The metal gate creaked, and Paulo finally took his first step out of prison. The sound echoed behind him, but it didn't bring the relief he had expected. The two years of confinement hadn't been enough to erase the tension from his shoulders. Even now, in freedom, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was still wrong. Looking around, he saw Herick's car parked at the entrance, with his old friend leaning against the passenger door.
"It's about time," Herick said, a relaxed smile on his face. "Welcome back, man."
Paulo offered a weak smile. He wasn't sure how to respond. Words seemed to fail him when he thought about what to say, about the freedom he should be celebrating, but which only brought him uncertainty.
"Thanks for picking me up," Paulo replied, opening the car door and sliding into the passenger seat. "I don't know what I'd do without you right now."
Herick chuckled, a short, carefree laugh.
"Let's pretend I'm a good Samaritan. But you know, if you don't start paying rent after a while, you'll need to find another way to support yourself. And, well, maybe cooking is a good start," Herick joked as he started the car.
The drive back to Herick's house was smooth. São Paulo's traffic was as chaotic as always, but predictable. Paulo watched the city pass by through the window, feeling like a stranger in a place he knew so well. The streets seemed wider, the lights brighter, and the people more distant. He no longer had the same perspective on the world.
Herick lived in a modest neighborhood, away from the city center, in a town near São Paulo. His house was situated between two large communities, where the line between poverty and middle class blended into a chaotic scene. Herick's small two-story house was modest but provided the comfort needed for someone seeking tranquility.
When they arrived, Paulo let out a long sigh. There was something comforting about being in Herick's house, a place where he could, at least for a while, forget his mistakes. He grabbed his small backpack from the back seat and followed Herick to the door.
"It's simple, but it's what we've got," Herick said, opening the door and gesturing for Paulo to enter.
Herick's house was exactly what Paulo had expected: clean but unadorned. The living room had a worn-out sofa, a medium-sized TV, and a small bookshelf. In the corner, a laptop rested on a table with some cables and tech gadgets scattered haphazardly.
"You can have the back room," Herick said, pointing to the hallway. "It's small, but at least it has a bed."
Paulo nodded and went to the room, where he dropped his backpack on the single bed. He looked around, feeling more comfortable than he had expected. It wasn't the full freedom he had longed for, but it was a start.
---
The first few days at Herick's house passed in a blur. Paulo spent most of his time in the room, caught between the need to reconnect with the world and the fear of repeating past mistakes. He surfed the internet, visited old forums, and communicated with former acquaintances. His hacking history was still fresh in his memory, but he knew he needed to be more careful this time.
Meanwhile, Herick went about his usual routine. He worked from home, providing consulting services for small tech companies. He spent most of his day on the computer, juggling virtual meetings and projects that, according to him, never quite challenged him enough. Herick was smart, even brilliant, but his laziness in committing to anything long-term meant he never got too involved in anything.
Mornings were quiet. Herick would wake up early, make coffee, and sit in front of the computer before Paulo even left the room. When Paulo finally appeared in the living room, still half-asleep, Herick would already be engrossed in some project he'd probably finish before lunch.
"Did you sleep well?" Herick would ask without looking away from the screen, always with a coffee cup in hand.
"I think so," Paulo would reply, sitting on the couch with his laptop in his lap.
They spent most of the day like this, in comfortable silence, each immersed in their own world. Paulo avoided talking about prison, and Herick, though curious, didn't ask many questions. He knew his friend needed time to process everything that had happened, and Herick wasn't the type to force deep conversations.
However, things began to change in the third week.
---
One afternoon, while Herick was immersed in a work call, the doorbell rang. Paulo was in the kitchen, washing dishes, and heard the muffled sound of the conversation between Herick and the visitor. Curious, he dried his hands and went to the living room, glancing at the newcomer.
Sofia.
Paulo felt a chill run down his spine. He had known Sofia for some time, but not in a friendly way. She was the investigator who had been monitoring him before his imprisonment. She had never found enough evidence to incriminate him for hacking activities, but she was always lurking, waiting for him to slip up.
"What are you doing here, Sofia?" Paulo asked, trying to keep his tone calm, though his unease was evident.
Sofia smiled, a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Just stopping by to make sure you're behaving, Paulo. And, of course, to see how your friend here is doing. You two always made an interesting pair."
Herick, observing the interaction in silence, sighed. He knew Sofia was doing her job, but he also knew Paulo didn't like being treated as a potential criminal, even if he had a past that justified the suspicion.
"He's doing fine, Sofia," Herick said, cutting through the tension in the air. "If you came all the way here just for this, you can leave. We both have more important things to do."
Sofia let out a soft laugh but shrugged, accepting the response. She looked at Paulo one last time, as if trying to read his mind, and then turned to leave.
"I'm keeping an eye on you, Paulo. Don't forget that."
Paulo watched as she walked away, and when the door closed, he let out a sigh of relief.
"She's never going to leave me alone, is she?"
Herick smirked.
"Maybe she has a point. If you're planning something, maybe it's better to rethink."
Paulo shook his head, irritated.
"I just want to live in peace, man. I'm tired of this life."
Herick nodded but knew that his friend was always a step away from diving back into the digital underworld.
---
The weeks continued to pass, and the routine of the two friends stabilized. Paulo was determined to stay out of trouble, while Herick continued with his projects, always immersed in his own bubble of interests.
Then, on a rainy night, something strange happened.
The sky was filled with dark clouds, and the distant sound of thunder echoed through the city. Herick was on the balcony, as usual, watching the storm approach. He always enjoyed the feeling of seeing the sky change color, the smell of wet earth in the air.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt crossed the sky, illuminating everything around. But this was no ordinary lightning. It struck the ground a few meters from where Herick was standing, and in the blink of an eye, he was enveloped in a bright light. His senses shut off for a moment, and when he came back to himself, the world around him seemed different.
A strange sensation took over his mind. Somehow, he knew that he had been transported to another place, another world.
And this was just the first of many journeys.