Please note before reading that this story will include the following, in case you want to avoid:
Implied/Referenced Brainwashing
Non-Consensual Drug Use/Consensual Drug Use
mature themes
Medical issues
Depression
Apathy
gender neutral reader
Slow Burn
Hostage
Social Anxiety
Anxiety Issues
Awkwardness
Desperation
Religious Cult
Sex and Sexual Acts even if there are no revealing names to the bits

~~~OOO~~~ooo~~~OOO~~~ooo~~~OOO

It's another day. A day just like all the ones before.

You woke up, put on a smile to complete your perfectly maintained facade. You feel nothing, the taste of your breakfast is bland; you can already tell. It always is, no matter how many spices you sprinkle in or whether you choose different ingredients or not.

You burn your hand on the pan, but aside from a quick breath sucked in through your teeth, you only stare at it.

It doesn't matter.

You slide your food from the sizzling pan to your waiting plate and eat right at the counter, your fork clinking on the dish, the only sound, cacophonous in your empty home.

In a blink of an eye, you are done feeding yourself and without a single thought on the matter, set your used utensils into the sink; turning on the faucet for a quick rinse for good measure. They can take care of the rest. It's not like these are yours anymore anyway.

You don't know why you wake up so early every morning. Habit? Maybe. It's been a while since you've really had to be anywhere or do anything. It's been years since you've woken to accompany anyone. You've been living on your savings. But, maybe, even more so from the latter... is hope the reason? Maybe something different will happen?

Nah, couldn't be. That idea is squelched before it even has a chance to bloom. False hope is the absolute worst.

You've put in multiple applications for work at every business in your city and the surrounding three... still you've heard no word. You've tried putting your resume online and even that received no hits.

Nothing will change, you are sure of this... And yet, you keep smiling.

That's what your parents and grandparents taught you. They told you so much that you wish you could remember more clearly but you can't and they are no longer alive to remind you. It's bittersweet, really.

You are alone, and even still, you smile. Because, even if you feel you've died right alongside your loved ones on the inside, you never want to give anyone you may come into contact with even an inkling of that negative emotion.

A single smile can change a life, right? You sigh, that fake curve dropping ever-so-slightly. No one's here to see you, couldn't hurt. You need something to do today. Something to hold your attention from the apartment you have to vacate today and the distinct lack of possessions you own.

It's just you, your phone, charger, the clothes and wallet in your bag and the keys you are about to return to the landlord. You absently swipe at an errant strand of hair, getting it out of your face before your mask breaks and you break down.

So fragile, yet so numb at the same time... Who'd a' thunk it possible?

Tap, tap. Tap, tap.

Such a lonely sound at six sharp. The hall is vacant, doors closed, ex-neighbors all probably still grasping at the last strings of sleep's weave before their workdays begin, and here you are walking the walk of shame; no job, no home, grinning like a psycho and browsing the appstore with a small prayer that something will catch your interest.

You barely scroll down, mistap and something starts downloading. You didn't even check what it was, but do you even care at this point? You sigh internally, leaving it be, and you continue on through the dim hall and through the door to the stairwell.

At least in here, there is some form of ambient noise to distract you from yourself. The whirring of what you believe to be a few dryers and washing machines are keeping you company, the trek down itself automatic and almost mechanical.

Thud, thud. Thud, thud.

If you had kept in contact with past friends from highschool or university, you are certain that someone would have come up with something cute and inspirational...

Thud, thud. Thud, thud.

Something like this being the nomadic stage before a grand adventure. Or, that all this bad luck will break once you're struck with your oncoming good luck.

Thud, thud. Thud, thud.

You huff a humorless chuckle as you turn the nob, exiting the stairwell.

"Sure...Sure."

The gaping mouth of the dropbox is waiting, and you pause only slightly before letting the metal fall from your fingertips. It clinks and scrapes its way down the basket waiting below, catching what remains of your pride and livelihood as an adult. Your eyes close, a steady breath fills your lungs and you push it out slowly.

It is then that your phone decides to screech in an unholy manner. You scramble, your hands swatting at the smudged, glass front doors for the freedom of the outside world to fish the offending object out of your pocket. Swiping the lock screen away, your eyes fall upon a single message.

("Can you see this?")

"The heck?" You are absolutely stunned. Was this message really worth the screaming of damned souls? Not at all... But hey, it's something different, for sure.

You didn't even open the app, but you just can't ignore the reach for connection from a fellow human.