The interior of the car is warm, filled with the comforting scent of chocolate bread. Sunlight streams through the windows, almost blinding Tayden, an 18-year-old high school student. He squints and turns away, returning to his snack as music from his earphones drowns out the world.
" Shikonokonokonokokoshitantan- "
The car glides smoothly down the road, the busy streets outside passing in a blur. The hum of the engine and the vibrations of the car make his eyelids grow heavy.
The car comes to a sudden halt. ' hmm? Oh im at a red light ' Before he can retreat back into his daydreams, a soft tap on the window catches his attention
A boy, no older than eight, stands at the curb, his clothes dirty and his eyes wide with hope. He taps again, then points at the half-eaten loaf of chocolate bread in Tayden's hand.
Tayden hesitates, then slowly hands the bread through the window. The boy's face lights up, and he takes off, disappearing into the crowd with a laugh. The light turns green, but a heavy feeling settles in Tayden's chest as the car moves on.
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"Ahhhh im exhausted!" Tayden throws himself onto his bed, still in his school uniform. His desk is a chaotic mess of textbooks, notebooks, and scattered papers. He glances at it, torn between the urge to study and the lure of sleep.
'I have a math test tomorrow... but I'm so lazy right now.'
' *sigh* But the test...'
…
" Fineee "
With a groan, he sits up 'Alright brain, time to use 100%! Im going to definitely ace tomorrow's math test-'
BZZZZZZZTTT
' Oh.. my phone '
The sound of his phone snaps him out of his focus. " a little look wouldn't hurt "
It did in fact hurt
- Three hours of doom scrolling later-
'It's late, I STILL dont understand math, and im tired..'
" Sometimes I wonder why I do this… " with it being too late to study, Tayden falls asleep and relies on his usual technique, hopes and dreams.
–The Next Day–
"How'd it go?" Emily, his childhood friend asks, looking hopeful.
" Not bad, I guess " Tayden lied, as naturally as he breathed. " But I know I could've done better. I got distracted and didn't get enough studying done " Emily smacks the back of his head
" Hey! "
" Don't you Hey me, you got to stop doing that you know? I know you could do better if you actually locked in "
" Yeah yeah got it Emmy "
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The living room is a comfortable mess—gaming consoles, half-eaten snacks, and scattered textbooks. Tayden sprawls on the couch, flipping through TV channels with a vacant stare. His eyes drift to a pair of dumbbells in the corner of the room.
After a moment of contemplation, he turns off the TV and stands up, stretching. "Alright, maybe it's time to get serious."
Gabbring his jogging shoes and heading to the door.
Outside, he starts jogging, the cool air invigorating him as he moves. The neighborhood's peaceful streets and the calming scenery seem to soothe his soul. He passes by parks, gardens, and trees, allowing himself to enjoy the beauty around him.
Suddenly, the tranquility is shattered.
" Why do I hear something- OH SHIT! "
A motorcycle suddenly roars past, colliding with Tayden in an instant. He's thrown into the air, the world spinning around him. Pain floods his senses as he hits the ground hard.
Everything begins to fade. He sees people rushing toward him, their voices distant.
" SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!! "
" I.. I didn't mean to "
"STAY WITH US KID!"
But nothing registered, he couldn't hear anything anymore, only being able to think his last thoughts. " Why now? Every time I want to do anything, why does it always go wrong? "
…
' No this is not like the other times, I always complain when things get difficult. Dont worry Dad I'll work out tomorrow.. The test is in two days, I can study later.. '
' I knew, deep down that I should change, but I never did. Why didn't I? I haven't done anything meaningful with my life yet '
' If things were going to end like this then why.. Then why… why was I even born? ' The world is dark, he can't see anything, can't feel anything.. But for some reason, he is not scared.
Suddenly he feels a pull. Suddenly a bright light appeared in front of him, and as he reached the light he heard someone's voice, desperate and begging.
"̸͗̌W̴̳̖̓̓Ą̵͘I̵̪͛Ṱ̴͆̋ ̵̜̼̉A̵͕̳͒ ̴̻̌M̷͓̖̀͠Ȉ̶̢N̶̺͔̾U̸̯̺̎̑T̷̲͝E̸̻̐̈͜,̸̧̓͗ ̵̟̃P̴͚̮̏L̸̻̓Ȇ̸̦A̷̻̕S̸̻̾͑Ě̸̜!̷͚̪̅̍!̶̥̬̄̍"̴̦͛
"YOU ̵̦̊̒̇ͅÇ̷̬̩̆̅A̸̗͚̎͛̈̇̓N̷͇̄ ̵̯̔̐̕D̷͚͊͑̆̆̎Ö̴̢́̎̐ ̴͉͍̗̟̫̑̿̓͒͝I̴̩̓̐͜T̴͚̗̗̲̓͋!̶͖͈͌̈́͒̎̒!̷͕͇͍̫̈́͑͝ ̵͙͓̘̣͙̍ YOU CAN BECOME A̶̧̭̗͎̽̓ͅ ̵̼̬͈̀́͠P̸̜̋E̶͍͉̎R̶̢̫̻̈͒͝F̵͇̯͇̎̍̆̚Ẹ̷̫̥̝͎̾C̴̨̟͍͂͝T̷͖̎…̸̼̜͐̈́͐ ̸̦̰͓̩̗̌͠Ạ̵͛̒̿̔̾ ̷̪̤͖̐̌̊͒S̴̨̬̮͇̈Ũ̷̝̲̹̼̦̇͆͘P̵͍̎̐̚R̶̺͋̀̍E̴͍͈̰̿͆̈́̕̕M̵̨̩͚͚͛Ẹ̷̼͊̀̇͠ ̶̭̤͎͂B̷̯̤̱̜̿̑͌̋͒E̸̼̓̏̕I̶̞͓̤̅̊͌͜N̵̨͌͠Ǧ̵̨͎̬̓̈́̒͠!̵̧̖̲͙͉̈́̋͗!̵͉͕͗"̶̟͆
"DONT LEAVE ME BEHIND!!"
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' *GASP* COUGH- cough-..' Tayden gasps, choking as air floods back into his lungs. He blinks against the blinding light, struggling to adjust.
" why is the sun so BRIGHT?!"
He sits up, realizing he's on a grassy surface. Around him is a breathtaking view—he's on the edge of a cliff or mountain, with the vast sky stretching endlessly before him. Birds soar, and dandelions float on the breeze. It's a serene, almost otherworldly scene.
"What in the world?"
Tayden pushes himself up, looking around in disbelief. "Damn, looks like I'm on a mountain now," he says, his voice filled with awe.
Then it hits him "WHY THE FUCK AM I ON A MOUNTAIN!?"
his voice echoes off the cliffs.