The rain hit the pavement. Hard. Cold. I watched it. My name is Elias. I am old. My knees ache. I wait.

Who is waiting? You are.

Yes. I am.

For what?

For you.

Who is you?

I don’t know. I used to know.

The city is grey. Wet. The buildings lean in. They whisper. I hear them.

What do they say?

They say go home. I cannot.

Why?

Because home is gone. Because I am here.

The alley is dark. It smells like rust. And old paper. I smell you. Faintly. Like ozone. Like storm.

Come out.

I am afraid.

Afraid of what?

Of being seen. Of being known.

You are known. I know you.

Do you?

I think I do.

The clock ticks. Tock. Tock. Time is a thief. It takes everything. It takes strength. It takes memory. It takes us.

I am a soldier. Or I was. Now I am just a man. A broken man. I carry a badge. It is cold. It burns.

What is the badge?

Proof. Proof I existed. Proof I served.

Served whom?

The system. The law. The city.

Did it serve you?

No. It ate me.

The shadow moves. It is quick. Too quick.

Stop.

I am running.

Stop.

I can’t.

I am your superior.

You are my prisoner.

No. You are my ghost.

The rain falls. It drowns the streets. It drowns my thoughts. I see it now. The path. The boundary.

Where?

There. The bridge.

The bridge is broken.

Yes. But it is the only way.

I cannot cross.

You must.

Why?

Because I am waiting. Because you owe me.

I owe you?

You owe everyone.

The wind howls. It sounds like a scream. I feel it in my chest. A pain. Sharp. Real.

I am tired.

So am I.

Rest.

I cannot.

Lie down.

No.

Stand up.

I am standing.

Look at me.

I am looking.

What do you see?

I see myself.

Yes.

Is that you?

Yes.

Then why are we fighting?

Because the loop.

What loop?

The circle. The wheel. We turn. And turn. And never stop.

I want to stop.

You cannot.

The shadow grows. It has a face. It is my face. Older. Sadder.

Who are you?

I am what you will be.

No.

Yes.

I reject this.

You cannot reject time.

I will fight.

You will lose.

I will fight anyway.

The fist comes. It is fast. It hits my jaw. I taste blood. Copper. Sweet.

I hit back. My knuckles crack. It hurts. It is good.

We are dancing. A dark dance. In the rain. On the edge.

The city watches. It does not care. It is indifferent. It is the machine. It grinds.

I am the gear. You are the oil.

No. I am the rust.

The rust eats. It spreads.

I feel it spreading. In my bones. In my mind.

I am losing.

Yes.

But I am winning.

How?

By letting go.

Letting go of what?

Of the fight. Of the badge. Of the name.

I am free.

Are you?

No. But I am at peace.

The rain stops. The sky is clear. The stars come out. They are cold. Distant.

I look up. I see the pattern. It is there. In the stars. The same pattern. Always.

We are bound.

Yes.

By fate?

By choice.

I chose this.

Did you?

I don’t know.

Does it matter?

No.

The pain fades. The anger fades. The fear fades.

I am here.

I am here.

The bridge is broken. But I am across.

How?

I stepped over the gap.

That was impossible.

Was it?

The memory returns. Not as a picture. But as a feeling. The weight. The cold. The betrayal.

Who betrayed me?

The system.

Did the system betray you?

Yes.

Did I betray the system?

Yes.

So we are both guilty.

We are both free.

The dawn comes. It is pink. Soft. Gentle.

The city wakes. The cars start. The people walk.

They do not see us.

Why?

Because we are gone.

Where?

Everywhere.

The body falls. It is light. Like a leaf.

I am not the body.

You are the spirit.

Is that a reward?

No. It is a release.

The machine stops.

No. The machine runs.

Then what stopped?

The gear.

The gear is gone.

Yes.

Is that a tragedy?

It is a truth.

I accept it.

Good.

I am tired.

Rest now.

I sleep.

The rain starts again. It washes the blood. It washes the dust. It washes the name.

Elias is gone.

Who is here?

No one.

Everyone.

The loop closes. The circle is complete.

But I am still here.

You are the memory.

The memory fades.

Yes.

But the pain stays.

The pain is the truth.

I keep it.

You must.

I hold it close. Like a stone. In my pocket.

It is warm.

It is cold.

It is both.

I walk. I do not stop. I do not look back.

The city is vast. It is empty. It is full.

I am the path.

I am the boundary.

I am the end.

And the beginning.

The clock ticks. Tock. Tock.

I hear it.

I am the tick.

I am the tock.

I am the silence between.

I am the breath.

I am the exhale.

I am the dust.

I am the rain.

I am the stone.

I am the gear.

I am the rust.

I am the light.

I am the dark.

I am the loop.

I am the escape.

I am the return.

I am the self.

I am the other.

I am the one.

I am the many.

I am the now.

I am the then.

I am the never.

I am the always.

The rain stops.

The sun rises.

The city breathes.

I am gone.

I am here.

The end.