Matt runs for his life, sweat pouring down his face, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. His legs feel like jelly, every step heavier than the last, but he pushes himself harder, trying to outrun the debt collectors chasing him. They're shouting at him, their voices filled with fury as they brandish baseball bats and knives.
"You can't run forever!" the gang leader shouts, his voice filled with malice. He's sprinting after Matt, eyes burning with anger, his hand clutching an antique knife with a wooden handle, decorated with a Chinese dragon engraved into it.
"I won't make it this time. I'm sure of it," Matt thinks to himself, panic creeping into his chest as he races toward the construction site of a shopping mall. Nauseous and exhausted from running nonstop, he ducks into a dark, empty corner of the site. His legs give out, and he collapses onto the cold floor, wiping the sweat from his brow and breathing heavily.
"That was too close," he mutters under his breath, trying to steady himself.
Suddenly, a creaking noise above him catches his attention. He looks up, and his heart skips a beat as he sees a metal sheet hanging by a single, rusted bolt. His stomach drops. The bolt creaks again, and with a snap, the metal sheet crashes down onto his right arm.
Pain explodes through his body as the metal severs his arm at the shoulder. Matt falls to his knees, staring at the stump where his arm once was. Blood pours from the wound, and he desperately presses his hand against it, trying in vain to stop the bleeding.
His vision begins to fade as his life slips away. In the final moments, his mind drifts back to the failures that have defined his short, painful life.
His first heartbreak hits him hardest. He still remembers the way his ex-girlfriend made him feel like the king of the world, only to tear his world apart when she left. After her, he couldn't bring himself to trust another woman. His mind constantly told him they'd hurt him the same way. He spiraled, becoming more withdrawn and self-destructive. His grades plummeted, and he became a slave to drugs and gambling.
Fate seemed to have a cruel hold on him, especially after he cheated at a casino by counting cards. For a while, he thought he was unbeatable. But soon, the casino staff started noticing. They couldn't ignore the fact that Matt was winning too much. When the owner, the feared gang leader of the city, found out, he didn't hesitate. He made Matt pay back every penny he'd won.
"Oh, that's right. My life was a failure," Matt whispers weakly, his body cold, his eyelids as heavy as lead. "If only I had another chance at a better life..." His voice fades as he closes his eyes, awaiting the inevitable.
Then, something changes. He feels something soft and warm beneath his head. A comforting touch, smooth as silk, brushes his cheek. He feels a drop of something wet on his face.
His eyes snap open. A woman is standing over him, her face filled with sorrow. She's crying, her tears falling softly as she gazes at him with an expression of deep sadness.
"Who are you?" Matt asks, his voice barely a whisper, his throat dry.
The woman doesn't respond with words. Instead, she gently places a strange rock where his right arm had been. The moment her hand touches his skin, she vanishes with a sound like a jet breaking the sound barrier, leaving him alone in the dark.