1 Yup, I died

If I had to describe my life in one word, it was just typical.

I grew up as your typical teenager, finishing high school, completing my four years of college, and going on to work a 9-5 job, 5 days a week.

I never really had a girlfriend to say, mainly one-night stands, but one thing for sure was that I was not ugly.

Standing at 6"3' with blue eyes and brown hair, sharp eyes, and a chiseled jawline and a lean physique, I can at least appreciate my looks.

I've always aim to achieve more with in my life, hoping for a fulfilling, romantic relationship, but every since my first girlfriend cheated on me with with good friend, I've developed this feeling distrust towards many people, especially with relationships leading to all these one-night stands.

Yeah, I felt pretty disappointed with my life so far that for the 30 years I have lived, I never accomplished anything great, or even obtained a fulfilling relationship.

The only times I felt that there was at least some joy in my life was when I grabbed a new comic from the bookstore and sat down to read it.

Yup, I was basically an otaku, as a means to escape from the black and white life I was living so far.

Well I enjoyed reading manga like Attack on Titan and watching anime like Black Clover and Naruto.

I even binged watched all 720 episodes of Naruto (yes even the fillers) in 2 weeks, something I have no regrets for.

But yeah watching all these anime and reading these manga first started off as a coping mechanism for all the things I have gone through, but afterwards it became a lifestyle.

I even gotten to the point where I started reading fanfictions to get all these wish fulfillments that I wanted to see happen from all that I have read and watched.

I enjoyed these moments of my life, allowing me to escape to my own fantasies.

Well that is basically my life, the life of Adrian James, or it was, cause yeah you got it, I died.

***3 hours ago***

I jut arrived here in New York for Christmas as I was spending it this year at my parent's place.

Getting out of the airport was like forcing your way through a stamped since it was only 5 days before Christmas and everyone was traveling around this time.

Finally getting out, I tried getting a taxi but with all these lines and people waiting, I know it will be at least a 30min wait to finally get a ride so I decided to at least explore a bit to waste some time.

I already bought somethings for my parents, but I just planned to give some cash to my siblings. However, seeing that there was a mall nearby, I might as well try to get something to give to my brothers.

Entering the mall, I went to a store, checking out the clothing seeing if anything was worth the buy.

As I was checking some of the items when all of a sudden, I hear gunshots being fired up into the air and people screaming.

I turn around to see 3 men entering the store with black ski masks and carrying armed rifles trying to rob the store.

Robber 1: "EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!, this as you can see is a robbery so if you all can kindly move you asses against the wall here, you won't worry about 2 bullets being shot through your head.

Saying those words, everyone suddenly came to a stop and it was dead silent with a few whimpers being heard in the back.

Adrian thought: 'Really a robbery during Christmas week, were everything is busy. I don't know if these guys are that desperate or just plain stupid.'

As if noticing what I was thinking, one of the robbers pointed their gun at me suddenly and said,

Robber 2: Did you say something big guy?

Adrian: "...."

The third robber came up to me putting the muzzle of the gun on my forehead.

Robber 3: "Hey man, he asked you a question, cat got your tongue? It is polite to respond when someone asks you a question. So if you don't want to dig your hole deeper, I expect you to be a good buy and answer the question.

Seeing the actions of the man, a chill went down everyones' spine as you can see a few people shaking from fear.

Adrian: "....nothing, I said nothing."

Robber 2: " You think you can fucking lie to me, I definitely heard something coming out of that shitty mouth of yours."

Robber 2 was getting angry that at this point I could see his finger moving slightly on the the trigger hoping to just push it down just a bit more.

Robber 1: "Guys, now is not to play any fucking games right now. 2 go get the valuables from everyone while 3 and I go take everything from the registers and their safe. (If you got confused 2 refers to Robber 2, and 3 refers to Robber 3)

Robber 3 puts down the muzzle from my forehead and scoffs as he moves to go join Robber 1. I can see the hesitation in Robber 2's eyes as he doesn't want to follow 1's orders right now but he relents and decides to yield.

Robber 2 looks me straight in the eyes and says: "If you playing around and lie to me again your fucking dead. Now go and join the rest of the people by the wall and stay silent"

It took me a few seconds to process what he just said, but after I followed his words and joined the rest of the people against the wall.

I sat down beside a mother and her daughter.

The mother was beautiful in her own right. Having red hair and green eyes. Wearing glasses along with a voluptuous chest and tight clothes that highlighted every curve of her body. She looked like one of those sexy secretaries if they had their hair loose. Her daughter was about 10 years old and looked very similar to her showing how in the future she would also grow up to be a beauty.

Right now the mother and daughter pair were shivering in fear. The daughter had tears falling from her eyes while the mother was trying to hold back the tears from falling.

Seeing how both of them were so scared, I decided to try and console them.

Adrian in a quiet, soothing voice: "Hey, everything is going to be alright just try and stay calm and we will be able to get through this."

The woman looks into my blue eyes. Seeing how calm and unperturbed I was, she calms down just a bit and just hold her daughter closer to her tighter. However what I didn't expect was that she got closer to me leaning slight on my shoulder with her daughter in between us.

The daughter was looking between me and her mother, confused on what's happening right now while still shaking slightly. Seeing how she was still afraid, I put my hand on her hand, patting her slightly to try and get her to calm down and it worked as she stopped shaking. As I was about the put my hand away the little girl grabs hold of my hand, shaking as if she was fearing my leaving her. I let her hold my and she calms down again.

The mother looks at this interaction and smiles slightly at the fact that her daughter had calmed down.

