godslum: The Landlord System

Chapter 4: Reapers at the Door

The elevator went down fast. Aaron’s stomach jumped into his throat.

Selene’s voice was still in his head. “Sunset. Six hours.”

*SYSTEM: REAPERS DETECTED. NUMBER: 5. THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME. SOUL RENT: 4%. NOT ENOUGH FOR COMBAT.*

The doors opened. Aaron ran through the lobby. People moved out of his way. He didn’t stop. He didn’t look back.

Outside, the city was loud. Cars, people, noise. Aaron ran twenty blocks. His chest burned. His legs hurt. But he didn’t stop.

His building. His people. They were in danger.

He turned the corner onto Velli Street.

The black van was still there. It was parked across from his building. The doors were open. No one was inside.

Five men stood in front of Aaron’s building. They wore long black coats. They had no faces. Just smooth skin. In their hands were big scythes. The blades were dark metal. They looked old. They looked hungry.

The street was empty. People saw the men and ran. Shops closed. Windows locked.

Aaron stopped. He was breathing hard. He was alone.

The biggest Reaper stepped forward. His scythe dragged on the ground. It made a sound like nails on stone.

“Aaron Wolfe,” the Reaper said. His voice was dry. Like dead leaves. “You killed Marco Velli. You stole his deed. That deed belongs to the Cabal.”

“It belongs to me,” Aaron said.

“You have until sunset to give it back,” the Reaper said. “Or we take it. And we take everyone inside.”

Aaron looked at his building. He could feel it. The tenants were inside. They were scared. Lily, Maria, Mrs. Chen, Jamal. All of them.

*SOUL RENT: 4%. BRICK SKIN COST: 3%. YOU WILL HAVE 1% LEFT.*

Not enough. He would lose.

“I need time,” Aaron said.

“You have six hours,” the Reaper said. “At sunset, we come in. We don’t knock.”

The five Reapers turned. They walked back to their van. They didn’t drive away. They sat inside. Watching. Waiting.

Aaron ran into his building.

The lobby was quiet. All the tenants were there. They stood together. They held brooms, pipes, knives. They were ready to fight.

Jamal stepped forward. “We saw them. What are they?”

“Reapers,” Aaron said. “They kill for the Cabal. They want the building.”

“Can we beat them?” Mrs. Chen asked.

Aaron looked at his hand. The key tattoo was cold. “Not yet. I’m too weak. The building is too weak.”

Lily came up to him. She held his hand. “You fixed the roof. You can fix this.”

Aaron knelt down. “I’ll try. I promise.”

*SYSTEM: NEW QUEST. SURVIVE UNTIL SUNSET. GAIN POWER FAST. OPTIONS: 1. GET MORE TENANTS. 2. TAKE ANOTHER BUILDING. 3. ACCEPT SELENE’S DEAL.*

More tenants. He had 23. The building had 40 apartments. Most were empty. Marco kept them empty so he could say the building lost money.

“Listen,” Aaron said to everyone. “We need more people. More tenants means I get stronger. The building gets stronger.”

“How?” Maria asked. “No one wants to live here. It’s a slum.”

“Not anymore,” Aaron said. “We cleaned it. We fixed it. It’s safe now. For the first time.”

He stood up. “Jamal, Mrs. Chen, come with me. The rest of you, lock the doors. Don’t open for anyone. If the Reapers come early, run to the roof. I’ll find you.”

“What are you doing?” Jamal asked.

“Getting tenants,” Aaron said.

They left the building through the back door. The Reapers didn’t see them.

The street behind Velli Street was called Hope Street. It was full of homeless people. They slept in tents. They slept in boxes. They had no home.

Aaron walked to the biggest tent. A man sat outside. He was old. His beard was gray. His clothes were dirty.

“What do you want?” the man asked. “We got no money.”

“I’m not asking for money,” Aaron said. “I’m offering a home.”

The man laughed. “Sure you are. What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Aaron said. “I own the building on Velli Street. The old Velli Tenement. It’s clean now. It’s safe. Free rent for one month. After that, you work. You help fix the place. You help protect it. Deal?”

The man stopped laughing. “You own Velli’s place? Marco’s dead?”

“Dead,” Aaron said. “I killed him.”

The man looked at Aaron’s eyes. He saw the truth. He stood up. “I’m Tom. I was a carpenter. Before.”

“Welcome home, Tom,” Aaron said.

*NEW TENANT: TOM. JOB: CARPENTER. SOUL RENT: +2%. BUILDING HEALTH: 52%.*

Aaron felt stronger. A little.

He went to the next tent. Then the next. He told them the same thing. Free home. Safe home. Work for rent.

Some said no. They were scared. Some said yes. They were tired of being cold.

In one hour, Aaron had ten new tenants.

*SOUL RENT: 24%. BUILDING HEALTH: 62%. NEW POWER UNLOCKED: CALL TENANT. YOU CAN BRING ONE TENANT TO YOU INSTANTLY. COST: 5%.*

He ran back to the building. The Reapers were still in the van. Watching.

Inside, the lobby was full. New people. Scared people. But hopeful people.

Tom looked around. “It’s clean. You weren’t lying.”

“It will be better,” Aaron said. “But first, we have to survive today.”

He looked at the clock. Four hours until sunset.

*SOUL RENT: 24%. NOT ENOUGH TO BEAT FIVE REAPERS.*

He needed more. He needed another building.

He looked out the window. Next door was a small store. It was closed. The sign said “CLOSED FOR RENT NOT PAID.” The owner was a man named Patel. Aaron knew him. Marco evicted him last year.

“Jamal,” Aaron said. “Who owns the store next door?”

“Bank owns it now,” Jamal said. “Marco didn’t pay the loan. Bank took it.”

