Under His Roof

chapter eighteen

Thank you to everyone who has been concerned and supportive as we've tackled the case of UHR being plagiarized. The other book has now been taken down and will (God willing) not be a problem again. I took a long time to post this because I felt (and still feel) wary about posting after this book being plagiarized (you can read the post on my wall for more info), but basically I'm considering not posting the fully detailed chapters in the future. I'm afraid that my intellectual property will be stolen, and those of you who know me know that it is really important to me. So I'm still on the fence about this and will keep you updated as I decide things.

And a SUPERBIG thank you to everyone who informed me about the book and was keeping an eye out for me, I love you guys so much.

✎_ _ _ _ _ 

Kimberly spun around in her chair and tried her best to keep her mind occupied so that she wouldn't lose it to the paranoia. Julian and his "friend", Eddie, were huddled over by the computer – which happened to be the only source of light in this dank excuse for a room – as Eddie typed away furiously. They were in his cellar, and the setup of the room was the kind of setup one sees in movies. Five or six huge screens all hooked up to each other, wires covering every last inch of the floor, and keyboards that looked obnoxiously large for the measly twenty-six letters in the English alphabet.

As she watched them, Kimberly on her life could not understand how Eddie came to be wrapped up with people like Julian and Freddy Slim. Eddie was a young guy, definitely younger than Julian...she would say twenty-five tops. So why would Freddy Slim or Julian trust a man that young to handle their dirty work? It wasn't like Eddie was mature beyond his years or anything, after all, he had been wearing a fucking onesie when she and Julian first arrived (Apparently because he was watching a game and wanted to support his team (Cleveland) from the comforts of his house).

Whatever the reason being though, Kimberly was very confused as to how Eddie found his way into this mess.

He and Julian were still at the computer, working away as the paranoia ate at Kimberly. The two had been over there for what felt like hours to her. They were trying to get her off of the grid, and they seemed to be succeeding, but at this point Kimberly wasn't sure that even that could help her. Freddy wanted her dead, and he was somebody who got his way.

"Okay...Just one more..."

Kimberly's head snapped over to look at Eddie, whose eyes were wide as he clicked maniacally at the computer. Those were the first words that had been spoken in a while, and the sound of them cut through the musty air like a knife. Kimberly was practically on the edge of her seat as she looked at Eddie. Finally he looked away from the screen and exchanged a few words with Julian, – too quietly for her to hear (of course) – and then he nodded and pressed one last button on the keyboard. "And you're off!" He turned around to face Kimberly with a triumphant look on his face.

"So that's it?" She asked.

"No...?" He gave Kimberly an 'are-you-stupid' look before shaking his head. "Of course not."

Kimberly frowned.

"Come on," Eddie said. "It's Fred we're talking about here. This helps, sure, but he has many more sources than the internet to find out what he needs to know about you."

"Then why do you look so damn excited?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, that's because you were literally everywhere. Jesus Christ you like your social media."