Max sat cross-legged on the carpet, staring dejectedly at his smartphone. The WiFi icon on the screen was a glaring absence. "Not again," he muttered, tossing the phone onto the couch. The living room, usually buzzing with digital life, felt eerily quiet and disconnected.
Max stood up, determination replacing his earlier frustration. "There's got to be a signal somewhere," he whispered to himself. He pocketed his phone and headed towards the apartment door, his mind set on finding the elusive WiFi.
Max wandered through the long hallway, phone in hand, glancing at the screen every few steps. The signal bars remained stubbornly empty. "Come on, there's got to be a sweet spot," he encouraged himself, his footsteps echoing in the quiet building.
Max pushed open the door to the stairwell, greeted by a draft of cool air. The stairs stretched upwards, promising a better vantage for signal. Ascending quickly, he felt a thrill of adventure mixed with his desperation for connection.
Max emerged onto the rooftop, the city sprawled out beneath him. He held his phone up high, watching the screen eagerly. A single bar flickered to life. "Yes!" he exclaimed, but his triumph was short-lived as he spotted a shadowy figure at the far end of the roof.
Max squinted through the dimming light. The figure stepped forward, revealing themselves to be an enigmatic stranger draped in a long coat. "Looking for something?" the stranger asked, their voice smooth yet unsettling. Max, clutching his phone, nodded cautiously, unsure of what he had stumbled upon in his search for WiFi.
