Omega

               Nikki lie motionless on the cold ground, his skin pale and icy. Dried blood covered his clothing and face, and deep purple bruises had begun to appear on his hands. The alley was full of people. Emergency vehicles surrounded the area, their blue and red lights flashing brightly in the darkness.

               A paramedic crouched down next to Nikki, looking him over and assessing his injuries. He carefully pulled Nikki's eyes open, shining a light down into his abnormally large pupils. He shook his head, reporting his findings to the older man in charge. He continued to run his gloved hands over Nikki’s head and body to feel for broken bones and other injuries. He noticed a deep gash in Nikki’s wrist, covered in dried blood and still bleeding lightly.

               One of the men put a stiff collar around Nikki’s neck. As a team, they carefully rolled him onto a backboard and secured the straps across his body. They packed foam blocks around his head and worked together to lift him into the back of the medic. His already pale skin looked almost ghostly in the light. The men moved quickly, setting up a heart monitor and keeping track of Nikki’s vital signs. “His heart is racing; blood pressure is 50/palp. Alright, let’s get this kid out of here.” The vehicle began to head for the hospital, its sirens screaming loudly.

               A young, stocky paramedic bandaged Nikki’s wrist and observed his delicate, though bloodied hands and long black fingernails. “Are you sure this is a guy?” he remarked. Another man straightened Nikki’s other arm and started an IV, pressing the thick needle deep under his skin and taped it in place. Clear fluid poured quickly into his veins. They covered Nikki with blankets to keep him warm.

               An older man spoke in an urgent, yet reassuring voice. “He’s only breathing about four times a minute, he's got massive facial trauma and we’ve got to secure an airway. Let's intubate him.
        The younger man looked down at Nikki with a serious expression. The senior paramedic held
Nikki’s jaw in his large, thick hands and used a curved tool to slide a plastic tube down into his throat with careful precision. He handed his young coworker the balloon-like bag attached to the other end of the tube. “Here, breathe for him.”

               As he began entering data into a small computer, one of the other paramedics spoke up. “His heart rate and blood pressure are stabilizing.” The older man nodded. “Good. Keep an eye on him.” The other man watched the instruments around him. “Blood pressure is 70/40.”

               Nikki’s face, bruised and covered with dried blood, suddenly twisted with a look of pain. He heard unfamiliar voices talking around him. He tried to move, but found himself unable to do so. He bared his teeth in a grimace as pain ripped through his chest and head.

               One of the voices drew nearer. “Can you hear me?” The man spoke with a calm, professional voice. “Knock him out.” He said, shaking his head. One of the paramedics pushed medicine through the IV in Nikki’s arm. His head was throbbing. Completely disoriented, he tried to recall what had happened before he blacked out. Every breath that cycled rhythmically through his lungs made him feel like he would pass out from the pain.

               The man’s voice faded in and out. “I need you to…for me, okay?” Nikki’s head spun. He felt overcome with dizziness and nausea. As the medicine took effect, he dropped back into unconscious. “We’re doing all we can for you, but you’ve got to hang on, kid.” The man said, touching Nikki’s shoulder sympathetically.
     Almost as if in response to the paramedic’s words, Naoki’s heart began to fail. The man who had been watching the monitors spoke urgently. “He’s asystolic. I’m not getting a pulse.” The older man looked quickly at the screen. He turned to Nikki and started doing chest compressions. “Come on, kid. Don’t give up now.” The young paramedic who had been breathing for Nikki via the bag mask began to turn pale. He wore an alarmed, almost frightened look on his face.

               The ambulance pulled into the emergency entrance at the hospital. The men flung the doors open and jumped out of the back of the vehicle, wheeling Nikki quickly inside. Hospital staff rushed to help them, moving the stretcher down the hall. The old man continued to do chest compressions in an attempt to get Nikki’s heart to start beating. “Come on, come on…”

               There was organized chaos as the hospital staff worked to get Nikki hooked up to their machines. People rushed about, each with a specific task involved in saving his life. The older paramedic watched the heart monitor pensively, while the man who had been controlling the bag mask stared at Nikki’s thin face with a furrowed brow.

               Minutes passed like hours as the machines worked to breathe and pump blood artificially. A thick, almost palpable tension filled the room. The paramedics and hospital staff looked nervously from Nikki to the monitors, both displaying a very grim outlook.
          After several minutes, the doctor in charge took one last look at Naoki’s battered, motionless body. He checked his watch with emotionless professionalism.
           “Time of death…”