Mike wandered aimlessly, doing laps on the sidewalk outside his apartment building. His beige apartment building sat next to beige apartment buildings on every side. The buildings stretched up 10 stories, which created concrete views all around. A few trees struggled to grow, and the grass never took root. It really was a human-made jungle.
On Mike’s third lap, a voice yelled down from a window across the street. Mike could not see the man, but his voice sounded like a radio announcer.
“What are you doing?” the voice yelled, “Where’s your dog?”
“I don’t have a dog,” Mike replied.
“Are you on a phone call? Do you have some headphones on?”
“No, no headphones,” Mike said.
“Are you in the middle of a run and just taking a really long break?”
“No. I’m walking, not running.” Mike thought for a moment about running.
“Are things bad in your apartment? Did you need to escape something?”
“No. It’s fine. I live alone.”
The voice sneered at him. “You can’t just walk here. It’s suspicious. Go home. Get back in your box!”