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.

Chapter 4: Slapping the Leeches

The wood of my apartment door shook as Brenda slammed her palms against it again. I stood in the middle of my living room watching the brass deadbolt jiggle. Then, this noise would have made my throat tighten with anxiety. I would have rushed to open it, Babbling apologies, desperate to keep the peace

Now? My heart was beating hard but it was from a cold sharp focus.

"Eva! Open this door now!" Brenda shouted from the hallway. Her voice sounded like nails scraping together. "I know you're there! Marcus told me what you did! You have no right to touch my money!"

"Yeah, open up!" Cindy yelled after Brenda. "You ruined my night! The cashier looked at me like I was a thief because of you!"

I walked over to the door. Unlocked it. I didn't push it open. I just cracked it an inch, keeping my body blocking the gap.

The three of them were jammed into the hallway. Brenda's face was bright red with her chest heaving under her floral shirt. Cindy stood behind with her arms crossed, as her eyes were glaring at me with anger. Marcus was at the back looking pleased now that he had his backup.

"What do you want?" I asked.

Brenda didn't even answer. She pushed her weight against the door forcing it open. The wood hit me in the shoulder knocking me back a step. She marched into my living room like she owned the place, with Cindy and Marcus trailing right behind her.

"Don't use that tone with me girl " Brenda barked, pointing a thick finger at my face. "Marcus has been good to you. We took you in like family and the second things get tough you froze my credit card? My medicine is supposed to be ready tomorrow! Do you want me to die?"

“Your medicine isn't what got declined at the store, Brenda," I said, pointing at my phone on the counter. "The alerts showed a twelve-hundred-dollar charge at an electronics store and four hundred dollars at a clothing boutique. Is your medicine made of flat-screen TVs and designer shoes?”

Cindy's face turned pink. She stepped forward stomping her foot. "That's none of your business! Marcus said we could use the account! You don't get to track what we buy like you're our boss!"

"It is my business when it's my bank account " I said, looking directly at Marcus.

Marcus shifted his weight looking away from my eyes. "Eva come on. Don't be like this. We were going to pay you when I got paid. You're being unreasonable over a few dollars."

"A few dollars?" I let out a laugh. "You guys have taken thousands from me over the years. I paid your car note, Marcus. I paid for Cindy's tuition fees. I paid your moms rent.. The second I say no you bring a crowd to my home to scream at me?"

"Because you're acting like a spoiled brat!" Brenda yelled. She started pacing around my living room, with her eyes looking at my things. "You have stuff, a nice apartment and you're keeping your money while we suffer. If you're going to act like a stranger then fine.. You're going to pay for the trouble you caused us tonight."

Before I could ask her what she meant Brenda walked past me and into my bedroom.

"Hey! Get out of there!" I yelled, chasing after her.

Cindy and Marcus blocked the bedroom doorway so I couldn't get through. Inside the room I heard my jewelry box being flipped over onto the mattress.

" find the gold necklace her grandmother gave her!" Cindy called out over her shoulder, "The one with the diamond clasp. That'll cover my shopping trip and our bills."

"I found it!" Brenda shouted back from inside. ". I'm taking these silver rings too. Consider it payment for the distress, you ungrateful woman."

A dark, violent curtain dropped over my mind.

In the future, on that highway, I had learned how to fight for a single scrap of moldy bread. I had learned how to use my elbows, my teeth, and my weight to push past monsters that wanted to eat my flesh. These three people weren't monsters yet. They were just greedy, soft humans who thought I was weak.

"Get out of my way " I whispered to Marcus.

"Eva, calm down and let my mom take"

I didn't let him finish. I grabbed Marcus by the collar of his shirt, twisted my hips and slammed his body into Cindy. They tangled together. Crashed hard against the wall, a loud thud echoing through the apartment. Cindy screamed as her elbow hit the baseboard.

I didn't waste time. I marched into my bedroom.

Brenda was standing by my nightstand, her hands stuffing my grandmother's gold necklace into her purse.

"Put it down, " I said.

Brenda spun around as her eyes widened with shock. Then her face twisted into a sneer. "You think you can scare me? You're nothing but a.."

I closed the distance between us. I grabbed her wrist. Twisted it downward. Brenda let out a yelp as her fingers lost their grip. The purse fell to the carpet. Before she could scream again I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.

SMACK!

The force of the slap made her gasp. She stumbled backward, hitting the bed and tumbling onto it. She clutched her swelling cheek staring up at me with fear.

"You... You hit me!" Brenda whimpered, her voice shaking.

"I told you to put it down, " I said. I reached down and snatched my grandmother's necklace out of her purse and put it in my pocket. "Now get off my bed before I hurt you."

Marcus appeared at the bedroom door holding his shoulder, h

"Eva! Are you crazy?! You just hit my mom!"

