FAAAAHHHH—
A sound effect commonly used in short-form memes videos blared from a Ray's phone.
He scrolled once more, and another sound came out of the speaker.
"My dad is kinda homelesss…."
Another scroll, another sound.
"Six sev—"
Tap. Ray hit the home button.
"Huuuaaghhh…" He stretched with a yawn, checked the time on his phone, then stood up from the chair in front of his low-end, beloved PC.
He looked around his apartment.
"How long is my life gonna be like this…," he muttered under his breath.
A cheap apartment. Thin walls. From the unit next door came the blare of a TV mixed with people yelling at each other—same noise, different day.
Ray let out a quiet snort.
He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
Empty.
Completely empty.
He swallowed. "Shit…," he said softly. "Still haven't gotten paid."
His paycheck—already below minimum wage—still hadn't come in. He took a long breath, his face worn out. Complaining wouldn't help. He'd still be hungry, unless he somehow managed to sell his misery on social media.
"Guess it can't be helped," he muttered.
Ray grabbed a thin jacket, slipped his wallet into his pocket, and headed out. He decided to hit the convenience store one block from his apartment—the cheapest and closest option.
Not long after, he stood in front of the instant food shelf. Ray grabbed a few cup noodles, some cheap groceries, just enough to scrape by for a few days.
After paying, Ray walked home slowly.
His steps were heavy, his mind drifting.
His life was a mess.
He'd busted his ass through college. Student loans piled up. Graduated thinking things would finally get better—then not long after starting work, he got laid off from his dream job.
The reason was simple.
AI.
At a small intersection, the streetlight flickered like it couldn't decide whether to stay alive or die.
Ray slowed down, glancing left and right—
Bam.
He walked straight into something solid.
"…What the hell?"
Ray stepped back and squinted. A slot machine. Standing right there, in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Who the hell puts a scam machine out here?" he muttered.
As someone who knew damn well gambling wasn't for poor people, Ray turned away and kept walking.
The streetlight flickered again.
Bam.
He ran into it. Again.
Ray stared at the machine, irritation rising. On the screen, bright letters blinked:
ONE LIFETIME GUARANTEED LIFE CHANGER!
Only $1 Needed
"…The fuck?" Ray frowned. "Life changer?"
He shook his head and started walking, grumbling to himself.
"Life changer? Yeah right. Changes some random husband into a wife beater? Guess that is a life changer."
Still, a thought crept in.
Man… I could use a little entertainment.
His hand slipped into his pocket.
One dollar.
That was it.
The streetlight flickered again. Harder this time.
Ray stopped.
"…Okay, this is starting to feel like a horror movie."
He looked back.
The slot machine was there. Of course it was. Like it had never moved. Like it had always been waiting.
Ray clicked his tongue.
"Tch… fuck it."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out the crumpled bill, and stepped closer.
"Let's go gambling."