Life From Zero- Episode 2- Shack Survival
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Mia's excitement for shack living very quickly faded. Was it better than sleeping on park benches? Yes... Did she feel more safe? Somewhat, the door could lock now that she replaced the handle, and the place looked abandoned so maybe no one would try to mess around here. But there was no windows, light was very difficult to find with holes peeping through the roof, and around the door. That little bit of light leaking in was just enough to keep it not pitch black. Though during most days she just left the door open for fresh air and light.
Each day became such a blur for Mia. There is no way to tell how many days passed as Mia spent her time grinding the paintings in the shack each day. Go get food to last for about 24 hrs, bring it back and keep painting and selling. Paint, take a pic and list it on pocket market.
Everything kept running this way until she got caught squatting on the lot by an unscrupulous tax collector visiting the lot trying to gather unpaid taxes from the previous owners. She told him she didn't have any money. After studying her and seeing her paintings behind her through the open door he warned her he'd be seeing her again real soon. With that he left and Mia's drive to get moved out as fast as possible renewed much stronger than before.
A couple days went by where she slept, painted, listed it for sale, slept, painted ect in a never ending cycle. Eventually she was feeling like maybe the man wouldn't be back. So she gathered her courage and headed to her favorite gaming cafe that sold the Cheesy Ramen she was obsessed with. As she snuck on to the metro, as usual, she thought to herself...what if he had come back? Would she just sit quietly and pretend she wasn't there? Would he have believed it?
Unlikely.
After she finished her food, she got herself a dink and pulled out her phone to see if Jean Lee had messaged her back again...realizing she had completely forgot about her in all this survival chaos. When she looked up and saw the door open her drink nearly fell from her hand.
He was here. How did he find her! Not wanting to cause a scene in her favorite hangout, she quickly got cash out as he stared at her. She threw the money on the floor near his feet as she waited for him to grab it and leave... but he just stood there staring at her.
She told him "There is the money! Take it and go! LEAVE ME ALONE" People started to stare as he stood firmly in the doorway. A mix of emotions bubbled up and swirled through her as she scanned the room seeing people watching. It was already lucky they allowed her in to the cafe knowing she was homeless.... smelly and looked terrible in dirty clothing. But this drama she knew would get her banned from the cafe for life.
"If you don't leave I will!" She said as she shoved past him, trying to ignore him as he shouted behind him, neither looking back at each other, that he'd see her next month.
As she ran down the steps she pulled her phone out and called Jean trying to keep her voice steady as she spoke. "Hey Jean! It's been a while. You up for a park hangout?"
Jean replied between sniffles "Oh hey Mia! Yeah it has been a long time. I'd be down. When are you thinking?"
Mia's shaky voice stated "Now, if you can"
Jean coughed a few times but readily agreed " Be there in 10."
Mia was so shaken by what had happened in the cafe that she didn't even notice the sound of Jeans voice. Jean showed up out front of the cafe finding Mia waiting there tapping her phone against her hand. Mia finally realized that her voice sounded sick as she looked.
"Oh Jean,..." Mia let out a soft breath, " I didn't realize you were sick.."
"Not a problem. It sounded urgent. You ok?" She looked over Mia's tense posture and tight face carefully.
"Uh yea... just... I found a place, and there's been.... " just then she saw the man start to come down the stairs from her cafe,. Why had she waited here and not gone into the park or met Jean someplace else? She wasn't thinking clearly that's for sure.
"Lets take a selfie real fast! I realized we have no photos together!" She pulled Jean in for a selfie hoping that tax man wouldn't see her friend and try to get money out of her too.
"Aww that looks nice Mia! Thanks. You'll have to send it to me!" She coughed a few more times into her elbow.
"Will do, Jean, but first. Let's get you home! " Mia said as she lead Jean back down the street to her house and got her all tucked in to bed with medicine on the bedside table.
"Thanks for today" Mia said as she headed to Jean's door. "Sorry I didn't notice you were sick when we were on the phone..."
Jean was nearly asleep before the sentence was finished so she went ahead and locked up as she left Jeans house and went to the park to think. She needed time to figure out her plans. How was she going to get out of that shack before that man came back to find her? Luckily they barely spoke so he didn't know her name or anything....if she could get out quick enough maybe she'd never have to see him again.
As the darkness swept over the city signalling the day was coming to an end, Mia pulled out her left over ramen and sat down to eat. After a few bites she remembered she could get some seasoning from the nearby Bibimbap truck. She didn't even think about leaving her food alone for 2 seconds would be a problem until she turned around just in time to see the Bibimbap vendor throwing away her food.
"Why would you throw that away?! That's my food I am not finished with!" She shouted at him.
"You didn't buy it at my truck, why should I let you eat it here..." He retorted
Mia's pent up emotions burst on him, "I am not eating near your truck! I am eating near a cafe vendor! They always let me eat my leftovers here! its not your business!"
He yelled back at her to keep her mouth shut, It didn't matter what she said he'd believe what he believes.
As he was walking away from her, her voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes, shouting "You may have a nice warm home with pleanty of food to go back too!....but that doesn't mean we all do!"
She stood in disbelief as he didn't even react, and kept walking to his home.
"I don't understand how people can be so cruel!" she shouted to herself as people walked by staring. She wiped her eyes and went home and began painting with a new fueled up passion. Angry and desperate she decided to list her work as auctioned paintings. Worse case she'd get her asking price, best case she'd get a little bit more... To her surprise the the work she put up sold at a higher than expected price. She managed to get almost 9000 mews. She could rent the cafe she was hoping to get!
She didn't have much money to celebrate with, because that would only get her the cafe, no furnishings, appliances, nothing... so she went to a second hand store where she'd seen a money gun filled with fake money for 2 mews. She thought .... I can do this to celebrate! I won't use real money but getting my photo taken playing with this money gun to mark the moment sounds awesome!
So she invited Jean over and they played with the money gun and fake money. Laughing and chatting about how maybe law of attraction can help them out in getting some cash.
That is the end of Chapter !
I hope you enjoyed this story! Chapters 3-8 are coming soon (and more streamed each week! Make sure to follow me @ellievonbraedan on Twitch, youtube, tiktok and here for more episodes! I stream this series on Sundays and Mondays starting at 7 pm until I need to head to bed! We also have pop up streams so a follow will keep you in the loop!
We livestream each episode live, and I modify what happened during the stream into a story here for you guys to follow along with!
This episode captures the start of officially using the challenge rules so was a bit more on the grindy side during the stream but we did have some interesting bits of things happen! I will link the stream below if you are curious and wanted to watch it! All VODS of my streams are uploaded to my youtube channel.
I am a little behind on posting the chapters and story so I will try and get it all caught up pretty soon!
Would you like to join us in this Life From Zero- Inzoi Rags to Riches challenge?? The rules are pinned at the top for you to enjoy!
This is Episode 2 of Life From Zero, a story-driven InZOI rags to riches challenge.In this episode, Phase 1 (Unhoused Survival) is complete,
