Chapter 1: Chapter 1: A Cruel but Beautiful Life
The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to the air like a second skin. Machines whispered softly beside him—constant, rhythmic, indifferent. A muted heart monitor pulsed with green lines, each beat a stubborn reminder that he was still here.
Noel lay still.
The hospital bed creaked when he breathed. His body felt like lead—bones brittle, muscles hollow, skin stretched over what little remained. The morning light barely filtered through the pale curtains, painting the white room in cold, colorless hues.
'This place smells like death,' he thought, dryly.
His eyes, once sharp green, now dulled with exhaustion, scanned the ceiling. There were tiny cracks near the light fixture. He'd counted them dozens of times before. They hadn't moved. Unlike everything else in his life.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The wall clock mocked him.
'What the hell is life, anyway?'
'A one-way ride in a shitty car with no brakes?'
'Or some cosmic joke where the punchline is: "You die anyway"?'
He let out a breathless chuckle, the sound more rasp than laugh. Talking—even thinking—felt heavier these days.