Zeph was twenty-two. He lived in the present world with his grandfather and his newly married wife in his shop, which was also their home. His grandfather made prosthetics for the disabled, and he helped him. Zeph was a good man, and life was finally going well for him. After his parents' death in a plane crash, his grandparents raised him. However, after some time, his grandmother also passed away, making his grandfather his only family. His grandfather was a tough man; he alone raised him while also working in the shop.
After some time, Zeph enrolled in an average university, and as luck would have it, his high school crush also enrolled in the same one. Finally, after some time, Zeph proposed to her, and she accepted. After multiple dates into their relationship, they decided to get married right after finishing their studies. At present, Zeph was finally, truly happy with his life. Even though they weren't rich, he had his grandfather, his wife, and a place he could call his home.
However, one day, when he was deep in his sleep, thieves broke into their home. Zeph heard the sound of glass breaking. He told his wife to stay where she was and went to his grandfather's room, thinking maybe he had dropped something. When he opened the door, he was shocked to his bones. He was paralyzed. His grandfather was lying on the floor while blood leaked out of his abdomen. He had been stabbed by a thief and killed because he was trying to use his gun. Due to his old age, the thieves quickly overpowered him and, in the process, killed him.
There were three of them. One of them panicked and told the other that they were only here to steal, not to kill. However, the other showed no remorse and told him to shut up. The third quickly tried to save the old man but failed, as he was already dead.
Things weren't over yet. Zeph heard his wife's voice behind him. He tried to stop her from coming in, but it was too late. The thieves looked at the door, seeing the two of them standing there. The one who killed the old man got scared and shot at them. One bullet struck Zeph, and one struck his wife, making both of them fall to the ground. Seeing this, all three of them panicked and ran away.
A month later, Zeph opened his eyes. Seeing the unfamiliar ceiling, he was confused. A doctor came and checked his vitals, then told him how lucky he was to have survived, as the bullet had missed his heart by a hair's breadth. With some hope remaining in his eyes, Zeph asked about his grandfather and his wife. But after hearing the answer, even that tiny hope disappeared. The doctor told him both of them were dead.
Zeph felt like his heart was bleeding. He was in so much pain that he started screaming. He got down from the bed, even though he had just come out of surgery and was bleeding from his chest. He couldn't stay still because of the pain—and no, not the physical one. That wasn't even a fraction of what he was feeling right now. It was the pain of losing his family once again. Seeing his situation, the doctor sedated him, making Zeph lose consciousness.
A month later, Zeph was discharged from the hospital. His previously lively look was gone; his eyes were empty. He arrived at his house and stood in front of the door, where he started crying again. The pain hadn't diminished one bit. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't save his family. He couldn't even kill the thieves in the most torturous way possible, because the police had already caught them, and due to the judge's pity, they only got twenty-five years in prison.
Twenty-six years later.
The ashes from his cigarette fell onto the cold soil, moist from a recent shower, while the dampness of rain could be felt for miles. Zeph emotionlessly stood before the five graves and looked at them without blinking. Nonetheless, if one had looked into his eyes at that moment, they would have seen the insanity they were depicting. The next moment, however, a sense of calm returned to his eyes, and he inhaled the smoke. Afterwards, Zeph took one last look at the graves, flicked the ashes from his cigarette, and walked away.
He had waited twenty-five years. Twenty-five years for the thieves to be released from prison. After their release, he followed his plan perfectly and kidnapped them. He tortured them for a whole year. In that time, he felt pain and bliss at the same time, and in the end, he gave them the most painful end: death by fire.
At present, he drove to the countryside and stopped beside a large river. He smoked one last time and looked at the fast-running water. There, he decided to end his life, away from all the pain. For him, death was a gorgeous being that would save him from all the suffering he had been through.
He threw the cigarette away and started walking toward the water. With each step, he thought about his parents, his grandparents, and the love of his life, his wife. He was tired of his life. He was tired of blaming himself for not saving his family, so this was the only end he could think of. He couldn't live with himself, with all the darkness in his heart.
Finally, he fell into the lake, which submerged his whole body like a hungry beast eating its prey. It was cold. The water got inside his mouth, nose, and ears, emptying all the oxygen inside him, making his lungs contract. Eventually, the inevitable happened, and his most cherished wish was accepted. Death came.
After what felt like both a moment and an eternity, Zeph saw a light appearing in the darkness and thought to himself, "Haven't I died?" But no, fate had something more in store for him.