to her, frowning.

“I’m okay,” she managed shakily, and got to her hands and knees. He grabbed her beneath the arms and hauled her upright as though she weighed nothing. When she was on her feet he kept hold of one upper arm and she was thankful because her legs wobbled. All around them people crowded into groups, gawking at the awful spectacle before them. As she watched, the first victims start to pour out of the ruined building, covered with blood and soot.

Two men emerged carrying another and laid him down on the sidewalk away from the falling glass and debris. It took a moment for Joanne to realize the man was missing his right arm at the shoulder. She stared in horror at the lump of glistening bloody flesh sticking out of the sleeve, the blood pulsing out of him while someone tore off their shirt and frantically w