Ring! Ring! Ring!
"Stop it." A young man said and stopped the shrill chime of the alarm. He lay on the bed asleep shattered by the loud ring.
With a languid yawn, he wakes up while half asleep. His eyes drifted to the window, from where the sunlight poured onto him. Bird chirping, noises of the people outside going to work.
"I wonder what today is there for me." The young man muttered and dazedly stood up from the bed and went to the bathroom.
Upon entering and rubbing his eyes, his gaze focused on the mirror. In the mirror, a 5'10'' tall, lean man, with jet black hair appeared. Eyes are blue in colour like gems. The face and expression framed an above-average appearance.
With a faint shake of his head, he reached for the toothbrush.
He picked up the toothbrush and slowly began brushing, the minty taste waking him up a little. His reflection stared back at him, quiet and ordinary, almost too ordinary.
Water splashed as he washed his face, the cold droplets running down his cheeks. For a moment, he just stood there, staring at his own tired eyes.
"Another day… the same as always," he whispered under his breath.
After drying his face with a towel, he stepped back into his small room. The walls were plain, almost empty except for a desk with a few books stacked carelessly and a chair pushed to the side.
He pulled on a plain shirt and jeans, running his fingers through his messy hair.
As he sat down on the edge of his bed, his gaze wandered to a framed photograph lying face down on the desk. For some reason, he never picked it up anymore. His lips tightened as if words were stuck in his throat.
Finally, with a sigh, he muttered, "Let's just… get through the day."
After the final touch up, he left his room for the work. He made his way to the elevator and pressed it for the ground floor. With a soft chime the door of the elevators opens up and the man approached to his bike.
After starting his bike, he put on the helmet and checked his watch. It was already late, so he quickly drove out of the building gate. The morning air was cool, and the streets were slowly filling with people. He kept riding, focusing on the road ahead, while his mind drifted to the work waiting for him.
For a while, it was just another morning. The same road. The same turns. The same dull feeling in his chest.
As he slowed down at a red light, his eyes caught something strange. Across the street, standing completely still in the crowd, was a man. His face was pale, his clothes tattered, but what struck him most were the eyes—hollow, staring directly at him, unblinking.
The world around seemed to blur, the noise of the city fading away. Only that figure remained clear in his vision.
The light turned green, and horns blared behind him. He blinked, and the man was gone.
His grip tightened on the bike handles. A shiver ran down his spine.
"Did I… just imagine that?" he whispered to himself before pushing forward.
But the uneasy weight in his chest didn't fade.
Thinking of it as an illusion, the man, shaking his head starts driving.
Honk! Honk! Honk!
CRASH!!!!!
'Eh? What happened? Why am I lying down? And why is my body feeling so heavy....?'
The young man's mind swirled with confusion as sharp pains shot through every part of him. His vision blurred, and the world felt distant, like he was underwater. He tried to move, but his limbs refused to obey. Every small attempt sent a wave of agony racing through his chest and legs.
He looked down or at least tried to but everything was hazy. His clothes were torn, and a strange warmth spread across his body. Pain. Blood. Something wasn't right.
"What… what happened?" he whispered to himself, his voice weak and trembling.
His eyes landed near the overturned truck. He had been hit by a truck.
Panic surged through him but it mixed with another feeling helplessness. People were making a crowd around him while taking the photographs and videos.
'Fuckers, at least call the ambulance...' lying on the cold ground his mind wandered through. But his mind calmed down, before a panic stricken thought came to his mind.
Why me? Why now? He thought. I can't die like this… not here… not now.
His hands tried to push against the ground, but his strength felt like it had been drained. Every breath was shallow and laboured, each inhale burning his lungs. Pain gripped him like a vice, squeezing and refusing to let go.
Yet, even in the haze of agony, his mind clung to one desperate thought: survival. He had to survive. Somehow, someway, he had to get out of this alive.
The world spun around him, and the weight on his body pressed harder, but deep down, a stubborn spark refused to die.
But slowly his consciousness started to drift and his eyes slowly closed off to the darkness.
_________
Sunlight filtered through the window, casting a soft light across the room. A boy no more than seventeen years old lay down on the bed, eyes closed.
"Ugh?"
Suddenly, his fingers twitched slightly against the blanket. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing confused eyes that darted around the unfamiliar room.
Slowly, he got up, and got into a seated position. And stretches his body. Then looked around the room. The ceiling was plain white.
He blinked a few times, trying to steady his thoughts.
His body didn't feel the crushing force. The unbearable pain. Instead, it was… light. Almost too light.
"Where am I?" he wondered.
"Wasn't I… on the road? The truck… it crashed into me. And I was dead? So, how am I here?"
His hand moved instinctively to his chest. expecting broken bones or blood. But all he felt was smooth skin beneath the simple linen shirt he wore. His body was whole, perfectly fine.
"Ryu!!"