SWNOVELXO Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Ace chewed the cold toast. It tasted terrible. The blue words from the System floated in his vision: [Task Reset: Wealth Consolidation Still Active.] Seeing them made him feel sick. He felt a cold, empty spot in his back of his mind where the memory of his little brother Leo's happy laugh used to be. He remembered Leo smiling at his silly face, but the sound of that specific laugh was completely gone. Erased.
The fifty dollars in his pocket felt dangerous. It was Deke's money. Ace had lied to Deke about the stock tip, and now the stock (FLYR) was grounded. Deke lost money. Deke would be furious. And Deke knew Ace was staying at the Nite Owl Motel, Room 7.
Fear shot through Ace. He couldn't stay in the diner. It felt unsafe. The smell of grease made him feel worse. He stuffed the last piece of toast in his pocket, drank the nasty, bitter coffee sludge, left one of his few coins as a tip, and hurried out of the booth. His legs felt weak.
Outside, the cold rain felt like tiny needles. He pulled his thin, wet shirt tighter. The old juice stain felt rough. He had to get back to the motel fast. He needed his room key. He needed to hide. He needed to figure out what to do.
He walked quickly, head down, shoulders hunched against the rain and his fear. Every dark shape looked like Deke. Every slow car made his heart race. The blue timer in his vision counted down: 11:30… 11:29… The words Wealth Consolidation felt like a heavy weight in his stomach.
He reached the Nite Owl's wet parking lot. He remembered he'd left his room key upstairs. Idiot. He rushed towards the dirty glass door and grabbed the handle.
A large hand slammed against the glass from inside, stopping the door. Ace jumped back. A man stepped out. He wasn't Big Mike. He was taller and thinner, wearing a dark hoodie pulled low over his face. Rain dripped off the hood.
"You in Room 7?" the man asked. His voice was flat and hard.
Ace froze. His mouth went dry. Deke sent him. "Who wants to know?" Ace asked, his voice tight. His Basic Haggling skill told him: Danger. Get away.
The hooded man took a slow step forward. Ace saw a sharp chin and thin lips. "Deke wants his money back. Plus extra. For the bad tip." Another step. Ace stepped back into a cold puddle. Water soaked his shoe. "Fifty bucks ain't enough now. It cost him."
"It was just a guess!" Ace stammered, making fists. His burned fingers hurt. "I didn't know it would crash!"
"Don't care," the man said flatly. He pulled his right hand from his pocket. It was empty, but it felt threatening. "A hundred bucks. By tonight. Or Deke comes himself. He's not patient like me." He stepped closer. Ace smelled cheap cologne and smoke.
Panic hit Ace. A hundred bucks? Impossible! He had the stolen fifty and only seventy-six cents. The System had a hundred, but he couldn't get to it. He couldn't pay. He looked past the man at the motel door. He needed to get inside. To his key. To safety.
He faked moving left, then tried to dart right around the man towards the door. Fast. Desperate. But his bad hip hurt, slowing him down. The hooded man moved quickly. He shoved Ace hard. Ace fell backwards onto the cold, wet pavement. Pain shot through his tailbone. His elbows scraped raw on the rough ground. The hooded man stood over him, rain hitting Ace's face.
"Try that again," the man hissed, "and I hurt you. Hundred bucks. Tonight. Deke knows where you sleep." He turned and walked away into the rainy darkness.
Ace lay in the puddle, gasping. Rain soaked his hair and mixed with the sting of his scraped elbows. Shame burned him. Shoved down. Again. Worthless. The juice stain felt like a mark of failure. He slowly pushed himself up, wincing. Everything hurt. He limped to the motel door and pushed inside. The little bell jingled weakly.
Big Mike looked up from behind the dirty plastic window. He saw Ace's soaked clothes, the scrapes, and the fear on his face. He didn't say anything. Just watched.
Ace didn't look at him. He shuffled down the smelly hallway, his wet shoes sticking to the carpet. Room 7. He fumbled with the lock, his hands shaking, the key cold and slippery. Finally, the door opened. He stumbled in, slammed it shut, and locked the deadbolt and chain. The sounds were loud, but he didn't feel safe.
He leaned against the door, breathing hard. Water dripped from his clothes onto the carpet. He felt cold inside and out. The blue timer pulsed: 11:15… 11:14… Wealth Consolidation. Deke's thug. A hundred dollars. By tonight. It felt impossible. Crushing.
He needed the System's money. Now. He pulled his slightly bent phone from his pocket. Battery: 17%. The cheap charger was plugged in, its little light on. He needed real cash. Fast. He opened the System screen. The blue words felt cold.
