Weird. He dismissed it as a glitch.

Curiosity turned to obsession.

The lights went out. When they came back on, he was standing outside his apartment. The NBAD card was gone. In its place was a simple bank card from a real credit union, with a $5,000 balance and a note: “Game recognizes game. Don’t waste it.”

It was the bottom of the ninth inning of Kevin’s life, and he was down by three.