When he left the hospital after school Friday, instead of going home, he went to the first of his weekend jobs. Grayson’s Grocery wasn’t glamorous, but it put a few extra bucks in his pocket and helped cover the never-ending pile of bills.


    As Leo stocked shelves that Friday evening, he noticed the manager, Carl, glaring at him. Carl was a walking cliché of a boss – balding, with a permanent scowl and a tendency to bark orders like he was still leading a platoon.


    “Adams!” Carl barked from the end of the aisle. “You call this stocking? Look at these cans. They’re practically falling off the shelf. You trying to kill someone?”


    Leo bit back a retort and nodded, forcing himself to remain calm. This job might’ve been soul-crushing, but he couldn’t afford to lose it. The last thing he needed was Carl’s rants about “these kids today.”


    “Yes, sir,” he said, forcing a polite nod. “I’ll fix it.”


    Once Carl stormed off, Leo went back to arranging cans, suppressing the urge to hurl a few of them across the aisle. The job was exhausting, and every hour here felt like another link in the chain tying him to a life he didn’t want. But it was money – just enough to keep his head above water.


    Friday. Monolithic Dreams.


    That night, Leo finally crawled into bed after a three-hour shift at Grayson’s and another four-hour shift waiting tables at Rudy’s diner. He barely had time to close his eyes before he was pulled into a vivid dream.


    In the dream, he was back at the monolith. The symbols glowed faintly, and as he stared at them, a figure appeared beside him – a woman. She was hazy, like an image underwater, but he could see her face, and he knew that face. It was his mother.


    She looked at him, her eyes soft but determined, like she had something to tell him, something important. But before she could speak, the dream shattered, and he jolted awake, his heart pounding.


    As he lay there in the darkness, Leo felt a strange sense of purpose, a tug pulling him back to the game, to the hidden monolith, like a part of him had been left behind in that virtual world.


    Saturday. Local Tension.


    Saturday Night, Leo tried to avoid the alleys on his way home, but sometimes, taking the long way around only delays the inevitable. Tonight was one of those nights. As he rounded the corner, he saw a figure waiting for him – a tall, muscular man with a scar running down his cheek and a hard look in his eyes.


    “Leo,” the man said, his voice low and rough. “Been lookin’ for you.”


    Leo swallowed, keeping his face calm. “Vince,” he said, nodding. “What’s up?”


    Vince ran a small gang in Leo’s neighborhood, a rough group that handled everything from petty theft to protection rackets. He’d been trying to recruit Leo for months, and every time, Leo managed to slip out of it – barely. But he could tell Vince wasn’t here for small talk tonight.


    “Listen,” Vince said, stepping closer. “I’ve seen the way you handle yourself. You’re clever, got guts. I could use someone like you. Could make you a nice little sum each week, help you and your old man out.”


    Leo felt a pang in his chest, the thought of his dad’s hospital bills and his crumbling apartment weighing heavy on his mind. But he knew what joining Vince’s gang would mean – getting sucked into a world he’d never escape.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    “Thanks, but I’m good,” Leo said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Got enough on my plate as it is.”


    Vince’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t press the issue. “Your loss, kid,” he muttered. “But don’t come crawlin’ to me when you’re starving.”


    As Vince stalked off into the shadows, Leo let out a shaky breath, grateful for once that his reputation for not taking anyone’s crap had kept him safe. But deep down, he knew the offers would keep coming. And every time he said no, he’d be one step closer to losing what little he had.


    Saturday. Late Shift.


    Leo’s late-night job was at Rudy’s Diner, a dive where the crowd tended to blur together in a mess of faces. Tonight, it was busier than usual, and Leo found himself rushing from table to table, balancing plates and dodging the occasional leering comment from the bar regulars.


    “Hey, kid!” One of the older regulars shouted, waving his empty glass. “Another round over here!”


    Leo gave him a quick nod, trying not to make eye contact. The job was exhausting, and by the end of his shift, he felt like a zombie. As he walked out of the diner, his mind wandered back to the monolith, the symbols, the strange words that had called to him. The game was a mystery, something beyond his control, but it was also a distraction from the crushing weight of his life.


    Sunday. Back to the Game.


    By the end of the night, Leo felt stretched thin, as if he were living in two worlds that neither understood nor wanted him. His dad’s condition, the jobs, Vince’s persistent shadow, and the endless grind of survival all pressed down on him, making every day like an uphill battle. But at night, when he lay in bed, the thoughts of the monolith, his mother’s ghostly face, and the voice calling his name in that digital realm beckoned to him.


    The monolith in the game kept coming to mind. Lost Megaliths had become more a game to Leo. It was now more than just an escape; it was a lifeline to something he couldn’t explain, something that felt as much a part of him as his memories. He’d made up his mind to go back, to confront whatever seemed to call to him, but real life had one more test in store.


    Leo pulled his hood up against the misting rain as he left his late-night shift at Rudy’s Diner, exhaustion weighing him down. His bus was late, and the city felt emptier than usual, with only the occasional passing car sending splashes of water toward the curb. He shifted on his feet, wishing the bus would hurry up and arrive so he could get home.


    A figure across the street caught his attention – a man, tall and dark, his face shadowed by the low brim of a wide, black hat. Leo squinted, unsure if he recognized the man or if the shadows were playing tricks on him. The man didn’t move, just stood beneath a streetlight, angled toward Leo as if he was watching him. Leo felt an uneasy shiver travel up his spine, but he quickly shrugged it off. Probably just some guy waiting for the bus like him, he thought.


    When the bus finally pulled up, Leo climbed on board, heading straight to the back, where he slumped into a window seat. Two other passengers climbed on and took seats nearby, but the man across the street moved slowly, almost deliberately, as he walked toward the bus. Leo watched as the man stepped inside, passing the driver without a glance. Oddly, the driver didn’t seem to register his presence at all – not a glance, a nod, nothing.


    Leo turned his gaze to the window, hoping the man wouldn’t come near him. He took a deep breath and exhaled, letting his shoulders relax for a moment. Then he heard a commotion toward the front as another passenger wrestled with an unruly umbrella, nearly smacking the mysterious man as he walked down the aisle. Strangely, the man stopped just short of being hit, as though he sensed it coming. Then, after a few seconds, he continued his way down the aisle, each step deliberate, his cane tapping softly on the floor.


    Leo glanced up, meeting the man’s eyes for the briefest moment. The man was staring at him, his face blank but his gaze intense, unblinking. Leo quickly looked away, willing his heartbeat to slow as he tried to ignore the feeling that he was being studied. Maybe it was one of Vince’s guys, he thought, and he forced himself to relax, hoping his face betrayed none of his nerves.


    But the man kept glancing at him, his gaze flicking over Leo’s face every few minutes. The bus ride felt endless, every stop and start punctuating Leo’s rising tension. After thirty agonizing minutes, Leo couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to get away from the man and his unsettling stare.


    As the bus rolled to the next stop, Leo stood up and headed for the door, hoping the man wouldn’t follow. But just as he was about to step off, the man’s cane appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Leo froze, his eyes narrowing in irritation. He glanced at the man’s face, which remained blank and unmoving.


    “Excuse me,” Leo muttered, stepping around the cane. The man didn’t stop him, and Leo quickly exited the bus, his steps quickening as he put distance between himself and the stranger.