[System Funds: $100.00 USD]
[Access Money Options? (Y/N)]
He pressed 'Y'. Choices appeared:
[Send to Bank: Costs $1.50]
[Make Online Card: Costs $5.00]
[Get Cash from ATM: Costs $3.00)]
He needed physical cash to pay the thug. The ATM fee was cheapest. He picked that.
[How much cash? $_____ ]
He needed the whole hundred. Deke wanted a hundred. He typed 100.00.
[Fee: $3.00 Taken.]
[You Get: $97.00]
[Finding Nearest ATM…]
A map showed the same QuickCash ATM. Again. Half a mile away. Through the rain. Where Deke's man might be waiting. His elbows throbbed. His hip ached. Fear was a cold rock in his gut.
[Cash Ready: $97.00]
[Code for ATM: 4K7L1M]
He memorized the code: 4-K-7-L-1-M. He unplugged the phone. Battery: 17%. He had to go now. Deke wouldn't wait.
He had to go back out. Into the rain. Into danger. To pay money he shouldn't owe for a lie he told. It felt horribly unfair. He was trapped by the System, by Deke, and by his own stupid mistake.
He unlocked the motel room door, the chain rattling. The hallway smelled damp. He limped past the office. Big Mike was still watching. Ace pushed outside.
The rain was heavier. It soaked him right away. He pulled his shirt collar up, but it didn't help. He started walking, limping because of his sore hip. He looked around nervously at every parked car and dark alley. His heart pounded. The blue timer glowed: 11:00… 10:59… Counting down to Deke's deadline. Counting down to whatever the System would do next.
He reached the QuickCash ATM booth. The green light glowed in the grey rain. He yanked the heavy door open and stumbled inside. It was quiet, just the machine humming. He put his card in, fingers fumbling. Typed his PIN. Picked 'Other Transactions'. Typed the code: 4-K-7-L-1-M.
The machine whirred. For a scary second, Ace thought it wouldn't work. Then, crisp bills slid out. Ninety-seven dollars. He grabbed them. Real money. Heavy. But it cost him three bucks. And it felt dirty – like paying the System and paying off a criminal.
He shoved the cash deep into his wet pocket. He turned to leave the booth. He had to get back. Pay the thug. Hope it was over. He pushed the heavy door open and stepped back into the rain.
A dark shape blocked his way. The hooded man. He was leaning against the wall beside the ATM booth, rain running off his hood. He pushed off the wall and stepped close. Too close. Ace smelled wet fabric and stale smoke.
"Got it?" the man asked, his voice low and threatening in the rain.
Ace's hand tightened around the cash in his pocket. It felt huge. He was terrified. He nodded, unable to speak. He pulled out the ninety-seven dollars. The bills were already damp. He held them out.
The hooded man didn't take them right away. He looked at the money, then at Ace's face. "Hundred. Deke said a hundred."
"This… this is all I have," Ace stammered. "Ninety-seven. The machine took a fee." It sounded weak.
The man's hand shot out and grabbed Ace's wrist. His grip was crushing. Ace cried out in pain. The hooded man leaned in close. Rain dripped from his hood onto Ace's cheek.
"Fee?" he sneered. "Deke doesn't care about fees! Hundred means a hundred. You're short three bucks, kid." He squeezed harder. Ace gritted his teeth. "Deke hates being shorted. It makes him… mean."
Ace frantically dug in his other pocket with his free hand. His burned fingers found the coins – seventy-six cents. He pulled them out, the wet metal in his palm. "I… I got coins! Here! Seventy-six cents! It's… it's all I have!" He pushed the coins towards the man.
The hooded man looked at the coins with disgust. "Junk," he spat. He let go of Ace's wrist with a hard shove. Ace stumbled back against the wet ATM wall. "Ninety-seven ain't a hundred. Deke'll collect the rest. With extra. Tonight." He snatched the damp money from Ace's hand. "Be in your room, kid. Deke doesn't like waiting."
He turned and walked away, disappearing into the rain, the ninety-seven dollars gone. Ace slumped against the cold, wet wall, holding his sore wrist. The coins were still in his other hand. Seventy-six cents. He was broke again. Still in debt. And Deke was coming tonight for the "rest" – whatever scary thing that meant. The cold rain soaked him, matching the icy fear flooding his body. The blue timer pulsed: 10:30… 10:29… Wealth Consolidation. He got the cash. And lost it all again. He felt like he kept failing.