#pls don't feel the need to match this i was just adding flavour i fear

[grinningdevils]

closed for @fbardakci

location: the ferris wheel ruins

Logic and reason are banned from Stella's brain as she watches the ferris wheel topple with wide, horror-filled eyes for just a moment, before kicking into gear. She's not a first responder, but countless hours of trauma response training have taught her the fundamentals of staying calm in crisis. Plus, her moral compass would never forgive herself if she didn't do whatever she could to help.

The smoke is already thick, stinging her eyes as she wades through the chaos and debris, pushing bodies towards cleaner air and safety. The deeper she goes, the harder it is to see. "Hello?" She calls out to anyone nearby. "Is anyone trapped?" She hears a yelp to her left and follows it immediately. A booth half crushed now up in flames, serving as an innocent civilian's coffin. "Grab my hand!" Stella yells over the climbing roar of flame, yanking as hard as she can when the other has found purchase. It's a messy job, but they're out. "Go," she orders, turning her back with the intention of daring to venture further in, the smoke so oppressive she has to drag her sweater up to cover her airways.

Before she has a chance to place her next step, there's a crack behind her. The booth. It's scaffolding now bare from flame, wobbling from the stress. Stella can't move fast enough before the remainder of its skeleton buckles and falls, knocking her down and pinning her against the concrete. "Shit!" She shrieks, instinctively attempting to wriggle free. A white-hot pain erupts from her leg sending a bolt of nausea through her. She can't look at the damage. If she does that, she'll panic. If she panics, she might die.

Stella's first attempt at calling for help is feeble. A strangled cry that gets all caught in her throat and barely makes it out. She breathes slowly. In, out. She tries again, louder. More assertive. She hears rushed footsteps and almost wants to cry, the weight her relief almost adding to the scaffolding. She can't see who it is through the smoke at first but waves her free hand towards her lower half. "My leg..." she breathes. "I'm stuck."