It had been days since he'd had a decent night's sleep. The raids, the endless games, the tension that wouldn't let go. He had long ago lost track of time. Especially after reverting back to his main character in the game, which seemed to have finally thrown him off balance. Slamming down his laptop, on which the game guides continued to spin, Rick headed resolutely to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, hoping to find at least something, but glancing at the shelves, he realized that he hadn't paid attention to food in a long time. The only things on the shelves were two cans of soda and a couple of blackened bananas. "Yeah, well, what did I expect..." - he muttered, taking one banana from the shelf and staring at it intently, as if it was his last hope.
Looking around his apartment, Rick realized that his daily life now depended a lot on his sister. Mika had left a couple days ago to visit a friend, and since then he'd been going about his strange routine, forgetting even the simplest things. Usually Mika brought food, took care of the house, but now... it was like he was stuck in his own closed world and didn't leave the apartment at all.
"How long has it been since I've been out of here?" - the thought hit him like a thunderclap. He paused, leaning against the desk and trying to estimate how many days it had been since he'd last set foot over the threshold. Rick suddenly realized how much he'd grown accustomed to her care, to the fact that she'd always provided for their home. And now - he felt like he was in a cage. In the last few days, except for the raids, he hadn't done anything that could be called a normal life. Rick closed the fridge, pulled out his phone and quickly checked his messages. No news. An old message from Mickey flashed on the screen, "Don't worry bro, I'll be back tomorrow." - Simple and short. He read it twice, feeling a strange anxiety growing inside. But despite its strangeness, that worry somehow dissolved as soon as he remembered that everything would be back to normal, as it always was.
Without wasting any more time thinking about it, Rick threw on his jacket and stepped into the darkness, walking past the empty rooms. The cold night air greeted him outside. Rick looked around the street - empty, engulfed in silence, only occasionally disturbed by the rare passing cars.
It was so unusual to be standing on the street at this moment. Rick couldn't remember the last time he'd been outside of his apartment. Everything around him seemed somehow... alien. He was so absorbed in the game that he hardly remembered that there was a world outside the screen. It was embarrassing to realize how confined he'd become, as if his reality now consisted only of virtual characters and night raids.
"Geez, Rick, you're a human being, not a piece of scrap metal after all," he said aloud to himself, and was surprised himself at how cringe-worthy it sounded. When he felt the cold under his fingernails, he quickened his pace, seeking some refreshment. He didn't have to walk far - the night store was only two blocks away.
Stepping through the threshold of the store, Rick felt the stark contrast to the street - the warmth, the smell of fresh food, and the soft lighting. It felt like home here, but with some strange distance. He had packed everything he needed, but he didn't even notice how slowly the time dragged by. The air in this place felt like it was pulling him back to the apartment, back to his familiar closed reality.
After paying for his purchases, Rick took another look outside. It was as if the whole world had frozen - the night, the silence, the snow and the empty streets. Again that familiar chill of fear squeezed his chest as a reminder that his familiar life had gone somewhere far away. He was like a trapped man, trapped in his own cocoon. His sister must be worried about him, even though she was gone.
Yeah, something's got to be done about that," Rick muttered, stepping over the threshold of the apartment with the bag in his hands. The frosty air was instantly replaced by a soft warmth that enveloped his body and slightly calmed his nerves. Placing the bag on the kitchen table, he began to sort through his purchases, pulling out the groceries and putting them in their places.
Everything happened almost automatically, but somewhere in the back of his mind an elusive feeling crept in. Thoughts, like shadows, whispered about how shaky the line was between this familiar world and what he already thought was real.
Sitting down at the table, Rick pulled out a banana and, as if it were the last piece of food in the world, began to chew it leisurely. His thoughts gradually calmed down, and the silence of the night around him became less and less unsettling. He no longer felt the cold tension that had gripped him a few hours ago.
Pushing the banana aside, Rick looked tiredly up at the ceiling. Thoughts of nightmares, strange notifications, and the feeling of emptiness kept him busy. He wanted a distraction, and the solution came unexpectedly simple: why not spend the night watching anime? Sleep still seemed something unattainable.
Settling down on the couch, Rick turned on his laptop and opened the platform with the long-awaited titles. His fingers leisurely flipped through the list until his eyes caught on a brightly colored poster. The mysterious title caught his eye, and in a minute the first episode was already loading.
The plot was captivating at once: the characters seemed alive, the battles were tense, and the dialogues were apt. The time flew by, and the indicator on the screen showed that he was already on the third episode. The banana left on the edge of the table was soon replaced by sandwiches, and then by the last remnants of cola. The atmosphere of what was happening on the screen helped to get rid of anxious thoughts.
The laughter and dynamics in the anime evoked long ago memories of friends who were once around. Those with whom plans were shared, strategies were strategized, and mistakes were laughed at. Shadows of the past flickered in the mind, but the plot took hold again.
The clock on the screen showed deep night. Empty wrappers and packages began to surround the couch, but the next episode was already starting. My eyes were beginning to water from fatigue and my body was demanding rest. "One more, and that's it," Rick whispered under his breath.
He didn't make it to the final episode, however. The soft light of the screen illuminated the room where the tired player was already quietly sleeping on the couch, covered in the remnants of the night's snack. A half-empty bottle of juice remained standing on the table next to a pie box.
Outside the window, dawn was barely beginning to break through the thick curtains, and the muffled voices of the heroes who were still fighting their battles continued to come from the speakers.
It had been a long night, and Rick slept like a dead man, feeling neither the anxiety nor the fear that had plagued him for the past few days. Ever since he had reduced the amount of time he spent in the game, his regimen had begun to recover. The fatigue accumulated from endless raids and farming had finally receded, and sleep, though short, had become sound. Before, when he used to spend 16 hours a day online, his nights were filled with nightmares and restless awakenings. Now, thanks to his decision to reduce his gaming time to 10 hours, his body has begun to regain balance.