BOOM.

An explosion rocked Ed from his slumber, sending him toppling out of his hammock. Ed felt the heavy vibrations as they pulsed through his threaded body, disorienting him. He fell to the ground with a groan as dust fell from the ceiling.

Shaking himself awake, Ed pulled the threads back into his body. What is happening? Looking out in the direction of the explosion, he watched as a building collapsed in on itself and was engulfed in flames. In the smoke, he caught sight of two figures locked in a heated battle.

Well, I guess I can’t go back to sleep now. Leaning against the window, he watched the fight go on for several minutes before deciding that he had better things to do. Quickly rinsing himself off in a shower, he was forced to get back into his clothes from yesterday. I wish they would’ve packed me more, but beggars can’t be choosers. Without them I would basically be completely naked.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Ed felt the sudden impulse to look at the strings of fate. As the strings blinked into existence, Ed looked around his room. Now that I think about it, Buddie did send a healer down to follow me around. That means they should be here somewhere... There you are.

A bundle of strings were clustered together in a small corner of the room.

“I know you’re here; you can stop hiding now.” Ed called out while walking directly to the person, only to receive no response in return. I guess I should leave them alone, they’re just doing their job. “I just wanted to say thanks for keeping me alive.” Hearing nothing, Ed decided to just continue going about his day.

Rummaging through his luggage, he made sure to collect every loose coin and note, totalling to four hundred dollars. Heading out the door, he took a quick glance over the railing, and watched as the rest of the residents went about their day.

Guess I should get going. Stepping into the elevator, he pushed the button for the ground floor and waited for it to close. What do I need to get today? I’m probably gonna need some new clothes, and I’ll definitely need food. Furniture can wait, I’m stretched thin at the moment, and I can’t be wasting my money on stuff I don’t desperately need.

Ding!

Hearing the elevator door open, Ed stepped out into the foyer, quickly mixing into the crowd. Stepping out onto the street, Ed went back in the direction of Rosey’s Realty, remembering that there were a few stores along the way that could be useful. Luckily that battle’s in the opposite direction, I don’t want to get caught up in any stray fire.

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Entering one of the shops from yesterday, he quickly went searching for clothes. I need to make sure I don’t spend too much. I still need money for groceries. Searching through the clothes, he found most of it to be too expensive for him right now. Luckily, he managed to find a few things at an acceptable price. All in all, he spent ninety-five dollars and got enough clothes for five days. This should be good for now, I just need to make sure I don’t get into any more fights until I have more money.

Walking out of the store with his bag in hand, he continued on his way to the grocery store. Three hundred and five dollars left, I should try and keep two hundred on me in case of emergencies.

Walking into the grocery store, he grabbed a basket and started shopping. I think I’ll skip on the drinks for now. I’ve got access to water at home, so I can save some money there. But I should probably get some milk for the mac and cheese.

Going up and down the aisles, he grabbed a few things here and there that he thought would be suitable. Bread, milk, butter, cheap mac and cheese, and instant noodles. Even in Hell, I can’t escape the uni student’s diet. Grandpa would be incredibly worried if he saw me getting just this. You know what, it only comes to about twenty-five dollars, I can definitely get a few more things.

Ed walked on over to the deli and looked through the different meats before deciding on buying five dollars' worth of marinated BBQ chicken. On his way to the self-checkout, he also picked up a jar of peanut butter.

That’s thirty-five dollars down, this should be enough for now. Now I’ve just got to get this stuff back to my place.

Walking out of the store, he held a bag in each hand. One carried the clothes, and the other the groceries. Making it back to the apartment building, he found it to be considerably quieter than when he left it. Just as he was about to reach the elevator, he noticed William out of the corner of his eye.

“Good morning Ed, what’ve you got there?”

“Morning William. I’m just coming back from doing some grocery shopping.” Ed said.

“Oh, well don’t let me stop ya. You should head on up and get that stuff packed away.”

“Thanks.” Just as Ed was about to step into the elevator, he stopped himself and turned back around. “Actually, I’m gonna be heading back out after I pack this stuff away, do you happen to know of anywhere nearby I can go to get information? Like a library perhaps?”

“Of course. There’s a library not too far from here. You head on up and I’ll write down the directions for you.”

“Thanks William.” With a nod, Ed took the elevator back up to the seventh floor. Entering his apartment, he packed away all of his groceries.

Now what should I do with these clothes? I don’t have anything to put them in. Looking around the room, he ultimately decided to just leave the clothes in the bag for now. I’ve got more important things to worry about right now. I should go down and check with William right now.

Heading back downstairs, he found William waiting for him.

“Here’s the directions to the library, I hope you find whatever it is you’re looking for.” William said with a warm smile.

“Thanks, I’ll be back later today. Stay safe.”