"Speaking"
'thoughts'
:Author's note:
...
Jake Anderson, a regular person trying to figure out where he belongs in society, one of his biggest regrets and maybe not one was, he never saw the truck until it was nearly too late.
One second, he was walking along the sidewalk, debating whether he should grab a late-night snack or just head home.
The next, headlights flared like second suns, and a deafening roar tore through the street as the massive vehicle skidded off-course. It missed him—but the gas station wasn't as lucky.
The explosion was instant—glass shattered, flames surged, and the world seemed to tilt. His first instinct was to run, to get as far from the chaos as possible. Before he could even think of what to do, he was already moving.
Against every self-preservation instinct, Jake had already charged into the wreckage. Heat licked at his skin, smoke clawed at his lungs wanting to get in, but he pressed forward—yanking open the truck door and hauling the driver out, his arms burning as embers danced in the air. 'Man this guy's heavy as shit.' Then, into the store—three dazed figures stumbled toward him, and he guided them out.
But there was one more—a silhouette barely visible beneath the rubble. Every muscle screamed at him to stop, but he didn't. Not yet. Not until he's finished.
His last act was pulling them free. He didn't have time to see if they made it to safety before the world collapsed around him. Specifically, about more than a ton of rubble crushing him into a fine pace that could be mistaken for spilled wine except his arm.
Silence.
Then, awareness.
Jake opened his eyes—not to flames, not to ruin, but to something impossible. The ground beneath him was an endless expanse of deep blue and black, shimmering with cosmic light. Rivers carved their way through the landscape, flowing like molten stars, liquid constellations winding through the hills.
A voice—low, commanding, strangely melodic—echoed through the expanse.
"You will bring great spectacle. Your tale shall enthrall the masses. Step forward—your stage awaits."
And with that, he gasped awake, the surreal landscape vanishing like a dream. He wondered what that feeling was while he was in that place, it felt like he was finally at peace.
An apartment. A book in his hands.
The words on its pages held answers—answers he wasn't ready for.