Chapter 9: Back from the Brink of Death
Alex's eyes were heavy, glazed with the exhaustion of a man who had given up. He lay alone in that dark, damp shack, his body failing him. No water, no food, and no reason to live. He closed his eyes, surrendering to the cold, thinking this was finally the end.
Suddenly, a loud voice shattered the silence.
"Hey! Anyone inside? Open the door!"
Alex didn't have the strength to even whisper. The boy outside knocked twice, then thrice, and when there was no answer, he delivered a powerful kick. The door flew open, hitting the wall with a bang. Sunlight flooded the room, revealing Alex slumped on the floor, half-dead.
"My God! Brother, what have you done to yourself?" the boy shouted, rushing to Alex and lifting his head.
When Alex finally opened his eyes, he was surrounded by sterile white walls and the sharp smell of antiseptics. He was in a hospital. He turned his head slowly and saw the same boy sitting on a chair beside his bed.
"You're awake? Man, if I had been ten minutes later, you would've been gone for good," the boy said with a relieved smile.
Alex's voice was a raspy whisper. "Who... who are you? Why did you save me?"
The boy leaned forward. "I'm Sameer. That shack where I found you? That was my grandmother's house. It's been empty since she passed away and we moved to the city. I only came back today to check the land because I want to build a new house there... and I found you."
Alex remained silent, the weight of his reality crashing back down. Sameer placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "What happened, brother? How did you end up like this? Don't you have anyone?"
Tears welled up in Alex's eyes. He told Sameer everything—how his family had kicked him out, how his best friend had betrayed him, and how he had become a 'Zero' rotting on the streets.
Sameer listened, his face hardening with anger. He slammed his hand on the table. "That wasn't a friend; that was a snake! And as for your family... forget them for now. Listen, from today, you aren't alone. I'm starting construction on that land, and you're going to work with me. Together, we'll show this city how to turn trash into gold."
For the first time, Alex didn't see disgust in someone's eyes. He saw respect. Right there, in that hospital room, a friendship was born—a partnership that would become the first step toward his ultimate revenge sabseThe hospital discharge was silent. Sameer didn't just leave Alex on the street; he took him to a decent hotel, booked a room, and stayed by his side. "You need to rebuild yourself, Alex. Not just your body, but your spirit," Sameer said firmly.
In the days that followed, Sameer became Alex's shadow. He helped him eat when his hands were too weak to hold a spoon, and he helped him walk when his legs felt like lead. Slowly, a bond formed—the kind of friendship that isn't built on words, but on actions. Sameer was the brother Alex never had, the family that didn't throw him away.
Sameer didn't stop there. He bought Alex new clothes—expensive, crisp shirts and trousers that hid the scars and the bones sticking out of his skin. He gave him money, not as charity, but as an investment. "You're going to help me with the construction project," Sameer would say. "I need someone I can trust."
Alex tried. He really did. He would go to the construction site with Sameer, trying to focus on the blueprints and the dust. But the struggle was real. Every few hours, his body would give up. He would feel dizzy, his breath hitching as the trauma of the past few months surged back. He would sit in a corner, sweating, unable to lift a single brick.
But Sameer never got angry. He would just hand him a bottle of water and say, "Take your time, brother. Rome wasn't built in a day."
Despite the comfort of the hotel, the good food, and the expensive clothes, Alex remained a ghost. In the luxury of his room, while the city lights hummed outside, he would lie on the bed, staring at the ceiling for hours. His heart was still heavy, still bleeding.
Every night, when Sameer left, Alex would pull out the locket or look at the photo of Her. The world thought he was recovering, but inside, he was still in that dark shack, crying for the girl who didn't even know he existed. He had found a brother in Sameer, he had found a path out of the gutter, but his soul was still anchored to the girl who had unknowingly become his reason for living—and his reason for dying.
Sameer would look at him and sigh, knowing that while he could fix Alex's life, he couldn't fix his heart. Alex was now a man with money and clothes, but in his mind, he was still the same "Zero" waiting for a miracle that might never come Every day was a struggle for Alex. He spent his hours at the construction site, trying to push his weak body to the limit. He would lift a brick, and his muscles would scream. He would walk a mile, and his breath would fail. Sameer was always there, guiding him, but Alex's mind was a thousand miles away, locked in the memory of the girl he loved—even though his traitor friend had already burnt her photo right in front of his eyes, destroying his only hope.
One afternoon, Sameer had to leave for some urgent work, leaving Alex alone at the site. Alex didn't stop. He worked with a desperate intensity, trying to prove to himself that he wasn't a "Zero" anymore. He was sweating, his clothes covered in dust, when a shadow fell over him.
It was Him—the "friend" who had destroyed Alex's life.
"Well, well... look at you," the Predator Friend sneered. "The beggar is trying to become a king? Whose money are you burning now, Alex? Give me back the money I 'invested' in you. Pay me back for every meal I fed you while I was making a fool out of you!"
Alex's blood boiled. He tried to fight back, tried to strike the man who had ruined him. But Alex was still too weak, too broken from months of trauma. The Predator Friend was stronger and fueled by pure malice. He pinned Alex down, punching him repeatedly, slamming his head into the ground.
"Give up, Alex! You were born a Zero, and you'll die a Zero!" the friend hissed. Alex felt his vision fading. His eyes began to close as he felt the darkness of death approaching. He had failed. He couldn't even take his revenge.
Just as Alex was about to lose consciousness, a shadow loomed over them.
Before the Predator Friend could land another blow, Sameer appeared out of nowhere. Without a second's hesitation, Sameer delivered a vicious, bone-breaking kick right into the predator's face.
The man flew back, blood spraying from his nose and mouth. Sameer didn't stop. He lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against a concrete pillar. He beat him mercilessly, making him feel every bit of pain he had caused Alex.
"If I ever see your face near him again, I'll bury you under this very building!" Sameer roared.
The Predator Friend, now a sobbing, bloodied mess, began to beg. "Please! I'm sorry! I'll go... I'll never come back! Just let me go!"
Sameer threw him away like trash. He then rushed to Alex, who was barely breathing. Sameer lifted him up, took him back to the hotel room, and began cleaning his wounds. He stayed by Alex's side, making sure he was safe.
As Alex lay in the quiet of the hotel room, recovering, he realized that he owed his life to Sameer once again. He was safe for now, but the fire inside him was growing. He looked at his bruised hands and made a silent vow: he would get strong, he would get successful, and he would never be the one on the ground again.