A Pathetic Ending

Within the dusky confines of a poorly lit room, a disheveled man passionatly tapped away at his computer, the harsh brightness of the screen casting an otherworldly glow upon his weary features.

As he completed his tasks, the disheveled man thought, 'That should be a wrap.' He gathered his personal belongings with a nonchalant flair, effortlessly sliding them into his bag. Stepping into the night, he faced a glass door revealing the quiet streets, sparsely populated by a few passersby amidst the towering office buildings.

In the nocturnal ambiance, a seasoned night shift security guard, sporting a twinkle in his eyes, addressed the disheveled man with a hint of camaraderie.

"Another late night, Nathan?" he asked, knowing the answer.

Nathan, with a wry grin, responded, "well,when you have as much student loans as i do, you just can't stop working" The exchange flowed seamlessly, The two characters silently connecting amid the calm night.

As the glass door closed behind Nathan, the security guard's gaze lingered, a silent acknowledgment of the unwavering determination that characterized the disheveled man scrolling through his phone.

…..

Under the dim glow of streetlights, fatigue draped over him like a heavy cloak. Uncertain if the approaching car was his Uber but too exhausted to care, he climbed in and slumped into the back seat. As the car cruised through the night, the city's lights flashed by, casting a hazy glow on his weary face.

A notification rang from his phone, but exhaustion overpowering his curiosity he didn't bother to check. His eyes drooped, the last images he saw before succumbing to sleep was the driver donning a mysterious gas mask.

He abruptly awoke in a dimly lit room, shackled and bewildered. He asked a depressed looking woman beside him in a hushed voice.

"what is going on?, where are we? " but the woman never replied no matter how much he tried.

Getting tired of his persistent questions an old man sitting on the other side of the room answered in an annoyed

"You're on a fucking trafficking ship going to god knows where, so shut up before the guards come and throw us all off the ship,".

"wh.. what do you mean we're getting trafficked? " he asked fear, consuming him with every word he said but unfortunately or fortunately no one answered .Despair, and confusion clouded his mind as he grappled with the harsh reality of his situation.

…..

Over the next six months, he endured the torment of slavery, each day more arduous than the last. Tales of abuse and harrowing conversions between fellow slaves became the backdrop of his existence. As the weight of oppression pressed upon him, the longing for freedom intensified.

In a daring bid for freedom, he fled into the dense woods, pursued by relentless captors. The cold wind whispered through the trees as he hid behind a towering oak, breathless and desperate. A shot rang out, searing pain through his shoulder. Yet, fueled by determination, he pressed on, evading capture at every turn.

Exhausted and wounded, he pushed his body to the limits, the pursuit of freedom, the only thing keeping him running. His adrenaline subsiding with each step and amidst the rustling leaves and distant growls of dogs, he stumbled, his strength waning.

Falling down a primal scream escaped his lips as the pain from the gunshot reverberated through his entire being, the world spinning around him. The dogs closed in, their barks echoing from every direction.

Laying on the forest floor, he felt the dogs encircle him, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. Sweat dripped down his face, mixing with the dirt on his skin. Thoughts of despair and surrender flooded his mind, but a spark of defiance ignited within him.

Dragging himself forward, he tried to escape the impending doom, just for the flame of his hope to be extinguished by an armed man standing over him.

The man's scornful words pierced through the night, reverberating with a sinister resonance.

"You thought you could escape, didn't you? Honestly, how stupid are you?," he sneered, the malevolence etched on his face.

" Well, why would it matter? Worst case scenario you torture me for a while. Nothing you haven't done before," he replied back.

" You think that we would take you back after you tried to escape? No, no, no, NO. You're dying right here right now, after all no master wants to take back a dog that bites the hand that feeds it,".

A gunshot shattered the stillness, echoing through the narrow confines, signaling the irrevocable transition between existence and imminent demise.

Caught in the fleeting moments before death, he found himself pondering over his life, a life not worth living, a pathetic story of misery and fruitless determination. As the scenes of his past played out, the harsh indictment of his assailant resonated, a damning commentary on a life lived on the fringes.

Within that moment between the gunshot and the impending darkness, a profound realization washed over him.

"He's not entirely wrong. I've lived my life like a misguided hound, just to suffer a fate worthy of one," he mused, the weight of self-awareness settling upon him like a heavy shroud.

Acceptance draped his consciousness as he grappled with the relentless truth. With a contemplative sigh, he closed his eyes, surrendering to the inevitability of his fate. The forest, a witness to the culmination of a life's odyssey, embraced Nathaniel's final exhale, as the echoes of a gunshot faded into the oblivion of the night.