Once i left the house, i rushed over towards a random store to buy a mask. Well, more like volunteered to get a mask. But it still a slight detour in any case. I really don't like showing my face in public. The store owner was actually so happy that i helped out at the right time, he let me have one box of my choosing from the throw away pile. A giant box sticking out behind of the other boxes caught my eyes. Recognizing the shape, i smiled. Without even having to check the box, i went over to take it immediately and left for the homeless shelter.
I quickly wore the mask before i enter the homeless shelter. It was mostly due to the fact that people remember faces of the good people who brings them food. But that means trouble for me if they do remember my face. I can't always give food to all the hungry people. For that reason, i rather not be recognized.
Once i entered the homeless shelter, i saw numerous lifeless looking people in many different rooms. At most it was 6 in a room. The biggest room was on the ground floor but that was where the cafeteria was. "I might not have enough to feed them all..." I muttered.
The depression ended a few years ago. But there were still some people unable to support themselves and their families. So they had to stay in these shelter. The shelter were somewhat cramp and unsanitary. But they do clean every once in a while.
It wasn't all that bad. The homeless shelters usually had a huge number of rooms. This gave people a little privacy. But the walls still have ears. At least the prying eyes cannot go beyond the walls. Unless they had some kind of special powers to see through walls.
But the most problematic thing about these shelter is lack of food. Food gets distributed once every two days. People often store away food for the next day. But this leads to other people being greedy about food to hunt the hidden food. Often leading to betrayals and murder just for the sake of food. But ever since the depression went away, there has been less reports of deaths.
One can't help to think, 'what caused the depression?' The economy was really stable. So how come it collapsed all together in one day? News reporters, researchers, and those people who were like them tried to find the reason why but they never could.
I was lost in thought until someone tapped my shoulder and asked, "Mister, are you lost?" It was one of the staffs of the facility. "Ah no. I'm actually here to help feed the hungry." I show the staff the huge bag i had in my hand. Her face stiffens as she saw how big the bag was. 'Must be a ton of bags of chips. This guy must be one of them cheapskates' She thought. The frown on her face was obvious. But she still forced a smile."Thank you. Let us take that now. Every donations helps" The staff said and extended her hands. I put the bag in her hands and she instantly fell to the floor. Luckily she let go before her fingers were smashed. 'What the hell? This thing weighs more than 100kg (Roughly 200 pounds)' the staff thought.
"Too much?" I pick up the bag once more and help up the staff. 'Wow... So strong. But how come there isn't the slightest signs of muscles being built?' She looks at me with admiration. "Can you lead me to the kitchen? I rather make these food myself. Help gather some people to distribute them" I ask her nicely. She nods her and and immediately lead the way to the kitchen. The reason why I was so strong is because I was forced to work at an early age. When muscles are built at a young age, it tends to stunt a person's growth at some point. But I was Six feet even. So how was it that i was able to grow up to six feet? (Six feet during this age actually count as short. Six feet two is average)
I stretched the hell out of my bones and muscles and never lift beyond what my weight when I was a kid. I even asked my mother and father to help. I always slept nine hours. Once I hit the growth spurt, I just kept on stretching until I was seventeen and 1/2. Then I started to build muscles but I was always beaten so my muscles never really looked like it developed much.
Now you are wondering, if I was so strong, why do i always get beat up? Well..... I was taught to never fight. Rather, I was taught to not believe in my fighting strength. When I'm in a fight, I either run or use every dirty trick in the book to get away. Cowardly, but meh. Fights were never fair either. It was usually three on one.
But now that I think about it, didn't the heaven's decree said that it would boost many of my features? I don't feel any different. When i looked in the mirror in the mornings, I never noticed a difference in facial feature. I was still had a hairless chin, no sign of mustache, and ..... my body practically looked the same as before. Pale white and hairless from the neck down. 'Did the heavens lie to me? Well they did bring me back. So i guess i can't complain.' I sighed in depression. A second chance at life is better than dying a regretful death.
