Early in the morning, Bruce was woken up by the vibration of his smartphone.
He sloppily reached towards his bedside cabinet, blindly reaching for the device until he found it.
"Who in the world-" He sat up straight and widened his eyes. "Is that...?"
「Unknown Number」
– We can't talk here. Find the nearest payphone and we'll get you right.
*U.N.
Bruce sighed in relief and ran his hands through his hair, yawning afterwards.
He freshened up, trimmed the grown kush and left his RV, finding himself in the forest next to the town square.
The spruce trees were high, and the grass was thin, just as Uncle Nelson had described.
Bruce finally set foot in town and took in the fresh air. The streets were calm, and very few people were walking.
"Hyland Point. Unc spent a lot of time here before moving to Serena Flats," Bruce remembered as he moved towards the town square.
Right outside the store, a payphone was ringing and flashing green, prompting Bruce to answer it.
「Ah, youngblood, glad you made it out of there alive.」
"Unc, are you okay?"
「I'll live. The feds have got me locked up, but they can't hold me down forever.」
Bruce chuckled as he imagined his old uncle attempting to break out of jail. The idea of the cripple doing that was nothing but jokes to him.
「In any case, you should be able to make some good money since you're at Hyland Point, the home of the best cash flow in the entire world.
「I've left some cash in a few drop points around the town. One by the canal, one by the fountain and another behind the pizza joint.
「That should be enough to get you started. Once you've got the cash, return to the payphone.」
Uncle Nelson hung up, prompting Bruce to look for the drop boxes where the money had been hidden.
After getting to the last drop point, his total was $321, putting his mind at ease.
As he prepared to return to the payphone, a huge explosion sent the entire region of the town shaking, making its citizens shriek and look in the direction of the forest.
Bruce did the same, his heart dropping while water began filling his eyes watering as he ran in the direction of the forest.
He ran as fast as his body could carry him, hoping that it was a terrible prank from his uncle's old contacts.
But his hopes were crushed when he saw the spire of flames and melting metal before him.
The RV was scorched, seemingly with rage and mockery.
The plants, the kush, his equipment. Everything Bruce had besides his phone and the cash his uncle gave him was reduced to rubble.
Right next to a small bump on the ground, there was a letter covered in ash, swaying with the wind.
The young man crouched and picked up the piece of paper, dusting off the dirt and ash before reading the contents.
「Welcome to Hyland Point. Leave and live, stay and meet your maker.
*TB」
Bruce's heart pounded out of his chest as he crushed the paper in his hands, gritting his teeth.
In that moment, he felt a newfound surge of energy boiling his blood, something he had never felt before.
Before he could let his anger take hold of him, he took a deep breath, got up and walked towards the next payphone, his heart broken.
Once there, he told his uncle what had happened.
「Well, shit. That's not ideal. That was probably the Benzies family, the cartel that runs most of Hyland Point.」
"You didn't think to tell me that there's a cartel that could blow my shit up?! You stupid old man!"
「Calm down, buddy. I told you that we'd get you right. This is a setback, I know. But you'll get your chance to shine.
「Who knows? Maybe you'll even be the biggest hotshot in town.」
Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose and groaned. "Please don't talk like that, you sound like you've got a god complex..."
「In any case, you'll be at the top. Go down by the motel and rent yourself a room. Then, tell Donna, the owner, that Nelson sent you.」
"How many of your contacts are reliable?"
「Just do as you're told, kid. You won't regret this.」
Uncle Nelson hung up, and Bruce sighed. The Sun was almost down, and he was getting the munchies.
He popped by the taco spot known as Taco Ticklers, got himself a meal and walked down the street, past the skatepark, and knocked on Donna's office.
A middle-aged black woman with a tied ponytail opened the door and looked at Bruce, squinting her eyes as she did.
"Hey, uh, I'd like a room."
"Right. $75 for the week."
'That's a steal. It must be a shitty place.'
Bruce paid the money upfront, and Donna gave him a key, telling him that it was the room next to her office.
Then, Bruce mentioned Uncle Nelson. Donna snapped her fingers and smiled.
"No wonder I recognised you. You're Nelson's nephew. He left this for you; said you'd need it once you're older."
Donna handed Bruce a small black box and returned to her office. Bruce then made his way to his rented room and closed the curtains upon entry.
The room was small with a bed, a TV, a small shelf and a kitchen all connected in a single room.
There was also a door, which Bruce assumed was the bathroom.
It had an odd smell of wet clothes and dried fruits. Soon, Bruce would make it smell of green.
He reached into his pocket and rolled up his last piece of kush, smoking it before he sat down on the bed.
The black box stared at him as he opened it, revealing a slick silver watch. Bruce grabbed it and put it on, smiling afterwards.
"I saw a picture of unc with this watch. Wonder how much it costs."
「Binding with new host...」
"Huh?" Bruce blinked after hearing a mechanical voice.
He looked at his kush and stared with suspicion. He didn't lace it with anything else, just pure weed.
He wanted to take another drag, but put it out and threw it in the trash can, assuming he had smoked too much.
「Binding complete!」
「Schedule 1 System is ready for the grind!」
Bruce stood on both feet and looked around. His high was never this trippy.
He then glanced at the watch, noticing that the hour hand was moving counterclockwise and the minute hand was frozen.
Unbeknownst to him, the feeling from before returned, making his skin crawl and his green eyes glow.
An ethereal energy swirled around the youngster, swaying his hair and causing a holographic screen to appear before him.
The room buzzed and eventually fell into a deafening silence. Bruce's tired eyes now widened.
「Welcome to Schedule 1, Bruce Oliver」