Several days had passed, but the image of the man in the old warehouse was like a ghost that refused to leave Monica's mind. She often found herself daydreaming at her desk, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the now-fading marks of the thug's grip on her arm. There was a strange urge to return to that place, just to find out who her savior was, but logic and fear always prevailed.
On the other side of town, far from the hustle and bustle of skyscrapers, Adrian sat by a quiet lake. He wore a worn, faded t-shirt, staring blankly at the calm water's surface. In his hand was a small piece of wood he used for fishing, but his mind was not there.
His past, the stolen possessions, the betrayal of his family, and the betrayal that had led him to the streets, continued to replay like a broken record in his head. The bruises on his face from the fight in the warehouse long ago still ached, but they were nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
The laughter of some visitors in the distance interrupted his reverie. Several teenagers were busy livestreaming on their phones, pointing their cameras in all directions, including Adrian, who was sitting alone.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, carrying the thick scent of wet earth. The previously calm surface of the lake began to stir. Adrian saw something in the middle of the lake: a small child, unsupervised by his parents, struggling against the suddenly wild current.
Without a second thought, without any regard for his own life, Adrian got up. He threw his fishing pole to the ground and ran toward the small, decaying pier.
"Hey! What are you doing?" shouted one of the livestreamers. His phone camera was now completely focused on Adrian.
Adrian didn't answer. He jumped into the cold water with one powerful jerk. His body disappeared beneath the ripples, creating small waves that were clearly captured by the cameras of the thousands watching online.
A minute passed. Two minutes. The lake's surface calmed again, but Adrian never reappeared.
"He drowned! The man hasn't appeared again!" the visitor shouted in panic. The comments section of the live stream exploded with messages of fear and belated prayers.
At the office, Monica was just about to shut down her laptop when Wulan ran over to her, her face pale.
"Monica! Look at this! Isn't this the lake near your place yesterday?" Wulan handed her her phone, which was displaying a viral news story.
Monica frowned, trying to focus her eyes on the amateur video playing. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the figure of the man jumping into the lake. Although only seen from the side and from a distance, she recognized the shabby jacket. She recognized the way the man moved.
"That... that's him," Monica whispered, her voice trembling.
"Who? You know him?" Wulan asked in surprise.
"The man who saved me, Wulan! He drowned!" Monica immediately grabbed her bag and car keys without further explanation.
All the way to the lake, Monica continued to pray. She ignored the red lights and the honking of other vehicles. In her head, Adrian's cold voice echoed again: Run away from here. Now.
When she arrived at the scene, a crowd had already crowded the lake's shore. Rescue teams were lowering rubber boats, but it was already getting dark and fog had begun to descend over the water's surface.
"How did it go? Has he been found?" Monica asked one of the eyewitnesses breathlessly.
The girl shook her head weakly. "It's been over an hour. There are no signs of life. The rescue team said there's a mysterious whirlpool at the bottom of the lake."
Monica collapsed onto the wet grass. She stared at the dark expanse of water, feeling an incredible tightness in her chest. Why was fate so cruel? The man had just saved her, and now she was lost in the darkness of the lake.
She didn't know that at the deepest bottom of the lake, in a place beyond the reach of light and humans, Adrian wasn't dying. He is being pulled by an ancient force into a mysterious hole that will change his and Monica's lifelines forever.