Hand With Envelope

A harsh screech rippled through the dusty air flashing an obnoxious red light. A man sleeping on a thin mat stirred on his seemingly bed. His apartment, cramped, offered little respite. Its walls were adorned with peeling paint, with ceilings covered in neglected cobwebs.

Squinting through half-closed eyes, he surveyed the wasteland of his room, overflowing with ashtrays, crumpled clothes, and several garbage bags that threatened to topple. With a twist of his neck, he looked at the source of the sound, his battered alarm clock.

As he fumbled for his pack of cigarettes, his fingers brushed against an empty box. A pant of annoyance shot through him. He got up from his dreamy haven and put on some casual clothes before he went to a store to buy a new pack of cigarettes.

After buying, on his way home, he stumbled upon a figure, a young woman with blond hair. Her delicate hand grabbed a heavy garbage bag while her handbag clung to her shoulder. Her formal attire, out of place against the item in her hand, screamed a life far away from the man's reach.

The woman glanced up, their eyes meeting for a fleeting moment. A flicker of surprise crossed her features before she quickly looked away. The man, however, was mesmerised by her beauty, his mind thinking ways to strike up a conversation but the woman hurried past him.

Later, on his way, he thought, 'How good would it feel to have that kind of woman as your girlfriend…maybe I'll try asking her number next time and date her,' His gaze deeply in thought, thinking about a past memory as he felt something heavy weighing on his chest.

The man reached his apartment room. The stench of his room, like a shroud, clung to him. He grabbed the black suit hanging on the wall and put it on. Suddenly, a knock came through the door, shattering the silence in the room. He peeked through the peephole and found two figures, wearing the same black suit he just wore. Seeing the familiar figures, a knot of anxiety tightened in his chest. But he opened the door and asked them.

"What brings you guys here?...I was about to come," the man asked

One of them with a resigned look on his face answered him.

"We have more work to do today…boss said to pick you up on the way,"

"I see…then let's go now,"

The warm glow of the sun settled on their faces as they stepped outside the apartment house. They stepped forward toward a black car parked outside. The car roared to life, weaving through a maze of tall buildings and busy roads. The city turned into a blur as they navigated the way. Finally, they pulled up in front of a seemingly ordinary house in a quiet residential area. Two of them waited beside the car while one sharply knocked on the door.

Hearing a constant rapping on the door, an old man in his fifties came outside. After looking at the old man, the one knocking on the door, grimly smiled before the air turned into a tense silence.

The old man panicked and started to close the door but the man in front of him grabbed him by the neck and dragged him outside to the car.

"Well, hello, Mr Tanigawa, how are you feeling today? It sure is getting hot nowadays. Don't you think?" One of the men beside the car asked the old man.

"I-I…have already paid it," Mr Tanigawa stammered, nervousness creeping into his voice.

"Hmm…Is that so?...You see, my boss said you haven't. So either you're are lying or my boss is,"

"B-but…I am telling you the truth. Please believe m–"

"Shut the fuck up old man!"

The old man became terrified as the man's voice suddenly boomed in the air.

*Sigh*

The man intimidating Mr Tanigawa sighed before he looked at the old man with a gentle smile.

"I apologize for my rude behaviour…you see, what you paid was just a small part of the payment…you need to pay more…there were other charges in your contract,"

"B-but…y-you guys never told me about other charges…a-and t-they are the same as the amount I borrowed…how would I repay them?"

"Nothing can be done now, old man. You should've read your contract before signing."

"But–"

"Look! We are trying to be gentlemen here. Don't force us to become savage men…nobody likes violence after all…why don't we do this like the civilized people we are? Where you give us the money and we have to do nothing to your family, How about that?"

The breath of Mr Tanigawa hitched in his throat and a chock gasp escaped his lips. He tried to speak, to plead, but his voice deserted him. Terror constricted his chest as he could only stare, wide-eyed and frozen.

"O-okay, I'll repay them somehow…b-but…give me some time. Please!"

With a bit of thought the man intimidating Mr Tanigawa agreed.

"Fine…but you had better come to us or we'll come to you."

With the warning, the man grabbing the neck of Mr Tanigawa released him from his grasp. The three men entered their car before they went to another destination leaving the old man on the ground.

The sun reached its peak, the glowing yellow radiating its heat. The three men went through several roads before their car stopped at an old apartment complex. The apartment complex loomed before them, a labyrinth of faded concrete and dusty balconies. The three of them glanced at each other before stepping inside. They ascended the creaking stairs, each step echoing in the stale silence before they reached in front of a door.

'Room 302' was on the worn number plate hanging outside the door on the third floor. With the same movement, one banged the door with several knocks while the other two kept standing behind him. Even after several rounds of knocks, the hallway remained silent making the men feel suspicious. However, a moment later, the door creaked open slightly.

*Creak*

From the small gap, a hand with an envelope revealed itself.