Day 3

The alarm went off at 6:30. It was Monday, and neither of them had thought to turn it off. Clearly, there wouldn’t be work.

As usual, Morgan started licking their faces to wake them up. He accidentally stepped on Alex’s injured arm, sending a jolt of pain through him.
Alex (groaning): Shit!
Morgan jumped back, startled, his ears flattened as he slowly approached with his head down, tail wagging guiltily.
Alex: It’s okay, buddy. You didn’t mean it.

Ellie sat up beside him, frowning.
Ellie: Let me see your wounds.

Alex took his shirt off, wincing slightly as he pulled the fabric over his arm. The sleeve was stained with dried blood, but the gashes weren’t actively bleeding anymore.

Ellie: Sorry I didn’t finish healing you. It literally drained my energy. I started sweating and got dizzy—just like last time with your shoulder.
Alex: What are you apologizing for? This is amazing!
Ellie: Let me have some breakfast, and I’ll keep going.
Alex: No need. It doesn’t hurt, so we can save it for tonight. It’ll help us both sleep.
Ellie: I can heal for a couple of minutes now and keep going tonight. It only takes five minutes to drain me anyway.

Alex sighed. He knew she wouldn’t back down.
Alex: Deal. You stay in bed—I’ll make some coffee.

While waiting for the water to boil, Alex checked his stats. To his surprise, they had changed:

Level: 6 (+1 compared to last time)
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 10
Speed: 10 (+1)
Stamina: 6
Constitution: 8 (+1)
Magic: 1
Magic Power: 1
Magic Control: 1

Incredible. It’s just like a game. I grew stronger after defeating an enemy!

After breakfast, Ellie healed Alex and they decided to take Morgan to the inner garden of the building for some fresh air. As soon as they reached the hallway, a faint smell of smoke hit them.

In the garden, several neighbors were already gathered. One of them waved them over.

Neighbor: You’re Alex and Ellie, right? I’m Antonio. Nice to meet you guys.
Ellie: Yeah, nice to meet you too.
Antonio: This is Charles, from 105; Jorge and Tina from 101; and Monica from 409.
Alex: Hi, everyone.
Ellie: Can you smell smoke?

Tina: Yes. Two of the buildings in Villa Frei Park burned last night. Those of us on the other side of the building could hear fighting and screaming. It was terrible.

A heavy silence settled over the group.

Antonio (breaking the quiet): So, Alex, we were just talking about your incident last night. Poor Carla’s devastated—she doesn’t know what to do about the body.

Alex grimaced, unsure how to respond.

Antonio: Are you okay, though? We heard you were badly hurt, but here you are.
Alex: It wasn’t that bad.
Ellie: It was bad. You needed stitches.

Alex sighed and lifted his sleeve, revealing the parallel cuts on his arm, now partially healed. He hesitated about mentioning Ellie’s healing abilities, unsure how she felt about it.

Alex: I got lucky. I had my sword with me when I went to the supermarket. I got a bit spooked and decided to take it whenever I leave the house.
Tina: Spooked? Was it another monster?
Alex: I don’t know. I thought something was following me, but it ran off when I turned. It might have been a dog.

Before anyone could reply, Jenny and Wendy entered the courtyard.

Jenny: Hi, guys! What are we talking about?
Antonio: Alex was telling us about his scare yesterday.
Jenny: How are your stitches, Alex?
Alex: They’re okay.
Jenny: Any pain?
Alex: Nope.

Alex shifted uncomfortably as the group’s attention turned fully to him. Ellie, sensing his unease, stepped in.

Ellie: Show her. It’s okay.