When I met you

Our laughter grew louder and louder as we reveled in the boisterous music, speeding recklessly in the car for the thrill of it.

"Mina! Take one! Why don't you try it? Scared?" Karam said, offering me a pack of cigarettes. I shook my head, declining, and replied, "Thanks, but I don't smoke."

Karam shrugged indifferently, lit his cigarette, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. I said to him anxiously, "Watch the road, Karam!"

"Y-yeah, slow down a bit," George commented in a hushed tone.

"Don't worry, you're in the hands of the most skilled driver in all of Egypt," Sameh exclaimed as Karam smiled and turned up the radio, which continued to play loud music. Our laughter echoed in the car as we chatted the night away.

Suddenly, the voices fell silent, the laughter vanished, the music stopped, and everything dissipated. Abruptly, the place around me turned into a dark abyss, where I could see or hear nothing. Darkness embraced me warmly, and excruciating pain welcomed me with open arms, while I felt my head about to explode from the agony. I felt my body being squeezed and my bones slowly shattering. I gradually lost sensation and then sank into the darkness, unaware of anything that followed.

Loud music, echoing laughter, desperate screams echoed in my ears, and a searing flame lashed at my face mercilessly. I screamed and screamed until my throat was torn apart. I resisted and tried to escape those raging fires that were slowly approaching me, and there was no escape! There was no escape! All paths were closed, and the fires surrounded me from all sides.

I heard familiar voices calling me, and I looked around to find the source of the call. My heart raced, my breathing became heavier and more difficult, and I screamed at the top of my lungs:

"No! No! George! Karam! Sameh!"

But my bloody screams did not reach them; they faded into silence and were swallowed by the flames with my friends who were burned to death, and I could no longer see any trace of them. The fires drew closer to me until they reached my feet as I writhed in pain and cried for help, and the fires began to devour me. Suddenly, a bright light flashed before my eyes, and I felt someone pulling me away, far away from those raging fires. I turned quickly, but I saw nothing but emptiness... emptiness...

-"Heart rate is increasing rapidly! His breathing is getting faster! He'll need a sedative injection quickly!"

-"When will he wake up? It's been a whole month!"

-"Don't worry, sir, we'll do our best to wake him up. His vital signs have risen significantly, which indicates that he is partially awake. He feels us, but he needs time."

I felt a bright light invading my eyelids, and my face contorted from the annoying light. Slowly but surely, I tried to open my eyes gently, and as soon as I opened them, I was greeted by stark white walls, and the smell of disinfectants and cleaners pierced my nose. It was undoubtedly the hospital. I was in the hospital?! What happened?! My eyes wandered around the place, and I noticed those IV solutions that shackled both my hands and some white bandages that were scattered all over my body. Unfortunately, my mind could not help me remember what happened. I remained in that distracted state for nearly five minutes until the door of the room opened, and a rather thin and tall young man entered. He was fair-skinned with dark auburn hair and a light, well-groomed black beard, approaching me calmly. His face was bright and serene, bearing very calm features that instilled comfort in souls, and I don't know why I felt a strange and distinct feeling towards that young man. As soon as he saw me awake, he gave me a faint smile and said, "Welcome back, Mina. I was sure you would wake up. You have a strong will. Your body resisted its pain and wounds with resilience, and here you are finally awake!"

Finally?! Wait, how long have I been in this sleep?!

I cleared my throat as I gathered myself to speak slowly, as if I had forgotten how to speak: "H-how long... have I been here?! And what... happened to me?!"

He smiled at me again as he fiddled with some of the medical devices that surrounded me, then answered me calmly: "It's okay, these are some of the possible symptoms. You were in an accident about a month ago, and you suffered severe injuries that led to you falling into a coma."

I was silent and did not say anything, and I began to wonder. I have been asleep for a month!! And what kind of accident is he talking about?! I was lost in thought and unaware of myself until I was awakened by the doctor's voice: "But it's okay, your physical wounds have almost healed, and since you're awake, you'll be discharged soon. We'll call your father to reassure him."

My father! He must be worried about me! I hummed in response, and the doctor followed up as he held a syringe in his hand: "I'll inject you with these vitamins and then I'll leave. You need to rest after that."

And then another young man entered the room, but he seemed to be a novice nurse. The doctor greeted him and then spoke as he injected the vitamins into my blood: "Karam, if you please, could you inform Mina's father that he has woken up?"

I didn't hear the other's response, and I wasn't aware of his leaving the room; because I was immersed in another world, a world far away from here. I was immersed in the world of memories that began to pour down on me mercilessly. I remembered! I remembered! Karam! George! Sameh! My friends! We were together and then...then...everything went black, and I haven't seen them since then. What happened to them?! Are...are they okay?! My heart rate rose, my sweating increased, and I tried to reassure myself. Yes, I shouldn't worry, they will be fine. I think they will come to visit me too and...

"Mina! Mina! Are you okay? Take a deep breath and don't tire yourself out!" the doctor exclaimed, shaking me gently, trying to bring me out of my reverie, and he succeeded. I turned to him quickly with a face devoid of expressions, and I asked him in a loud tone: "M-my friends! Where are they?! Where are my friends?! What happened to them?!"

And I wish I hadn't asked! He smiled at me calmly, and I don't know how, but that smile seemed sad and apologetic and shattered that faint hope in my heart. Then he placed his hand on my shoulder, patting it gently and calmly, and he said, "I'm sorry, they all passed away in this accident, unfortunately."

My lips trembled as I muttered all sorts of words of denial. I stared into his eyes, begging them to deny, to deny what their owner was uttering, but no, I saw in them nothing but steadfastness and truth, and I felt as if my heart had been torn to shreds. I had lost them! I had lost my dearest friends! I survived alone again!

I shook my head, denying what I had just heard. No! This didn't happen! This is not true! He's lying! I turned to him, sparks flying from my eyes, and I shouted at him loudly: "Damn you! You're lying! You're a liar! Damn you! My friends didn't die! Karam didn't die! No one died! Damn you!"

"Calm down, Mina! Calm down! Everything will be fine! This is fate and destiny, and as you know, no one can repel fate. You have to accept it and everything will be alright_"

"Damn you and acceptance and everything! Damn you! I won't calm down! I won't calm down!"

My anger reached its peak, and I began to pant like a raging bull as I shook those IV solutions violently, detaching them from my hand and crashing them to the ground, making a resounding sound in the room while the doctor continued to calm me down, but I didn't care about anything and my heart was broken again. The doctor tried to restrain and calm me down, but he only increased my anger, and my eyes fell on the vitamin syringe that he had injected me with lying on the table. I picked it up without thinking and began to wave it at the doctor, telling him to stay away from me, and when he didn't stay away... I did it... Yes, I plunged the needle into his arm brutally, and I was not aware of myself and I do not know how I did it, but I saw the bright red blood gushing from his arm and his features contorted in pain as he tried to remove the needle gently. And then that nurse Karam entered when he heard the commotion, and he was horrified by the frightening sight of the doctor, so he rushed to me, holding another syringe in his hand and pinning me down, emptying the contents of the syringe into my blood. Gradually, I began to lose sensation, my eyelids grew heavy, and I fell unconscious.