It was quarter past nine. Mickey Belcot's first class of the day was over, and with it, the rest of his school day. He got up with a weary smile, brushed his black, gravity-defying hair up, grabbed his bookbag, and nodded to his classmates before quietly departing his Greek and Roman studies class.

"H-Hey! Mickey! Hold on!"

As Mickey was walking down the locker-lined hallway, someone had called to him from behind. He turned to the voice and kept his tired smile on as a young lady standing a foot shorter approached him.

Messy brown hair that reached mid-back, a pale complexion, and glasses worn over kind, blue eyes—she was a friend.

"What's up, Michelle? Can I help you with something?" Mickey asked.

She shook her head. "No, not today. Are you leaving campus? Oh, can we stand off to the side? I don't want to be in the way."

The two moved to a corner, tucking themselves away from the hallway's traffic.

"Yeah, Michelle, I'm leaving campus. I only had one class today."

"Really?" she replied, cocking her head. "You're taking a lightened course load this semester?" Mickey nodded, and Michelle's expression softened. "So, you're not coming back for the day?"

"I've got no plans to. I've got a ton of stuff to do at home."

Michelle became dejected, and her voice lost a decibel. "I see… Okay. Well, I just wanted to let you know Tabletop Club was meeting today. It's our third meet for the semester… It'd be nice to have you."

Mickey's smile didn't change. "I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, you've still got class, right? Don't let me keep you."

"A-Ahh! Right. Yeah, thanks. I'll take off then… Actually, Mickey?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Mickey's smile wavered for a split second; the question struck a sore spot.

"I'm good. There's nothing wrong with me."

"O-Oh." Michelle nodded. "Okay… Have a safe commute home."

Michelle feebly waved and, with one last look, joined the hall's traffic as Mickey went the other way.

This was the regular routine for Mickey Belcot this semester. He would come to class early in the morning, do what was required for his General Studies degree, and then leave unceremoniously. Every day, he would walk down the same footpath that cut through one of the small green areas the community college maintained. Every day, he would cross a parking lot to reach his bicycle. Every day, as he engaged in this routine, he would absentmindedly look at the sky, or the trees, or the birds and try to appreciate the beauty of the life that surrounded him. He would also appreciate that he lived in a safe part of the world and would try to convince himself of how fortunate he was; things could always be worse.

Today was no different. He was walking to the parking lot, his eyes on the the clear blue sky. On this particular day, something different occurred. He saw a bird flying—it was going to fly over him, but today, it caught Mickey's attention. It had something—a card—in its mouth.

Is that nesting material? Mickey found himself wondering. The card drew Mickey's eyes as if it had a strange magnetism. Huh?

The bird let go of the card. It fell and landed three steps in front of Mickey—the bird didn't seem to notice as it just flew away.

Mickey came closer to the card and picked it up, puzzling over it. The card was blue on both sides, one side with white writing and the other with lines of smaller black writing. This card was reminiscent of a credit card in both size and feel.

"Is this… Some kind of promotional card?" Mickey wondered aloud, taking note of the writing.

On one side were words in the big, bold, white writing.

***

Be Bold Trailblazer!

Step Into The Hidden World! The Truest World Is A Portal Away!

Play The Game And EARN The Chance For

FABULOUS CASH PRIZES!!!

***

In smaller writing, at the corner of the card was another line of text.

[Instructions on the other side.]

The sales pitch for this game caught Mickey's attention.

Cash prizes? Really? For playing a game?

He flipped the card over and began reading the so-called instructions.

***

Download the special Tralas Browser from 'Tralasportal.com.'

Install the Tralas Browser and use the browser to access the HiddenWorld Node. The node comes bookmarked in the browser.

On the nodesite, you will find the landing page for Hidden World Online!

Use the sign-up code on this card to register and start the most incredible journey a human could ever embark on!

Note: Scratch the pad below to reveal the code. If the code has already been revealed, this card may be invalid. The code is one-time use only.

Note: Hidden World Online is not responsible for any damage/injuries that may befall you or your property in the following of these instructions.

***

"Huh… They even had time to squeeze some legalese in there. I guess I can understand why; I have to install a sketchy browser?"

Mickey recalled a particular browser that was made to browse the darknet and wondered if this was something similar.

"They're calling the website a nodesite, so that would be kind of the same as an onion, or whatever they're called on the Tor browser, right?"

Mickey stared at the card for a few moments before shrugging and tucking it into his pocket.

Cash prizes, huh? For going on some sketchy site? Feels like they'd hack me and take my money instead.