Almost late.

Anna's nervousness grew even more. She already held the key inside of her palm, but he was still nowhere to be found. With time running out, she just asked the innkeeper to let him in their room with the spare key and rushed to get ready to log out.

Despite feeling sleep-deprived and hunger pangs gnawing at her empty stomach, Anna knew she couldn't waste any more time.

She stormed up, quickly got dressed, and drank a glass of water before dashing off to the bus station.

Gasping for breath, she slumped onto the vacant seat directly behind the driver's cabin. Her chest heaved with each breath she took, her lungs burning from exertion.

She struggled to regulate her breathing, desperate not to grasp any attention to herself.

"You should not run when the weather is this bad." A woman next to her muttered quietly, pointing at dense smog behind the hazy window. "It's bad for your health."

"I know, but I really had to catch this bus." Anna whined with a hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath, making her only cough more aggressively "I'm sorry." She even apologized and glanced at the other woman, concerned for her reaction.

However, her efforts were in vain as the other woman had already diverted her attention back to the window. Fixated on the view outside, she observed the drab, gray buildings adorned with a chaotic tapestry of advertisements and graffiti.

As she approached the building, she noticed her direct supervisor engaged in conversation with their boss right outside. Thinking they were waiting for someone, she decided to politely greet both of them before attempting to navigate around to ensure she wouldn't be late for clocking in.

"You are almost late, miss. I expected better time management from you, considering your flawless recommendation." The blonde man said and glanced at her with an unreadable expression.

Caught off guard, Anna couldn't help but feel a sudden twinge of unease. Determined to maintain her composure, she fought against her instinctual urge to fidget and steadied herself, meeting his gaze.

"I apologize, sir. It won't happen again." Struggling to maintain eye contact, she mustered a reply.

The man before her resembled a snake; outwardly attractive, yet his presence instilled an unsettling dread.

She was glad they were leaving for some meeting.

"Hurry up and go in." The other one stepped aside for her to be able to get to the lab without further delay.

She just nodded her head a little and finally went in, without another word. Her heart overflowed with gratitude towards her supervisor, who had skillfully rescued her from the unwanted late check-in.

Anna never changed into her lab gown this quickly as today. Having to force herself to focus on work and not on her numb stomach, she managed to make it through the day.

For the first time in a long, long time, she was looking forward to coming home. Not home, she had to correct herself. Looking forward to seeing that man again.

As always, she bought only two protein brick powders and a small pack of vitamins and minerals on her way home.

The fear and anxiety she experienced from her previous struggle with not having enough money for meals made her dread checking her bank account.

The memory of going without food for days was unpleasant and haunted her every time she had to face her financial situation.

But she still had some money put aside for the loan payment, she should be just fine. After the door to her unit opened with a quiet "Beep" sound, she got in and changed into her old clothes, putting her nicer ones aside for tomorrow.

She stole these pants in a public laundry room, like every other decent clothes she owned.

It pained her to steal necessities like socks and shirts, but she did her utmost to keep whatever clothes she had in the best condition possible.

She prepared half of the first protein brick and set it aside so she can eat it before going to sleep. Her mind was filled with worry when she finally laid down and reached for the VR helmet. What if he is not there yet?