It all happened so quickly. After I heard the first gunshot, a liquid heat consumed my body; my inner ears were on fire and a tingling sensation ran from my head to my toes. Is this real? There was screaming and panic. My tunnel vision kicked in and I turned to the right and started sprinting. My boyfriend Jason's hand was on my back, pushing me, silently urging me to run faster. The shots didn't stop. I shoved everyone in my path out of the way — there was no way I was slowing down. I waited for a bullet to hit my calf, my thigh, my back, my head. For a few moments, frozen in time, I was sure I was going to die. It was just like a nightmare. Except it was real. It was Friday night. And it was at BayWalk in downtown St. Petersburg.
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2009.