The university dormitory area, nestled in the heart of the bustling city, was usually alive with the ceaseless energy of student life. By day, it thrummed with laughter, conversations, and the rustle of footsteps hurrying to class. But now, under the shroud of night, it lay still and quiet, the usual vibrancy replaced by an eerie calm that seemed to seep into the very bones of the buildings.
The modern apartments stood like silent sentinels, their windows darkened save for the occasional flicker of a desk lamp or the glow of a laptop screen. Patches of greenery, meticulously maintained during the day, now merged with the shadows, their lushness obscured by the faint, ghostly light of the streetlamps. The soft, amber glow cast long, wavering shadows on the black tar road, creating a mosaic of light and darkness that danced with every passing breeze.
In this hushed atmosphere, the sound of footsteps echoed like a ghostly whisper near the dormitories. A solitary figure, a young man in his late teens or early twenties, moved with a sluggish determination, his every step a silent protest against the weight of exhaustion that clung to him. Each footfall seemed to sink into the night, absorbed by the surrounding stillness.
His tousled jet-black hair, unruly and wild, caught the warm August breeze, framing his face in a disheveled cascade. Dressed in black jeans that clung to his weary legs, white sneakers dulled by the day's journey, and a sweatshirt as pale as the moon above, he carried a black backpack slung over one shoulder. Against the backdrop of silence, he cut a solitary figure, a lone silhouette navigating the quiet expanse of the night.
--'Haah~... great. just great. Today was an absolute disaster. I woke up late and ended up missing my bus, which in turn made me enter class 20 minutes after It'd started, looking like I'd run a marathon. Ugh, it was so embarrassing. And as if that wasn't enough, I'd completely forgotten that we had a mock test today, I mean, I guess it went pretty well for that matter but still-, If I hadn't spent the entire night just studying, I probably would've failed.
I really miss High-school, how has it already been a year since I graduated? Things were so much simpler back then... though I wish I could go back and told myself not to worry so much. Oh right, I remember that girl, the one who made
As the young man glanced at his smartwatch, he stepped off the campus grounds onto a usually busy street heading towards his apartment. The street, now devoid of its usual traffic, seemed to stretch endlessly, bathed in the soft glow of the streetlights. His attention was drawn to a silhouette that seemed oddly "familiar".
"Hey, uh, do I know you from somewhere?" he stammered, his voice barely rising above a whisper.
The girl with long, silky blonde hair, braided in a way that seemed to catch the moonlight, turned around slowly. Her hair swayed gracefully in the warm August breeze, each strand gleaming like spun gold. Flower petals, caught in the gentle current of air, danced around her in delicate circles. Her eyes, deep and questioning, met his with a puzzled expression that seemed to pierce through the night.
The world seemed to stand still. The streetlights cast a soft, ethereal glow on her face, highlighting her features with a faint luminescence. Her eyes, shimmering like pools of liquid light, held a hint of recognition, a spark that made his heart skip a beat. It was as if the night itself was holding its breath, watching this encounter unfold.
There was something about her, something that caused his heart to skip a beat or two. It was a feeling he had never experienced. An array of complex emotions washed over him, because frankly, this moment struck him as:
"profoundly beautiful..."
As they stood there, exchanging uncertain glances, a distant sound caught their attention. At first, it was just a faint rumble in the distance, but it quickly grew louder and more ominous, like the approach of a storm.
"A-are you, are you perchance-?" The girl started a sentence but was unable to finish it, leaving the question hanging in the air.
The air filled with the blaring noise of a horn, sending a shiver down their spines. The sudden cacophony shattered the serene night, pulling them from their fragile moment of connection.
Suddenly, a speeding truck emerged from the darkness, its headlights piercing through the night like two blazing eyes. The truck barreled down the road with reckless abandon, its massive frame casting a long shadow over them.
"Move out of the way!" the young man screamed, his voice raw with urgency.
Caught off guard, the girl stood frozen in place, her face etched with sheer disbelief and fear as the impending danger loomed closer. He hesitated, feeling a lack of obligation to risk his life to save her. After all, for all he knew he had never met her before, so why would he risk his life to save a stranger?
But in that moment, he felt a strong paroxysm of complex emotions. He felt an obligation to save the girl, as if he owed a huge debt to her.
So...
He ran, ran as fast as he could. He ran even though his legs wouldn't comply. He ran despite the excruciating pain that made his legs tremble because frankly, he felt like he had nothing to lose, even if he died! He didn't care anymore, he didn't give a damn about anything! As long as his life made an impact he was more than ready to sacrifice himself!
Which is exactly why he tried shoving her out of the way. In that moment, time seemed to freeze, to slow down to an unbelievable extent, everything was moving in slow motion.
--"Shit. Is this it? Am I really going to die in the most cliché way possible?"
He extended his hand and pushed the girl forward, but just in that moment, the truck made contact with him, and for a split second, time went back to its original speed.
--Did I do it, did I save her? I'm unsure if my action really made any difference at all in the end. This is so bullshit!
A blinding light seemed to engulf him just as the truck slammed into his body. Was that the fabled light of the flashback before death? In that split second, every moment of his life flashed before him.
Scenes from his childhood, vivid and bursting with color, played out before his eyes: running through fields of wildflowers, laughter echoing on summer afternoons, the warmth of his mother's embrace. He saw himself growing older, the innocent joy of youth gradually replaced by the weight of responsibilities and the monotony of daily routines. The vibrancy of his earlier years stood in stark contrast to the dull, grayscale existence he now led.
The impact sent him hurtling through the air, crashing into the unyielding concrete wall with bone-crushing force. The world spun in a dizzying whirlwind as he gasped for air, his lungs desperate for oxygen after the sheer exertion of the sprint.
"Ugh...!" The air was knocked out of his lungs in a violent rush, leaving him gasping and struggling to breathe amidst the wreckage of shattered dreams and broken bones. Each breath felt like a battle against the inevitable darkness that threatened to engulf him.
As consciousness ebbed away, he couldn't help but wonder if this was the end. Had his life been nothing but a fleeting moment in the grand tapestry of existence? A loud frequency filled his ears, muffling all other sounds. The cacophony of his racing thoughts was silenced, replaced by a haunting stillness.
He tried to resist, tried to cling to life for a few more minutes, but then he remembered... There's no one left that he cares for anymore, or to be more accurate... there was no one who'd lament his death. They've all been taken by this godforsaken world. There was no point in resisting. The weight of loneliness pressed down on him, a stark reminder of his isolation.
"Auri! Wake up!" a melodious female voice called out, but who was Auri??
--If only I had one more chance... everything could've been different. Haah~...to think I'd die in a truck crash... how cliché...
With one final, ragged breath, he surrendered to the abyss, his thoughts drifting into the void as he embraced the unknown.