His life had always been ordinary, and would remain so. Born of average status and raised modestly, nothing about him stood out.
A typical worker, he blended seamlessly into the background of society. Perhaps he really was just like the rest of them—unremarkable—but his impact would be immeasurable. He was a low-level employee in a car manufacturing corporation, performing routine safety tests.
On July 20th, 20XX, he was assigned an unusual task: to act as a human test dummy. The electric car industry was booming, but still plagued by dangers. The test was scheduled in a secluded desert, with high walls to ensure privacy and prevent onlookers.
"I need you to test it at different speeds. We're taking a new approach this time. Accelerate to 200 MPH and keep straight for three miles," his supervisor instructed.
Without question, he obeyed. As he pressed his foot to the gas pedal, he noticed an odd smell. It was faint but unsettling, like something was wrong. By then, he was already cruising at 200 MPH and could only slow down.
But the brakes failed. Panicked, he tried to swerve to lose momentum, but the front left tire suddenly exploded. There's nothing I can do. This is absurd, but I might as well go out with a bang. He steered the car toward the nearest wall and accelerated, slamming into it at 276 MPH. The car went up in flames, its frame melting in the inferno.
"That hurt," he whispered as his body betrayed him, his organs shutting down, his strength fading.
"You had a choice. You could have saved yourself. Why didn't you?" a voice asked, low and chilling.
"My life is worthless. I've accomplished nothing, and nothing has ever made me feel whole."
"A rather bleak view, don't you think?"
His vision darkened, and he slipped away, just another casualty of an accident. As he took his last breath, blood streamed down his face, turning the world a deep, dark red.
Then, he was falling.
He plummeted through clouds, the sky above casting him aside like an unwanted tool. He flailed in the air, spinning to see two massive moons looming above him, their pale light cold and unfamiliar. In the distance, distant planets hung in the sky, enormous and alien, yet somehow too far to truly comprehend. The beauty of it all was terrifying. The more he looked, the more the vastness seemed to grow, as though the universe itself were watching him fall.
The ground below seemed impossibly far away, and despite falling for what felt like hours, it never seemed to get any closer. Yet, he wasn't afraid. For the first time, he was free—no debts, no responsibilities.
But then he saw it. A shape in the distance, massive and otherworldly, drifting toward him. It was covered in great wings, with countless eyes peering from the center of its body. The sight of it sent chills through him, and yet, he couldn't look away. It was coming for him, and he was powerless to stop it.
Soon, it was only a few hundred feet away. Its sheer size dwarfed him, but compared to the vast landscape below, it seemed almost small. His mind reeled as he struggled to understand what he was seeing.
As it drew closer, he realized he was nothing in comparison. But strangely, that thought didn't scare him anymore. It was as though the universe had always been this way—indifferent, immense, and uncaring. All he could do was watch, falling endlessly toward whatever fate awaited him.