Once i got to the kitchen, I started to cook for the next thirty minutes. The smell of food filled the air and thunderous stomps can be heard everywhere. "Ha ha.. oh boy. Listen to those hungry animals" I laughed out loud. But those were some seriously hungry people. Hundreds of hungry people ran down and nearly busted the kitchen door. Thank the heavens that I locked it. It wasn't until another fifteen minutes till I finish cooking.
Once done, the staffs distributed the food evenly amongst the hungry from the twenty pots. (One pot can be distributed to forty people. Each person got 3/4 a bowl each) I came out to see how many people were eating. Roughly 300 people were eating. Even the staffs were eating some of the food that I'd cooked. "So that means the food can only last until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" I murmured. I did feel bad about cooking expired food. But some expired food can still be good for a day or two and some can be sort of 'detoxified'. So they won't have many troubles with ingesting them.
I turn back to the kitchen and went to the storage room. A mountain of food was kept inside closely refrigerated so that it would last a long time. But the food here weren't that good. Canned goods filled half the storage room. Meat and fruits only lasted so long so not much of them were in here. Pickled vegetables lasted longer than the meat so it filled a quarter of the storage room. The rest were ready to be baked dough. The foods in the storage room had only one purpose. To last as long as possible while giving the most nutrients. Food were delivered here on a bi-monthly basis from the government. But there were hundreds of people in the shelter. How was it possible for it to last long? So the shelters depended on donations. In addition, there were many shelters like this one. They could only last for so long. Some shelters closed down due to being over populated. But some re-open in the later years after the depression went away. The economy only rose recently but the growth was still too little.
I went back to the cafeteria to see the many people enjoying some good food after a long time. It slightly breaks my heart to know that these people are still suffering. During the depression, we barely had clothes and heat! Forget being sanitary, our best food were moldy bread and bitter soup. But i already did all that I could. Food was given, the facility was kept warm, and was already clean as possible. Clothes were not a problem now that many people donated old clothes.
I stayed for a minute or two longer before i left. I was just going around to talk to people. Some weren't that depressing. Some lived in the facility because they are waiting to earn enough to move out. Some were happy enough to be living in a facility rather than the streets. Some were just... more unenthusiastic than others but still had some life in their faces. Seeing such vitality, I left happily and out the shelter.
I walk out the shelter and down the streets to the intersection waiting for the green light while carrying the big box of . Mid way during the wait, I saw some fancy looking cars driving down fast. It did not even look like they even care about life and was trying to "live it up a little". They even ran past red lights and swerve around pedestrians because they had confidence in their driving skills. "Such lively people" a girl smiled next to me. She had a beautiful face with no traces of imperfection. She was five feet seven with long red hair. "I hope they crash and break a few bones." She begins to walk off with a smile on her face.
Eh?
The girl just said the words so casually that i was a bit stunned. Stunned in place not even moving at all. How can she say it like it was an everyday conversation. But at the same time i wanted to laugh. I wasn't thinking of the same thing she was but kind of hoping something similar. Really want to know what I was thinking? I'll tell it to you. I was hoping that the reckless driver who just ran past here to return home with either a fractured leg or license suspension for the thousand years. If not swallowing tons of flying objects in the middle of a road. Who knows if he might get hit with a baseball in the process. I've seen it many times. That way, the driver wouldn't be driving anymore.
Just then, a car was about to come down from the left from a good distance. Just like the car before it, it wants to race down hill like no tomorrow. The hunk of junk wants to race down for no reason.
How did i know that it wants to race down? The driver had every intention of passing the red light. The driver intentionally revved up his car to prepare himself. Most of the time, it is the desire to make a miracle. The driver wanted to see if, by any chance, can make a miracle of going though traffic while not getting hit or hitting any person. Most of the time, these situations happened in the suburbs more than the city. City got more slow traffics situations than honey bees in a beehive. So it happens less in the city than suburbs. Out here is a ton of open space.
"Oh shi-" Seeing the trajectory of the car, the driver has a ninety nine percent chance of hitting someone. "This bloody..." I muttered. Before i could finish, the car was already half way down. "Run!" I roared. But the pedestrians turn to see what they were about running from. Their eyes widen at the sight and was frozen with fear.