A bank. Not a person. The system only worked on people. On sinners.

But the Reapers worked for the Cabal. The Cabal worked for the Prime Landlord. The Prime Landlord was at City Hall.

*SYSTEM: NEW TARGET FOUND. MAYOR HARRIS. DESIGNATION: PRIME LANDLORD. SINS: UNKNOWN. OWNS: CITY HALL. VERDICT: PENDING. CANNOT ATTACK YET. BUILDING TOO WEAK.*

He couldn’t take City Hall. Not yet.

His phone buzzed. It was the system again.

*CALL INCOMING: SELENE KAINE.*

Aaron touched his ear. He could hear her.

“You’re out of time, Wolfe,” Selene said. “My people are watching. You have ten new tenants. Smart. But not enough. The Reapers will kill them all.”

“What do you want?” Aaron asked.

“Say yes,” Selene said. “Join me. I’ll send my men. We’ll kill the Reapers together. Then I’ll make your deed legal. Your tenants will be safe.”

“And the cost?”

“You owe me. When I call, you fight for me. Against the Cabal. Against the Prime Landlord.”

Aaron looked at Lily. She was helping her mom give water to the new tenants.

He looked at Tom. Tom was already fixing a broken chair.

He couldn’t let them die.

*SYSTEM: WARNING. ALLIANCE WITH SELENE KAINE WILL MARK YOU AS TRAITOR TO THE HEARTH GOD. POWERS MAY CHANGE.*

Betray the god who saved him. Or let his people die.

“Time’s up, Wolfe,” Selene said.

Outside, the van doors opened. The Reapers got out. They started walking toward the building. The sun was going down. Sunset.

They weren’t waiting.

“Aaron!” Jamal shouted. “They’re coming!”

The tenants screamed. They ran to the back.

Aaron stood in the lobby. Alone.

Five Reapers. One building. 24% Soul Rent.

He made his choice.

He touched the wall. “BRICK SKIN!”

*BRICK SKIN: ACTIVE. SOUL RENT: 21%.*

His skin turned to gray brick. He felt heavy. Strong.

The front door broke open. The first Reaper walked in.

Aaron punched. His brick fist hit the Reaper’s chest. The Reaper flew back. He hit the wall outside. The wall cracked.

*SOUL RENT: 18%.*

The Reaper stood up. He wasn’t hurt. He smiled. No face, but Aaron could feel the smile.

“Strong,” the Reaper said. “But slow.”

The other four ran in. Their scythes went up.

Aaron couldn’t block all of them.

“CALL TENANT!” he shouted. “JAMAL!”

*CALL TENANT: JAMAL. COST: 5%. SOUL RENT: 13%.*

Jamal appeared next to Aaron. Air moved. Jamal looked confused. “What the—”

“Fight!” Aaron shouted.

A scythe came down. Aaron blocked with his arm. The blade hit his brick skin. It cut deep. Stone broke. Blood came out.

*SOUL RENT: 10%. WARNING: LOW POWER.*

Jamal punched a Reaper. The Reaper didn’t move. He backhanded Jamal. Jamal flew across the lobby.

More scythes came down. Aaron couldn’t move fast enough. He was going to die. His tenants were going to die.

Then his phone buzzed.

*CALL INCOMING: SELENE KAINE. ACCEPT TO DEPLOY KAIN SECURITY.*

Aaron looked at Lily. She was at the stairs, watching. Her eyes were big.

He touched his ear. “Yes!” he shouted. “I accept!”

The windows broke.

Men in white armor dropped from ropes. They had guns. They had swords. They landed between Aaron and the Reapers.

“Target secured,” one said. “Engage Reapers.”

Gunfire filled the lobby. The Reapers screamed. It was not a human sound.

Selene walked in. She was calm. She had no weapon.

“Hello, boys,” she said to the Reapers. “You’re on my time now.”

The Reaper leader looked at her. “Kaine. This is Cabal business.”

“Not anymore,” Selene said. She looked at Aaron. “He’s with me now.”

*SYSTEM: ALLIANCE FORMED. SELENE KAINE. YOU ARE NOW A TRAITOR. HEARTH GOD CONNECTION: LOST. NEW POWER UNLOCKED: CORPORATE SHIELD. COST: MONEY.*

Aaron felt cold. The warmth from the Hearth God was gone. In its place was something else. Cold. Hard. Like money.

The Reapers and Selene’s men were fighting. The lobby was being destroyed.

Aaron fell to his knees. His Brick Skin broke. He was human again. Weak.

Selene stood over him. “You made the right choice. They would have killed you.”

“Did I?” Aaron asked. He looked at his hand. The key tattoo was still there. But it was silver now, not gold.

“Go to the roof,” Selene said. “My men will finish this. Then we talk. About City Hall. About the Prime Landlord.”

Aaron stood up. He was tired. Empty.

He walked to the stairs. Lily ran to him. She hugged him.

“You saved us,” she said.

Aaron didn’t feel like he saved anyone.

He looked out the broken window. The sun was down. The street was dark.

And on the roof of the building across the street, a man stood. He wore a suit. He had no face. But he was not a Reaper. He was bigger. Older.

He held a book. A big book. The cover said “DEEDS” in gold letters.

The Prime Landlord.

He looked right at Aaron. And he wrote something in the book.

Aaron’s phone buzzed.

*SYSTEM: YOU HAVE BEEN MARKED. PRIME LANDLORD HAS ISSUED A KILL ORDER. ALL LANDLORDS IN THE CITY WILL HUNT YOU. REWARD: YOUR BUILDING.*

Selene saw him too. Her face went white.

“That’s him,” she whispered. “And he just declared war on you.”