Now that James thought of it, it was really like one of those fake lottery pranks.
Only this time, it was the world that initiated the prank on him.
It waited for him to grind for his whole life, and just when he earned it, the world revealed how all his life had no meaning.
He felt like laughing again, but controlled himself. It might be funny now, but at that time, it was so shocking.
After all, he was someone who avoided alcohol, never smoked, nor did he do any drugs, but then why was it he who contracted that disease?
The only answer the doctor could give him was a pat on the back, full of sympathy.
He hated that, but what could he even do?
Everything after that was a blur.
It was the start of a journey for him and those around him, where everyone hoped he would fight and become part of the 5 percent survival group.
It's just six months in, and he was left to navigate this journey alone.
The last six months taught him more about life than his first 24 years.
He learned just how miserable he was. The love he cherished from childhood did not even last a month.
The closest friends he believed in did not bother to show up.
The one who even showed up came only because he had become the new boyfriend of his childhood sweetheart.
The family he wanted to make proud of left him one after another.
The dream job he worked hard for did not even wait for a moment before they hired one of his college colleagues.
It was like the world train just moved on, dropping him on this hospital bed.
Still, he didn't give up.
A little selfish, but he did not want to submit.
He wanted to have an all-in-the-last battle.
Just then, the door snapped open as the nurse rushed in while screaming, "Those people were really demons. You should not leave them like that."
James just glanced at her, not even bothering to nod at her.
He knew the only reason she was here was because she still hoped to rip more out of him.
Like any war, his war was also fought with money.
For his treatment, he poured in his minuscule life's worth of savings. It was barely enough to last this war.
It was only halfway through the journey that he came to find that someone had stolen everything out of his bank.
For the past two days, he had tried to reach out to everyone.
Those he was close to did not even bother to answer him, and those who were not so close to him only had pity and sympathy to offer.
These past two days, even he himself felt pity at his condition for a moment.
He felt so wronged that the world did not even bother to give him that last fighting chance.
For the first time in a long time, he took a deep breath. It flared his lungs, but now he did not care.
In just a little time, he had been exposed to so much bitter truth that the physical pain stopped hurting him.
It looked like the nurse noticed his chest movement as she screamed, "Wait, give me a few seconds. I am preparing the injection!"
But he did not stop, as he was really tired now.
The fight against the disease, the fight against those he knew, and the fight against the world.
All of this was just so tiresome.
He wanted to rest now.
Just then, he felt the nurse's strong grip on his hand as the metal injection moved inches closer to his arm.
Even this injection started to feel like a drag to him.
Just as the needle poked through his arm, things froze for a moment, and then thousands of cracks appeared all around him.
Before he could react, the world around him started to crumble into pieces as he found himself floating in the darkness.
'Is this death?'
Just then, James felt wetness on his face, and he instantly snapped open his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a teen boy wiping his forehead.
The moment their eyes locked, the boy froze for a moment and then shouted aloud. "Ahh, wake up. Raul woke up!"
The scream sent a jolt through his head as James looked around frantically.
To his surprise, he was not in the familiar white hospital ward but in a weird, massive hall.
What caught his eye was the small stone statue carved into the massive ceiling of the hall.
He remembered this statue from his dream. Wait, am I back in the dream?
He was still struggling with his surroundings when he heard loud footsteps.
Tap! Tap!
James instantly turned around as he noticed a group of teens, each in a white and black dress, walking toward him.
He even recognized the guy leading them. He was the one who was complaining to the blonde.
The black-haired guy crouched next to him and asked, "Are you okay, brother?"
James just looked at him in confusion. 'What kind of fcked up dream is this?'
Alex frowned at him and asked, "Do you remember me, brother?"
Just then, a name flashed through his head as he somehow mumbled, "Alex."
Alex instantly eased up and said with a smile, "Yes, brother."
James just looked ahead with wide eyes.
Did he just speak? No, it was his voice, right? He could speak without pain.
Not caring about this so-called brother, he instantly pushed himself up to sit, and there was no pain.
He wasted not even a second and removed the white shirt, pressing his chest while doing so. Still, he felt no pain.
He paused as if preparing himself, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
A dry, dusty smell mixed with a bunch of flowery scents entered his nose.
He instantly turned and looked at a couple of girls in shock.
He could smell again.
At this moment, Alex tapped on his shoulder. "Everything okay? You remember where we are, right?"
This snapped James out of his thoughts as it instantly hit him that he knew Alex. But how?