[HR] LEVEL: A Descent Into Madness

(1/2) Part 4 - LEVEL 2: The Silent Treatment

Sam woke up the next day. A Friday. The sun in his face.
“I gotta stop sleeping facing the window” Sam groaned. But this side of the bed was too familiar. The other side is where she used to sleep.
Time was running out on his rent. Sam started thinking. Panicking. He hated this part of the day. He checked the time.
“8:21 AM” the phone read. While he was checking his phone a notification popped up.
“From Sir: Good Morning! New Tasks Loaded. Ready?” the notification disappeared. Sam was curious, but after yesterday he was so tired, he needed some breakfast.
Sam got up and stumbled to the bathroom. Brushed his teeth, washed his face, and made his way to the refrigerator. He opened it. Not much there. Half of a half-gallon of milk, a leftover burrito bowl, shriveling strawberries, a carton of eggs with 3 eggs, and bacon that seemed like it was going bad.
Sam didn’t feel like cooking. He closed the fridge and reached on top of it to grab some Sugar Flakes. Got a bowl, a spoon, poured his cereal, grabbed the milk, emptied its contents in the bowl, threw the carton in the trash, and sat on the couch. He turned on the T.V. The “Morning Show” was on the local news.
“Hahaha, Yeah Jim, those puppies sure can run” the anchorwoman shifts tone.
“On another note. A string of mysterious house invasions has been reported in the Shaker Heights area that have shaken...residents to their core”
A terrible local news pun Sam clocked. They always think they're so slick with those.
“Reportedly, residents have woken up to find their bedroom windows slightly up or unlocked. Some...have even found their back doors open”
The anchorman next to her lets out a comical nervous shake.
“Oohohohoh” the anchorman says.
“Yeah Jim. Believe it or not, it gets stranger. Residents say...nothing was stolen”
The news cuts to some B-roll of the houses, but Sam gets distracted.
*ZZZZZZZ* a notification on Sam’s phone.
“From Sir: Have a nice breakfast? Money awaits with new tasks! Ready?”
“How did they know I finished my breakfast?” Sam quietly asks.
He checked the time.
“I guess it is 9:30 AM. People may have had their breakfast by now”
Sam throws down his phone backside up and slurps up the milk from the bowl.
“Am I really gonna do this again...?” Sam thought to himself.
He opened the app.
“Welcome Back!” the screen displayed. His dashboard loaded. New tasks presented themselves.
Level 2:
Task 1: Walk into a small place of business and sit silent for 20min - $80
Task 2: Follow a stranger for 30min without being spotted (Video evidence needed) - $120
Task 3: Prank call this number and pose as ‘Mark’ their deceased relative (accept task for number) - $200
Sam knew how this game went at this point. You’d have to do the first two tasks to add up to the maximum value. Or choose the nuclear option. The first two were laborious, but doable, but the third. The third was...messy.
“Okay, I need $500 to make rent by Monday. I know I can do a few more task. Maybe make it to Level 3 and I’ll be done. I swear” Sam said, not confidently.
“I’ll start with Task 1. Task 2 will take a little more planning”
Sam thought about potential places he could go and maintain a low profile without being too suspicious. He needed to maintain an inconspicuous image for this level. Blend into the crowd. So, he had to dress for the occasion.
He got up from the couch and went into his bedroom. He looked in his closet through his wardrobe. He had a lot of dark and neutral colors already. Nothing that’d make him stand out too much. He usually didn’t want to be seen anyway.
He grabbed his all-black pull-over hoodie with the pocket in front. No labels or logos, a pair of aviator shades, regular 501 Levi’s, and all black Vans. He looked in the mirror hanging on the back of his bedroom door for a quick fit check.
“Surely, I don’t look like a creep...right?” Sam hoped.
“Okay, where should I go?” Sam had to think.
Maybe he’d go to his usual hangout spots. His favorite bar on the weekend. The barbershop. The court at the Y. Then he thought someone would notice him and want to start a conversation. He didn’t want to ostracize anyone he knew so he switched his strategy.
“The library! Perfect.” Sam thought. “No one I know will be in there”
Sam grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone and headed out.
He had some walking to do. About 6 blocks. He thought he’d just get on the bus. He usually avoided it when he could. It was dirty, stinky, and the occasional crying baby. But it’d be a short bus ride.
Sam left. Closed the front door and grabbed his key to lock the door.
“Hey” A soft voice found his ears.
Francine caught him again. At this point Sam wasn’t completely sure she wasn’t standing by her door’s peephole waiting for him to come out every morning.
Sam turned around. She was wearing a black dress for some reason, with flats, her hair was straight, her make-up was dark, but subtle.
“We gotta stop meeting like this” Sam uttered.
“I don’t know. I kind of don’t mind it” Francine replied.
Sam blushed. He didn’t know he could do that. Sam started walking slowly down the stairs. Francine followed almost in lock step.
“I almost didn’t notice you with the new hair” Sam looked back.
“Haha. Yeah. You like it?” Francine inquired.
“Yeah...it’s nice.” Sam said, not so excitingly.
“Where you headed?” Sam continued.
