บท 3: Surreal
Pain. That was what Hunter felt the moment he got up. Every part of his body ached, and it took him a great deal of energy to even open his eyes. The bright light stung his eyes, and he closed them at once. He waited for a few seconds before he opened them again, this time slowly as he adjusted to the light.
The moment he saw the white wall before him, he frowned lightly. 'Am I in heaven already? Is this what heaven feels like?' He wondered, but he shook the thoughts out of his head the moment they had even come to him. He found them to be highly absurd and impossible. 'There is no way I would be in heaven. After all I have done and the number of people I have killed, I should be in hell.'
Hunter frowned lightly when a wave of pain shot through his shoulder and head. 'This sure does feel like hell. I must be in hell.'
Yet, something did not feel right to him, and even after thinking for long, he could not point out what. It was as though everything was normal and at the same time, it was not.
A beeping sound from his left gained his attention, and he twisted his body to see what it was, only to groan in pain. 'Shit!' He cursed under his breath as he took deep breaths to alleviate the pain. 'Wait a minute.' His eyes flew open when a thought came to his mind. 'How can I feel the pain if I am already dead? Is that even possible?'
Hunter did not get the time to dwell deep into it as the door opened and a man dressed in a white coat entered. "Ohh, you are awake. How do you feel now?" The man queried, and Hunter was taken aback by his question and more so because he found the man extremely familiar.
"Where am I?" His voice came out broken and unrecognizable.
"Please don't strain yourself. You have been unconscious for more than four hours. So, your throat has gone dry. Let me get you some water."
Hunter observed the man help him sit up before he got him a glass of water. Although baffled by his situation, he still took the glass of water and finished it in one go, soothing his dry throat.
"Where am I?" Hunter repeated his question, and this time, the man answered.
"You are at the hospital. How do you feel? Your shoulder must be aching, and it is time to change the dressing. I will call the nurse to help you." The man's reply confused Hunter greatly, and even before he could question him about it, the man pressed a bell towards the right on his bed. A nurse entered the room with a tray in her hands.
"His dressing needs to be changed, and once you are done, administer the painkillers. Then, when he gets up, move him to the general ward." The man ordered and checked Hunter's vitals carefully.
Hunter had no idea what was happening, and he stared at the man with many questions in his mind. "Did I survive the shoot?" His question left his lips even before he could stop himself.
"Yes, you did. You were lucky that the bullet hit you on your right shoulder and you suffered a mild concussion when you fainted.
"Right shoulder? Wasn't I hit near my chest?" Hunter was bewildered by the revelation. He recalled what had happened at the warehouse, and he clearly remembered that the bullets had hit him in his chest, and one of them had even pierced his heart. The man who had shot him had good aim.
"No, you were not. The bullet hit your right shoulder." The man looked down at Hunter in concern. "Are you alright?"
"I guess so." Hunter did not know what to say. "How is my knee?"
"Knee? What happened to your knee?" The man asked with a frown.
"Wasn't I shot in my knee?" Hunter was in disbelief at seeing the doctor's reaction, and he pushed himself forward, ignoring the pain that coursed through his body. He pushed the blanket off his body and stared at his knee hidden behind the hospital pajamas. Then, he slowly moved his feet, and when he felt no pain, he lifted his leg and bent them back.
Hunter was now speechless. His legs did not hurt as he had thought they would and he was utterly lost. The doctor and the nurse stared at each other, wondering what was wrong with the young man.
"Are you alright?" The doctor queried, and Hunter nodded lightly. "You must be in shock. You will get well once you rest," He assured him and nodded at the nurse to help the patient before he left the ward.
"Sir, let me help you with your dressing." The nurse placed the tray on the table and helped him remove his shirt. Hunter looked down and stared at the wound on his shoulder while there were no signs of him being injured whatsoever on his chest. He was beyond confused now, and he wondered if the night at the warehouse was all his nightmare.
'Did I dream about my death? Why would I get such a dream?' Hunter was so lost in thoughts that he did not even realize when the nurse had finished her work.
"Sir," Her voice broke him out of his reverie. "Your friend was worried about you. I will inform her about you."
"Who are you talking about?" Hunter was so baffled by the turn of events that his brain was muddled, and all his thoughts were jumbled.
"Sir, your friend is just outside the ward. I will send her in."
Hunter stared at her absent-mindedly.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The man heard a familiar voice, and immediately, his head snapped towards the door. His face broke out in a grin to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar situation.
"Naomi," He breathed, and the girl stopped in her track.
"Do you know me?" She questioned, shocked by his behavior. "Isn't this the first time we are meeting each other?"
"What do you mean? Noami, are you joking with me?" Hunter gave her a stern look, but the girl was still frozen in her spot.
"How do you know me? I just got your file two days ago, and this is the first time we are meeting each other." Naomi finally started walking towards him and dropped her bag on the table beside his bed. "Did Ryan tell you about me? But I must say I am impressed, it's only your second mission, and you are already injured. I must commend your abilities."
Hunter completely ignored her sarcastic remark, for he was stuck on something else she had commented about. 'Second mission. What does she mean by second mission? It was not my second mission when I was shot at the warehouse.'
Hunter gave a deaf year to all Noami was speaking as he thought through, and finally, after thinking for long, his eyes widened in realization. "Naomi, what year is this?"
Naomi gave him a questioning look before she answered him. "It's 2019."
"2019?" Hunter gave her an incredulous look. "Am I really in 2019?" He questioned again, and Naomi could not understand what the man was saying. "Did I get a new life? Did I die and get back in time?" He mumbled to himself, his face breaking out in a wide grin.
"This is incredible. I did not die. I did not die. I am alive." This time he shouted and Naomi was taken aback by his sudden shift in behavior.
"Yes, you are awake. But considering the way you are behaving, I presume you have lost your mind. Did you hit yourself in the head when you fell unconscious?" She questioned, her expression careful and anxious, and Hunter laughed at her words.
'Gosh, I thought I would never hear your voice again. I thought I would never see you again. I am so happy.' Hunter sighed in relief as he stared at the girl, who looked at him as though he was a lunatic.
But Hunter did not blame her, for he too felt everything to be crazy. It felt so surreal that he wondered if he was in a dream. How can he get back in time and return to the days when he was still a rookie hitman four years ago?
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