Chapter 3
In the third year, Derek came back.
Her affection dropped from 10 to 5.
The system never explained why, but I knew. Derek was Claire's college sweetheart. He'd been overseas for five years, and the first thing he did when he got back was call her.
That day, Claire stood out on the balcony, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it.
She said, "You're back?"
Three years I'd poured into her, and not once had I heard her speak to me like that.
Derek got it in three seconds.
Day two of the countdown.
[48:15:33]
There was this old street in Kingsbury called Copper Alley. By day, it's all antiques and calligraphy, but when night falls, the basement turns into a black market, selling things you'd never see out in the open.
I got there around nine at night. I slipped through the back door of a coffee shop, went down two flights of stairs, and pushed open an iron gate.
Inside, the air was thick with smoke. A few guys were sitting in the corner, smoking and playing cards.
Behind the counter, Bruce looked up, squinting at me.
"Ethan? Been a while since you showed up," Bruce said.
"Got a few things to offload," I said.
I dropped my bag on the counter and unzipped it.
First up: a micro-spectrometer, something the system tossed my way. It could scan any material and break down its molecular structure in three seconds flat.
I'd used it to test every single lab component, saving Symons Group at least seven million dollars in R&D.
Next up: a data simulation chip, something I swapped for in the system store. It could run a million simulations on any data model, and it handled all the critical testing for the self-driving system.
Bruce picked up the micro-spectrometer, turning it over in his hands for a long moment before letting out a low whistle.
"This thing I've never seen anything like it. Is this military-grade?" he asked.
"Two generations ahead of military tech," I replied.
"Ethan, you sure you wanna sell this? You could keep it and..." Bruce started.
"I don't need it anymore," I said.
He paused for a moment and "I'll take both for three million dollars."
"Deal," I said.
He didn't ask anything else. He grabbed a few bundles of cash from the safe and transferred the rest straight to my account.
I stuffed the cash into an envelope, sealed it up, and scrawled "Lily" across the front.
Lily was the Symons family's longtime housekeeper. She'd been there since Claire was just a kid. After Edward passed, she was the only one in the whole house who ever looked my way.
One winter, Lily quietly handed me a pair of cotton slippers. "The guest room floor gets cold. Wear these," she said.
After leaving Copper Alley, I stood under a streetlight and slipped the envelope into my coat pocket.
My phone lit up. Claire had texted me.
[When you get back, fix the garage light.]
I stared at it for three seconds, locked my phone, and hailed a cab.
Out on the eastern edge of Kingsbury, Evergreen Cemetery.
It was ten in the morning, the sun hidden behind clouds, casting a dull, gray light over everything.
The girl at the front desk flipped through her ledger and asked, "What kind of plot are you looking for, sir? We've got family sections, premium double plots, standard single plots..."
"The cheapest one," I said.
"Section C, standard single plot, twelve thousand dollars. It's facing east, and there's a cypress tree next to it. Want to check it out?" she asked.
"No, that'll do," I replied.
She paused, unsure.
"Sir, usually people like to check out the plot in person, see if the spot feels right..." she said.
"Doesn't matter to me," I replied.
"Is this for a family member, maybe an elder?" she asked.
"It's for me," I said.
Her pen paused in mid-air.
She glanced up at me, who was thirty-two, in a washed-out gray hoodie and sneakers with mud on the edges. I definitely didn't look sick.
"Uh, sir..." she hesitated.
"Just give me the receipt," I said.
She lowered her head and didn't say another word. The receipt printed out, and I folded it up and slipped it into my wallet.
[Ethan Holt. Evergreen Cemetery, Section C, Plot 23.]
As I walked out of the cemetery gates, the system popped up a message.
[Host emotional fluctuation detected: within normal range.]
[Reminder: Once you leave, your consciousness will return to your original body. This body will undergo irreversible biological termination. It's recommended you settle your affairs.]
Biological termination.
Basically, it meant I was dead.
At some point, this body's heart would stop beating, its lungs would stop breathing, just like a machine that's been unplugged.
I wonder if Claire would show up to see me.
Probably she wouldn't.
She wouldn't even know where to look.
I walked along the road outside the cemetery. Neatly trimmed holly bushes lined the street. Off in the distance, the smoke rose straight up, only to be scattered by the wind.
That night, I got back to Symons Manor.
Claire wasn't home. Her high heels were tossed on the coffee table; she'd swapped them for flats before heading out. Probably off to dinner with Derek.
I went upstairs and pushed open the guest room door.
After ten years, there wasn't much left.