BABY STEPS

A loud ringing on the bars of his cell woke Jace up from a troubled sleep, the grey concrete greeted him as he opened his eyes, purposefully designed to be featureless and boring. "Hey, you," a portly officer said from the other side of the bars. With a body that had gone from muscled to pleasantly plump and sunken eyes, it was hard not to form a dislike for the man.

Jace sighed and glanced at the warden, who was rhythmically tapping the bars in a peculiar pattern. "What's up, Mike?" he mumbled, frustration evident in his voice. Since Michael had promised to secure his release, time had been crawling at a snail's pace, with little to break the monotony. The only notable change had been when they moved someone into a cell further down the block.

Jace couldn't help but squirm in his itchy jumpsuit. The plastic-covered foam mattress he'd been trying to sleep on was like a cruel practical joke from the prison interior decorator. "About time I got released," Jace grumbled, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. "It's been at least a week."

Mike's response was an enigmatic grumble that wasn't going to win any awards for eloquence soon he swung open the door to Jace's cell, and Jace eagerly shuffled out, itching to escape the discomfort.

Mike remained resolutely silent after giving him the stink eye as if to say "I'm watching you" then continuing his slow, plodding march down the narrow passage gesturing for Jace to follow.

At the front desk, he claimed his few belongings: a worn wallet, a set of keys, and his smartphone that somehow hadn't run out of charge being his only link to the outside world. With trembling hands, he tried to dial both Michael and his wife, Rain.

Jace's eyes scanned the bustling city streets as he dialed Michael's number. The early morning crowd provided a sense of reassurance, but as the phone continued to ring endlessly, his unease grew. He had expected Michael to be there for him after his release, and the unanswered calls left him feeling stranded.

The situation became even more disconcerting when Rain, who had always been prompt in answering her phone, remained elusive. Jace couldn't help but worry about the unusual silence from both of them as he made his way to the metro station.

Purchasing a ticket and grabbing some food that was a far cry from the jail cafeteria, he boarded the train. The journey back to his home in the heart of the city felt surreal. Everything had changed, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. As he stepped out of the metro and headed toward his residence, the weight of uncertainty bore down on him. The city he once knew now seemed like an unfamiliar place, and he was determined to get to the bottom of what had happened during his time in jail and the mysterious silence from Michael and Rain.