Six months after the bloodshed at the Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Miami native Laura Vargas is sharing her story of horror and pain.
"I remember everything."
When the lone gunman stormed through the club dozens of people ran out, but Vargas could not escape the terror in time. "I went around the corner and I saw the man. And he was reloading his gun. And he had a big duffle bag. And I'm assuming there was more weapons in there. Before I could even touch the floor, he shot me."
Vargas says she was conscious the entire time, moving her toes - trying to stay alive until she heard footsteps approaching. "That's when he came back and shot me again. And that's when I knew that he wasn't just there to hurt people. He was there to kill people."
Vargas estimates she played dead for almost an hour. She was able to quickly call her partner and minutes later she heard police. "I heard a police officer saying 'gold team go left, alpha go right.' He started distributing teams. So, Iimmediately turned up and I said please help me."
A female officer approached her and with the help of another officer they dragged Vargas out of the club. "I got cut with glass, everything you can think of. And they dragged me out and threw me on a pickup truck."
According to Vargas, the physical wounds aren't nearly as painful as the emotional scars. Her best friend Luis Vielma died in the massacre. "Why did Luis have to go? They killed Luis with one shot."
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Six months of medical treatments and lots of love and support, Vargas says she's simply grateful to walk and breathe.
"I didn't think I mattered that much. And I've been proven wrong."
