'Huh??'
....
'Where am I? No wait who am I?'
With that thought memories suddenly came poring into his mind. Memories of a life that seemed so distant now, even though it felt like it was just a few moments ago that he was living it.
For what felt like an eternity he was remembering everything that happened to him. His childhood had not been easy, his father was constantly fighting with and beating his mother, and if he was lucky, his father would only be cold and distant to him instead of beating and abusing him as well.
His mother, while caring for him, could never find the courage to leave her husband, and so it happened that beginning from a young age on he was only home if really necessary. His remaining time spent either in school or outside, by himself.
Socially he was an outcast for the most part. He didn't have friends growing up, so learning how to make new friends was not something that came to him naturally. His parents also didn't have much money, meaning he often got mocked and bullied for being poor. On top of all that, he was also a quite bit smarter than other children, earning him the envy and jealousy of a few different kids.
His favorite way to pass time was by far reading. He liked the feeling of being absorbed in a new story, completely forgetting time even existed. Learning came pretty easy to him, and even tho he wasn't a genius by any means, he picked things up quicker than others. The thrill of discovering new things helped him keep down the negative feelings of his home life.
It gave him respite from feeling powerless and the constant pain and fear of his fathers next outburst, or the crushing loneliness he felt on a daily basis.
As he got older his feelings of confusion turned to clarity. He started seeing the world for what it really was instead of for what he hoped it to be. By that point his feelings long hardened into a mix of resentment and numbness tho, so instead of feeling hopeless he decided to take matters into his own hands.
While he was interested in a lot of subjects, the universe and the human body were things that had always fascinated him. He could still remember the first time he read about different kind of cells, how they're structured, what they do etc. completely blowing his mind.
Once he finished school he decided he wanted to do something in the medicine sector. While healing was not a passion of his or anything, the process of it was still very interesting.
One of the universities that had accepted his application had offered him a scholarship, however even then the amount that was left for him to pay was still a hefty sum.
He got into debt, moved across the country, close to uni campus, and started working his butt off at a gas station. Things had started looking up for him, he felt a sense of excitement and lightness that he never experienced before. Some of that extinguished hope of his childhood even started to come back.
On one night he was sitting behind the counter of the gas station, reading the newest chapter of the Boruto manga. He grew up reading and watching Naruto, so reading the newly released Boruto chapters was mainly a routine and a way to keep up with where the story is heading, instead of genuine interest.
Turning off his phone and looking up when he heard the 'Ding' of the bell above the entrance door, he noticed two masked individuals striding into the gas-station wearing all black clothes. Knowing where this was going, he couldn't help but notice his increasingly louder beating heart and the nervousness he felt.
"You! Give us everything you got in that register! NOW!"
He barely registered the second guy taking out a gun from behind his belt when suddenly a shot went off into the ceiling. He froze, never having been in a situation where he was being held at gunpoint before.
Coming out of his stupor, scared and shaking he answered: "Y-yes one mo-moment I-I'll get you the cash, p-please just don't shoot me."
"Heh, don't worry. Behave, give us the money, don't be a hero, and you'll be walking outta here no problem!"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down and swiftly opening the register, he took out all the bills and handed them to the outstretched hand of the person standing right in front of him.
He watched while the robber counted the money, and even though he couldn't see the facial expressions through the mask, a bad feeling arose in his heart.
"What the hell is this?! This is only 275 bucks!? Aye you better have some more in there or we gonna have a problem you hear??"
A slight chill ran down his spine as he shakily answered: "I-I-I s-swear this is everything there is, I started my shift not long ago."
A few seconds passed as he was just being stared at by the two robbers, and after what felt like an eternity for him the guy in front of him said: "Aight I believe you no problem" in a voice that sounded a bit too nice for his liking.
Using a nonchalant tone he turned to the guy behind him and said: "Shoot this bitch!"
In a split second a shot rang out, hitting him straight in the chest. He fell back onto his chair, having trouble not falling onto the floor. His ears were ringing like crazy and all he could think about was was reaching for his phone on top of the counter to call for help.
With strength leaving him fast, failing to even see his phone and hearing a car taking off in the distance, he gradually lost hope. The pain didn't come until the adrenaline wore off, he could feel it.. his blood all over his clothes, arms and fingers, his breath getting shallower and shallower with each cough, and the creeping cold all over his body.
Losing all hope for survival, the lingering fear turned into absolute unwillingness and pure rage. His blood-shot eyes gradually closed, leaving him to his fate.