"Thank you" she says with a sweet, beautiful, and yet familiar voice as she continues leaning into my shoulder. I found myself in a daze from just hearing her voice, but I was quickly snapped out of it as Robber 2 suddenly came up to us demanding of us to hand all of our belongings.

However, when he suddenly catches sight of the red-head mother, his eyes were filled with lust and desire.

He suddenly points his gun at me and the mother.

Robber 2: "Get up"

Hearing his words the mother starts shivering from behind me unable to move from her spot.

Seeing how the woman is not listening to his words, the robber is starting to get slightly angry and speaks up again with more force

Robber 2:" Did you not hear me woman, I said get up NOW!!!"

Everyone starts to shake from his demanding tone looking at the woman with their eyes telling her to get up now and sacrifice herself from them.

Seeing how no one was going to help her at this point, the woman was about to get up with tears falling from her eyes. She has practically give up at this point and not willing to risk her daughter who was now crying silently into my arm. As she started to move, my mouth started to move on it's own.

Adrian: "Wow you lustful son of a bitch looking to take advantage of a mother at gunpoint just cause you can't get anyone else on your own."

It was as if time stopped as everything became dead silent after my mouth finished spitting out those words.

Adrian thought 'Why the hell did I just say that out loud. It was if was mouth moved on its own' as he started to sweat.

The woman stopped moving entirely as she was back in her spot behind my back seated with her head down. I couldn't see her face right now but all I heard was some quiet chuckling from behind of me.

The robber in front of me had his face entirely red from shame as I heard him gritting his teeth.

The robber yells: " I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR BULLSHIT. YOUR DEAD NOW!!!!"

As the robber was about to move to gun towards me, realizing that this was now life or death, I acted on instinct as I suddenly stand up and move forward tackling the man in the gut.

The gun fired some shots aimed upward as it now fell out of his hands.

I started punching at the man hoping to injury him first and then aim to go get the gun that fell from his hands.

As I punched his nose, he fell backwards holding his nose in pain as he yelled.

Seeing this as my chance I run with everything I have trying to get the gun that fell to the side.

With the gun being within arms reach I was about to grab a hold of the weapon until I heard a gunshot and felt a searing pain in my left leg.

I fell down hold my left leg screaming in pain. There was a bullet hole in right through my calf that hurts so fucking much.

I see that Robber 1 had the gun aimed at my position with some smoke coming out of his weapon showing how he was the one who shot me as his other hand held a bag filled with money and some jewelry.

Robber 1 yelled: "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING 2!?!?!?!

Robber 1 yells at Robber 2 demanding him to explain what has happened.

Even though I still felt a hell of a lot of pain, seeing how they were still distracted I still try to move slightly to the gun close to me using my arms pulling my forward.

However after moving a few feet, 2 more gunshots were heard as there were now 2 bullet holes in my right arm.

I scream in pain as the bystanders yell in fear and the mother was looking in my direction crying with pain in her eyes as she holds her daughter closer to her as she is crying loudly now with everything that is happening.

As Robber 1 and 2 look in my direction, they see how Robber 3 was the one who fired the two shots.

Raging now Robber 1 yelled "WHY THE HELL DID YOU SHOT RIGHT NOW!?!?!!"

Robber 3 responded "HE WAS MOVING TOWARDS THE WEAPONS TO SHOT YOUR SORRY ASSES WHO WERE DISTRACTED!!!!!!"

Realizing the severity of the situation as robber 1 looks at me under a puddle full of blood he says

"We are done now, this man is practically almost dead and the cops are about to come, grab the weapon and the bags here and we are leaving now.

The other two didn't complain and started to do as they were told and were preparing to rush out of here.

Here I was standing at the brink of death trying to hold on to the little time I have left.

'Why did this happen to me when I was about the visit my family for the first time in a few years, just why me.'

As the robbers run out of the store with everything they could hold right now. The people right now started calling 911 trying to get an ambulance while some just ran out.

The mother and daughter suddenly comes running to my side holding clothes to put on my wounds trying to stop the bleeding as tears are falling their eyes.

"I am so sorry Adrian, I am sorry for letting this happen, I am sorry, please forgive me I am sorry" says the mother as she mumbles as her daughter continues crying loudly by her side.

A multitude of things just went through my mind hearing her say my name I never told her as she is begging for forgiveness.

'How does she even know my name, I haven't even met her before. What is happening right now and why is she asking for forgiveness??? Could she have done something, does she know something???'

Trying to think of something as the last string of my conscience was now fading, the woman responds as if she heard me thoughts.

"I am sorry Adrian, I can't answer anything right now. This just had to happen and I couldn't do anything to stop. I know you don't know me, but just know this. I will always be by your side now and forever. My daughters and I will always love you no matter how much you have changed." (It is not a mistake, she has more daughters and they will be introduced later on)

I tried to respond to her but nothing comes out of my mouth.

Realizing that I was about to pass, the mother looks at me with a warm-loving smile as tears fall down her face. Right now, she looked as beautiful as every, but I also felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"I am sorry my love, even though the journey will be a long and tough one just know I will be watching. I will never lose you again."

Those were the final words I heard as I see a blinding white light as an arm grabs towards me, pulling my soul up.

A/N:

Damn this was 2,500 words. Sorry for the long introduction, I just wrote my heart out in this one not thinking much about it. Therefore there might be some grammar/spelling errors so sorry about that. If you do see errors just note it and I will fix it. Future chapters will definitely be shorter. But for those who stayed till the end and read what I have wrote, thank you. Comment if you want and I hope to see you next time.