Future Tormentor

15

Faintly, Leo thought he heard a drunkard cursing the name "Jeff Carter," but as he tried to regain consciousness, overwhelming weakness enveloped him, and darkness took over his vision, leading him to lose consciousness once more.

When Leo awoke, it was already daylight, and he found himself surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, all keeping their distance, whispering and pointing at his bloodied face and the glass shard embedded in his eye. Eventually, a compassionate clinic doctor stepped forward to remove the shard and stitch up the gash across his right eye, but it was clear the eye was beyond saving.

Desperate for clarity, Leo inquired about the date, only to be nonchalantly informed by the doctor that it was 9 AM, assuming Leo's concern was merely about the time of day. But Leo's frantic repetition of his question, "Which year? Which year?" went unanswered. Holding a newspaper from 2003, the reality of his situation sank in – he was still trapped in the past, with his crucial lifeline, the phone, nowhere to be found.

Echoing in his mind were the mad beggar's words, warning him not to lose the phone, or he'd never find his way back. Stricken by the realization that he might never return to his own time, Leo panicked and fled the clinic. His impaired vision caused him to bump into passersby, drawing curses and reprimands, but he was too distraught to heed them.

The doctor watched Leo's desperate retreat with a sigh, shaking his head at the sight of the distraught man, remarking on the tragedy of his apparent madness. Leo's frantic escape underscored the profound disorientation and despair of being lost in time, far from the familiarities of his own era, with no clear path back.