Isobel
Bowdery was at the Bataclan concert with her boyfriend on Friday night
when the armed gunmen opened fire on the audience, leaving 89 people
dead and many seriously wounded. The 22-year-old shared her traumatic
experience in a Facebook post on Saturday, November 14. The post which
was accompanied by a photo of the blood-stained T-shirt she wore that
night has been shared over 650k times and garnered over 2million
Likes. Below is what she wrote...
You never think it will happen
to you. It was just a friday night at a rock show. the atmosphere was so
happy and everyone was dancing and smiling. and then when the men came
through the front entrance and began the shooting, we naiively believed
it was all part of the show. It wasn't just a terrorist attack, it was a
massacre.
Dozens of people were shot right infront of
me. Pools of blood filled the floor. Cries of grown men who held their
girlfriends dead bodies pierced the small music venue. Futures
demolished, families heartbroken. in an instant. Shocked and alone, I
pretended to be dead for over an hour, lying among people who could see
their loved ones motionless.. Holding my breath, trying to not move, not
cry - not giving those men the fear they longed to see. I was
incredibly lucky to survive. But so many didn't. The people who had been
there for the exact same reasons as I - to have a fun friday night were
innocent. This world is cruel. And acts like this are suppose to
highlight the depravity of humans and the images of those men circuling
us like vultures will haunt me for the rest of my life. The way they
meticoulsy aimed at shot people around the standing area i was in the
centre of without any consideration for human life. It didn't feel real.
i expected any moment for someone to say it was just a nightmare. But
being a survivor of this horror lets me able to shed light on the
heroes. To the man who reassured me and put his life on line to try and
cover my brain whilst i whimpered, to the couple whose last words of
love kept me believing the good in the world, to the police who succeded
in rescuing hundreds of people, to the complete strangers who picked me
up from the road and consoled me during the 45 minutes I truly believed
the boy i loved was dead, to the injured man who i had mistaken for him
and then on my recognition that he was not Amaury, held me and told me
everything was going to be fine despite being all alone and scared
himself, to the woman who opened her doors to the survivors, to the
friend who offered me shelter and went out to buy new clothes so i
wouldnt have to wear this blood stained top, to all of you who have sent
caring messages of support - you make me believe this world has the
potential to be better. to never let this happen again. but most of this
is to the 80 people who were murdered inside that venue, who weren't as
lucky, who didnt get to wake up today and to all the pain that their
friends and families are going through. I am so sorry. There's nothing
that will fix the pain. I feel priviledged to be there for their last
breaths. And truly beliving that I would join them, I promise that their
last thoughts were not on the animals who caused all this. It was
thinking of the people they loved. As i lay down in the blood of
strangers and waiting for my bullet to end my mere 22 years, I
envisioned every face that I have ever loved and whispered I love you.
over and over again. reflecting on the highlights of my life. Wishing
that those i love knew just how much, wishing that they knew that no
matter what happened to me, to keep belieivng in the good in people. to
not let those men win. Last night, the lives of many were forever
changed and it is up to us to be better people. to live lives that the
innocent victims of this tragedy dreamt about but sadly will now never
be able to fulfil. RIP angels. You will never be forgotten.
0 comments:
Post a Comment