(Pages rustling)
(Footsteps echoing)
(A cabinet creaks open)
"I need to get ready for work."
He packed his backpack with quiet precision, taking his keys from the nightstand. Resting beside them was a worn photo: his mother, his dog Aby, and faintly visible in the background a torn image of his father in uniform. The upper part, his face, had been ripped clean off.
As he stepped onto the balcony to wait for the elevator, muffled shouts and loud thuds echoed from next door. A violent couple lived there. To his left, an elderly woman sweet but forgetful took out the trash every morning.
"Looks like you forgot your garbage again, dear!" Her voice came cheerfully through the door, laughing.
(Elevator humming)
(Floor numbers lighting up)
(Button click: Ground Floor)
(Air hissing through the shaft)
(A breath sharp, cold)
"Brr… when did it get so cold all of a sudden?" Behind him, something shifted. A massive shadow loomed silently. But he didn't notice.
"Come on, come on can't be late again!" He muttered to himself, bouncing lightly on his feet.
(Ding)
(Lights flash)
(Elevator doors open)
He walked out, the looming shadow remaining behind… watching.
"Hey, Drek! You ready to go?"
His coworker waited for him by the entrance. "Don't tell me you took out the neighbors' trash again?"
"Yeah. Problem?" Drek replied without much thought.
"No, no just hurry up. If we're late, the boss'll bite our heads off."
(They walk through the crowded metropolis of Dacias, a city designed like architects never slept)
(Horns blaring)
(Machines growling)
(Subway rushing)
"Hey Drek, heard you got a solo project assigned!"
The coworker smirked, nudging him.
"Great. Let's just hope they pay me like it's solo work."
He chuckled, adjusting the strap of his bag.
They arrived at the mirrored building tall and sharp, its glass reflecting the morning sun. It cast light onto the park and fountain below.
"Drek, in my office," a voice called from the upper floor.
It was the boss a man older than time yet younger than fear. Maybe fifty. Sharp suit. Sharp eyes. He looked more like a retired professor than a corporate overseer.
"I just got here and he's already calling me in… perfect," Drek sighed and entered the office.
The room was immaculate, almost sterile but the view behind the desk was alive. A breathtaking forest sprawled beyond the window, cradled beside a winding river.
"Drek, we've uncovered a collapsed house. War era. Still standing in ruins. I want you to go check it out. Maybe there's something worth pulling from it."
Drek frowned. "That sounds like a lot for one guy… Shouldn't I have a team with me?"
The boss let out a short laugh.
"What, afraid of ghosts? Come on even kids these days don't believe in that crap anymore."
"Fine… but at least give me the rest of today off, yeah? I could use a breather."
He raised an eyebrow, half-joking, half-hoping.
"Alright, alright. You've got today. But tomorrow… you go."