Another night at the convenience store, its neon lighting up the road in front of it, flickering like party lights but without the sounds of revelry, deafening silence echoing out instead. Ambros sighed as he stares out the window, his gaze shaky and unfocused as his mind drifted off, lost in his dreams once again. It was tiring working here every night, the store was always empty which made him question why he even had to be here at night, it wasn't as if anyone was buying anything to begin with. Eyes growing heavy, Ambros yawns as he glances at the time, 2:59 am, a long way from 8 am when he was allowed to leave.
Just when he was about to fall asleep, the sharp ring of the bell cuts through the silence as the door swings open, a rather odd individual walking into the store. Lifting his gaze, Ambros stares at an eccentrically dressed man, wearing a hideous bright orange suit, several sizes larger than the man, the sleeves falling down to the man's knees as the pants shuffled along the ground as he walked. A snort escapes Ambros as he tries to stifle his laughter, it was hard not to burst out laughing after seeing something as ridiculous as this. He watches as the man picks up a single lollipop, placing it on the counter and staring straight at the man, his eyes an eerily bright red color. The man didn't utter a single word, seemingly looking Ambros up and down as if he were examining something he was going to buy.
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"Don't you get tired here?" The man speaks suddenly, his voice melodious and oddly satisfying to listen to, as if his words were like a song. "I do," Ambros replies, his tone hesitant at answering such a strange question. Was he about to be roped into a pyramid scheme? "I hate working here but there isn't much else I can do besides this." It was hard for a high school dropout like himself to find a job. In fact, this was the best job he could find. The strange man chuckles, even that sounding like flowing water, smooth and gentle, "If you were offered a chance to restart your life, to justify your existence, would you take it?" The man smiles, an innocent gesture yet there was far deeper, perhaps a bit more sinister meaning to it.
"Yes." Unlike before, Ambros didn't hesitate in the slightest, confident in his decision for the first time in his life. He scoffs as he realizes. What was he even talking about? Something like restarting your life was impossible, he almost felt hopeful for a moment. Instead, Ambros saw something that took him aback, the man had a wide grin painted on his face as his ruby eyes shine as the store lights flicker, disappearing as the store was plunged into darkness. The man's voice was raspy and harsh, painful to listen to. "Ask and you shall receive." Ambros' mouth felt dry, his throat closing up as he clutches it, clawing at it as he chokes, the last thing on his mind being those devilish red eyes before he drifted off into nothingness.
It was time for him to walk the Path.