CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3: Ditching the Ungrateful Boyfriend

 Marcus walked into my apartment as the door cracked open, bringing the smell of cheap cigarettes and wet rain with him. He didn't even look at me, rather his eyes went straight to the kitchen counter where I kept my purse and car keys.

"What is wrong with you Eva?" Marcus snapped, slamming the door shut as He stepped closer, "You didn't answer my calls. You said you would call the police on me. Are you losing it?"

I didn't back down. I stood in the middle of the room, my feet on the cold floor. Looking at him made me feel sick. This was the face that stared at me through the rainy SUV window while he drove away with my food.

"Get out of my apartment, Marcus, " I said. My voice wasn't loud and it wasn't shaking either.

Marcus looked shocked as he let out a breath and threw his hands up. "Get out? I live here sometimes! My moms electric bill is due. Her medication costs more. I need to use your credit card to pay for it. Where's your wallet?"

He took a step toward my bedroom thinking I would let him pass. He thought he could still control me.

"I said, get out, " I repeated, stepping in front of him.

Marcus stopped, his eyebrows pulled together in anger. "Eva what's wrong with you? My mom needs her medicine! Are you going to be heartless? You know my family is struggling. Why are you being so selfish?"

"Your mom needs her medicine?" I asked, laughing bitterly. "Why is that my problem, Marcus? Why do I have to pay for her electricity?"

"Because we're together!" he yelled, "That's what people do when they love each other! They help each other!. You've been keeping track of every dime like a psycho!"

"Help each other out?" I stepped closer with my heart racing with anger. "When did you ever help me Marcus? When did your family do anything for me except take and take?"

"We let you hang out with us!" Marcus shouted. "My mom cooks for you! Cindy treats you like a sister!. This is how you repay us? By locking your doors and acting like you're better than us?"

"Cindy treats me like a sister?" I whispered, my fists clenched as I remembered Cindy's voice telling him to step on the gas and leave me to be eaten by monsters. "Cindy is a leech. Your mom is a leech.. You are the biggest leech of all."

Marcus stared at me with his mouth wide open. He had never heard me speak to him like this. Before he would raise his voice and I would cry and apologize. I would give him my wallet to make him smile.

"You're crazy, " Marcus muttered, shaking his head as he pulled out his phone. "I'm calling my mom. You need to tell her why you're cutting us off. You need to apologize to her."

"Don't bother, " I said, picking up my phone from the kitchen counter. I opened my bank app. Showed him the screen. "Look, Marcus. Take a look."

He frowned, leaning in to see the screen. His eyes widened as he read the text.

"What did you do?" he gasped. "Eva what is this?"

"I froze the cards, " I said, smiling darkly. "I cancelled the users. Your moms name is off my account. Cindy's name is off my account. You can't use my money anymore."

"Are you insane?!" Marcus roared with his face twisted in anger, and then he grabbed my wrist, his grip was tight and painful. "Unfreeze them now! My moms bill auto-pays tomorrow! If it bounces her credit is ruined! Do you hear me? Unfreeze them!"

When he touched me I remembered hands grabbing my clothes pulling me down to the asphalt while the horde tore into my flesh.

I didn't cry. I didn't beg.

I raised my hand and slapped him across the face with all my strength.

Smack!

The sound was loud in the room as Marcus's head snapped to the side, his grip breaking instantly as he stumbled backward, his hand flying up to touch his burning cheek. He stared at me with shock and hatred.

"You hit me, " he whispered with his voice trembling with fury. "You actually hit me."

"If you ever touch me again I will do worse than slap you " I said, my voice cold as ice. "We are done, Marcus. It is over. I am throwing your clothes into the trash tonight. Get out of my face before I call security and have you dragged out in handcuffs."

Marcus stared at me for a moment. I could see the anger in him. He wanted to hit me back but something about my face stopped him. He realized the weak girl he used to control was gone.

"You're going to regret this Eva " Marcus spat, his voice dropping into a hiss. "You think you can survive without me? You think anyone else will ever want a broken girl like you? You're going to come crawling back to me on your knees begging for my help. Just. See."

"I'd rather die, " I said clearly.

Marcus turned around, kicked my trash can over and slammed my apartment door hard. Even the pictures on the wall shook.

The moment the door clicked shut the heavy silence of the room rushed in. I let out a shaky breath, my shoulders dropping as the anger began to cool down. My hand was still stinging from the slap. For the first time in a long time I felt like I could breathe.

[Ding! Quest progress updated: Tie cut with leech. Reward pending completion of the event.]

The blue screen from LUS flickered in front of my face, the mechanical voice sounding pleased but flat.

"Is it over?" I asked aloud looking at the glowing text.

[Negative. The leeches have roots. A simple verbal rejection will not clear the infestation. Prepare yourself, Host. The threat level is rising.]

I frowned as a bad feeling settled in my gut. "What do you mean the threat level is rising? He left."

Before LUS could answer, my phone started vibrating in my hand. I looked down expecting it to be Marcus texting me insults.. It wasn't Marcus. It was alerts from my banking app.

Alert: Declined charge at Electronics Depot. $1,200.00.

Alert: Declined charge at Gas Station. $85.00.

Alert: Declined charge at Boutique Fashion. $450.00.

They were already trying to drain my accounts. Marcus must have called Cindy and his mother the second he walked out of my building telling them to use the cards before I could change the passwords.. I had been faster. The cards were useless now.

I walked back into my bedroom. Sat on the edge of the bed. I needed to plan. I had thirty days. I needed to buy -perishable food, water purification tablets, medical supplies and a lot of fuel. I needed a place to hide. My current apartment was on the third floor, which was good for avoiding the initial panic on the streets but the doors were just cheap wood. A strong zombie or a desperate human could kick it down in seconds.

"LUS " I called out into the room. "You mentioned a reward. Dimensional Storage. How does that work?"

[Dimensional Storage is a pocket dimension bound to your soul. It allows the host to store items without weight limits or space restrictions. Time inside the storage is frozen. Food will not rot. Water will remain pure.]

My jaw dropped. Frozen time? Infinite space? That meant I could buy food, fresh meat and thousands of gallons of water and it would stay perfectly fresh until the end of the world. I wouldn't have to worry about people stealing my crates from the back of a car again. Everything would be hidden safely inside my mind.

"I need that reward " I said to myself, my eyes shining with determination. "How do I finish the task?"

[The leeches must realize their power over you is completely gone. Total detachment must be achieved.]

I didn't have to wait for that to happen.

Twenty minutes later a loud banging sound came from the front door of my apartment. It wasn't a polite knock. It sounded like someone was throwing their body against the wood trying to break the lock.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"Eva! Open this door now!" a loud angry voice screamed from the hallway. It was Marcus's mother, Brenda.

"Eva! You ungrateful little brat!" another voice shouted, pitched and full of anger. That was Cindy, his secret mistress he claimed to be his sister "My card got declined at the store! I had a cart full of clothes and they embarrassed me in front of everyone! Open the door. Fix it!"

I stood up from my bed not feeling scared as I walked out into the living room. Through the wood of the door I could hear people breathing heavily.

BAM! BAM!

"Open up Eva!" Marcus's voice boomed, joined with his family. "My mom and sister are here! You humiliated them! You unfreeze those cards now or we are breaking this door down!"

I stopped a foot away, from the door looking at the wood shaking under their fists. They hadn't just come back to talk. They had brought the angry group to intimidate me, furious that their free ride was finally over.