The last of Eva Volkov’s dignity had been stripped away as the Conglomerate released her into the streets. She had walked away from the building without looking back, her footsteps slow, each step a little more uncertain than the last. Her body, bruised and aching, trembled with the weight of the situation, and her mind refused to process it.

  Her assets had been frozen, not taken. They were taken hostage, held just beyond her reach, a reminder that the Conglomerate still had control, still had the power to give or take, whenever they pleased. She was disposable to them now, but keeping her assets frozen was their way of maintaining leverage. It was a leash they could pull on at any moment, yanking her back into their clutches if they saw fit. She had nothing, yet everything she once owned existed in a state of cruel limbo.

  She hadn’t even tried to reach out to anyone. The moment she had stepped out of that building, she knew what awaited her. The world had already decided. The people who once adored her, hung on her every word, would have nothing to do with her now. Even the thought of trying to reconnect with her old life seemed pointless, almost laughable. No one would listen. No one would care. No one would dare.

  It was day one. And already, she was crumbling.

  She hadn’t slept. Where would she even sleep? The night had stretched long and cold, the city alive with its usual hum, but none of that warmth reached her. She wandered aimlessly through the streets, her mind barely processing the movement of her feet. There was nowhere to go. She had no plan, no resources, and no one who would take her in.

  It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that she collapsed onto a park bench, her body sagging with exhaustion. She hadn’t eaten. She hadn’t drunk anything. She didn’t even know if she could, her stomach twisted in knots, her throat dry as sandpaper. She sat hunched over, wrapping her arms around herself as if that would keep the cold at bay.

  The world kept moving around her. People passed by, their footsteps quick and purposeful, their faces blank and unfeeling. The world was just a rest u feeling for her. Some glanced at her briefly, their eyes filled with disdain or pity, but none of them stopped. She was just another invisible person in the city now, another discarded soul no one had time for.

  And yet, some recognized her. She could feel it in the sharp, sideways glances they shot her, the murmurs behind her back. They knew who she was—or rather, who she had been. But no one dared approach.

  Her stomach growled, a loud, painful reminder of her hunger. But she had no money. She had nothing. Even if she had approached someone and asked for help, what would they say? What could they possibly do? The Conglomerate had branded her, and no one wanted to risk helping a traitor.

  Her hands shook as she pressed them to her stomach, trying to quell the gnawing ache. She stared down at the pavement beneath her feet, her vision blurry with exhaustion. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be happening. How had she gone from everything to nothing in such a short time?

  By the second day, reality had sunk in like a heavy weight she couldn’t shake. Like an anchor thrown at sea. She had descended fast and was now utterly alone. Truly, terrifyingly alone. The city that had once worshiped her now turned a blind eye, and the fear she felt gnawed at her from the inside out.

  She had tried begging. At first, it had been a half-hearted attempt, her voice shaky and unsure. But as the hunger and desperation grew, so did her efforts. She stood outside restaurants, watching people go in and out, hoping—praying—that someone would take pity on her.

  No one did.

  That was real life. No one cared. At one point, she approached a man who had been leaving a café that she used to go. He had a bag of food. Leftovers probably. She had recognized him. He had once been an executive at one of the companies that paid her to promote their products. She had even sat with him at a few corporate dinners.

  She had called his name. He had paused, turned to look at her, and for a brief moment, she thought he might help. But then recognition flashed in his eyes, and his expression hardened. He had turned away without a word, walking briskly in the opposite direction. As if she were diseased.

  After that, she stopped asking. The humiliation was too much.

  By the end of the second day, she had resorted to digging through dumpsters. She had pulled out half-eaten food, stale and disgusting, but her hunger didn’t care. She had crouched behind an alley, stuffing the food into her mouth, not caring about the filth or the stench.

  It wasn’t long before a group of teenagers spotted her. They had been passing by, laughing and joking, when one of them saw her. “Isn’t that her? The glitch girl?” The words had cut through her like a blade. She had tried to hide her face, but it was too late. They had surrounded her, taking out their phones, snapping pictures, recording videos. “That’s what happens when you cross the Conglomerate,” one of them sneered, kicking a piece of trash in her direction. “You end up like this. Worthless.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Their laughter still echoed in her ears long after they had left.

  By the third day, Eva had lost all sense of time. Her body was weak, her muscles aching, her mind foggy from lack of food and sleep. She hadn’t showered in days, and the stench of sweat and grime clung to her like a second skin. Her hair, once perfectly styled and platinum blonde, was a tangled mess, and her clothes were torn and filthy.

  She felt like an animal. Worse than an animal. She had tried to find public restrooms, but they were always locked, or she was turned away by suspicious guards. Eventually, she had been forced to relieve herself in a dark alley, crouching behind a dumpster like a rat. Shitting in the open like a filthy mammal. Crawling and hiding like a damn cockroach, she thought. The shame burned in her chest, but there was nothing she could do. This was her life now.

