A World Long Since Dead

Chapter 3: “Sorry”

“I’m home granddad” he said, as he pushed open the shops old door, hearing the familiar ding.

“Granddad?” He called, making his way to the kitchen for a mug of hot cocoa.

“I know I’m home later than I said, but… Well I met… someone… and we got to talking…”

He carefully avoided using Jade’s name, but the old man would surely know who he had been with. It’s not like Mace had the busiest social calendar.

“Do you want some cocoa too?” He called, and again, got no reply.

“I made it all the way to the final level in KobraCommandos! I beat the last boss without even losing any lives!” Mace continued on obliviously, making his grandfathers cocoa.

“Grandad?” Mace wondered why he was talking to himself all of a sudden, and carried the two mugs to the top of the stairs, careful to avoid spilling them on the hardwood floors.

“Sorry, We’re out of cream, I know you like some with yours…”

The mugs clattered to the floor, smashing instantly, their steaming contents splashing audibly onto the hardwood floors and faded wallpaper.

Mace’s grandad was at the bottom of the stairs, his frail old body twisted at an impossible angle.

“Granddad…” Mace whimpered.

He wanted to run to him, but his legs wouldn’t work.

He tried to call for help, but no sound came out.

He willed himself to reach for his cell, but his arms remained stuck in perpetual stiffness.

Eventually, his frightened body remembered how to move, and he rushed to his grandfather, whispering words that he knew the old man couldn’t hear.

Mace somehow managed to keep it together long enough to call an ambulance, but even as the paramedics worked on him, Mace knew it was just for his benefit.

“He’s dead isn’t he?” He said, resignation in his voice.

“’Fraid so Chief” one of the paramedics replied.

“There will need to be an autopsy of course, but it looks like he tripped climbing the stairs. He was probably dead before he even got to the bottom.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Mace shouted, before catching himself.

“Sorry! I just… I didn’t need to hear that…”

“It’s alright. Do you have anyone you can stay with tonight?”

“No… I mean… He’s the only family I have, the only… one that I have…”

“Tough break, kid” The paramedic replied.

After they left, he locked up, went upstairs, and somehow, eventually, he slept.

–

The next few days passed in a blur of monotony.

He slept, ate, slept some more.

At some point, Mace ran out of food, so his routine changed to just sleeping.

He never opened the shop. He couldn’t face even the few customers that they would get.

The old lady came back, he could see her peering through the window.

“Probably thinks I’ve stolen her damn watch” he thought, before climbing the stairs to go back to bed.

After another few hours… or days? who could tell anymore? there was more knocking on the old shops door.

This was a different kind of knocking, authoritative, not inquisitive. A demanding knocking, that required satisfaction, and with it was muffled shouts.

Mason climbed out of bed, his head clouded from malaise, malnutrition, and oversleeping, and stumbled downstairs to answer the door.

“What?” He said, opening the door just a crack.

“Mason Korbin?” A well dressed man in a pin-striped suit and dark sunglasses replied just as curtly as Mace himself had.

“Yeah?”

“We’ve been trying to get in touch with you. This premises is being repossessed, you have 14 days to vacate. He handed Mason some official looking documents, and immediately turned to leave.

“Oh, and sorry for your loss” he replied, before disappearing into a black new-model Taurus towncar and speeding away.

Stunned, and now fully alert, Mace studied the extensive legal documents that he was given.

Of course, they were on paper, the legal system changes slowly.

“Notification of asset foreclosure. Vis-a-vis Delinquent Debt” he read.

“This is to certify that the assets of one Quinn Korbin, Deceased as of October 28th, 2054, are hereby seized forthwith, to be held by the holding company of Richardson and Allcock, furtherance to their dissolution”.

“What the fuck does all that mean?

Mason couldn’t speak legalise. Few could.

“It means… It means that all of your grandfathers assets have been seized by the bank to pay off a debt” The kindly lawyer explained.

He had hired the first lawyer he found. Luckily, she seemed nice.

“So, you mean the shop?” Mace replied. “Where am I going to live?”

“The shop, and its contents, and your grandfathers bank account and… And yours too, I’m afraid…” Even the lawyer winced as she told him the bad news.

“Mine?? What do you mean mine? I’m 18, that’s my money!”

“You are an adult now, but your account was created by your grandfather when you were a minor, and it was never changed. Legally, that means it’s in his name, not yours, so it’s been seized too. I’m sorry…”

“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately!” Mason snapped.

“Your grandfather, it seems, had been living with an ever-increasing debt for many years. Surely you must have known?”

“No, I had no idea, he never talked to me about money” Mace replied. “So, what can I do?”

“There’s nothing you can do”. She replied, and folded her hands in finality.

Luckily he had enough cash on him to pay the lawyers consultation fee, but not much else.

He walked home as cold October rain started to pour.

The chill stung his face and numbed his bones.

“Fuck! They’re not taking the shop! I live there, it’s my home! They can just drag me out, I’d love to see them try!” Mace thought defiantly.

His hopes were, however, dashed as he rounded the corner, and saw a black furniture van with no markings parked outside the shop, accompanied by several burly men, and the man with the dark glasses and the pin-striped suit.

“Hey!” Mace shouted and rushed forward, his heart full of rage and pain.

“Easy there kid”. Mace felt strong arms grab his, and as he whirled around, fists clenched, he saw the dark blue uniform of a policeman.

“These men are here to carry out a court order. It’s all official-like, there’s nothing you can do.”

“My stuff is in there!” Mason screamed.

“Not your stuff mate.” The officer continued. “It says right here that anything in this here premises is “seized forthwith” that means it’s not yours. If you go in there, you’ll be arrested”.

“Bullshit!” Mace cursed and tried to struggle free from the burly police officers grasp.

Instantly, he found himself face first on the pavement, feeling the cold embrace of the asphalt.

“You listen here, and you listen good. That there premises is off limits, you hear? Now I’m sorry about your granddaddy, it’s a bum rap, really, but there ain’t nothing to be done about it. Now you go run along, before you get yourself into trouble.”

Mason struggled to his feet just in time to see his collection of holocon games being carried to the furniture van.

He thought he saw the man in the pin-striped suit smirk, just the tiniest bit, but this might have been his imagination.

Defeated, he turned, and just walked away.

All he had to his name now was the clothes he was standing up in, his cell phone, wallet with a few bucks, and… And… his grandfathers watch…

Mason couldn’t hold back his hurt anymore, and burst into tears as he pulled out the golden metal timepiece.

It really was a kind gift, and he had been so ungrateful to receive it.

Now, it was all that he had left of his grandfather, and his life, and he would give anything to get them back.

He ended up finding a park that looked abandoned enough, and a bench that wasn’t covered in bird droppings. Zipping his coat against the cold, he fell into a fitful, broken, sleep.

–