Into Each Life... by Kathy Brown.
The first thing she noticed was the noise.
It seemed to come from somewhere far away, and yet it cut through
her skull with the force of an axe. Voices. People shouting.
Screaming. A loud, continuous bell, like an alarm. Sirens wailing.
And one voice, somehow familiar, weeping and repeating one word
over and over. "No. No, no, no, no. No!"
Then she became aware of the light. Harsh, over-bright, it hurt
her eyes. She blinked, trying to adjust, and gradually she became
accustomed to it and found that she could see more clearly. Yet,
as with the sound, it felt as if she were looking through a haze.
A smoky mirror, or a greasy lens too rarely cleaned.
