Carto Harts was abruptly awakened by the harsh sound of his phone alarm, its persistent beeping slicing through the quiet morning. He groggily reached out, his hand fumbling over the nightstand before finally silencing the noise. Blinking sleep from his eyes, he checked the time and felt a jolt of panic. He was running late. Again.
In a flurry of activity, Carto threw off the covers and sprang out of bed. His heart pounded with urgency as he hurriedly went about his morning routine. He splashed cold water on his face, the chill jolting him into full wakefulness, and glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His hair was a tousled mess, and dark circles under his eyes hinted at another restless night.
There was no time for a proper breakfast. Carto rushed to the kitchen, yanking open a cabinet and pulling out a packet of instant noodles. He filled the kettle with water and set it to boil, then grabbed a cup and added a spoonful of instant coffee. As soon as the kettle clicked off, he poured the hot water over the noodles and into the cup, stirring both hastily. He slurped down the noodles, barely tasting them, and took quick gulps of the scalding coffee, feeling the caffeine begin to wake him up.
The dishes could wait. He dumped the empty noodle cup and coffee mug into the sink, not bothering to rinse them. His small kitchen was already cluttered, and the addition of dirty dishes hardly made a difference. Grabbing his bag and keys, Carto bolted out the door, his mind racing with the tasks that awaited him at work.
The streets were eerily empty as he made his way to the metro station. The city, usually bustling with activity, seemed almost ghostly in the early morning light. Carto moved with the quiet determination of a man resigned to his fate. He was a junior data scientist at an ordinary firm, a position he felt was far beneath his potential. He often thought about how things might have been different if not for that ill-fated stunt at the end of his college term. As it stood, he was stuck in a mediocre company where the heavy lifting was left to the juniors. The seniors never hesitated to pile work onto them, and Carto had long since stopped expecting any recognition for his efforts.
Arriving at the metro station, he looked around the familiar platform. It was almost deserted, save for a few figures huddled in the corners, their faces obscured by shadows. A chill wind swept through the tunnels, prompting Carto to pull his coat tighter around him. He hurried onto the waiting train, the doors closing behind him with a soft hiss.
The carriage was empty, a rare sight during rush hour. Carto chose a seat by the door, settling in for the ride. Just when he thought he had become numb to the monotony of his daily commute, days like this reminded him of how out of sync he felt. There was something off about today, an inexplicable sense of unease that gnawed at him. Could it be a holiday he had forgotten?
As the train sped through the tunnels, the walls outside the windows flashed by, illuminated by the occasional flicker of fluorescent lights. Each passing station brought a surge of anticipation, a nervous excitement that Carto couldn't quite place. He tried to shake off the feeling, focusing instead on the work awaiting him.
Finally, the train reached his station. With practised precision, Carto rose from his seat and made his way toward the doors. As he stepped out onto the platform, a sudden burst of white light blinded his vision, leaving him momentarily disoriented.