Maria by Boris Bacic

Author:Boris Bacic [Bacic, Boris]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2021-12-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 32

Jake took a cab back home. After seven days of being in custody, it felt strange, yet oddly familiar, to see the streets and the people bustling past the car’s window. It was early afternoon and overcast, giving the city a gloomy look—or maybe it was Jake’s perception of it.

He should have been happy. He was free, and yet, he felt like he was going to a place where he would be even more restricted. It almost made him want to go back into prison. Almost.

The driver didn’t try to strike up a conversation, which worked fine for Jake. He didn’t feel like talking anyway. As the car turned, Jake’s attention fell to a redhead waiting at the bus station, in front of a ‘KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD’ graffiti on the wall. He sat ramrod straight, rubbernecking as the car drove past her.

Not Maria. Relax, goddammit. It’s not her.

Jake’s heart belatedly increased in its rate. He was glad to be sitting because the muscles in his legs suddenly felt like they had atrophied to pudding. He ignored the alarmed look of the cab driver. Once in front of the building, Jake paid the driver and exited the car without a word.

Upon returning to his apartment, he noticed that the door had been fixed. Federica had said that she would do that, but Jake didn’t know that she had already done it. He wanted to call her once he was out the door of the precinct, but his phone was dead. He wanted to pay her back for the costs, but there was no way he’d have the money right now.

Jake turned the key in the lock, listening to the clicking that loudly filled the air, announcing his return. He pushed the door open. It was dark because the blinds were lowered, but in the dim glow coming from the hallway, he could tell that the apartment had been cleaned of all the trash.

He flipped the light switch on and stepped inside. It was much emptier than what he was used to. With the lack of decorations on the shelves and a missing coffee table, it looked like the person living in the apartment was in the process of moving out.

The furniture had been fixed, looking like time had been reversed to before Maria ripped it into shreds. Jake wrinkled his nose. He didn’t even want to think about the costs that Federica had to pay to get it fixed. The smashed TV was gone and replaced by a new, smaller one. A PlayStation console sat next to the TV. Jake’s old console was black—this one was silver. On top of it was a tiny note.

Jake’s heart skipped a beat. He widened his eyes and approached the console, once again feeling uneasy. He stooped and read the message on the note.

HOPE YOU REMEMBERED TO UPLOAD YOUR SAVE FILE TO THE CLOUD!

- FEDE

Below the message was a crudely drawn smiley face. Jake breathed a sigh of relief. He then remembered that this was Federica’s old console.

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