The night when all ended

The night was silent, the city swallowed in darkness. Only car headlights and traffic lights pierced the gloom, their harsh glare illuminating the deserted street. It was cold, the once majestic trees now skeletal silhouettes reaching for a sky unseen.

They walked fast, like figures fleeing an unseen pursuer, their pace quickening to a breathless run. Reaching the traffic lights, hands shoved deep in pockets, headphones blasting, a song reverberated in Jay's skull, the same line repeating on a loop, hypnotic and mesmerizing. Lost in the rhythm, he forgot the most basic act of survival - to check the light.

A sickening thud. The screech of brakes, a desperate attempt to stop the inevitable. Then, silence. A deafening, suffocating silence. A body crumpled on the asphalt, a moment of inattention leading to a catastrophic end. They shouldn't have crossed. The truck driver, shaken, fled the scene.

By chance, Jay's stopwatch activated in the chaos, its digital face displaying 7:00. It continued counting, a cruel timer in this battle between life and death. His eyes, open but slowly dimming, held a story within their faded blue depths. They showed a bright memory: a two-tailed, five-year-old girl with bright laughter, her tiny dress chosen with love by her mother. She soared on a swing, pushed by her mother's gentle hands, a picture of perfect, innocent joy.

History taught him that happiness resided in that innocent state, before burdens of understanding and responsibility weighed us down. He longed for that lost innocence, a memory fading fast as another flickered to life.

Darkness. Then, a brilliant light streamed through a window. Sunlight dappled the leaves of a young tree, swaying gently in the spring breeze. The peaceful scene morphed into a colder one. The same little girl, now with shorn hair styled in pigtails, stared critically at her reflection in the mirror. Ten minutes had passed, yet the image before him remained alien. He saw flaws, a need to change, to shrink himself to fit the mold of acceptance. He hid, donning clothes mirroring those of his peers, desperate to belong.

A voice boomed, shattering the silence. "Jay, you'll be late for school! Hurry up!"

Blackness returned, like the closing curtains of a play, leaving the audience yearning for an encore. The rhythm of the song on Jay's headphones faltered, slowing down as his memories flowed fast and fearless.

A car horn pierced the quiet. Not the one from the accident, but a gentle reminder of the present. Evening had fallen. Serena, waited impatiently in her car. Jay emerged from the building, a knot of anxiety tightening his throat. He craved fresh air, but continued towards the car with an awkward gait. Sliding in, he offered a shy hello. Serena, responded with a simple nod. They drove in silence, the night deepening outside as rain began to fall. The radio remained stubbornly silent, an awkward tension hanging heavy in the air. Then, with a sputter, it crackled to life.

"I think I like when it rains," the lyrics filled the car. Briefly, their eyes met, a shared smile before they looked away, pretending nothing had happened. But then, Jay started humming the tune, Serena joining in softly. He took her hand, butterflies erupting in his stomach. Maybe this was love, maybe his first.

Meanwhile, the blue in Jay's eyes faded, replaced by a chilling white. He was alone, trapped in the middle of the crosswalk, facing the abandoned truck. Its headlights blazed, turning the night into a tableau of despair. They illuminated him like a martyr, sealing his fate.

A kaleidoscope of beautiful memories flooded his mind, compressed into the final, most important minute. Jay's life, though brief - a mere twenty years - was brimming with experiences, tears, smiles, growth, and change. He'd found a job, a place to live, started university, building a simple but meaningful life. His absence wouldn't leave a gaping hole in the world, but it would leave a void in the hearts of those who loved him.

A song began to play, growing louder by the second.

"Life will continue, life will continue, life will go on, even though I'm not there and I'm just a ghost, I will still be the wind and the trees in the park, please don't be sad, there is nothing left but a memory, I know you can resist..."

"And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it
Another version of me, I was in it
I wave goodbye to the end of beginning".
*End of beginning by djo *

The song echoed Jay's passing as he stepped onto the street, oblivious to the looming truck.

The seven minutes ticked down.

3...

2...

1...

....
You take the man out of the city, not the city out the man
You take the man out of the city, not the city out the man
You take the man out of the city, not the city out the man
You take the man out of the
And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it
Another version of me, I was in it
Oh, I wave goodbye to the end of beginning
(Goodbye, goodbye)

Tears streamed down Jay's mother's face, mirrored by his father and Serena at the grave. The song swelled, a melody reaching for the entire city, the country, the world. You mattered, Jay. And you wouldn't be forgotten.