Chapter 1: The calling
My name’s Mitch, and until yesterday, my life was the definition of mundane. I graduated from college last year with a degree in business administration, not because I was passionate about it, but because it seemed safe.
Now I’m trapped in a soul-crushing office job at Meridian Corp, one of those faceless mega-corporations where employees are just numbers on a spreadsheet.
The pay barely covers my studio apartment rent, but at least I can afford my own place.
More importantly, I have Waffle, my three-year-old golden retriever mix who’s been my constant companion since I rescued him from the shelter six months ago.
He’s got these expressive brown eyes that seem to understand everything I’m going through, and his tail-wagging enthusiasm is often the only bright spot in my predictable routine.
My life follows the same pattern every day: wake up at 6:30 AM, grab coffee from the machine in my building’s lobby, take the subway to work, spend eight hours staring at spreadsheets, come home, walk Waffle, microwave dinner, watch Netflix, sleep, repeat.
It’s comfortable in its predictability, safe in its monotony. I don’t do anything exciting because, frankly, I’ve never been one to step outside my comfort zone.
Risk-taking isn’t in my DNA, I’m the guy who reads restaurant reviews for twenty minutes before ordering the same chicken sandwich I always get.
But today... something changed. Something that shattered my carefully constructed world of routine and safety.
It started the moment I opened my eyes this morning.
Even Waffle seemed unsettled, pacing around my apartment with his ears pinned back, occasionally whimpering and staring at corners where nothing visible lurked.
His usual morning enthusiasm was replaced by an anxious energy that made my own unease spike.