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'Son of a-' Of all of the things to do. WHY TURN!!!!!!!
Some ran away in time because they regained their senses. But some still were still stuck in place!
Five seconds till impact.
There are still three people stuck in place. Two male, one female. One of them was the red head girl. I could save two people. But one was still far as heck away. But I can't save all of them like this.
Four seconds till impact.
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccccckkkkkk!" I really didn't have any more time to think. My body just did what ever it took to save however much I could. I threw the heavy box of fireworks towards one guy hoping that it would push him away.
Three seconds till impact.
I ran towards them with my arms out forward.
Two seconds still impact.
I got there in time and did what ever I could to push them out of the way. But my body was stuck due to my previous actions. I could only move my legs now
One second till impact.
Using what ever leg strength I had left, I used them to twist my body hoping that my body would just roll over the windshield and the car and take no damage or reduced damage. If not to just roll over head the car.
*BANG!*Doom*Doom*Doom*DOOM!*
My hopes were in vain. The car hit my body at full force. My body crashes into the wind shield and the shards went into my sides and back. But that wasn't all. My face hit the car and the mask i wore broke off the bottom half and a bit around the forehead. (It looked more like a masquerade mask now) My body rolled off the windshield and over the car hitting it many times. The shards dug deep into my flesh until I hit the floor.
After the car hit me, the driver just drove off into the distance and beyond the vanishing point of my sight. The driver laughed like a maniac when he drove off. The saddest part was that I was left on the floor like that for five minutes straight. I was still conscious but I was losing blood. I wanted to get back up but I couldn't. Everyone else began to gossip about me and why I'd save them. They began to take pictures and started to post it all over the blogs and what ever account they had on their social media.
'I'M DYING HERE!!!!!! CALL AN AMBULANCE FOR THE LOVE OF THE HEAVENS!' I really wanted to cry out. But the pain was far too much for me to take and i nearly passed out. I even saw that some of the people taking pictures were the ones I'd saved.
Then, someone shouted, "Why aren't you guys calling an ambulance!?" Thank god for common sense!
The guy was dumbstruck. He was one of the people I'd saved. He was still posting my picture all over his blog! But the one who shouted at him was the red head girl.
"I-I don't have any minutes" the guy muttered. This lying ass moodi fooka! "You got a phone and don't have minutes!? Yet you have the ability to go online to post his face!? What is the use of that phone then!? Next time you get into an accident over, I'll post your face all over the social media, let you lay on the floor for five minutes with windshield fragments lodged so far up your sides, and I'll say that I don't have a working phone!" She scolded at him.
The man felt really embarrassed. In truth, he only had .5 minutes left. He forgot to buy minutes because he was usually forgetful. Thus he couldn't call the ambulance.
"I'd never felt so pissed off in my life. Never have I curse at anyone as much as this." the red huffed and puffed steam out her face. "Can anyone else call the ambulance?" she asks the crowd. Only then did they call for help. It wasn't that they were.... you know... But they were slow and stunned by the girl's profound scolding.
'Wait, if they call the ambulance, I might have to pay bills! I still don't have a job yet!' I was scared to think of the bills! Hospital are like daylight robbers! They can charge any amount for saving your life!
Fearing the very existence of bills, I use all of my strength just to get up. "Holy shit! That guy is getting back up!" one person of the crowd said aloud. But as I got up, the girl came over and just hit my stomach and I cough up a mouthful of blood. I fell right back down to the ground. The then girl reaches into my pants and took out a phone from my pockets to call the ambulance.
'Crazy woman... why... hit me... take someone else phone....'
After five minutes, the ambulance came and rushed me to the hospital. The red head also came as well on the ambulance and proclaimed herself as my guardian.
"Do you have any living relatives?" the man from the ambulance asks. I shook my head. I really didn't want my family to find out. Or else they would have to pay my medical bills. "I'm his guardian. Don't worry about the details" the girl said.
On the way to the hospital, the girl kept on glancing at my face along the way. Was it scarred? Or was it damaged that badly?