"And I'll hit her again if she doesn't leave my house " I snapped, turning my gaze to him. The anger in my eyes made him step back into the hallway. "I am done being nice, to you people. You think you can walk into my home and steal from me? You think I'm still the girl who begged you to love her?"

Cindy was crying on the floor of the hallway clutching her arm. "Marcus, call the cops! She's assaulting us! She's crazy!"

"Go ahead, call them!" I shouted, stepping out of the bedroom and looming over them. "Tell the police how you broke into my apartment using a key I told you not to use. Tell them how your mom was caught stealing my jewelry. Let's see who goes to jail tonight!"

Marcus looked at crying Brenda at his trembling mom who was slowly getting out of my bedroom. He knew I was right. The law wouldn't take their side.

"You've changed, " Marcus whispered, with his voice full of fear. "You're not the Eva I know. You're a monster."

"You don't know anything about monsters yet Marcus " I said, a dark smile touching my lips.. I would know. Soon I would see them everywhere. ". I'm learning."

I grabbed Brenda by the back of her shirt and hauled her toward the front door. She didn't even try to fight back; she was too shaken by my strength. I threw her out into the hallway.

"Marcus! Help me!" she wailed, scrambling to her feet.

I turned around. Pointed at Marcus and Cindy. "Out. Both of you. Right now."

Cindy didn't need to be told. She scrambled up from the floor crying and cursing and ran out into the hallway to hide behind her mom. Marcus stayed for a second, his lips trembling, looking like he wanted to say something.

"If you are still standing on my property in three seconds Marcus " I said, my voice dropping into a whisper "I will make sure you leave here in an ambulance."

He swallowed hard, as his confidence evaporated. He turned around and walked out of the door, his head hanging low.

I stood at the doorway looking at the three of them packed into the hallway.

Neighbors were starting to open their doors a bit peeking out to see what all the shouting was about. Brenda was still cursing under her breath. Cindy was scowling, but none of them dared to come close to my door again.

"Listen to me, " I said loudly, making sure everyone in the neighborhood could hear. "If I see any of you near my car, my job or this building again I will file a restraining order. Let my lawyer take care of the rest. We are done. Never say my name again."

Before they could say another word I grabbed the door. Slammed it shut with a loud bang.

I turned the deadbolt. Then I locked the chain.

The apartment was completely quiet. All I could hear was my heavy breathing. I leaned my back against the door, my legs suddenly feeling weak as the rush of adrenaline began to fade. My hands were shaking. My mind felt really light. It was over. The things that had been weighing me down were finally gone.

Suddenly a bright light appeared in front of me.

A blue screen showed up in the air. This time it wasn't flickering or warning me of threats. It was glowing with a light and a clear sound like a bell rang out in my mind.

[Ding! Quest Complete: Sever the leeching ties.]

The voice of LUS echoed in my head. It sounded clearer now.

[Evaluation: Host Eva successfully removed all parasites without getting hurt. Independence achieved.]

The words on the screen started to change, flashing in a gold color that lit up the dark entryway of my apartment.

[Rewards Unlocked: Infinite Dimensional Storage activated. 100 System Points credited to account. Congratulations, Host Eva. Your journey toward domination has officially begun.]

Chapter 5: Liquidating and Hoarding

The light from the system screen went away. I could still feel the warmth in my chest. Infinite Dimensional Storage was real. I was standing in my living room staring at the words floating in the air. I took a breath and it sounded loud in the quiet apartment.

"LUS " I said quietly. "How do I use it? How do I put something inside?"

[Just touch the object with your hand and think of the word 'Store' Host Eva.]

I looked down at the small plastic trash can that Marcus had kicked over. I walked over to it, got down on my knees and pressed my hand against the side of the can.

“Store.”

The air seemed to ripple. The trash can disappeared. It did not move, it just vanished. I gasped, my eyes wide as I stared at the spot on the carpet. I closed my eyes and focused on my mind. I could see a big empty space inside my head. The gray trash can was sitting right in the middle of it.

“Oh my god," I breathed, a genuine smile breaking across my face for the first time in two lifetimes. "It works. It really works.

[ Of course it works. Time is frozen inside the storage. Anything you put inside will stay the same forever.]

I stood up feeling a lot of energy all of a sudden. I did not have time to sit around and be happy. I had thirty days to get ready for the end of the world. Every second I wasted was one second closer to the end.

"I need money " I said to myself, my mind racing as I walked back to my bedroom. "A lot of money. Right now."

I grabbed my laptop, opened it and looked at my accounts. I had about five thousand dollars in savings. It was okay for a normal person but for what I needed, it was not enough. I looked around my apartment. I owned this place. It was paid off.. A home meant nothing when the world was ending.

I found a website that bought properties for cash. I typed in my address. I uploaded the papers. I hit the submit button.

"Eva what are you doing?" I asked myself, my fingers shaking on the keyboard. "You are selling your house."

