The cold metal digging into his thigh, a sensation laced with the scent of old bandages, tickled Taji’s nose. Ten years had passed, yet the sharp pain of that day remained as vivid as if it were yesterday. Beneath the dim operating room lights, the throbbing ache that accompanied every touch of the doctor’s hand made the echoes of the past even clearer.

*Black, what on earth did you do to me?*

Bryan’s face kept flashing in his mind. New Year’s Eve, 2017. A rusty revolver found in the corner of a dilapidated hall. A single bullet. A moment that began as a joke had rapidly spiraled into a nightmare. The look of bewilderment and terror on Bryan’s face, followed by his disappearing back. When Taji woke up in the hospital room, only the cold reality embraced him. He had no insurance, and his future was uncertain.