It was a dry, dusty, relentless heat that seeped into the cracks of the buildings and the bones of the people. It smelt of exhaust fumes, spices, and the river Nile.
Karim sat on the edge of a flat rooftop in the Imbaba neighborhood. He was kicking his legs over the edge, watching the chaotic traffic below.
He was ten years old. Again.
He looked at his hands. They were tanned, dusty, and calloused. He was wearing a counterfeit Liverpool shirt that said SALAH 11 on the back, but the 'S' was peeling off so it just said ALAH.
"I pressed 'No'," Karim whispered to the smoggy horizon. "I swear to God, I pressed the 'No' button."
He remembered the hospital bed. The peace. The end. He was ready to sleep.
But the System—that glitchy, blue bastard—had other plans.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[WELCOME TO LIFE #4.]
[LOCATION: CAIRO, EGYPT.]
[CURRENT STATUS: STREET RAT.]
[DIFFICULTY: SUICIDAL.]
[NOTE: USER SELECTED 'NO'. SYSTEM INTERPRETED THIS AS 'PLAY HARD TO GET'. REBOOT INITIATED.]
