Draven looked around the place. He didn’t know what he was looking at. It felt like the world between the street and the windy field was merged together and were apart at the same time. Leo was grinning, spreading out his arms, marveling at the beauty of it. “What are we doing here?” Draven asked again, just to stretch the moment. Leo smiled slowly; the smile of one who is drunk. “We’re going back into the game, Draven. Are you afraid?” “How will this lead us back into the game?” He asked. Leo sighed like he was talking to a one-year-old, yet his voice was still calm and yielding. “We’ll walk to the middle of the field and get sucked into the game,” Leo said. “We’ll get sucked in?” “Yeah, it’s like gravity, you know?” “No, I don’t know. I don't know anything about this.” “Oh that’s fine. This is your first time after all. You’ll get the hang of it soon.” “I won’t be getting the hang of anything because I’m not failing ever again.” “Jeez, relax Draven. I’m not accusing you
Draven walked a great distance before he got back into the street. It seemed like going back into the street was harder than coming in. What was Leo saying, anyway? You just have to think about it. That’s right, all he had to do was think about going back into the game and somehow he would step on that road. There had been so very little time between him and Leo; they hadn’t even discussed their interests and other things unrelated to the game. Leo gave him the feeling of having someone in the world who thought of him and wanted to involve him in every single thing. He even supported murdering people without knowing who it was. Smiling, Draven endured the rest of the long walk until he reached the street. It was magic. He was in a sandy field and the next he was in the street they’d just been in. The street was still empty, thankfully. He didn’t want to be bursting out of thin air while people were walking past. Draven squared his shoulder and began his journey. It wasn’t much, ac
Draven looked around before dragging his eyes back to him. “Why are you following me?” He asked the man, simply because there were no other questions that were fitting for that moment. “You look lost and helpless,” the man said, shrugging. “I’m high as fuck right now. I would very much like to help you. You want this, no?” Draven stared at him. The man was bushy; that was the right description to use for him. His beard and heart kind of connected together, creating a halo of black bush around his face. He wore glasses, but one side was higher than the other. Draven guessed that one of the hands had broken and the man never deemed it important to fix it. His clothes seemed dirty but in a good fit, like something that hadn't been washed in a week but still looked manageable. All in all, the man did not look trustworthy. “No,” Draven said firmly. “Thank you but I’ve got to do this on my own. It’s part of my memorable journey, you know?” “So you asking for directions is part of this
“No,” Draven said as firmly as possible. “I can’t go with you. I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing, but I’m not going with you.” A broad grin came to the man’s face. Draven took a minute to curse his luck. Why did he have to always come across situations like this? “Come now, dumb American. You must come with me. The schivoka is waiting, you see.” “The… what?!” “The schivoka. The man who you have offended, the man who you must meet. Isn’t that why you came up to me, so that I could meet him?” “What the hell…? Man I don’t even know who you ski-whatever are. This is all just a misunderstanding and if you don’t mind, I have to leave now.” I tried to corner him but he blocked my way. That was a huge mistake. I shouldn’t have tried to corner him; I should have just turned back and run down the streets. It was busy, I could easily blend in with the people. The man saw my train of thought, he followed my eyes and shook his head at me. “Nah mate, I wouldn’t do that if I were
Draven woke up feeling fulfilled. He was in a cool house full of food. He stretched and stood up from the little round couch that seemed more comfortable than Leo’s bed. While strolling to the kitchen, he thought of Leo again. There should be a reason why the guy wanted to give away his house, right? There has to be something. Leo was too simple to just decipher. Why did he find this weird? Was it possible that he just decided to give everything he owed to someone he didn’t even know? Draven was lucky to have been there at the right time, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it. At the same time, he believed it was possible. Leo was a spontaneous person. He acted so out of the norm so much that it became normal for Draven. While he was familiar with Leo’s issue with trust, it was bewildering that the guy would just give away his house and everything he owed, plus a stupid text and silly mysterious message. Draven opened the kitchen cabinet. It was stocked with cereals and all kinds o
He was a million dollars rich. Yup, Draven had counted the whole thing. It took him three days with less sleep and so many cups of coffee to get there. The ongoing three stairs were littered with cash that Draven had counted and wrapped in thousands.First of all, he was mortified that Leo was able to store that kind of cash. Draven did not know much about him, but from the little he knew, Leo was a privileged kid. Of course, people like that hardly have any value for money. Ever since joining the game, his value for money seems to have decreased day by day. Draven didn’t blame him; everyone reacted differently to wealth.Draven, on his own, was from a very poor, very restricted background. While his father had money and was ready to spend, Draven himself did not have a share of that wealth. If anything, he lived like a pauper in his own house. He ate scrambles of leftover food from his father and visitors. Draven’s father wasn’t exactly rich, but he had enough to feed both of them. H
Noah got right into work. Draven sat on the opposite couch, watching him. The boy’s hand flew over the keyboard, making loud typing sounds. Draven didn’t want to ask him too much questions and lose his focus; he had even brought out one more drink for the boy just to encourage him. Noah went on and on about how he would really like Draven to call his name in the future if he needs a favor he couldn’t afford. Draven simply nodded and remained sitted. He wasn’t sure he’d ever need Noah’s services again. Matter of fact, he didn’t even know what he wanted to do after this.Should he rally go after his father, like he intended? Should he visit them again and see how they’re faring or should he just punish them straight up? Draven was torn. He didn’t know what he wanted to do, or rather he did but didn’t know how he should act on it.For the past two days, he’d been thinking. His thoughts had been interrupted then by the neighbor’s kids again. The two of them had mocked him, wondering when
Thanksgiving is next week. It was on a Thursday, the most inconspicuous day of the week. It was the day most murders were committed, the day offenders and murderers were caught. It was just… a very mysterious day.Draven thought about this day for a long time. When the teenage boy who tracked them mentioned it, it played in his head over and over again, but not in a bad way. He had no plans to kill his family. He hadn’t even thought about it that way at all. What he meant by avenging himself was just showing them that he was now better than them, that’s all.Right?Well the boy wasn’t around to explain all of this to you, so there’s no need to overthink it. He might not even visit them again, seeing as how the whole thing was going. Draven started to play music on the speaker at his home. There was a car waiting for him in his garage, a tank full of fuel to help him. He had money, loads of cash to set him up for life, a bunch of neighbors who would want to introduce him to their daugh