"Finally, work is done, and I can head home. Somehow, it feels as if my company is trying to break my backbone by having me work overtime every day. This is the third time this week already."
Liam stretched his back as he made his way home.
After a long day at work, he finally got time to relax and spend time with his girlfriend, Natasha. It had been some time since they had last met, and Natasha had been complaining about feeling lonely.
That's why Liam somehow managed to cram his three hours of work into one and make his way back home to surprise Natasha.
Just as he walked past a bakery, the colorful decorations in front of it attracted Liam's eyes, and he could not help himself from gravitating toward the section.
"Should I bring her a cake as well? Natasha did indicate that she was craving these cakes a little while ago."
Liam bought two cakes—one for Natasha and one to share between the pair—and quickly made his way home.
His house was a duplex, with the upper part being renovated to be rented out to other people soon. It would help with the rent and also make the place more secure.
Natasha had complained about it, telling Liam how he did not need to do this, but Liam had wanted to renovate his house for some time. The only problem had been money.
Thankfully, his friend Conney stepped forward and took charge for a fraction of the actual cost. Liam was thankful for it, and as appreciation, he intended to pay Conney the first tenant paycheck he was about to receive.
As Liam made his way back to the house, he noticed something odd. There were two cars in the parking lot of his house.
One belonged to him, and Liam also recognized the other one. It belonged to Conney, and it was a surprise for Liam to see that car in his parking lot.
"Huh? Conney is still here? Is it not time for him to head back home? His work hours ended an hour ago. Did Natasha ask him to stay for dinner or something? It's a good thing I brought two cakes after all."
It was a regular occurrence at his house, so Liam did not question it. He simply opened the door and prepared himself to surprise his girlfriend.
But the one who was surprised by the scene in front of him was Liam.
He watched in shock as his girlfriend of three years and his best friend locked lips. They did not even notice his presence until the door clicked shut behind him.
Natasha was the first one to turn toward him, her eyes filled with guilt as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"Liam, you are back? Ah, this is not what it looks like…"
Her excuse did not make the situation any better. If anything, Liam would have preferred if Natasha had been truthful with him and told him about this affair.
Turning away from her, Liam turned his eyes toward his best friend—a person Liam had trusted with his house as well as his girlfriend and had been betrayed by.
Conney did not look at Liam, but the lack of guilt or shame on his face indicated what the man thought about this situation.
"Look, man, all I'm saying is that this is your fault. If you had paid a little more attention to your girlfriend, maybe she would not have felt lonely enough to come to me. You cannot blame me for this."
If Liam's mouth had the capability to drop, then it would be hanging open in front of him at Conney's words. But as things stood, all Liam could do was look at his best friend with betrayed eyes.
"Get out. I do not want to see either of you ever again in my life. From this day forward, we don't know each other."
Liam's words were clear, and he made his point.
Somewhere in his heart, he still had hope that his girlfriend or his best friend would try to talk to him and clear the situation, but he was proven wrong by both.
He watched as they walked past him, and with a last look from Natasha, the door closed behind them.
The loneliness Liam was trying to escape his whole life came crawling back, covering him from head to toe. And with that came the doubts about himself and his life.
"And to think life was starting to make sense as well. Why does this always happen to me?"
______
Liam Sanders, age 23, could only be described as a product of the modern system. He had been found as an orphan by the director of the orphanage he lived in, and he never got adopted.
The best he got was public school education, community college, and then a minimum-wage job.
Life had not been easy, but it had been livable. And it had gotten better when Liam found Natasha… or so he thought.
Clearly, Natasha did not have the same thoughts as him, since she did not even hesitate to cheat on him.
Looking back, the signs had been there ever since Liam introduced Natasha to Conney—from the way Natasha looked at Conney to the way she agreed to have the upper floor renovated if it was Conney who did it.
It was all so obvious, and Liam felt like a fool for missing these signs.
And now, the weight of all that had happened was taking its toll on him, and that was why Liam was wandering around in the middle of the walkway with only a light shirt on.
It was cold, but Liam was not even feeling it. The only thought on his mind was to end it all.
"Hey man, where are you heading? Stop! That's the road! You will die if you… hey, you need to stop now."
The voices called out to Liam, but he did not want to listen to anyone. He just wanted to keep moving his body. He was sure he would break if he stopped walking.
Liam saw light fill his vision as he turned toward the right. He could feel something heading toward him at such a fast speed that he could not even react.
Not that he wanted to. Liam wanted to let that light hit him and end everything for him.
Crash
The truck hit Liam at full speed, and the first thing Liam felt was intense pain that knocked him back to his senses.
For the first time after Natasha's betrayal, Liam felt a sense of self, and it felt liberating. He could feel his life flowing out of his body, and he was sure he would finally die and find peace.
People were crowding around Liam, but he could no longer bring himself to care. All he could think about was the relief at finally being free of his suffering.
Finally, I won't have to suffer anymore. I hope the next time I wake up, I will be in a better place where I don't have to feel anything anymore.
With those final moments, Liam was in agony but happy not to have to deal with all the bullshit of the world.
He closed his eyes one final time, and peace filled his mind…
…
.
…
Gasp
Liam opened his eyes in a flash as he felt pain assault his senses. Memories filled his mind about a time and place he did not recall. He could tell that something in him had changed after his death, but Liam could not tell what.
As his senses returned to his mind, Liam tried to push his aching body up and gasped in agitation.
"What the fuck? I feel as if I got hit by a truck or something. Where the heck am I… Did I die and get reincarnated?"
Liam was a lot more disoriented than he thought, and his head hurt a ton as well. But the worst part was—he could still feel his heartache and annoyance at the world for putting him in this situation.
"Fucking hell. I feel like shit. Can't death have erased my memories and emotions as well? It makes me want to burn something to let out my anger… Why do I smell something burning around me?"
Liam questioned as he smelled the air around him. It was also starting to feel hotter in his room, but turning around to look at it was too much trouble.
It was not until the door to his room opened and a nurse gasped in horror that Liam questioned what was happening.
"A-A fire! Oh God! There is fire in the patient's room. Code RED! EVERYONE, THIS IS CODE RED. THE HOSPITAL IS ON FIRE, AND WE NEED TO EVACUATE EVERYONE RIGHT NOW."
The nurse yelled, causing panic to surge through the hospital hallway as everyone started to panic.
Liam could only look at the scene, his brain not comprehending what was happening in front of him.