Nick carefully reached for his pocket, took out his phone from his pocket, and then dialed Sara—his mother's phone number.
Nick's fingers suddenly froze, hesitant. He thought and decided to allow himself this selfish request and finally clicked the green call button.
Beep~ Beep~
Before the call could connect though, he cut it. It was too late in the night, he didn't want to disturb Sara's needed rest.
In the end, he shut his phone down with a sigh, then put it in an easily accessible pocket on the side of his backpack and zipped it close.
Nick rested his back and head on the fence. With sunken shoulders, he breathed softly.
Wearing a light smile, he gazed up at the cloudy moon in the lonely sky devoid of stars.
His expression softened at the sight.
Nick shook his head, throwing the raging emotions, thoughts, and regrets to the back of his mind.
Keeping his balance on the thin ledge, he looked down at the sea and loosened his grip on the fence.
There was nothing left to say or think. It was time to get this over with.
Nick took a deep, final breath in… and then exhaled.
"…"
Slowly, he removed his fingers gripping onto the fence.
"It's a nice night, isn't it?" A sudden, surreal male voice came from the darkness behind.
"Wh-Who's there?!" Nick screamed. He nearly jumped in fright at the sudden question, almost losing his footing.
"Who, me? I'm just a stranger," the darkness replied. There was an unsettling chill in their tone.
Apprehensive, Nick twisted and rotated his neck the best he could, frantically trying to scan the dark foreboding structure and bushes behind.
This place was mostly abandoned, so only the moonlight served to illuminate the area, albeit dimly.
Through that, Nick caught sight of a strange masculine figure standing in the bushes close by, just a few meters to his left, with features obscured by the shadows.
A chill settled in Nick's spine, and countless thoughts ran through his mind. He couldn't guess the identity of the stranger or their intentions, and the few leads his brain served him didn't help quench his growing anxiety. And now, with the presence of a witness, his entire plan, specifically designed for secrecy, had gone to shambles.
Before the individual could call for help or try anything, Nick hurriedly asked, "What are you doing? Are you going to call the authorities?"
"No, no, not at all," the stranger said with a hint of jest.
Nick was taken aback, but still worried. Just what was this fellow's deal?
'If he were one of Boss's men, he would have apprehended me by now…'
Nick wondered, "Aren't you like… going to try to stop me?"
"No. Why will I do that?" The voice sounded confused.
"Then what do you plan on doing?"
"Nothing."
"..." Nick fell silent. He pondered whether the person lurking in the shadows was even human because they obviously had a stone for a heart.
"Why? Do you want me to try to stop you?" the shadowy figure asked curiously.
Nick shrugged. "N-No. It just seemed odd that you didn't."
There was a moment of silence. Nick wasn't sure what to do, uncertain of the type of atmosphere there was between himself and the stranger. So, he just maintained the awkward silence and waited for the other party to do or say something instead.
Just then, the shadow-lurking stranger spoke up.
"Is this your only solution?"
Nick understood what the mysterious individual was asking. There was a black camping backpack containing a 200-pound kettlebell tied to his torso, which made it pretty obvious to anyone who saw that he had no plans to swim back up after jumping.
To the stranger's question, Nick remained silent for a moment.
"Yeah… it is," he finally answered. He tried to maintain a nonchalant expression, but his eyes looked weary and uncertain.
The stranger remained silent.
Nick didn't know if he was waiting for him to continue speaking, or maybe the stranger just didn't have anything else to ask, regardless, Nick's lips quivered.
"I… uh, I owe over 200 grand. And I currently don't have much going for me. I don't want to complain about my situation, but factoring in the interest rate of the huge debt, even if I work till I drop dead, I could never pay it all back. I'll still be paying the debt even when I'm well past my forties."
Taking a guess at what the stranger might ask next, Nick preemptively answered.
"Yeah, there might be ways for me to earn a living and pay the debt over time without the need for a degree, but I don't have the luxury of time to learn an in-demand skill. The people I owe aren't easy. They are… already very impatient as it is."
As though ignoring all Nick just said, the stranger quickly asked humorously, "And the weight?"
Nick exhaled heavily and faced ahead.
"I don't want my corpse to be found. That way, I won't be pronounced dead for a long time."
"Why go through all that?"
Nick wasn't sure he should share the reason, but he felt he could trust the stranger.
"My mother. I'm her only family. She'll still be happy even though she thinks I abandoned her for a better life. But if she knows I'm dead, I don't… I'm not…"
Nick struggled to mouth his words and his voice trailed to a halt.
With the voicemail message from earlier, coupled with the fake rich life stunt Nick pulled just the day before, a clearer picture of his master plan was painted.
Nick's fabricated story went like this: after earning enough money, he abandoned his mother and old life to travel the world, starting with a good time in Las Vegas.
"Is she the only reason?" the stranger asked.
Nick glanced back again. The shadowy figure was still there. Strangely, he felt very familiar with them, like they were old friends.
Nick spoke slowly.
"Yeah. She's the only reason I'm going through the stress of making this complex. I just can't have her find out I'm not who..." he sighed, "I can't have her find out I'm a failure. Because if she finds out, she'll realize I lied to her and suffered in silence, and she'll blame herself. I don't know but, she'll be so broken."
"..."
A cold bout of silence washed over the area, only disrupted by the occasional battles of the tides below.
Nick stared down at the sea.
"You're afraid," the stranger said.
Nick closed his eyes and raised his head to the sky. The gentle wind blew past his dry, dark brown hair.
Nick shook his head. "There's also another reason. We're all in a rat race here, constantly trying to be better than the next guy one way or another. It's how the world just is, I guess."
"..."
"You know, I've been around Neapolis a little. I've seen, heard, and experienced a lot during my few years of adulthood. There is corruption, crime, and hunger. Many lives are affected by others' greed. I don't think it's any different anywhere in the world. We exploit, compete, and kill each other."
Nick forced a smile.
"It's okay, I guess. This is human nature."
He sighed.
"But for someone in my situation, who's bound to lose right from the start, it's all just a big, boring circus show. I'm just tired."
Once again, the stranger remained silent. And Nick was left listening to the sounds of the moving waters below.
He didn't mind it though, but he wondered if he was still going to go through this despite the unwanted company.
Just then, the surreal voice with a perfect blend of aloofness and frankness asked, "What if I told you there was a way for you to break free from the cycle too, a way for you to win the rat race?"
The stranger hushedly added, "Or at least be farthest ahead?"
Silent and unsure, Nick asked, "And what would that be?"
"It's simple. Be reborn," the stranger said, his tone bearing a tinge of humor and jest.
Nick wanted to believe the stranger was trying to make a joke, but he found himself muttering, "How?"
"How else?" The stranger's surreal voice, chilling and cold, seemed to answer with a smile. "Jump."
Time seemed to dilate. The night, too, seemed never-ending. Nick tightened the knot of the rope wrapped around him and smiled.
"True. Very true. Maybe in my next life, I'll be handed a nicer deck of cards."
The wind whistled sharply three seconds later, followed by a loud splash.