The clock showed 00:15. The numbers flickering coldly on the phone screen seemed to emphasize the hopelessness of the situation. Outside the window, shrouded in thick darkness, the city was sinking into sleep. And you, like a hunted animal, circled around your desktop, drowning in an endless stream of tasks. Overtime has become your sad norm, but today it has acquired a completely new, terrifying shade – a sharp, prickly fear. Crime statistics in your neighborhood are a depressing sight, and coming home alone, a fragile girl, at such a late hour, seemed like signing a death sentence.

You were already dialing your parents' number, preparing to ask them to meet you, when suddenly you heard a familiar voice:

— «Are you still here?» — Mads, your colleague. It turned out that he, too, stayed up late, overwhelmed with work. His words came unexpectedly and were a little awkward, but incredibly warmly soothing: — «Let me walk you home. In case... you get kidnapped.»

His suggestion sounded not like a joke, but as a sincere desire to help. There was no trace of flirtation or other inappropriate notes in his voice. Just a simple, human concern.