At 2:35 PM on a Tuesday afternoon, just another ordinary day for everyone, whether working or studying. I was simply wandering around, but today marks the beginning of my story.
In the restaurant, amidst the bustling activity, two friends chat in a small room at the back during their lunch break. There's Adam, tall with black hair and a disheartened expression, and his best friend Jack, shorter but athletic. Jack looks at Adam and vents,
"Man, I'm so tired. Been serving since morning... It wears you out, you know. I think I might quit. Heard about a job opening at the mall, but not too keen on dealing with those rich old ladies, you know?"
Adam responds, contemplating, "You don't need to say anything, but maybe it's better than working here."
Adam chuckles and adds, "Don't worry about it. This month will be my last. Might even get a raise, who knows. But if the opportunity's there, I think you should take it. Jobs at the mall don't come by every day. And hey, you've been eyeing that PlayStation 5, right? It's a good chance for you, maybe even better than here. We'll hang out sometime."
He gets up, grabs some cologne from the cabinet, sprays it on himself, shuts the door, grabs a snack, and playfully tosses it at Jack, saying, "Plus, if you work at the mall, you might meet some rich old lady."
As Adam leaves the room and heads toward the counter, he reassures Jack, "Just a few more months, and we're out of here."
Arriving at the counter, he greets his friends and starts serving customers. Thirty minutes pass, and a visibly nervous and agitated guy bursts into the place. He shouts, making everyone freeze.
"Stay still! Or else, you'll all go to a better place. I don't want to hurt anyone, just need the money and nothing else." With a gun in hand, he poses a real threat.
Adam tries to calm the situation.
"Hey, calm down, man, calm down. You don't have to do this. Let's talk. You don't need to do this crap. Nobody wants to die here."
As they engage in dialogue, attempting to calm the guy down, an older man sneaks into the restaurant behind the robber, trying to subdue him. But in a matter of seconds, chaos ensues.
While Adam desperately tries to deal with the situation of the armed man pointing at everyone, in less than ten seconds, or even less, chaos unfolds. In an instant, the man fires, hitting the old man himself, who sacrificed himself to immobilize him, taking a shot to the chest and falling.
The assailant looks around, his eyes moist with tears, and asks amidst sobs, "Why did you do this? Why did you do this? It wasn't supposed to be like this, it wasn't supposed to happen!"
Adam, confused and lost in the midst of the turmoil, raises his hands towards the young robber, trying to calm him down: "Easy, easy... Breathe, man. What are you talking about? What's going on?"
And then, in the blink of an eye, everything explodes.
In a darkness that obscures everything in Adam's mind, it seems like only a minute has passed, but in reality, 30 days have just gone by. He awakens from a coma, opening his eyes to find himself facing a ceiling fan spinning above. His gaze travels across the room from left to right, and he sees flowers, notebooks, a video game, and an action figure from his favorite game. He moves his hands and touches his face, seeming to be alright, but when he tries to get up, he realizes he can't feel his legs.
With an expression of confusion and despair, he looks around, lifting his shirt to check for injuries, finding only scars. He then lifts the blanket and is confronted with something unbelievable: his two legs have been amputated. He starts crying in despair, lost in his thoughts, screaming and panicking.
The nurses and the doctor arrive, trying to calm him down. The doctor looks into Adam's eyes and says:
"You've just been through tough times, I understand. But you're alive, and that's what matters."
Adam asks about his legs, and the doctor replies: "Unfortunately, due to the explosion or the attack, we had to amputate them to save your life. And there's one more thing I'm sorry to say... Your face was disfigured. You probably won't be the same."
With courage and determination, Adam asks to see his face in the mirror. The doctor looks at a nurse and asks her to bring a mirror. Adam remains motionless for a few minutes upon seeing his reflected image and exclaims:
"What the hell is this?"