In a small, cluttered, but well-designed room, a young woman with short brown hair lay on a bed with a tube in her mouth connected to a ventilator.

Her eyes opened slowly as the fluorescent lights buzzed and the heart monitor beeped.

It had been several hours since she was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Her breathing was erratic when she first awoke.

Her chest felt tight, her vision blurry, and her brain felt as if it was being pricked by hundreds of needles.

When she looked around the unfamiliar environment with her bloodshot eyes, she couldn't help but panic.

The electrocardiogram alerted the nurse that she was having breathing difficulties, prompting her to undergo emergency surgery that lasted several hours.

After regaining consciousness half an hour ago and being informed of her situation, she appeared to have calmed down a little.

"I... I can't feel my feet. T-this is temporary right? Like aftershock right?"

Her trembling voice couldn't hide her concern, causing her doctor to have a crestfallen expression.

The doctor brought her family and lover into the room to consult with them about her condition.

However, the words that came out of his mouth felt like a bullet to their hearts with each sentence.

"Sarah has suffered trauma to the spinal vertebrae due to the crash, resulting in severe fractures."

"This has resulted in her building too much pressure in the thoracic spinal cor—"

"For f*ck sake, just say it in English!"

Her father couldn't help but yell, becoming visibly enraged with each passing sentence.

"Her spine has been heavily fractured causing limited function of the legs."

"...I'm sorry to inform you that your daughter will never be able to walk again."

The room became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"It will be at least sixty days before we can expect to see what kind of results we yield. In the meantime, it's imperative we start to talk about learning to live in your new body."

"You'll have to learn about how to monitor yourself in an entirely new way. You'll have limited sensations below your level of injury. This means you won't know when your bladder is full or be able to empty it voluntari—"

"But this is only temporary right?"

Her mother couldn't help but ask as she sobbed heavily.

"We don't know."

"WHAT THE F*CK DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW? THIS IS MY LITTLE GIRL'S LIFE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

Her father yelled at the doctor while poking him with his index finger.

"Sir, with all due respect Sarah has 7 broken ribs with a T12 burst fracture. This is a spinal injury where the vertebra breaks due to immediate and severe compression."

"We still have many tests to perform, and we remain optimistic, but it's too soon to assume that this is only a temporary condition."

"We have a CT Scan and possibly an MRI scheduled later on. We'll also have to discuss the physical therapy and necessary steps your daughter will need to take on her road to recovery."

Sarah couldn't stop herself from hyperventilating after hearing everything.

She felt as if she was going into shock.

She felt nauseous, numb, and could no longer hear the words that were being spoken.

Looking around the room once more to confirm that she wasn't dreaming, she looked into the eyes of all her loved ones, feeling their pitiful gazes.

Her mother was sobbing uncontrollably. Her father furiously shouting, and her current boyfriend seemed to be averting his gaze and staring at the ground for some reason.

She passed out yet again.

***

Standing outside of the door, Max couldn't refrain his mouth from twitching after everything he had heard.

It felt as if the universe was playing a prank on him.

He was granted his wish after months of suffering in silence.

He felt as light as a feather at this moment.

"Ahh, is this what it feels like to gain closure?"

"Aha ha hahaha"

He couldn't help but laugh as he made his way towards a trash can and threw away the bouquet of orchids in his hand.

He felt as if all his troubles had washed away as he skipped down the corridor, singing as if no one was watching him.

♫ Una mattina mi son svegliato ♫

♫ O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao ♫

♫ Una mattina mi son svegliato ♫

♫ Eo ho trovato l'invasor ♫

"Haha, this day couldn't get any bett— SH*T THE USB!"

***

<Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, England 4:13 PM>

'F*ck this is degrading.'

'Stop staring you plebs, don't you have anything better to do with your miserable lives?!'

"Ahaha, don't mind me, I lost my wristwatch in here."

Max couldn't help but feel embarrassed as he stood inside a dumpster, watching students pass by.

At this moment, he regretted throwing away the USB.

It had already been several minutes since he threw himself in. Fortunately, trash disposal only happened on Thursdays.

He had a realisation after today's events.

He didn't want to believe it at first, dismissing it as a coincidence.

Even going so far as to throw away the flash drive to dispel any suspicion that could be traced back to him.

But, after overhearing the doctor say that Sarah would never be able to walk again, and recalling his actions the day before, he came to a conclusion.

The USB was the real deal.

No matter what, he had to get it back, even if it meant losing his dignity.

After several more minutes of going threw piles of junk, rotten food and disgusting used products, he noticed a small transparent stick.

'THANK GOD'

He couldn't help but want to scream in delight but restrained himself because he didn't want to draw more attention to himself while still inside the dumpster.

Holding the flash drive in his hands, he couldn't contain his happiness and kissed it.

"..."

'Note to self... scrub lips with soap later.'

Raising the USB flash drive high in the air as if it was Simba in The Lion King, Max couldn't help but feel as if a heavy weight dawned on his shoulders.

'They say the goddess of opportunity has hair on her forehead but is bald from behind. Meaning if you meet her, seize her, for once you let her slip, you cannot catch her again.'

'I was not given this power. But I sure as hell will seize it.'

"Today the Sword of Damocles hangs high over my head."