A New World
Following the conversation with the old man, Spencer trudged back to his humble abode within the lower class area of the city. Pot holes were common on the street showcasing how much the council didn't care for the area. Spencer continued to follow the footpath all the way back to his house before arriving out the front of his house. A two story building in relatively good shape greeted him. Spencer stared at the building before sighing as he looked at his so called home. He prepared his thoughts before checking the time.
'3.03am, a little bit late. I hope I don't get yelled at'. He thought before walking up to the front door and unlocking it with his key.
*Click*
The lock was opened.
Pulling the handle to further open the door Spencer walked through the front door before closing and locking it behind him, Taking a moment to lock around before heading further inside. He was surprised when he found his father watching the TV alongside his mother. Some generic reality show according the the audio of it.
Hearing the door open and footsteps follow both Alan and Anna, turned to see who it was but upon finding it was Spencer, Their eyes flashed with a disgust and a small amount of hatred before they turned around.
"Where have you been?" His father questioned him while still watching the TV show.
"Out". Spencer gave a short reply and walked further into the house.
No other words were exchanged as his parents ignored him while continuing to watch the TV.
Making his way to the kitchen, he found his dinner for the night. Ham and pea soup with bread. Calling it that would be an overstatement though. With small amounts of Ham and pea with a large amount of just flavored water alongside old near moldy bread, it could barely qualify as a meal for anyone. A bland meal that would put prison meals to shame.
'Sigh. Guess it's just the same as always. I doubt that my life could get any worse.' Thinking to himself, Spencer began to eat, filling his small stomach before cleaning his dishes after he was done and packing them back into the cabinet.
Spencer then glanced towards the living room, more specifically his parents to see if there would be another reaction from them towards his appearance but he found they hadn't even glanced at him ever since he walked past them.
Sighing, he then went towards the stairs, climbing them and went along to his room.
Opening the door to his room, he observed it before entering.
A 2.5m x 3m area was all the space he got. The dull colors of his walls gave a depressive aura to all who would enter and would be further enhanced by the lack of furniture within. A singular small bed that clearly Spencer couldn't fit was placed in the furthest corner of the room. A small desk only large enough to fit a couple of sheets of paper was next to his bed and small chest cabinet with three drawers was seen on the wall parallel to the bed stored all his clothes, which amounted to very little, compared to his siblings or other children, And a small window to the left of his bed.
'Same old depressing room.' he thought before walking in.
He entered his room, removed his clothes till he was only in his underwear and crawled in and laid upon the bed staring straight up at the ceiling.
'I guess ill go see what's going to happen tomorrow, if it turns out to be a waste of time ill just go back to the bridge'. He thought to himself.
He neither felt hopeful nor anxious towards his meeting with the old man tomorrow. To him, it would be all the same as every other day. He continued his thoughts before tiredness overtook him and he drifted into a shallow sleep.
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The Next Day
Cleaning himself up with a cold shower a few hours later Spencer organized himself.
'That old man said I should clean up and wear my nicest clothes. The problem is I don't have nice clothes. Only less destroyed ones. Oh well.'.
Picking up the a collared black short sleeve shirt along with a pair of blue track pants with the same generic brand shoes he wore yesterday Spencer went out to go to the agreed meeting place that old man gave him. He eventually found himself slowly but surely making his way through the borders of the city he was in before managing to get himself lost. A few questions to the local shop owners and he was back to navigating the winding streets and confusing side alleys of this part of the city.
'Jesus this place is like a maze! So many twists and turns.' He chided to himself. He continued on his journey to the old man's place.
The weather eventually took a turn for the worst as the cool nip in the air suddenly grew and brushed upon his exposed skin causing him to slightly shiver.
'God damn it. Its freezing out here. I cant believe when I asked Anna and Alan for a sweatshirt I would outright be denied. I know that their not earning large figures but it should be enough to let me buy at least one item of winter clothing.'. Spencer quipped. He thought back to when he was still cared for by them and not considered a burden that they wanted to get rid of. Due to the slow change in attitude from his parents he gradually stopped referring to his parents as mom and dad a few years ago.
'Well according to this card I'm nearly there. A few more minutes should do the trick.'. He thought as he glanced down on the card in his hand. Again, a few more questions to the local shop owners and he was back on the right track.
After a bit more than ten more minutes of walking he finally found his destination. He stared up at the sign of building.
'The Bear Since 1969'.
It was a gym.
An old gym. Wrong. A very old gym.
'Is this the right place?'. Spencer questioned while furrowing his brows.
The gym looked desolate as if no one had come within the past year. Dust was gathering on the windows while the remains of small insects could be seen on the inside. The plastering on the bricks outside was cracking and falling apart while the metal plumbing pipes were rusted severely.
Confused he pulled out his old smart phone before checking the date.
'9th August 2131. 11.48am'.
'I bet this place hasn't been renovated since its construction. Haha' Spencer laughed.
'Well, I doubt that old man will be here but I may as well give it a try'. He thought. seemingly amused by the situation.
Walking up to the door Spencer checked to see if it was locked, noticing it wasn't he tried to push it open. The door wouldn't budge. He pushed again. The door wouldn't move. Two people who were walking along the opposite side of the road then looked at him. Spencer's cheeks grew a soft hue of red before he pulled it open bolting walking inside hastily to avoid further embarrassment. He then gave a cursory glance around the gym, the first thing that came to mind as he observed the place was;
Disorganized.
Very disorganized.
Difference classes of weights were strung out across the floor, barbells and solid metal link chains followed. Benches and old machines were randomly placed as if blown around by a gale of wind. Spencer was momentarily starstruck staring at the scene.
'Surely that old man isn't in charge of all this. This is just down right saddening, haha'. Spencer giggled as he thought to himself. He continued to look around quickly becoming curious of all the equipment before deciding to walk around and observe up close. He had never gone to the gym or done any exercise outside oh the physical education classes at school. He had no idea what it was for or what the old man was planning by telling him to come to the gym.
Spencer then heard a door on the other side of the building open before turning his head towards the sound.
"Oh good, you're here.". The unique accent echoed through the floor of the building. The old man then proceeded to walk out and greet Spencer.
The old man stared at Spencer.
'Well his body condition is still the same as yesterday but he does look a little bit better after cleaning himself up.' He thought to himself. He then frowned when he saw the state of Spencer's hair.
'I'm definitely going to give him a buzz cut later. Cant have a mop like that running around the octagon. Better yet, I'll give him an overhaul. I don't believe my fashion sense can't save him'. The old man added to his previous thought.
Spencer noticed the old man fell silent and was staring at him. Feeling a tiny bit awkward he responded to the old man.
"Old man, what am I doing here exactly?"
"I'm welcoming you" The old man responded in a weird tone which caused Spencer to question him.
"Welcoming me? To where? This old gym?"
"No, to your new world.". The old man replied mysteriously.