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‘It's Like Being Thrown Into a War Zone': Las Vegas Mass Shooting Survivors Trying to Cope, Move On

Paula Blakely cannot stop thinking of the chaos and terror she survived in Las Vegas.

The Vallejo resident flew back to the Bay Area with her girlfriends on Monday, still running on the adrenaline that kicked in when gunfire from late Sunday's mass shooting erupted. The shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, left at least 59 people dead and hundreds of others hurt.

"You just want it to go away. You don't want it to be real," Blakely said. "I'm a little shaky and trying to stay busy. I haven't slept for 30 hours."

Blakely survived with the help of strangers who drover her to safety.

"I saw some headlights pop on and I ran to the car and I said, 'Please take me with you, please!'"

Brentwood-native Daniella Dominguez also can't stop re-living the nightmare either.

"It's like being thrown into a war zone without a gun," Dominguez said.

The UC Irvine student was watching the concert from the front row when the shots rang out. She took cell phone video as she and the crowd got on the ground.

What she saw as she escaped will be with her forever.

"As of right now it's just trying to cope with it and let it sink in," Dominguez said.

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