Urgh… Why does my body feel so heavy? What is all this noise—
"Shit, he's in V-fib! Charge it to 200!"
What the hell is happening…
"Okay—1, 2, 3, CLEAR!" A wave of electricity surged throughout my body. And yet, I couldn't feel anything.
"Damn it, there's no pulse—I'm starting chest compressions!"
Ah… I know what this is. I'm dying.
"I need epinephrine, one milligram via IV!"
Man. Why are they trying so hard to save me…
"Pushing epi! Tube is in, confirm placement!"
It's not like I really hurt myself. The only thing I did was—
"Breath sounds bilateral. ET tube is secure!"
Wait…
"He's still in fibrillation! Charge to 360!"
"Charging… charged!"
What am I even doing here?
"CLEAR!"
ARGH—
Another surge of electricity coursed through my body, much stronger than the last. Then, my chest stopped contracting.
Silence.
…
"Pulse check."
"Wait—I've got a weak carotid pulse!"
Gradually, my chest started moving on its own again. Their panicked voices slowly turned into voices of relief.
It appears I was saved—or at least, it seemed that way for a brief moment.
I tried opening my eyes, but I couldn't. I tried moving my arms, but they wouldn't. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but it was no use.
For some reason, I couldn't wake up.
Over time, the voices I heard around me started to fade, and my sense of feeling slowly returned to a cold numbness. Maybe this was it for me. Maybe I was already dead.
I stopped resisting, and relaxed my body. Then, my mind went blank.
This was it.
…
Or so I thought.
A single voice slipped into the crevices between the dark.
"Please—stay with me…"
A girl spoke out to me from beyond the depths. Her words were simple, and yet they carried the weight of feelings that truly mattered.
Hope, future, love, fear, regret.
It begged me to stay—to stay alive. I tried desperately to hold onto the sound of the voice, until it eventually echoed away into nothingness.
Then, it wasn't long until I couldn't even feel any cold or warmth on my hands. I couldn't even hear the sound of my blood gushing in my ears. I couldn't see anything, not even black or white.
My body wouldn't move.
Yeah. This really was it.
…
…
…
PUNCH!
"OUCH! WHAT THE—"
A sharp, tantalising pain pierced through my stomach.
"Oh—hey! Look, he's awake now."
"Yes alright Matsumoto-san, but that doesn't give you the authority to start punching the patients!"
Jeez, what's all the commotion—Wait, I can think again? Was that me that yelled out just now…
"Yes, yes. I'm aware of that. But y'know, this one in particular looked so punchable!
Punchable? Eh… I think I'll just play dead for now…
"And anyways, the person you just punched in the gut isn't even awake!"
"Oh really? This sly dog is trying to play tricks now, huh?"
"Ah well. We'll just see what he has to say about this—"
Suddenly, a barrage of ice cold water flooded my face.
My whole body convulsed as I jolted upright, gasping for air.
And then, I finally opened my eyes.