Lost in the City

On the bright side, he had managed to escape from the black-coated man alive and in one piece, for which Max was grateful, but on the other hand, he realised that returning home was out of the question.

The mysterious voice had vanished just after giving that strange energy that circulated through his body, and although Max did not know the origin of the voice, he knew it meant no harm to him and even wanted to help him, but then again, all of this that was happening could be due to the voice in his head.

But, since it had happened, Max understood he had to move on.

In a literal sense, Max knew he really had to be on his feet and move whenever that wasn't close to home.

For starters, he had no idea where the black-coated attacker would turn up, and the only thing that might have been able to save him—the mysterious voice—had mysteriously vanished and was silent.

Max reasoned that either the voice had vanished or his tactic of repeatedly shouting "Hey!" in his head to engage the voice in conversation was ineffective in obtaining a response.

Although Max found it difficult to comprehend, the voice was the only reason he could still stand and possibly avoid being kidnapped or, worse, killed.

Max had a hard time accepting that everything that had just happened was true, but he was staring at reality in his face.

In any case, he knew he wouldn't get any responses, so he had to think ahead to what he would do next.

He wasn't in a position to understand anything that was happening, so the issues of the changes in his body, the source of the mysterious voice, and the man in the black coat could wait until later.

Max turned to thoroughly inspect his surroundings for the first time as he took several deep breaths to calm himself and subsequently succumbed to fate by admitting that all that had just occurred was genuine and he almost got potentially killed.

He forced himself to focus on more essential things to keep the remaining semblance of sanity he had left.

Max was in an alley, although it was an unfamiliar alley to him.

In fact, Max had no idea how far he had travelled because at the moment the mysterious voice began to circulate the strange energy in his body that gave him the strength and speed he needed to escape the black-coated man, all that was on his mind was to simply keep moving. As a result, he paid no attention to directions and simply ran in whichever direction was open to him. To put it simply, Max was temporarily lost.

He was temporarily lost since he didn't know where he was and because he was still in the city, with assistance, his lost status would quickly vanish, but first, he had to get out of the alley.

Even though Max did not pay much attention to anything while running, he was still able to see that the reason he wasn't stopped by anyone on the road was that there were only a few people who were minding their own business here and there.

In light of the fact that it was a weekday, it seemed understandable that few people would be outside, save for those who had worked in the rural areas he passed.

Max walked briskly down the alleyway, his eyes squinting in the bright noon sun. He was still wearing his nighttime attire, which smelled a little from the alcohol he consumed the night before. Because of the recent incident, he was unable to change, but fortunately, his nighttime attire was something that could be worn outside without looking out of place.

The alley was relatively quiet, with only the occasional sound of a car horn or distant conversation from nearby buildings.

As he made his way deeper into the alley, Max's pace slowed slightly, and he took a moment to glance around at his surroundings. The walls on either side were made of weathered brick, with patches of peeling paint and faded graffiti. There were a few windows with barred shutters that looked down onto the alley and had colourful glass panes that reflected the sun.

Max noticed a couple of trash cans near the end of the alley, and he quickened his pace to avoid the unpleasant smell emanating from them. It didn't take long before he soon emerged onto a busy street, where the noise and activity of the city enveloped him once again.

The contrast between the quiet alley and the bustling city he had just emerged to see was quite stark, but Max's attention was divided as he looked around him for clues as to where he was. It didn't take him long to discover where he was, and in one word;

"Damn"

Max was currently at wealthy street, which was still in Grand Rapids, but Max was astonished not because of the location, but because of how far it would have taken him to walk from his home in Garfield Park.

When Max calculated the distance and time, it would take at most one hour to reach both distances, but the thing was that when Max checked the time on his phone, it was currently 11:50, which meant it wasn't afternoon yet and was just a little for it to reach and while Max didn't pay attention to most things when he ran, he certainly knew he didn't run for an hour straight because when he left the house running away from the black-coated man, it was almost approaching noon there to as well.

How fast was he even going, and why didn't he seem tired?

As Max considered this, his stomach suddenly growled loudly as the civilians passing by turned to look at him with strange expressions on their faces, and even though Max had a lot on his mind, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed by all the stares he was receiving.

And just when he thought he was free of fatigue, a powerful sense of hunger struck him along with a little discomfort.

Max wondered why he hadn't felt the hunger when he was in the alley and used both hands to grip his stomach as the sensation was a little intense. He also felt a little depleted of energy.

"I need to eat or I might just die," Max grumbled as he turned to look around again.

The reason why Max was able to quickly identify the location he ended up rushing to was thanks to the wealthy street theatre, which was this location's distinctive trademark identity.

Wealthy Theatre is a historic movie theatre and performance centre in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is currently operated by the Grand Rapids Community Media Center, a non-profit corporation. Wealthy Theatre is a mixed-use facility, capable of hosting live music, film, theatre and dance.

Being one of Grand Rapids' numerous well-known attractions, Max naturally knew a little bit about it as a local.

Fortunately, he had been here before and knew where he was and where he needed to go without having to ask anyone for assistance.

Max knew there were a few restaurants around to satisfy his hunger since he had previously visited this location, so he quickly headed to one that had quite a lasting effect on him the previous time he was here.

Max made sure to pay close attention to his surroundings as he travelled to the restaurant he had in mind to avoid any mishaps or incidents that might be connected to or similar to the one he had just experienced in the morning.

After all, he was by himself, and without the mysterious voice helping him, if he encountered a situation similar to that of the intruder in black, he would be reduced to the status of a helpless person.

Slowly but surely, Max did not realise that the voice he was hoping to never hear again was the one he was getting dependent on.

Thankfully, nothing unexpected occurred along the road as he eventually arrived at the restaurant he was going to.

Max wasn't sure if this was because he had actually outrun whosoever was after him or if it was because they were reluctant to attack him since it was in the open in full daylight or maybe they just didn't want to and were waiting for the appropriate moment.

Whatever the case, Max's heart was still uneasy even though everything appeared to be going well at the moment. He needed to eat something, though, because if he didn't, hunger might kill him first before the supernatural did.

As Max thought of little more odd things in his head, Max stared at the slightly small-looking restaurant in front of him and walked in.

The small, humble restaurant was designed with a minimalist decor featuring wooden furniture throughout the space. The walls are painted in neutral colours and adorned with a few framed paintings or photos, creating a warm and inviting ambience. The tables and chairs are made from natural wood and arranged in a functional manner to optimise seating space. The lighting is soft and subdued, adding to the cosy and intimate atmosphere of the restaurant. The overall setting is designed to provide a simple and comfortable dining experience, with a focus on the quality of the food and the enjoyment of the guests.

This was the well-known Uncle Cheetah's Soup Shop on wealthy street, and judging by the name alone, soups were its speciality. But first, Max needed to know if the establishment would take phone transfers, so he went to the counter to find out.

Because of the morning incident, he was unable to bring his card with him; thus, he hoped that this restaurant takes phone transfers, or else he will have to carry his hunger and search for another establishment that will.

*Stomach gurgling sounds.

'Thank goodness it wasn't as loud this time'