NABC Chapter 1: 1:Prologue
Chapter 1: 1:Prologue
Thunder raged across the sky, illuminating the world for a brief second as strong gales howled and rain began to pour down.
Amid the storm, a young man in his 20s stood on the rooftop of a hospital, his bleak, lifeless gaze fixated on the shimmering yellow lights of the high buildings in the city reaching towards the sky.
His face was pale and his body was riddled with scars.
He wore a casual white T-shirt patched with stitches and oceanic blue tailored jeans, stained with mud and filth that started to wash away in the heavy rain.
The young man took a deep breath, inhaling the cold air as he tried to calm himself down.
As he stared at the crowd of people in the hospital, he noticed parents protecting their children from the rain, couples letting themselves get drenched and enjoying the freshness brought by the rain while some patients were brought by workers who also saved them from the rain.
Among all these scenes, one thing was common.
Everyone had someone to rely on...
Whereas in his case, it was different....
As he remembered what had just transpired, a bitter smile curled his lips, recalling the joke his friend used to say when someone called them a virgin.
[In this world no one dies as a virgin. Life fucks everybody.]
Reflecting on this, years of bitterness and struggle that had been weighing him down flashed before his eyes.
If someone were to ask him what was the happiest time of his life?
Without giving it a thought, he would have answered that it was the first 3 years of his life.
The reason?
It was quite simple— those were years he didn't have any memory of. For as long as he could remember, he couldn't find a single moment that gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling.
His name was Evan.
He was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage, struggling to even have his fill.
His life up to 11 was quite bitter, still, he persisted until one day, a couple arrived at the orphanage, claiming that he was their son who had been lost at birth due to the hospital's stupid mistake.
Others might have been happy, but he wasn't.
Evan, who had seen many children around him getting adopted and hoped one day to enjoy the warmth of his parents, found himself entangled in strange feelings when his dream came true.
Reluctantly, yet with many hopes, he stepped into a new life, yearning to enjoy the normal life like others of his age enjoyed.
His parents promised him numerous things, coaxing him into dreaming of a stable and happy life. The temptation was too much to resist.
He was enrolled in the school a few days after being brought from the orphanage. However, for an orphan like him who couldn't even afford to get food twice a day, how could he know basic knowledge? Children of his age were far ahead while he didn't even know the basic alphabet.
Mustering the courage, he asked his parents for help.
And the result?
He was scolded for being useless, for not even knowing the basics.
It was only then he saw the true faces of his so-called parents.
They started abusing him, forcing him to clean, cook and maintain the house.
He would be beaten for the slightest mistake, along with numerous curses that would be hurled at him.
"Son of a bitch, you can't even clean a dress properly. What else can you do?"
In the past years, the thought of committing suicide had often come to his mind but his mentality wasn't that weak.
He preferred dying heroically, perhaps when saving a child or animal who accidentally appeared before a truck, but taking his own life was a big no for him.
Soon, the countdown to death started ticking.
10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0
[Host has failed to finish the task.]
[Implementing penalty.]
Evan stared at the window with a hint of anticipation.
Strangely, there was no nervousness or panic in his heart. Those emotions had long since become strangers to him.
When nothing seemed to have happened, Evan finally burst into laughter.
"Hmm! I knew it. Maybe I'm just delusional and seeing things. Looks like I need a good psychiatrist to check my head."
After letting out a sigh, Evan turned to walk back but suddenly slipped and lost his footing due to the rain-slick surface.
His body arched and he almost fell from the railing. However, at the last moment, he gripped the edge of the railings and supported himself.
"Oh my god! That was close."
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the door leading to the stairs flew open, and two guys appeared, standing stiffly on the spot.
They took a moment to stare at Evan and a sudden thought flashed in their mind.
Remembering that this guy was caught in a mess today that had been broadcasted by the news, they thought he had given up on living and was trying to jump off the roof.
With a trace of panic, the two rushed towards him, shouting desperately.
"Young man, don't take the wrong step."
"Don't let this little setback hold you back!"
Evan, who was about to get down the railing, was startled by their bewildered screams. For a moment, he found that his body froze as if it had been chained by an unknown force.
'What the f.."
The two strangers intended to help, but alas.....
The one who ran in front slipped and his body flung towards Evan, unable to control his momentum.
BANG!
The man's body crashed into Evan, pushing him off the edge of the roof and pulling him down with the force of gravity.
"Fuck..."
"Holy shit!''
BOOM!
The man was also about to fall but he was saved by the companion who managed to grab hold of him.
They looked down and saw the young man crash over the roof of an SUV parked below...
"Shit! We need to inform the doctor. Quickly run..."