When I got to the hospital, the surgeons rushed me into the emergency room to take out the shards. They wanted to take of my mask but I refused. The more they try to insist, the harder i fought back. When they try to put on the sleeping gas mask, I refused as well. Finally they gave up and just pushed me into the room and took out the glass shards as is. If there was some way to describe the pain, I would. But all i can say is that it hurts like hell.
The glass shards luckily didn't lodge far enough into my sides and avoided all my vitals. 'Thank you plot armor!' I thought to myself. "Thank you doctor" The red head beside me said. "But how long will he needs to stay in the hospital?" the girl asks. "He'll need about a week at most to recover fully. This is the bill" The doctor handed the bill to me.
When I saw the bill, my eyes popped out. "T-t-two thousand three hundred and fifty eight dollars? B-but I just got back... and got ran over.." I wanted to cry. The bill was already over the amount I could pay and I still didn't have a job!
The red head snatches the bill and puts it into her purse. "You don't have to worry about the bill. I'll take care of that" she said to me. Taking my phone once more, she called someone she had contact with. Surprisingly she was rich. No wonder she said not to worry about the bills.
The girl was also one of those rich girl but had strict parents. She had her phone taken from her due to excessive textings and calls. Since it was not on her anymore, she couldn't call the ambulance. But she didn't want to say it
"Well, thanks for the help" I sighed in relief. "But I still didn't get your name yet. What is it?" I ask her.
"Hm? Tell me your name first then I'll tell you mine" the girl smirked.
"Ha ha right. Name is... Ja-" I paused for a minute. If I tell her my name, wouldn't she know that I was the dead guy?
The girl pulls her hair back revealing her left ear and edge closer to me. "Hm? Ja- what?"
I quickly wrap my right arm around her waist and pulls her close to me.
“~Hu~ Just kidding! Ah ha ha!" I blew in her left ear a little. I couldn't help but to laugh. "I won't tell my name if you wont tell me your name either! Ha ha ha" I was just having a little fun. But I really didn't expect her face to be beet red.
She quickly walks a fair distance away in anger. But then she turns back to throw the phone right in my face.
*Whap*
"Ow...." I cried out in pain. The phone fell from my forehead and onto my lap.
"That's what you get!" the girl was steaming red. She turns around and quickly leaves.
When I look back at my phone, it lit up saying, "New Contact added!" I open the phone to see that she gave me her contact number and her name on it. The name reads, "Rosa Diaz"
"*Pfft* Ow... She sure has a vicious way of telling me her name. Ha ha.."I rub my pained forehead. But then I realize that on my phone, it had my name on it. My face slightly pales. "She could've told me that she knew my name..."
But the name Rosa Diaz was also familiar. After straining my brain for five minutes, I finally realize who it was. She was also one of the people who bullied me in middle school! She usually had a whip in her hand after school and would always aim at me! This made my face even paler.
"Nah... Couldn't be..." I told myself. So I turned on the hospital TV to watch the news.
Just then, the reporter started to report the hit and run. Someone caught the face of the criminal! I couldn't wait to see who it was. But I was shocked to find out who it was. "Alexander Ackerman was the suspect who drove recklessly and nearly killed three people. But a man came out of no where threw a box knocking one out of the way and pushing two more with his hands. The car hit him but luckily he didn't die. Who is this samaritan? We might not know because we only saw the bottom half of his face. The hospital also kept the reporters away so we couldn't get the name. Who is the mysterious savior? If there is anyone who knows him, the people whom he saved wants to thank you with all their hearts"
I was so frustrated that I turned off the TV. Thank me? They were taking pictures of me looking like roadkill! But that was not all. That Alexander guy was also another bully I had in my life in my high school year. He was harder to avoid than most bullies I'd ever faced. Thinking about that guy made me mad. But I sighed in resignation.
I had no way of venting my anger. I just laid back and tried my best to forget the anger and thought of the best thing that happened so far. But sadly I couldn't think of anything and my sides are still hurting from be sutured up. Pain and exhaustion hit all at once and I was quickly knocked out by the two overwhelming stress.