"I am saving my life, " I said firmly.

Next I opened a car-selling app. My SUV was sitting in the parking garage downstairs. I took a breath, uploaded the papers and listed it for sale.

By the time the sun was coming up my phone was buzzing with messages. The real estate company offered me two hundred thousand dollars for my apartment. The car company offered twelve thousand.

"LUS " I said, rubbing my eyes. "Is this enough?"

[It is a sufficient start for basic supplies, Host. But remember, money will become worthless paper in exactly thirty days. Spend every single cent.]

"Watch me, " I said.

By noon the papers were signed. A man came to my apartment, looked around and handed me a check. Two hours later a truck. Took my SUV away. I stood on the sidewalk watching it disappear. In my past life, losing my car would have made me sad. Now I just felt relieved.Marcus would never get his hands on those keys again.

I took the subway to a warehouse. When I walked in I smelled cardboard and hot dogs. The store was full of families laughing and shopping. They had no idea what was coming.

I grabbed three carts and pushed them to the food aisles. I started with the basics: rice, beans, flour, sugar and salt. I did not buy bags, I loaded the carts with big sacks until they were heavy.

A worker stopped me in the canned goods aisle. "Miss, are you opening a restaurant or something?"

I looked at him, keeping my face blank. "I am opening a convenience store. I need to stock the shelves."

"Oh cool " the kid said, smiling. "Do you need help loading more?"

"Yes, " I said, handing him my credit card. "Bring me the pallet of canned tomatoes and beef stew.. Every single case of bottled water you have."

For the four hours I moved around the city buying supplies. I went to a store and bought bandages, medicine and gloves. The cashier gave me a look but I did not care.

After the store I drove a rented truck to a fuel depot. I bought ten drums of diesel and gasoline.

"I need ten fifty-gallon steel drums filled with diesel and ten filled with gasoline " I told the man behind the counter.

The man took his cap off and scratched his head. "Lady, that is a lot of fuel. You got a permit to store that liquid at a residence?"

I slid a stack of hundred-dollar bills across the counter. "I am taking it to my farm. I have a private storage shed. Can you load them into the back of my truck or not?"

The man looked at the money and grinned. "Sure thing, boss. Pull the truck around to bay four. We will get you fixed up in five minutes."

When the truck was full it was midnight. The back of the truck was packed with food, medicine and fuel. It was worth a lot of money. If anyone saw this they would think I was crazy.

I drove the truck to an alleyway, turned off the lights and climbed into the back. The only light came from my phone.

I stood in front of the pile of supplies as my breath caught in my throat. This was my future. This was my fortress.

"LUS " I whispered into the dark. "Let's do this."

I pressed my hands against the pallet of canned stews.

“Store.”

A soft purple light rippled over the crate. It vanished into thin air then I moved to the one.

“Store.”

The rice vanished.

“Store.”

The medicine vanished.

“Store. Store. Store.”

Every time I touched an object I felt it connecting to my soul settling safely into the darkness of my mind. It did not feel heavy. It felt like I was just checking items off a list. Within ten minutes the entire back of the truck was empty. Nothing was left but a few pieces of dust on the floor.

I sat down on the floor of the empty truck, my back pressed against the metal wall, and let out a long, exhausted laugh. It was a beautiful, freeing feeling. In my past life, I had been completely helpless. I had relied on Marcus to protect me, and he had thrown me to the wolves. Now, I had enough food and fuel to live like a queen for years, and nobody could ever take it from me.

"We are just getting started " I whispered to myself, my eyes shining in the dark. "Tomorrow I will buy weapons. I will find a fortress. I will.."

Suddenly a sharp alarm echoed inside my brain. It was not the chime, from before. It was a screeching siren that made my vision flash red.

I gasped, falling forward onto my hands and knees as the pain shot through my skull.

I was really scared. My head was hurting a lot.

"LUS!" I said, clutching my head. "What is that?! What is happening to me?!"

The blue screen appeared in front of my face. The letters were not gold or blue anymore.

The letters on the screen of LUS were pulsing in a scary red color bleeding light into the empty truck.

The voice of LUS. For the first time the voice sounded very urgent.

[Warning, Host Eva. A massive temporal anomaly has occurred. The virus mutation has leaked ahead of schedule in the hemisphere. The timeline has collapsed.]

My heart stopped beating.

I could not breathe my fingers digging into the floorboards of the truck until my nails cracked.

"What? No... No, I have thirty days! You said I had thirty days to get ready!"

[Correction. The previous calculation is no longer valid. The virus is spreading across the global transit lines at speed.]

The red screen of LUS flashed violently, a clock appearing in the center of my vision, the numbers spinning backward very fast.

I was getting really scared.

[Outbreak countdown accelerated. New time remaining until societal collapse: Twenty-four hours. Prepare yourself immediately.]