  She hadn’t seen herself in a mirror in days, but she didn’t need to. She knew what she looked like. The image of Eva Volkov was gone. She was just Sofia now. Not even that, a new persona, a third one, Sofia the Broken, the discarded woman behind the persona. And if the old Sofia didn’t have a place in this world, this new one had her own place in hell. As she wandered the streets, her feet dragging, her mind barely functioning, she felt a strange sense of numbness settle over her. The hunger, the desperation—it was all starting to blur together. She was beyond feeling, beyond caring. She was nothing.

  It was late on the third night when they appeared.

  Eva had been sitting on a curb, her back hunched, her head hanging low. She hadn’t eaten in days, and her vision was starting to blur. She barely noticed the two figures stepping out of the shadows until they were standing right in front of her. She looked up slowly, her eyes struggling to focus on their faces. They were both dressed in dark, tattered clothes, their hoods pulled low over their heads, casting shadows across their features. Something about them made her uneasy, but she couldn’t place it. One of them—a tall, lean man—stepped forward, his boots scuffing against the pavement. His face was partially obscured, but she could see the glint of his eyes beneath the hood.

  “We been watchin’ you,” he said, his voice rough and broken, like gravel being ground underfoot. “You ain’t doin’ too good out here, huh?”

  Eva tensed, her body going rigid. “Who… who are you?” she croaked, her throat dry and sore from lack of water.

  The second figure stepped forward, his movements more erratic, his voice harsher. “Ain’t matter who we are. What matters is you. You need help, and we… we got it… kinda.”

  Eva’s heart began to race. There was something off about them, something dangerous. She tried to stand, her legs trembling beneath her, but the taller man took a step closer, blocking her path.

  “We’re the Unbound,” he said, his voice low and menacing. “We ain’t part of your world. We ain’t part of their world neither. But we can give you somethin’ you need.”

  Eva’s breath caught in her throat. The Unbound. The rebels. The ones the Conglomerate had warned everyone about. The ones who had destroyed her life with their glitch.

  “I don’t want anything to do with you,” she hissed, her voice shaking with anger. “You people ruined everything!”

  The second figure let out a harsh, barking laugh. “You think we ruined your life? Nah. That was them. The Conglomerate. They turned on you. We just showed you what they really are. They were the snakes in your pretty garden”

  Eva shook her head, stepping back, but her legs gave out, and she stumbled, falling to the ground. The two men didn’t move to help her. They just watched.

  The taller man crouched down, getting closer to her eye level. “We ain’t here to hurt you. We’re here to give you somethin’ they won’t.”

  Eva glared at him, her body trembling with fear and exhaustion. “I don’t trust you.”

  “You don’t gotta trust us,” the second man said, stepping closer. “You just gotta see the truth.”

  He pulled something out of his coat—a small tablet—and held it up in front of her. The screen flickered to life, and Eva’s stomach dropped.

  It was Marcus. Sitting in a dimly lit room, casually leaning back in his chair, speaking to a Conglomerate official. His voice was calm, businesslike, but there was a cruelty in his tone that she had never heard before.

  “I’ve done my part,” Marcus said, his tone indifferent. “I’ve controlled her long enough. But she’s becoming a liability. We need to make an example of her.” The Conglomerate official nodded. “A public execution would send a strong message.” Marcus shrugged, as though he were discussing a mundane business deal. “Whatever you think is best. Just make sure it’s public. Let people see what happens when you cross the Conglomerate.”

  Eva’s body went cold. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she stared at the screen, unable to tear her eyes away. Marcus—the man who had guided her career, who had seemed like a friend—had been negotiating her death. He had been planning to kill her.

  The taller man smirked, lowering the tablet. “Now you see. They don’t want you. They don’t care about you. They just want to use you.”

  Eva felt the world spinning around her, her mind reeling from the betrayal. Marcus had always been cold, always calculating, but she had never imagined he would go this far.

  The rebels stood in silence, waiting for her to speak. But her voice was trapped in her throat, the words refusing to come.

  The taller man reached out, his voice low and coaxing. “Come with us. We can keep you safe. We can show you how to fight back.”

  Eva shook her head, her hands clenching into fists. “I don’t… I can’t…”

  “You ain’t got no choice,” the second man growled. “Stay here, and they’ll find you. And when they do… you know what happens.”

  Eva felt tears welling in her eyes, but she fought them back. She couldn’t show weakness. Not now. Not ever.

  Her whole body trembled as she looked up at the two men. She didn’t trust them. She didn’t want to be part of their world.

  But what choice did she have?

  “Fine,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I’ll go with you.”

  The taller man nodded, his smirk widening. “Smart choice.”

  As they helped her to her feet, Eva couldn’t shake the feeling that she was walking into something far darker than she could imagine. But for now, she had no choice but to follow them.

  For now, Sofia Ramirez was still alive.