Chapter 1: A Bolt from the Blue

"Can you believe Mr. Johnson's lectures?" Jake grumbled as they trudged home after enduring another mind-numbing physics class.

Ken chuckled in agreement, feeling the weight of the dense material they had just endured. "I swear, I'd rather get struck by lightning than sit through one of those again."

Jake laughed, the tension of the class slowly dissipating. "Hey, at least we're one step closer to getting out of here."

Ken nodded, grateful for the distraction. "Yeah, but who knows what other disasters await us before graduation."

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning split the sky with a deafening crack. Before Ken could react, he felt a jolt coursing through him, leaving him momentarily stunned and disoriented.

When Ken regained consciousness, he found himself in a sterile white hospital room, the steady beeping of machines filling the silence. His head throbbed as if it had been struck by lightning itself.

Jake stood beside him, his usual smirk replaced by a look of genuine concern.

"Dude, you got hit by lightning," Jake announced, his voice a mix of awe and disbelief. "You've been out for two days. The doctors say it's a miracle you're alive."

Ken blinked, trying to process what had happened. "Lightning? Seriously?"

Jake nodded, his eyes wide. "Yeah, man. You should have seen it. One minute we're walking home, the next you're zapped like a human lightning rod."

Ken couldn't help but chuckle weakly. "Well, that's one way to make an entrance, I guess."

As they settled into an awkward silence, Ken's mind wandered back to a strange vision he had seen just before the lightning struck—a fleeting image of his father's grocery store engulfed in flames. But he quickly brushed it off as nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

"I'm fine, Jake," Ken said, forcing a reassuring smile. "Just a little shaken up, that's all."

Jake raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Are you sure? You seemed pretty out of it when they brought you in."

Ken shrugged. "Must have been one hell of a dream. I don't remember much, to be honest."

Jake frowned, but decided not to press the issue. "Well, whatever it was, I'm just glad you're okay, man."

Ken nodded, grateful for Jake's concern. Despite his skepticism about the vision, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. But for now, he pushed it to the back of his mind, focusing on recovering from his electrifying ordeal.