--[Day 25 Report]--
Simlife
Revenue: +$211,893
Cost: -$145,005
Profit: $66,888.15
Modifiers: Fortune III [+15%], Satisfaction [-6%]
Income: +$72,306
Total: $81,363
DateLife
Energy Spent: 0
Energy Gained: 2
Tantric Reserves: 5/5
Lust: +5
Total: 45/100
'This is almost better than sex,' I mused with a grin as I stared at the five-digit number listed after income, 'I'll probably have to wait a few more days and save up before reinvesting back into the restaurant, though it's not much to really complain about when you're pulling in close to 100,000 daily.'
My success was made even sweeter as I closed the screen and sank underneath the sheets, where I was almost immediately dogpiled by two incredibly soft and plump bodies. 'Yeah, my life is pretty good.'
I closed my eyes and let my thoughts drift as I entered the strange torpor state I had instead of sleep, one that allowed me to rest and lose sense of time without fulling fall unconscious.
But after some time, an increasing sense of unease made me open my eyes and sit upright in bed. Looking at the clock, I saw it was still the dead of night, and it had only been an hour or two since I closed my eyes.
There was nothing evident to cause me to feel restless, but the more I sat with the feeling, the more certain I was that it wasn't just regular paranoia.
"Patty, Megan," I whispered softly as I gently shook both girls awake, who groaned in protest.
"T-there's no way it's morning already," Megan complained as she slowly opened her eyes.
"W-what's going on?" Patty asked as she reached for her glasses on the bedside table
"Something's wrong," I muttered quietly, sliding out of bed and walking over to the closet to throw on a pair of pants, "I'm going out to check, lock the door behind me, and don't open it until I'm back. I'll knock three times. If I don't, do not open the door."
"You don't think someone broke in, do you?" Patty asked as a spark of fear ignited in her emerald eyes."
"How could they get up here without a key card?" Megan questioned.
"The fire escape," I answered while moving over to the door, "That's the only way, and if there's someone willing to climb up ten plus stairs on the sheer face of a building, I don't want to find what else they're willing to do."
"Maybe we should call the police," Patty suggested, but I just shook my head as I slowly opened the door, "Only if I'm not back in five minutes."
"Be careful," Megan whispered as I slipped out the door and closed it behind me. I paused, waiting until I heard the click of the deadbolt, before slowly walking forward.
My eyes roamed over every inch of the hallways as I walked down to the other end towards the guest rooms. My hearing had never been so sensitive as I listened for the slightest noise, the creak of a floorboard, a breath other than my own.
Still, I found nothing out of place after clearing both guest rooms. Nothing was out of place, and there was no sign anyone had been in them. 'That's the main hallway done, now just the kitchen and living room.'
Moving into the kitchen, I looked out across the room before slowly creeping forward on the left-most wall, before reaching the corner and peering around the edge at the window leading to the fire escape. It was closed, but as I moved closer, I felt a distinct difference in the floor temperature as if it had been cooled by the night air.
The moment I made the realization, I heard a series of footsteps behind me, and I spun around just in time to see a knife coming down to stab me in the shoulder.
I barely had a moment to think, and instead moved on instinct as I thrust my hand forward and used one of the first hexes I had ever bought. There was a flash of purple light as a kinetic blast struck my attacker's center mass, sending them flying across the room with a painful grunt.
Ignoring the terror that had gripped my heart, I quickly found the light switch and, with a slam of my fist, flooded the apartment with light.
Despite the sudden flashbang, I forced my eyes to stay open as I looked over to find the intruder slowly getting back to their feet after I had sent them tumbling into one of the heavy chairs in front of the window.
The intruder was dressed in all black, wearing a ski mask to hide their identity. I watched as they stood up with a groan of pain before looking over to stare directly at me.
Gauging their reaction, I expected some fear and confusion, but instead all I saw was a cold, calculating gaze as they hefted their knife again, which had remained firmly in their grasp despite the impromptu flight.
The intruder's actions confirmed one of my leading theories about why the break-in was happening. I wasn't dealing with some opportunistic burglar looking to make a quick buck. No, I was dealing with a methodical home invader who came here with one task in mind.
"So, he actually went ahead and did it," I muttered with a feral grin, feeling the little fear I had slip away, "Tell me what's Northwest paying you to get rid of me?"
The killer said nothing, staying absolutely silent, but their eyes told me everything I needed to know. "Fine, don't tell me, but I'll tell you that whatever the price tag, it wasn't worth it. Because this is about to be the worst day of your life."
I took a step forward, ready to engage the would-bekiller but the moment I moved, their hand dropped down to their waist, and I noticed the unmistakable imprint of a gun sitting in its holster.
Without a second thought, I threw myself back and managed to get most of my body behind the kitchen island just before I heard the soft pop of a suppressed gun and watched as a bullet hole appeared on the wall where I had been standing just a moment before.
"Damn it!"
The killer cursed, and in an instant, I recognized his voice, "I didn't know you could be so emotional, Samson. But I know it must be hard after being around that asshole all day. "
Samson didn't respond, but I heard his footsteps as he slowly crept forward, looking to get a better angle to shoot at me from. "Tell me, how did you find out where I live? Don't tell me you waited outside the restaurant for the whole day just to tail me home? If that's the case, you could have at least come in to try my food. Maybe if you had, we could have avoided this whole situation."
"You're going to die tonight, I hope you know that," Samson grunted, his voice much closer than even I had expected, "You and both of those little sluts hiding in your bedroom. Maybe I'll break both your legs and arms and let you live a bit longer so you can watch as I-"
The asshole didn't get to finish his threat as I popped up from the other side of the counter. Samson pivoted, but before he could bring the barrel of his gun around, I thrust out both of my hands, sending my Puppeter's hand flying forward. From Samson's perspective, he felt two invisible hands grab hold of his arms before lifting him from the ground and pinning him against the wall.
"W-what the hell!" Samson grunted as he tried to fight the invisible force holding his arms out to either side of him, but unless he could generate more than 400kg of force, my puppet hands wouldn't move an inch.
"You know, I was hoping you would somehow find your way into my crosshairs, but this takes the cake."
"Fuck you!" Samson swore before spitting at my feet.
I clicked my tongue in disappointment as I walked up to Samson and slammed my fist against the side of his torso with enough force that I was confident that I cracked at least a couple of ribs, "You're not a very smart man, are you samson. A smart man would have realized it's not good to antagonize the guy with magical powers."
"Ughnn!" Samson let out a stifled gasp as he tried to breathe through his broken ribs, "G-gonna kill you!"
"As much as I would love to see how you would accomplish such a feat, I need to fabricate a more believable story for when the police get here," I responded before grabbing the gun from Samson's head and giving him a firm tap on the temple.