Istvan Handanovic walks fast like someone being tailed by a serial killer, his feet pounding the platform with a sense of urgency. Looking like the average college kid, he wore a Grey hoodie sweatshirt with the Greenton University boldly written on the front, skin-tight black jeans that accentuated his lean legs, a black backpack that seemed to carry the weight of his dreams, and a pair of Air Jordans on his feet that seemed to be his most prized possession. Walking towards the railway, he stops abruptly, nearly falling down as he collides with someone. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry" a seventeen-year-old African American girl says, her voice laced with concern, as she rushed out of a train that had just stopped. "It's okay" Istvan mutters, his voice barely audible, as he adjusts his glasses, raising his eyes to get a better view of her, but she was already gone, lost in the sea of people.
Walking towards a waiting bench, he seats next to a homeless man, whose tattered clothes and unkempt beard seemed to tell a story of struggle and hardship. Istvan closes his eyes, then hums a tune he'd learnt from childhood, a soft melody that seemed to bring him solace. It was his favorite song, the national anthem, a reminder of a dream he held dear. "Hey kid, got something I can eat?" the homeless guy asks him, his voice gruff, but his eyes hinting at a deeper desperation. Istvan looks at the man with eyes full of pity, his gaze seeming to bore into the soul of the homeless man. Digging his hands into his backpack, he brings out his wrapped burger, the smell of freshly cooked meat wafting through the air, he'd gotten from a burger stand. "Here, have this." Istvan says, his voice soft, as he hands over his lunch to the homeless guy, a small act of kindness in a world that seemed to have forgotten the meaning of the word.
This was what he hated about the world, people suffering unjustly, homeless, and without the government institutions helping. "Thanks, kid." the homeless man says, his voice filled with gratitude, as he takes a generous bite from the burger, the sound of his chewing filling the air. Istvan nods but says nothing, his eyes seeming to bore into the soul of the homeless man, as if trying to understand the depths of his suffering.
Ten minutes later, the train was almost full, the sound of chatter and laughter filling the air. Walking into the train, from the corner of his eyes, he watches the last guy come in, his childhood friend Yuri, who shared his dream of a utopian world. "For Arrysia" he hears Yuri scream, his voice filled with a fervor that seemed to border on madness. Istvan knew the guy, he was a childhood friend named Yuri, and they believed in the same cause, a world where there was no trouble, no pain, no hunger, only happiness, no religion, no diversity, nepotism, and racism. A world where all will be united under one ruler, and he'd be known and remembered as a hero. "For a better life" Istvan yells, his voice filled with a passion that seemed to consume him, then presses the red button on the fuselage, a small smile playing on his lips, as the plane exploded, killing him and over a thousand people in the process.
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