Unknown Narrator

i think i nearly dropped my phone as i scrambled down that slope the nine one one dispatcher's voice echoing faintly in the background my hands shook despite the punishing desert heat and each step sent loose gravel skidding beneath my boots

i think i nearly dropped my phone as i scrambled down that slope the nine one one dispatcher's voice echoing faintly in the background my hands shook despite the punishing desert heat and each step sent loose gravel skidding beneath my boots

part of me expected to find the rider instantly sprawled out in a motionless heap but the embankment was sharper than it looked from the road it felt like descending into some hidden canyon where anything could be waiting the dispatcher was still on the line i stammered details about the crash motorcycle going way too fast took the curve straight on that kind of thing the dryness of the air clung to the back of my throat making it harder to speak by the time i reached the bottom

part of me expected to find the rider instantly sprawled out in a motionless heap but the embankment was sharper than it looked from the road it felt like descending into some hidden canyon where anything could be waiting the dispatcher was still on the line i stammered details about the crash motorcycle going way too fast took the curve straight on that kind of thing the dryness of the air clung to the back of my throat making it harder to speak by the time i reached the bottom

i realized just how far the rider must have flown after careening off that asphalt any sane calculation told me i'd find a tragedy when i stepped around a boulder i braced for the worst instead i spotted movement somebody actually on their feet for a second i froze

i realized just how far the rider must have flown after careening off that asphalt any sane calculation told me i'd find a tragedy when i stepped around a boulder i braced for the worst instead i spotted movement somebody actually on their feet for a second i froze

was i imagining this the shape of a young man maybe mid-twenties stumbling forward like he was trying to walk off a bad fall dust clung to his clothes bits of sagebrush caught on him his helmet dangled from one hand cracked near the visor and he looked so rattled he might topple over any second Hold on, buddy. Stay still, I called, my voice shaking.

was i imagining this the shape of a young man maybe mid-twenties stumbling forward like he was trying to walk off a bad fall dust clung to his clothes bits of sagebrush caught on him his helmet dangled from one hand cracked near the visor and he looked so rattled he might topple over any second Hold on, buddy. Stay still, I called, my voice shaking.

The dispatcher's questions blurred, and I fumbled my phone into my pocket, trusting them to pick up what they could through the rustle of my kit. I jogged over, heart hammering, half convinced he'd collapse under his own weight. Up close, the kid was covered in scrapes. He had a cut on his forehead that left a thin trail of blood across his face.

The dispatcher's questions blurred, and I fumbled my phone into my pocket, trusting them to pick up what they could through the rustle of my kit. I jogged over, heart hammering, half convinced he'd collapse under his own weight. Up close, the kid was covered in scrapes. He had a cut on his forehead that left a thin trail of blood across his face.

His collarbone was obviously messed up, jutting slightly where it shouldn't.

His collarbone was obviously messed up, jutting slightly where it shouldn't.

somehow he was still moving though every step must have felt like fire i told him not to push it let me check him over my gloved hands ran through a quick trauma assessment no immediate gushing blood breathing rapid but functional he mumbled something about losing control his eyes darting around like he was afraid the ground might open up beneath him again

somehow he was still moving though every step must have felt like fire i told him not to push it let me check him over my gloved hands ran through a quick trauma assessment no immediate gushing blood breathing rapid but functional he mumbled something about losing control his eyes darting around like he was afraid the ground might open up beneath him again

I glanced back at the mangled remains of the bike. It was destroyed. The front wheel bent at a 90-degree angle, torn metal scattered like shrapnel. The fact he'd survived being thrown that far was flat-out miraculous. I remember thinking that if he could survive something like this, maybe I needed to trust the desert a little more, or respect it a lot more.

I glanced back at the mangled remains of the bike. It was destroyed. The front wheel bent at a 90-degree angle, torn metal scattered like shrapnel. The fact he'd survived being thrown that far was flat-out miraculous. I remember thinking that if he could survive something like this, maybe I needed to trust the desert a little more, or respect it a lot more.

Either way, I tried to keep him conscious while the dispatcher repeated instructions about waiting for an ambulance. Within minutes I heard sirens keening over the hum of the wind. I helped guide the rider to a safer patch of ground, careful not to jostle his shoulder. Dust clouded the air as the paramedics arrived, kicking up grit that stung my eyes.

Either way, I tried to keep him conscious while the dispatcher repeated instructions about waiting for an ambulance. Within minutes I heard sirens keening over the hum of the wind. I helped guide the rider to a safer patch of ground, careful not to jostle his shoulder. Dust clouded the air as the paramedics arrived, kicking up grit that stung my eyes.

They hurried over, expressions shifting from urgent focus to outright astonishment when they saw him not only alive, but standing. They slid a brace around his neck and strapped him to a stretcher, and carried him up toward the waiting ambulance. I shadowed them, adrenaline still pumping, replaying the moment he'd soared off the curve.

They hurried over, expressions shifting from urgent focus to outright astonishment when they saw him not only alive, but standing. They slid a brace around his neck and strapped him to a stretcher, and carried him up toward the waiting ambulance. I shadowed them, adrenaline still pumping, replaying the moment he'd soared off the curve.