“Oh, just meeting a friend at a cafe for some light breakfast” She replied.
“You’re always heading out to eat” Sam observed.
“Uhm...yea, I guess. Thanks for noticing” The observation immediately made her a little insecure. She touched her flat stomach.
“Am I fat?” She thought to herself.
“Where’re you headed” Francine was curious.
“I’m going to the library...to get some reading in” Sam revealed, but not too much. He didn’t want her to know he was playing the game. In fact, he wanted to protect her from the game. For one, he thought it might be embarrassing. For two, he still had a bad feeling about the game, but it wasn’t stopping him.
“Oh nice! Not many people read these days. You must be smart. I like that.” Francine said.
They reached the end off their apartment block.
“Okay, I have to go this way.” Sam motioned toward the opposite direction Francine was heading in.
“Okay. Have a nice read!” Francine said.
“Thanks. Enjoy your food. Don’t eat too much!” Sam responded trying to be funny and likeable.
Francine waved goodbye with a disgusted smile.
“What the hell! ‘Don’t eat too much’ why would I say that?” Sam cringed again. No time to dwell on that now. He was on a mission.
Sam took a right to the end of the block where the bus stop was. He waited for a short 10 minutes. The bus pulled up and stopped in front of him. He hopped on.
Typical bus patrons he noticed when he got on the bus. People heading to work. A homeless man resting his feet. A young woman with her headphones in blocking out the world. Obnoxious kids probably ditching school. Then there was a curious character in the back of the bus.
He was sitting square center in the last row of seats facing the front of the bus. No one around him. He was muttering something with his eyes wide open. Sam swore he didn’t blink once the whole ride. He seemed...traumatized. Like he saw something he shouldn’t have.
“What’s up with that guy?” Sam thought to himself.
Sam stayed on the front of the bus. He thought it’d be best he leaves that guy alone. The library was only a stop away. He saw someone on the bus hold up a phone camera practically up to the man’s face. The man didn’t seem to be bothered.
The bus stopped. Sam got off and headed into the library. He went past the librarian counter, said nothing, and took a seat in one the reading areas. He pulled out his phone to start the task timer. He found he couldn’t start the task.
“what’s going on?” questioned Sam.
A message popped up on his dashboard.
“From Sir: Not allowed. Must be a place of active business”
“Damn” Sam said out loud, quietly. At this point, Sam didn’t even question how Sir knew where he was. Sir knew all.
Sam knew of a coffee shop down the street. Surely, that must count. Sam thought. He exited the library and walked the next block down to the coffee shop. He reached it no time. He reached the storefront ‘Le Petit Cafe’ the sign read.
He walked in as low-profile as possible. Passed the outside dining area, opened the door, passed the counter, and found a little corner tucked in between the front entrance and the windows looking outside. Small cafe indeed. He didn’t want to pass too many people, so he didn’t venture to the back. He had nothing to read, nothing to drink, nothing to eat. He opened the dashboard on the app and selected ‘Task 1’, the counter started counting down 20 minutes.
Sam sat there, hood on, shades on, and stared straight ahead toward the front entrance.
“No one will bother me here” Sam thought he was safe.
Ten minutes went by. Then he noticed someone. She had on a black dress, straight hair, and black flat shoes.
“Francine?!” Sam started panicking.
Francine had gone up to the counter to talk to the cashier. Looks like she was paying for her food. She was alone. Maybe her date had left before her or something. Sam didn’t know. She handed the cashier her ticket and looked down on her phone.
Sam prayed she wouldn’t look up and toward his way. God wasn’t listening. Francine got bored of her phone and the cashier was taking his time. She looked up and around. She looked toward the window.
“Sam?! Hey Sam!” the cashier came back with her receipt. She took it and politely said thank you and turned her attention back toward him. She walked up to him with his hoodie on and all.
“Sam! What are you doing here?” His stomach dropped. He could feel himself perspiring under his pits. Sam tried his best to maintain his composure. He stared straight ahead and didn’t say a thing.
“Sam. Sam!” Sam hoped she would think he was just a stranger. A case of mistaken identity. But they had just talked this morning. No way she didn’t clock him. Same desperately hoped she would go away.
“Sam! Why won’t you answer me?” Her voice started crackling. Like she had a lump in her throat.
“Sam! You’re being such an ASS right now!” She was practically screaming. People started staring.
“Whatever!” She stormed out the front entrance. Sam watched her walking with a hastened step. Her head down. She wiped her face. Left cheek. Right Cheek. Sam figured they were tears she was clearing.
*ZZZZZZ, ZZZZZ, ZZZZZZ*
Sam’s phone aggressively vibrated his right but cheek. He lifted his butt to take his phone out his back pocket. The timer read 00:00.
“Congratulations! Level 2: Task 1 completed. $80 deposited” the phone displayed.
A notification then popped up.
“From Sir: Close call. Good job.”

Editors note: Thanks for reading this far. If you want the 2nd half, show love in the comments please.
- Sir