The evening golden light of the apartment city streets beamed through the small, rectangular window through the top of his cube, slightly illuminating his room. Lights were always used in this city, as it was always dark and shaded from sunlight.

  However, the lights were a purer and whiter colour during the daytime, and switched to a warmer, golden colour during the night to signify when sundown and sunrise had occurred.

  Leo just sat on his bed, and ended up watching more videos of press conferences including Kam’s father, Ryo Sung-Jin. He continued to watch that bodyguard, and continued to find him in these videos.

  It only affirmed his theories, and seeing his face continued to send a shiver down his spine every single time. It was him, it really was him.

  The fact he couldn’t do anything continued to anger him, but he knew that wouldn’t be the same forever. He had to get to the end of this, it was the only right thing. He had no clue how he’d do that now, but he had to think and fight, because no one else would if he didn’t.

  Those in the stack must fight for themselves and for one another. There’s no one else with even a sliver of care for them.

  BAM! BAM! BAM!

  Leo shook in his bed as he felt three heavy bangs on his door. What was this about? Had he been caught?!

  Leo reflexively retreated all the way to the wall furthest from his door, and his heart was racing. It felt like it was going to pump out of his chest. He had a mask on, how did they find him out?!

  BAM! BAM!

  What Leo knew now was that he couldn’t just wait and stay here. It seemed like if he didn’t open the door, they’d be more than willing to find a way in themselves.

  His hands and legs were trembling. As soon as he went up to his feet, it felt like he couldn’t even keep himself up.

  “This is the Lord-Provider Marco Merino Agency. Open the door at once!” A deep, bold voice called out from behind the door.

  There was a sense of relief that washed over him once he realised that his freedom wasn’t at stake. However, it wasn’t like this situation was much better.

  Sighing to try and calm himself, Leo turned the knob of his door just enough to let it open. As soon as he did this, the men behind the door pushed it open with force, throwing him onto the ground.

  He pulled himself back in defence, clueless of what was hiding behind the door.

  Three men with black suits and black sunglasses rushed in, with the same ruby badge on their left chest, showing the coat of arms of his landlord.

  “Due to repeated failure to meet payment deadlines, we have been obligated to repossess a few items in order for you to cover the debt.” The man at the front called out.

  He had slick back black hair, and pale skin with a tall, slender frame. Behind him was another man that was even taller but also bulkier and with a round, bald head. The final man was shorter than them both but had a stocky frame, totally filling his suit out just like the bald man to his right.

  The man at the front snatched his phone from his hand with such speed that there was nothing that Leo could do. Now, this made Leo want to retaliate.

  To slow time and sock this guy straight in his face. They didn’t understand his struggle! He was trying his hardest. If there was money to give, would he not just hand it over?!

  However, he looked at their suits more intently and could see holsters at their waists. There were batons, firearms, more items that he couldn’t identify at just a glance. There wasn’t much he could do here.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  All Leo did was watch with eyes of fury as these men snatched his phone, TV, and even his washing machine.

  The large, bald man held the washing machine on his own, ripping it from the socket and walking out with it. The men said not a word to him as they left.

  All Leo did was look at his slightly open door, frozen. What had his life come to?

  Thoughts clouded his mind, and he stayed stood there for several minutes before just walking straight out of his cube. He needed something to take his mind off everything, and so he headed straight to the nearest cage.

  Upon arriving, Sandro was there to welcome him back, and claimed him onto his team to get things going.

  Leo entered his element once again, using his time manipulation to outwork every member of the opposition. Upon his arrival, it was only a few minutes before a few more people started to come and huddle around to witness the quick feet for themselves.

  He was in his element now. He had to take out his built up rage, fury, and use it to fuel his game. He received a pass from his keeper, and three opponents rushed over to try and defend him.

  This was their only way of containing him, or at least trying to. One of them was a large, older kid that tried to use his mass and strength to apply pressure. He covered him from directly ahead, but Leo exhaled calmly as he slowed time.

  The boys in front of him turned to slow motion, giving him a perfect opportunity out. He performed a simple roulette past the leftmost defender. After doing so, he rushed straight past him at full speed, only reaching the halfway line of the cage before firing a shot toward the goal.

  It hit the top right corner, totally beating the keeper present.

  “No way!!!” One of his teammates called out with shock.

  “That’s what he do! He can’t be stopped!” Sandro called out, making an X with his arms.

  Leo just shrugged his shoulders, lifting his arms in the process. It still felt odd to get this attention from his football, but he couldn’t say he hated it. It felt amazing. Like he was on top of the world; like he was valued.

  It was well into the night before Leo started to feel the fatigue creeping up on him. People were slowly leaving one by one, and Leo soon found himself heading back to his cube.

  Upon entering, he could feel the sense of emptiness in his room without his items. Not only that, but he also received a letter from his landlord stating that the items taken had covered only 110 dollars out of the thousands that he owed.

  It made sense; his phone and TV were both dated and didn’t have much left in them anyway.

  However, that put him in a complete pickle. He had no way forward. There was no time for him to sulk about this situation any longer. He had to find a way out of this.

  There was no job that was willing to take him, even in this apartment city. Other kids in the area had been working from young, whether that was in their family or close friends’ shops or in other places. They had experience that he just didn’t have, meaning there was always someone better for them to choose.

  Even if he could find some way to make an income from football, he needed money fast. He had under 3 weeks to pay his landlord before the lights were turning off. It wouldn’t be much longer before they’d throw him out on the streets, and he didn’t even know what he’d do in that situation. He couldn’t reach that point.

  The more he thought, there was only one option.

  In these apartment cities, there was one way to find more and that was through crime. Crime was rife in these places. Some floors were even owned by gangs – water, electricity, property, all covered by them.

  With desperate people in these areas, it was easy to get them hooked on drugs, or to give them something they needed for money in return.

  The lack of police presence in these areas only made it easier to run these operations as well.

  Leo made sure to stay well away from those things. If he joined a gang, he’d just end up in a jail or in a coffin. Additionally, he wouldn’t be able to easily leave one if he tried to change his ways. He never saw it as a viable way to live.

  His parents also made it clear to never go down that path, but to follow the traditional way of life – that would be the only way out of the stack, his father would always say.

  However, the world just wasn’t on his side right now. As much as he thought, this would be his only way out of this.

  Now, he started to think about how to join one. That wasn’t very obvious, who would he even go to? There was only one person in mind.

  Mr Dae-Ho.

  He was a man that he used to spend a lot of time within his childhood, just a fellow Blim Square resident. He was an army veteran and was now in his early-to-mid sixties; Leo had never asked for his exact age. He lived on floor 27, so a decent bit below where he resided, but he loved going there before of the games console he had.

  He also gave out biscuits whenever he headed there, which he loved as a child.

  However, with the great character came a dark past. Not only did he used to be in the army, but he was a renowned gangster. Those in the underworld had so much respect for him that as he left, nobody dared cross him for doing so. He was able to leave the world and live a somewhat ordinary life.

  Rumours were that he kept connections to that world though, even as he left it. That was someone that Leo’s parents just didn’t want him to be around, and it made sense. After their passing, Leo stopped seeing him altogether, almost to honour their wishes now that they were gone.

  He was the only person that he could think of with answers to his question, and there was no other option left for him now.