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“I don’t have all day, sir. If you could just make up your mind. A simple yes or a no. And I’ll also require the deposits. In cash of course.”
Not the kind of man to mess with luck and opportunity when they knocked him on the head, Sam pulled out his wallet and retrieved all the cash he had and handed it to the man. He had planned to give most of what he had on him to some poor soul before ending it all, but it seemed he’d be using it for something completely different.
“I’m taking it.”
The man beamed, counted the money and detailed the payment and general use of the building, but Sam was no longer listening. His ear was focused on the wall dividing their apartments, listening for any sound, any sign that Ellie had arrived home.
Just as the landlord asked him to follow him to sign the papers and get the keys, Sam heard the faint sound of a door shutting and his heart calmed before speeding up again. The mystery woman was inside, so close. Maybe. If she wouldn’t answer his call, at least he’d be able to keep a discreet eye on her and make sure she was all right.
Chapter Two
The strident buzzingsound made her head pound, but still, Ellie debated whether to get out of bed or just bury her face into the pillow again. Her body felt so heavy, and every movement was so difficult she decided she could endure the sound forever rather than get up. Although her new neighbor may not agree with her decision, and her boss wouldn’t be pleased if she called in sick two days in a row.
With effort, she reached for her phone, stopped the alarm, and flipped onto her back and making sure to not close her eyes again. Her ears went to the other side of the wall. The place had been empty since before Christmas, but when she’d arrived home, Lyle had been there, showing the place to someone, to a man. Not that she’d seen him, but at one point, she’d heard him sneeze, and for the first time a smile pulled at her lips. She had no idea why, but she wasn’t about to question it. Even if it was only for a flicker of a second, she’d enjoyed the lightness, the normality. When was the last time she’d exploded in laughter or just enjoyed life?
At the thought, her mind was swamped with insidious thoughts. Her eyes filling with tears, she pushed at her sheet and got up with a moan, every muscle screaming at the movement. Why couldn’t any part of her body have mercy on her? Maybe because there wasn’t any for her to have.
Putting one foot in front of the other, she went to the bathroom to try and make herself appear as human as possible, but one look in the mirror told her she was a lost cause. Her blue eyes were sunken, her skin pale against her wild black hair. The bed head she could tame, but apart from splashing cold water on her cheeks in the hope of bringing color to them, there wasn’t much to do. Anyway, her face wouldn’t make a difference to the people she spoke to over the phone.
Every movement now mechanical, done thousands of times before, Ellie finished dressing, bundling into her winter coat, and bypassing the fridge as it was empty. It didn’t matter as her stomach didn’t really grumble anymore. Coffee would do if she remembered to get one on her way to work.
In the same ritual that no longer made sense, she locked her door and went down the stairs.
There were people hurrying on the sidewalk on this frigid winter evening. The cold was uncomfortable, but she decided against taking the bus. Maybe the crisp air would help clear her head and give her motivation, although she doubted it. At the idea she’d need to pour from her empty cup again, listen to people in distress at the 911 call center, it was as if someone was trying to carve her heart from her chest it hurt so much. On the other hand, the only reason she still faced the world was her work.
As she walked, people around her blurred. It wasn’t that long ago that she remembered how excited she’d been to start the new job, one that would both pay the bills and help people.
However, over the last six months, as crime levels increased in the most problematic parts of the city, fueled by poverty and inequality, the calls had spiked, becoming even more desperate than before.
With responders falling like soldiers on the battlefield, Ellie refused to allow herself to falter, not when her colleagues and friends were in need too. Shift after shift, she heard the calls of those in need, suffering and shouting for help. There was a distance over the phone, but the emotional impact was just as painful as it was laced by helplessness. The holidays, especially the New Year, could be a trigger for those suffering from mental illnesses, or those who felt like outsiders, making them think about doing the worst.
Her train of thought veered toward the dramatic call from two nights prior, one she refused to remember.
Caught in the swirl of her reflections, of that inner fight against darkness and fatigue, all thoughts of getting food and coffee were pushed aside even though her body craved it.
Turning the corner toward the call center, Ellie wondered how she’d even got there.
Once inside, she forced herself to smile at her coworkers, but it felt so empty, void of any meaning or warmth.
Like a robot, she sat at her station, checking her computer before starting her shift when her supervisor walked over to her.
Madge Leipzig was a force of nature, and held the service together when a lack of funding and staff tore it to shreds. “Ellie! What are you doing here?”
Blinking a few times, Ellie tried to disperse the fog clouding her mind at her boss’s words. “What do you mean? I’m scheduled for tonight, as usual.”
With a deep sigh, Madge looked around the open space. “Come with me.”
Ellie followed right away, knowing that Madge wasn’t the type of woman to wait for anyone. She liked her boss. With her no-nonsense attitude and care for her team, she was both compassionate and deadly efficient.
The office was almost as small as a broom closet, with piles of papers all around and decorated with colorful post-it notes, like an abstract painting bleeding all over the walls.
“Sit down.” When she obeyed, the dark eyes of the older woman were both worried and accusatory. “Did you sleep today? Hell, when was the last time you had a decent meal? You look as if you’re about to collapse. I ordered you to take time off, recharge, and take care of yourself! Not just one night.”
At the barrage of questions, Ellie opened and closed her mouth. What could she say apart from that it was all true?
“Ellie, when I approved your day off yesterday, I also told you not to come for your shift tonight and to consider taking another week, or even two. I didn’t say that as a punishment. I know you love your work, but it’s about to eat you alive, and the last straw was that call...” With a sharp exhale, Madge let herself fall on her rickety chair, letting a couple of folders fall to the floor.
“I know, but I’m stronger than I appear, I can do the work. It’s not the first hard patch I’ve encountered. You know that.”
