For a moment, there was nothing.
Ezra's body slumped against the cold wall of the street shop, rain pouring down like a curtain between him and the world.
Inside his mind-silence.
No sound.
No movement.
No light.
He tried to lift his hands.
Nothing.
Tried to open his eyes.
Nothing.
Even his heartbeat felt distant, like an echo trapped in a locked room.
Panic clawed through him.
He could feel himself screaming inside, but no voice left his throat.
Only void.
Just endless black that's all he can see.
Then came breath-ragged, sharp. His lungs burned as he sucked in air, body jerking back to life. The rain returned all at once: cold, loud, alive.
Ezra's eyes snapped open.
He gasped, drenched, his pulse hammering as he blinked through the haze. The little girl was still there, sitting in the puddle, staring at him with wide, confused eyes.
He forced himself upright, crouching near her."Hey… you okay, kiddo?" he asked, voice low and hoarse.
She nodded, shivering.
Ezra hesitated, searching her face, some unspoken recognition gnawing at the edge of his mind. "We've met before, haven't we?"
The girl frowned and shook her head. "No, Mister. I don't know you."
Ezra exhaled, lips twitching into a faint, self-mocking grin. "Right… just my weird head again."
He took out his folded handkerchief, wiping the rain from her tangled hair, then handed her his umbrella."There. Keep it. And hey, don't go running through puddles next time, alright? The storm doesn't play nice."
She smiled faintly, eyes bright. "Thank you, Mister. Bye!"
Ezra nodded and rose to his feet. "Take care, kid."
The crowd swallowed her soon after, a small shadow vanishing into the city's grey pulse.
He stood there for a moment longer, the rain washing over him like static. Then, with a heavy breath, he reached into his pocket and looked at the crumpled appointment card. Dr. Ezekiel - 10:00 A.M.
The letters blurred under the droplets, but he read them anyway.He tucked the card back into his pocket and started walking, every step echoing through puddles.
The rain still hadn't stopped. The city's heartbeat grew louder with each turn of the street, until the glass doors of the therapy center came into view-dim lights glowing beyond the fogged surface.
Ezra paused outside. His reflection stared back at him-warped by the glass, eyes dark and hollow, the same black mirrors that never blinked when he did.
He pushed the door open.
And stepped inside.
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