“That’s correct. The amount is in your favor, I assure you, since it’s mostly free of interest. I’m sure this is a shock to you, so we’ll conclude our business with this item,” Joseph said with an oily smile.
“To that end, I believe if we were to set up a simple payment method, from you to your parents, and put it at a set rate, as well as your monthly rent, we can get this taken care of without a problem.”
“And what exactly are you thinking is the rent?” Felix asked, his anger starting to make his vision blur as his heart thudded in his chest.
“Well, according to the survey we conducted of the area…” Joseph said, looking for a paper in front of him.
A survey? They’ve been planning this. This isn’t random or ill-thought-out.
“The rent for the house would be roughly twenty-three hundred a month. Though since you’re a relative of the owner, we believe fifteen hundred would be more comparable.”
Felix shook his head slowly. This couldn’t actually be happening. This was insanity at a level he’d never thought possible.
This was something you saw on a terrible movie.
“I see that this has upset you greatly. We’ll discuss restitution and repayment at our next meeting,” Joseph said, stacking the papers in front of himself.
“No, we’ll discuss it now. Give me a damn copy of the agreement, now, as I know I’m entitled that, and show me where this is possible,” Felix said, grinding his teeth.
“That or I call the police and we have them sort this out.”
That got their attention. Suddenly everyone was a lot less confident.
Joseph blinked, and then withdrew a packet of papers from his briefcase. Coming over beside Felix, he set the papers down and flipped through a couple pages. Laying on the table face up was an entire section about “living in the house” and appropriate rental rates.
Damn it. Seriously? What the hell is this?
Felix started to read through the mind-numbing legal jargon before giving up. He was in no mood to try and ferret out where this clusterfuck of a shitshow went.
“Fine, we’ll talk again,” Felix pushed the words out between his teeth. Snatching up the documents, he stomped out of the offices, making sure to slam every door in his way.
It wasn’t until he pulled onto the road that his head cleared at all.
“They’re trying to drive me out. I’m sure there’s something they want. Something they’re after. Okay, during this week-long vacation, we’re gonna sit down and really go over the contract and will. We’ll get this figured out. Yeah.”
Felix sighed, and gripped the wheel tighter.
He couldn’t afford the rent, to be frank. A fast food manager didn’t exactly make stacks of cash. Not in the least.
No, this would end up with him falling into a never-ending pit of debt to his own family.
Growling, Felix slammed his hand into the steering wheel as his anger spiked again.
Chapter 3 - It Begins -
The garage was utterly silent as he stared at the three open wooden coffins.
Without realizing the impact of what he was doing, he’d opened all three boxes, made sure each one was in a coma, and confirmed the draw at one hundred percent. Then he’d wandered off with his supplies and set up the “ward,” as he was calling it.
Dropping the money off as instructed, he’d gone back into the garage.
Only on his return did he now realize he wasn’t sure who was the one he’d bought first, and who were the two he’d just purchased.
He’d reverted all his modifications back to the baseline to get his points back.
They all looked the same. He really hadn’t paid much attention to anything that would have made the first one stand out from the others.
They all looked as if they were corpses that’d gone through a meat grinder.
Ah well. Doesn’t matter. It’s not like this is a stupid story where the first heroine on the scene gets all the fans.
Felix grumbled to himself and then set to work. That meeting with the lawyers had really thrown him off.
Pretty badly, in fact.
Felix changed his thoughts as fast as he could before he settled back into a violent anger.
He carefully lifted each woman, one at a time, and carried them to the ward. Once he settled them in the bed, he reused the slave box on each individual. Luckily, they each had at least one toe or finger he could fit in the box.
Now that he was really paying attention as he shifted them into their new homes, he realized they all had different heights.
He couldn’t really tell what their body types were, though. Especially given the fact that they’d had their entire body mutilated. They were scarred and horribly disfigured.
Whoever had done this to them truly hated them. Selling them in this condition had been the final insult, he imagined.
Sighing, with his hands on his hips, he regarded his three sleeping corpses. He’d dressed them in simple pajamas he’d purchased and had put them in diapers.
He’d have to work fast to get them to a point where he could at least get nutrients in them.
Not being a doctor, or having any clue about medicine, he gave himself two days. He could keep them going through his power and forcing their bodies to repair, but that was a short-term solution that would inevitably end their lives.
No, he had to work to get them to a point where they could drink and eat. To live and keep themselves alive.
Beyond that, everything else was superficial.
Looking around his ward, he did a mental check of it.
It was one of the big master bedrooms that had been turned into a guest room. The attached bathroom with tub and shower would be perfect for a temporary ward.
He wasn’t quite sure how long they’d be laid up, and giving them a bath close to their sick bed would probably be ideal.
He’d also attached a smart TV to the wall in case he got bored. Hours spent waiting around for living corpses didn’t sound great to him.
Three occupied twin single adjustable beds with matching sheets were the big-ticket item in the room. Not to mention they took up most of the space.
It had been a little more expensive to get the adjustable ones, but he figured being able to sit them upright would help for meal time.
Then there was a single stool for him to use, so he could sit next to those beds. Standing next to them as he worked didn’t really sound all that fun.
He’d also purchased a sleeping bag for himself in case he had to sleep in here.
There were also three rolling trays like the ones found in hospitals that could slide over beds. Eventually they’d be eating and drinking again.
And a veritable slew of supplies that he would probably need during their convalescence. Bedpans, more pajamas, diapers, cups, bowls, utensils, anything he could think of that they’d need.
Dropping down into the stool with a clank, he looked around nervously.
“Hah, they can’t hear me. What am I thinking?” Felix said to no one.
Pushing off the ground, he wheeled the stool around to the first bed.
A fraction of a thought from him and the window popped open. He cycled through everything that was wrong with her.
“First things first. The ability to eat and drink,” Felix muttered.
Two changes and she had teeth and lips. She still had a tongue, and as far as he could tell, everything was working as far as her plumbing and digestive system went.
Frowning, he contemplated some of the mental issues listed. He didn’t bother to read them off. It was apparent she’d been tortured to near insanity.
Even if he managed to get her to a point where she could eat, would she be a raving lunatic?
Tilting his head to the side, Felix focused on the idea of wanting her to lose her memories of the last month.
He’d chosen a month since that was about the time that the heroes of the city had started to take real losses.