Part 1
Hello, everybody!
I've recently taken some time off from Grungot to write this little story. The story is complete, and I'll be posting it in chunks over the next few weeks. That being said, I decided the end was far too dark - even for this site. I'll be re-writing it while the rest of the story is posted. We will return to our regularly scheduled Grungot in the next few weeks. Until then, enjoy: "Master of the House".
And, as always, thanks for reading :)
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Part 1
Adam smoothed back his short, greasy black hair. He slammed the door to his Bentley and walked down the cracked sidewalk. He sniffed the foul air, furrowing his nose while surveying his surroundings. Low quality people in a low quality neighborhood. If owning rental properties on this side of town weren't so damn profitable he would never be caught dead on this godforsaken street. He had half a mind to turn around and never return. But, the siren song of the almighty dollar drew him in.
This particular apartment had really given Adam a headache. He bought it for pennies on the dollar, but he was starting to think there was a reason for that. He'd rented this specific apartment out three separate times over the last year. The most recent tenant was some bitch named Chrissi or Christi or...something like that. It didn't matter. Point is, the slut stopped paying. Then, when he confronted her about it, she had the gall to give him some schizophrenic sob story about big changes happening in her life. The next day, he threw Chrissi out on her ass after an expedited eviction process. Thankfully, being friendly with the higher ups at the local courthouse goes a long way.
Adam chuckled to himself when he remembered what he told the crying woman as he tossed her loose clothing onto the street, "Boo fucking hoo! Life ain't easy for any of us, bitch. You don't have my money? Then you don't have a place to live. Here, catch!"
That'll teach her to try fucking over a future landlord. He mentally patted himself on the back, he was doing a civil service.
Adam rounded the corner and saw his property in the distance. Hopefully, today would be the last time he had to show this apartment. At least for awhile. He spoke to the prospective renter on the phone. He had a strong British accent, and Adam had a bit of trouble understanding him. His name was Roger and he was a...freelance carpenter? Adam sighed, hopefully he'd at least get a few payments from Roger before he had to contact his court friends again.
He stood in front of his building.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11y-uZDECFXSS0GAdaY2SR23_ABPDdr5G/view?usp=drive_link
It was faded white and absolutely falling apart. The paint was peeling, the windows were in disrepair, everything was dirty and grimy. Even for this area of town, his building was uniquely decrepit. But, thankfully, Adam's tenants were all poor and powerless. If somebody complained too much, Adam could always just kick them out, and they knew it.
He pushed the front door open with a distinctive squeak and found himself in the hallway.
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Adam shivered. He forgot how dark and tight the hallways in this building were. Echoing in the hall were the sounds of kids playing, television sets humming and people going about their lives. The walls were paper thin. There was very little privacy for anybody.
The apartment in question was on the second of three stories, right in the middle of everything. Adam began ascending the creaking stairs. As he crested the top, he saw his apartment manager near the door, waiting for him. For the life of him, Adam couldn't remember her name. In fact, Adam couldn't even remember hiring her. He only knew she was an old, stone cold bitch that was very good about getting Adam his money. The managers icy stare betrayed her smile.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xbvImBrMFgTXb9_3A8IzH-WIT9Cni-1b/view?usp=drive_link
Her speech was smooth and confident, "Good afternoon, Sir."
"Afternoon." Adam replied, paying her little attention.
She walked past Adam, towards the stairs, and turned, "I believe you verbalized you wanted to do one final walkthrough? I shall wait at the door for our newest tenant to arrive."
Adam nodded and made his way to the apartment door. The building manager's smile curled into a sneer, but Adam didn't notice; he was too focused on the task at hand. He waved her away with his hand. She smiled, turned, and began descending the stairs.
Adam procured his giant ring of keys. He could have just brought the keys to this one, specific building; but he liked having them all. His large ring of keys made him feel powerful and important. He sifted through the ring, attempting to locate the right key. He tried a few on the lock but was unsuccessful. He grunted in frustration, where was that damn...Adam stopped when his fingers touched a small, brass key. Somehow, he knew this was the right one. On the head of the key, written in pink, and in a bubbly, feminine script, surrounded by a heart, was, 'Ava's Key'. Adam cocked his head to the side, he didn't remember a tenant named Ava. He tried Ava's key in the lock and it clicked. He shrugged his shoulders, then pushed the door open. After entering, Adam slammed the door shut behind him, letting everybody in the building know: The boss was in the house!
