Slowly Adam's eyes opened. He was not in his room. He was in a place he did not know. Adam was still lying down but there was no ceiling above him. There was only the open sky. The sky was a light blue color.
Seeing this Adam sat up quickly. He felt a sharp pain in his back. He looked down and saw he was on a park bench. He had been sleeping on a hard wooden bench all night. That is why his back felt so stiff and sore.
Adam looked beside the bench. He saw his things there. His backpack was on the ground. A few of his books were stacked neatly next to it. Seeing his bag and books made him feel a little confused. Why was his stuff here?
Then a memory came back to him. He remembered what happened before he woke up here. He remembered that he was killed.
As soon as he remembered this a wave of fear hit him. Adam immediately touched his stomach with both hands. He looked down searching for an injury. He remembered a deep wound. But he felt nothing. His stomach was fine. There were no marks. There was no blood. He was perfectly okay.
How was this possible? He was sure he had died.
Adam looked at the sky again. The sun was rising. It was probably early morning around six o'clock. He did not have a watch so he could never be sure of the time. He stood up from the bench and looked around the park.
It was very quiet.
There were only a few people. A man was jogging far away. An old woman was doing exercises under a tree.
Adam was very confused. He knew he was not dreaming about his death. It felt too real. The pain had felt real. The fear had felt real. So how was he standing here now in a park?
As he stood there thinking more memories started to come back. These memories were clearer. They were not foggy like a dream. And when these new memories hit him his face filled with pure terror.
He remembered not just his death. He remembered how it happened. He remembered the person who did it. He remembered the words they said. The memory was so painful it felt worse than dying.
A deep sadness washed over him. He felt weak. He stumbled a little. He brought both hands up to his head and grabbed his hair. He felt like his heart was breaking.
"No," he whispered his voice full of pain. "No. No. No."
The memories crashed into Adam. He remembered the face of his killer. It was a rich man's spoiled son. He also remembered the boy's powerful father.
They had used all their power to destroy him and his family. The thought sent a cold shiver through him. He remembered something else too. His parents were killed even before he was.
His entire life flashed before his eyes.
The flashback began in a quiet place. Adam grew up in a small village. He lived with his mother and father. He was a good son. He had no bad habits. He helped his parents with their traditional work. They were farmers. Adam worked in the fields with them. He also worked hard on his studies.
After a few years his hard work showed its result. He got into a very big and famous university. Its name was U Academy.
Adam was so happy. He enrolled in the academy. He had to leave his village and his parents. He moved to the big city. He lived in a dorm room at U Academy. Life was good. His future looked bright.
But his biggest trouble was about to begin. A new student joined his class. His name was John Walker. John was the son of the city's mayor. His father was an extremely powerful man.
Because of a small misunderstanding John decided he hated Adam. He saw Adam as his enemy. John started to bully Adam in the university. He used his father's name to make Adam's life difficult. Soon John's bullying got worse. He used his influence to get Adam thrown out of U Academy.
Adam's dream was shattered. He was expelled and alone in the city. He thought things could not get any worse. He was very wrong.
For many years John Walker did not forget him. John used his father's power to ruin Adam completely. Adam tried to find a job. But no one would hire him. Every time he found a small job John would find out. Adam would be fired immediately.
For years Adam wandered the strange city. He had no work and no money. He was in a very bad state. But the worst part of his life had not even started yet.
One day Adam received some news from his village. The news broke him. His home was gone. The house where his parents lived had been burned to the ground. Their fields were also burned. His mother and father were dead. They had died in the fire.
This news reached him one week late.
Adam rushed back to his village as fast as he could. But he was too late. When he arrived he saw that everything was gone. His home was just black ash. He also learned that his parents' funeral was already over. His neighbors had done the final rites.
He never got to see his mother and father one last time. He could not even say goodbye. All he had left was the pain and the memory of their faces.
The flashback ended.
Adam stood in the park under the morning sun. But he felt a coldness that came from deep inside his soul. He now understood everything. John Walker did not just ruin his life. He took it. And he had taken his parents' lives too.