It was a typical March day in Queens, New York. The sun shone at its peak. But inside one apartment, it was still dark. The shades were still drawn, blocking the rays of sunlight.

There was a man seated in darkness and hunched over his keyboard.

His fingers clattered against the keyboard, the colors of LEDs changing with each stroke of the keys. He flicked his gaze between his computer screen and phone.

This man was an internet troll, and he was currently having the time of his life.

Notifications pinged on his phone as furious netizens erupted in anger at his trolling about the ongoing pandemic. They were livid. He chuckled at the outrage of the online mob as he scrolled through the comments and insults flung at him for spreading misinformation. They'd even threatened him, hurling every insult under the sun at him and sending death threats through his DMs.

Of course, he didn't really believe the virus was a hoax. He'd seen the news reports of how hundreds of thousands across the globe were dying or dead, and no one could be so dumb as to think it was all a big scam. The pandemic was a real threat affecting real people.

But even though he knew deep down the virus was real, he couldn't help getting a kick out of causing chaos and inciting rage among those who took his words seriously. The man clicked through the messages, savoring each one and making sure not to miss any insults aimed at him personally. They called him everything from "dumbass" to "retard" to just plain "stupid."

Despite having no pictures of himself online, some of the comments even insulted his appearance. He wasn’t that careless. He knew all too well the damage his enemies could do if they discovered his identity, so he was extremely cautious on the Internet.

He laughed at their irrational anger for a moment before he sighed. The man leaned back in his chair, grabbing the open car of beer on his desk. He chugged it, finishing it off quickly.

He looked at the empty cans scattered around his desk and frowned. He hadn't meant to drink so many. He reached into his mini-fridge for another, only to find it empty. "Dammit!" he swore out loud, tossing the empty can aside. He stood up from his desk and looked around the room.

His gaze moved away from his desk to the window, where he looked down onto the street below. It looked like a normal day. There were cars moving along the road, people walking by or sitting on benches, and a face mask wearer here and there.

"Looks like I gotta refill my fridge," the man said to himself. "I should get some groceries, too."

The man lived alone, so he wouldn't have to worry about shopping for anything other than food and toiletries. Tired of his parent's disappointment, he had moved out of their house ages ago.

He stood up and stretched out his arms. His muscles felt tight after hours of hunching over his computer screen. He grabbed his keys, a face mask, wallet, and phone, and headed outside.

It was early Spring day but the air was warm and humid. Global warming made its presence known, but he didn't really mind the warmer temperatures.

The trees on the streets were beginning to bud and he caught glimpses of daffodils and tulips peeking up through the tree guards below. Their vibrant colors were a welcome burst of cheer in an otherwise bleak landscape.

As he walked to the local store, passing several people wearing face masks and wondering how many more had died from the disease, a pang of guilt reared its head. But he quickly brushed it off, reminding himself of his errand.

The pandemic has left him feeling disconnected, his dead-end IT job providing little fulfillment. All he had was his addiction to the Internet.

Eventually, he reached the local supermarket and headed straight for the aisle where he found his favorite snack foods, grabbing two bags of potato chips and a bag of candy bars. He also remembered to grab a six-pack of beer to refill his mini fridge.

After he grabbed a six-pack, he stood by the refrigerated section and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to cool off. He stood there for a moment, relishing the cool air on his skin as he tried to prepare himself for the humid heat outside.

Finally, he paid for his goods and quickly left the store. He couldn't wait to get home and crack open a cold beer.

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As he left the store and began his journey home, the man heard a loud snap and banging noises from the intersection behind him.

He turned around to see what had caused the noise and saw two large white PVC pipes falling from the side of an eighteen-wheeler truck. They collided with each other, the sound of the pipes crashing together echoing throughout the area.

One pipe landed on top of a parked car, crushing the hood and shattering all the windows. The other bounced and rolled towards the sidewalk.

"Jesus!" the man shouted as pedestrians around him scattered out of the way. But unfortunately, there was a little boy on a tricycle riding close to the edge of the pavement of this sidewalk.

The young child was frozen with fear, like a deer caught in headlights, as the pipe rolled towards him. The pedestrians screamed as they saw the pipe heading towards the child, sending debris and rocks flying as it bounced toward the sidewalk.

Without a second thought, the man dropped his groceries and sprinted toward the boy.

Even though he was an internet troll, he wasn't going to let a child get crushed to death.

As he got closer to the child, the screams of the pedestrians grew louder and seemed to surround him.

The man managed to reach the boy in time, just before the pipe was about to crush him. He pushed the back of the tricycle, launching the child to safety. He had rescued successfully saved a child from a horrible death.

The man breathed a sigh of relief before the large white PVC pipe slammed into him, pinning him against the brick wall beside the sidewalk. A dull thud and the sound of his bones breaking filled his ears, and darkness overcame him.

**

When the man's consciousness returned, he was immediately blinded by the bright light. It filled his vision with stars. He couldn't focus on anything as he tried to keep his eyes open, the brightness overwhelming him.

He eventually shut his eyes but the bright light still shone through his eyelids, dyeing his vision red.

He gasped for air and tears filled his eyes as he realized he was suffocating from the oxygen deprivation. Coughing and gasping, he finally managed to fill his lungs with air once again.

When he thought he was safe, he blinked his eyes rapidly as they adjusted to the harsh light.

After a few minutes of shivering and shaking, he gathered the courage to fully open his eyes. He saw a man in a surgeon's outfit standing above him, holding a pair of scissors in his right hand.

He looked around frantically, trying to figure out where he was and what was happening. He noticed the bright lights and the sterile smell of the room. He knew he was in a hospital. But why was he here?

He saw himself surrounded by surgery staff after his vision adjusted to the light. The surgeons were clad in blue scrubs, their heads covered with surgical caps and masks obscuring their faces. He saw the gleaming instruments in their hands, the forceps and scalpels glinting in the bright light.

He realized with a jolt that he was now a newborn infant being delivered via C-Section.

"The first one is always the most difficult," the man in a surgeon outfit said as he leaned closer and examined the infant. "We've still got the twin girl coming soon though."

The man, now an infant covered in blood and fluids, was shocked at this new information.

The last thing he remembered was sacrificing himself to save a child from being crushed by a pipe.

The next thing he knew, he was blinded by the bright light. But now, it was clear to him that he had been reborn as an infant, a tiny, helpless baby boy. And it seemed like he also had a twin sister. He also wondered about his new mother who was currently undergoing a C-Section.

The surrounding doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals gathered around to inspect the quiet infant, sharing a look of concern on their faces.

The man, now a baby, noticed the worry etched on their features as they examined him. The man quickly found his voice and let out a cry, reassuring the doctors and everyone else that he was healthy.

As he cried, he heard a woman screaming nearby. He looked around, but the medical personnel blocked his view. The man couldn't see the woman, but he knew it was his mother. She must have giving birth to his twin sister.

The man knew he would have to live his life all over again, but this time as a newborn baby. He wasn’t sure how he was going to adapt to his new life, but he was determined to make the best of it.