The Zenith System

Chapter 018

*********** TRIGGER WARNING: Violence and Attempted Rape. Consider yourself warned. ************

Zack glances at Celeste, a silent exchange of dread passing between them.

“Listen,” he starts, trying to reason with the barging men. “I don’t have money right now, but I promise I will pay.”

“And we warned you before,” Adi says. “Just steal it from that woman over there.”

“How much was it?” Celeste whispers to Zack.

“Don’t bother, Celeste,” he says, not wanting to involve her in it.

Suddenly, Celeste steps forward. “How much is his debt?” she asks again, her voice laced with defiance.

Zack pales at the sight of her standing up for him, for them.

“Celeste…” he tries to intervene, but she brushes him off.

“I just told you I will help, right?” she says, before turning to face the goons again.

“How much was it?” she asks again, this time louder.

“Ten thousand dollars,” Adi replies with a sly smirk on his face.

Zack gasps. It has already ballooned that much?!

Celeste turns her attention back to him and asks, “I’m guessing that’s over the loan amount?”

“It is not supposed to be that huge…” he answers, his face going pale.

Sighing, Celeste turns her attention back to the goons. “We’ll pay it, but give us until tomorrow to withdraw.”

“Tomorrow? We want it now,” Adi answers, a wicked grin on his face.

Zack can see that he’s assessing Celeste, his eyes raking over her body with a lustful intent. He wanted to punch Adi right then and there for even thinking about her in that way. But he knows he has to keep calm if he wants to get out of this situation unharmed.

Celeste doesn’t back down, though. She stands her ground, her voice firm and confident.

“After you have destroyed my door, I don’t think you have the right to demand,” she points out.

Adi licks his lips as he continues to stare at her. Zack can see the dangerous glint in his eyes, and he doesn’t like it one bit.

“No right to demand?” Adi remarks, laughing. “Men, did you hear that?!”

The other men laugh and then Celeste snaps at them. “If you have nothing more to say, get out of my apartment!”

The men laugh all the more. Zack holds onto her arms tightly, trying to stop her from provoking the men any further, especially when their leering gazes are making him sick to his stomach.

“Or what, darling?” scoffs another, his gaze raking over her form. “You’ll call the guards?”

Then one of the men takes a step towards them and, despite himself, Zack steps in front of Celeste as if to protect her.

“I will pay, I promise,” he says, his voice shaking slightly as he tries to defuse the situation. “Just give us until tomorrow. Or even later.”

The man laughs mockingly at him. “We don’t care about your promises. We want our money now.”

“Do you really think threatening us is going to make us magically produce ten thousand dollars?” she retorts.

Zack clicks his tongue. She should just be quiet! Can’t she see that she’s just riling them up?!

Then the goons exchange glances before one of them smirks at Celeste. “Maybe not magically,” he says with a wink. “But we can think of other ways that you can pay us back.”

Celeste frowns at the insinuation, and Zack’s grip on her arm tightens.

“We’ll pay, just leave us alone,” he pleads this time.

But the goons aren’t so easily satisfied. They start advancing towards him and Celeste, their intentions clear.

“Touch her and I swear…” Zack’s voice is a hoarse whisper. His body is still aching from all the injuries he has incurred the past few days. He can’t fight now, and be beaten up again. “I swear that you won’t like it one bit!”

“Big words for a deadbeat like you,” Adi scorns.

“Leave this apartment now!” she screams. Zack glances at her and sees that she is already calling someone on her phone.

“Who are you calling? End that call, bitch!” Adi orders her.

“I will end this, only if you leave this place.”

Suddenly, Adi rushes to her. His hand connects to Celeste’s cheek with a loud smack. She stumbles and a gasp escapes her lips as she uses the couch for support, her phone skidding away from her reach.

Zack feels his heart drop, his stomach clenching. He sees red and, without thinking, he lunges forward, shoving Adi away from Celeste.

“Don’t you dare touch her!” he growls, his voice raw and filled with fury.

Adi stumbles back at the unexpected force of his attack. The other goons quickly move in, surrounding him.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Adi sneers, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. “Now we’ll make sure you pay!”

Celeste wipes the blood from her nose, and she groans at the pain. Zack’s pulse hammers in his ears, and he feels a more primal need to protect her.

He attacks Adi, but Ben catches a hold of him. Zack pulls him away from Celeste but they push him down onto the floor. They easily overpower him and their fists start to rain down on his body.

“Get away from her!” he shouts, despite his own plight. He tries to push past the three men who surround him, but he is just getting pulled back and used as a punching bag.

He then sees Adi rip off Celeste’s shirt. She pushes at him, but then she is pinned down against the floor, unable to escape as he starts tearing all her clothes.

“Leave us alone!” she screams at Adi.

“Your little boyfriend can’t do much to save you now,” he says, leering at Celeste before burying his face in her neck.

Celeste doesn’t let out a cry for help. She just pushes against Adi and tries to scratch him. In horror, he sees Adi taking her shorts off.

“Don’t you d—”

A punch connects to his face again, cutting off his threats. He struggles to get away, but his limbs are shaking and he feels weak.

The three men continue to pummel his body. His vision is blurred and his head is spinning from all the blows he is receiving. But through the haze, he can see Adi on top of Celeste, taking off the last of her clothes, spreading her legs, forcing himself on her. This time, he can see her tears.

“Don’t touch her…” he whimpers, trying to push himself up.

Adi looks up at him with a smirk. “Your little girlfriend is quite feisty,” he taunts. “But she won’t be able to resist me for long.”

“Go away!” she screams at him.

“It’s your fault, darling. You are too pretty to be involved with our Zack-boy.”

“You bastard! It’s not about how I look! I’m sure you would fuck anyone with a hole!”

She then continues to fight against him, pushing him off her with all her strength. But she’s no match for his bigger and stronger frame. Tears stream down her face, struggling against him as he forces to spread her legs.

“Stop that!” she cries out, struggling in vain. “I am warning you!”

Zack’s heart hammers in his chest as he watches the scene unfold in front of him. He desperately tries to break free from the grip of the goons, but they continue to beat him down.

Adi’s fist rise to the air and then it connects to Celeste’s temple in a sickening thud. She groans on the floor, her screams muffled by the brute force of the blow.

“Leave her alone!” he screams, furious and desperate. “Just beat me up!”

Adi laughs cruelly as he leans down to kiss Celeste’s chest. She squirms under him, kicking him, her cries getting more and more pained. She looks much weaker now, and unable to fight any longer.

In horror, he traps both her arms and legs. Adi is about to penetrate her when events become slower. At the sound of her cries, the room seems to tilt and reality blurs at the edges.

“NO!!!” Zack screams, his rage igniting.

Something stirs inside him, and it’s not his fury and desperation to save Celeste. It’s something else entirely. It feels like his will, and not his, at the same time. But one thing is for certain, he can feel power, a power enough to change his fate.

Then his heart thrums a frantic rhythm against his ribcage. A jolt of electricity courses through his veins. He feels an energy, raw and untamed, pulsing within him.

Something warps in front of him, and then an interface materializes before his eyes, ethereal and luminescent. Texts dance around it and then it forms into a string of words.

Task: Protect Celeste. Neutralize the threat.

Success: Attributes Statistics Screen

Failure: Death

Consequence: ______