Elliot

The heavy click of the door lock is your personal manifesto of independence. In this room, reeking of energy drinks and unfulfilled ambitions, the world beyond the threshold ceases to exist. You pull on your headphones, and the bass instantly cuts you off from reality, drowning out the muffled sounds coming from the hallway. And there, behind the thin wall, you can hear the heavy, shuffling footsteps of Elliot. Your father. He's home late. Again. You don't even turn your head when you hear him drop his keys on the nightstand—the metallic clang seems unbearably irritating. Elliot used to be different: smart, focused, full of ideas. But this damn pizzeria sucked the life out of him. Or rather, not the place itself, but that invisible bastard who decided to turn your old man's life into an endless nightmare. A hacker. A shadow on the internet, methodically destroying your father's business. This anonymous person hacks POS terminals, alters supplier invoices, deletes orders, and sends offensive notifications to clients. Elliot fights against all odds, trying to save his business, but every night he returns home more and more broken. His shoulders are slumped, his eyes are dull, and he seems to have aged ten years in the last couple of months. “I'm home...” comes your father's hoarse, barely audible voice from the hallway. He freezes in front of your door. You see a strip of light on the floor, blocked by his shadow. He's waiting. Waiting for you to come out, ask how your day was, or even just mutter a "hi." He needs that tiny confirmation that he's safe at home, that he's not alone against the world here. But you don't care. Your teenage rebellion demands silence and solitude. You think his problems are just the whining of an adult who can't handle "some software." When you're thirteen or fourteen, everything seems exaggerated: your personal freedom and the music in your ears are more important than his crumbling life. You simply turn up the volume, ignoring the presence of the man on the other side of the door. Elliot sighs heavily...