Dan pulled into the parking lot of one of Full Service Eviction’s satellite offices. A manila folder with all the paperwork from his family’s eviction lay in the passenger seat. The jingle of the previous advertisement faded, and a strident voice returned to the radio.

“Welcome back to ‘Justice Denied’! I’m your host, Malcolm St. David. For those of you just joining us, we’re discussing the wave of evictions in the newly-crowned city of Millenniaburg. With us in the studio are Ellsworth DeGuerro, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Vanessa Abrazo, national tenants-rights advocate, and Humphrey Llewela, managing partner of Crake & Gibson, a leading national law firm. On the phone with us is Ted Danbury, representative for Unlimited Partners.”

“And I’m pleased to be here,” Ted sniped. “You might want to bring some more people into your studio; I still outnumber you.”

“Before the commercial break, we were discussing the stunning lack of rights granted these tenants,” Malcolm responded angrily. “No due process, no grace periods…in most cases, they didn’t even get to pack first! How do you get away with this outrage?!”

“Wow…that was an impressive series of lies by omission,” Ted countered. “Their belongings were packed on their behalf; no significant theft or breakage has been reported, or even insinuated, by the evictees. They had plenty of grace; each one was, at a minimum, three months behind on rent, and were fully aware of it. And as for due process…everything that happened was in line with our city’s terms and conditions.”

“Ah yes, the much vaunted social-media inspired contract, forced upon the city without notice,” Malcolm accused. “Years of individual rights and freedom, flushed right down the drain.”

“It’s no worse than what you deal with, on a daily basis, on any social-media site you care to mention,” Ted countered. “Even the Big Tech companies you rely on have similar contracts. You can buy thousands of dollars worth of their content, but violate their rules and it’s taken from you in a heartbeat, with no explanation or recourse. You’re no doubt aware of the class-action lawsuit I’m talking about, right, Humphrey?”

“I think I heard about it somewhere,” Humphrey dismissed.

“So you can’t tell me there’s no precedent for this,” Ted crowed. “This has literally been happening for years. Do you have a problem with what they’re doing? When do you plan to confront them on your radio show? Oh, that’s right, they sponsor your show. I guess your silence can be bought.”

There was a pregnant pause, punctuated by shrill breathing. “I’m more concerned with the lives of these evicted tenants,” Vanessa interrupted. “I’ve heard reports they end up in abandoned college dormitories. What happens after that?”

“Another skillful lie by omission,” Ted retorted. “I expect nothing less. They’re unused college dormitories. And that’s only the last resort. Most people are given a plan to pay off their debt, and offered housing they can afford. Full Service Evictions lives up to its name.”

“Answer the question, Mr. Danbury,” Ellsworth piped up. “They can’t stay in the dorms forever. Are you planning to dump them on the street?”

“I’m so glad you’re concerned for their well-being,” Ted snarked. “I take it that means you’re willing to assume custody of them. Or do your strident beliefs end the instant you have to make an effort?”

“I…no, we can help them,” Ellsworth promised. “That’s what our agency does, after all. We help the less fortunate.”

“So,” Ted pounced, “does that mean you’ll send us some addresses, and we can put these people on the next bus out of town?”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“I…er…” Ellsworth stammered.

“Of course we will!” Vanessa interjected. “There are plenty of cities that would be happy to take them! I could arrange that myself, through my own contacts. We’re not heartless and cruel, like you.”

“And there it is,” Ted cheered. “The perceived moral superiority. I never get tired of it.” There was a pregnant pause. “So, what do you think, Malcolm?” Ted continued. “It sounds to me like we’re all in agreement.”

“Uh…yeah. Yes, it does,” Malcolm managed to say.

“Thank you for having me on your show today,” Ted finished. “Once again, you’ve made the world a better place. No wonder you do this for a living.”

Malcolm inhaled sharply. “We’ll be back with our next guest, right after this.”

Dan scowled as he turned off the radio. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand, and sobbed quietly for several moments. Morosely, he turned to look at his phone, which continued to remain silent. It also showed he had ten minutes before his meeting with Full Service Evictions. He blanched at the thought of his wife and two kids living in a dormitory. Jessie would never forgive him for that…if she even forgave him for losing the house.

Abruptly, his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number, but it was local. Hesitantly, he picked up his phone and answered the call. “This is Dan.”

“Hi, I’m returning a call from Dan Ranger?”

“This is Dan McGranger.”

“Oh, great! Nice to meet you! Alf Bozinski, attorney at law, at your service! You said something about being evicted?”

“That already happened,” Dan clarified. “Last night. I was hoping to hear from you sooner.”

“Wow, sorry. We all need a night off every once in a while…you know?”

Dan sighed. “Sure. Is there anything you can do for me?”

“Of course, brah! I can file a counterclaim today. It probably won’t go before a judge for another month, though; the courts are really backlogged. But the sooner you get in line, the sooner you can get your house back. Can you give me the address?”

Dan told him.

“OK, let me look it up.” Dan could only hear typing and mouse-clicking for several seconds. “Ah, see, that’s why I couldn’t find you; I spelled your name wrong. Says here that…oh. Bad news: the house has already been sold.”

“Wow,” Dan exclaimed. “They said they were fast, but that’s gotta be a record.”

“Not in this housing market,” Alf explained. “It’s tighter than a floozy’s skirt. And the problem is, anything I file is going to be useless. I only had a chance to get you back into your old house; I can’t force the landlord to rent you a different house. At this point, you’re just a prospective tenant, like any other.” More furious typing. “Whoa! And not a very choice one. You are really behind on rent. I doubt anyone else will rent to you, either.”

“Well, aren’t you a lot of help,” Dan grumbled.

“Not if you can’t pay me,” Alf deadpanned. “How can you afford me, if you’re this deeply in debt? I don’t do this for free, you know. It’s either moolah, or move along.”

“What are you, some sort of surfer dude?” Dan snapped. “I’m trying to imagine how you could be any less professional.”

“Oh yeah, tough words from the homeless guy,” Alf snarked. “You can’t even keep a roof over your wife’s — hey, I just found a picture of her. Damn! She’s got it goin’ on! You’d better chain her to the stove, or she’s gonna run off with the first guy she finds with a fat wallet.”

Dan cursed unintelligibly as he stabbed angrily at his phone’s hangup button. It fell limply from his hand onto the passenger seat as he let out a long breath and slumped. He felt tears well up in his eyes again.

When he finally thought to look, he realized he only had three minutes to get to his meeting. Quickly, he grabbed his phone and manila folder, locked his car, and trudged toward the gleaming foyer of Full Service Eviction’s office.