Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Copyright
Chapter 1: Horace
Chapter 2: Horace
Chapter 3: Horace
Chapter 4: Superbia
Chapter 5: Horace
Chapter 6: Horace
Chapter 7: Ira
Chapter 8: Evie
Chapter 9: Horace
Chapter 10: Horace
Chapter 11: Horace
Chapter 12: Horace
Chapter 13: Horace
Chapter 14: Horace
Chapter 15: Horace
Chapter 16: Evie
Chapter 17: Evie
Chapter 18: Horace
Chapter 19: Horace
Chapter 20: Horace
Chapter 21: Horace
Chapter 22: Horace
Chapter 23: Horace
Chapter 24: Lux
Chapter 25: Horace
Chapter 26: Evie
Chapter 27: Horace
Chapter 28: Horace
Chapter 29: Horace
Chapter 30: Horace
Chapter 31: Horace
Chapter 32: Evie
Chapter 33: Horace
Chapter 34: Evie
Chapter 35: Horace
Chapter 36: Evie
Chapter 37: Horace
Chapter 38: Evie
Chapter 39: Horace
Chapter 40: Horace
Chapter 41: Horace
Chapter 42: Horace
Chapter 43: Horace
Chapter 44: Horace
Chapter 45: Evie
Chapter 46: Horace
Chapter 47: Evie
Chapter 48: Horace
Chapter 49: Horace
Chapter 50: Horace
Chapter 51: Horace
Chapter 52: Evie
Chapter 53: Horace
Chapter 54: Evie
Chapter 55: Horace
Chapter 56: Horace
Chapter 57: Horace
Chapter 58: Horace
Chapter 59: Evie
Chapter 60: Horace
Chapter 61: Evie
Chapter 62: Horace
Chapter 63: Horace
Chapter 64: Evie
Chapter 65: Horace
Chapter 66: Evie
Chapter 67: Horace
Chapter 68: Horace
Chapter 69: Costa
Chapter 70: Acedia, Gula, Luxuria, Avaritia, Superbia, Invidia, Ira
Chapter 71: Horace
Chapter 72: Horace and Evie
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7 Deadly Roommates
Ver 1.0.3
George Saoulidis
Dedicated to the women in my life that have tried to put me on the right path.
Copyright © 2018 George Saoulidis
All rights reserved.
Published by Mythography Studios
Cover image credit: Kinga Cichewicz
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance with actual people and situations is purely coincidental.
Chapter 1: Horace
Horace couldn’t handle life any more.
“And get the fuck out of my sight, you good-for-nothing temp!” the man screamed in his face. The man, in this case, as in, the man. His boss.
It was the final straw. He quickly threw his personal things in a box and promptly emptied his office space.
“Are you gonna just let him talk to you like that?” a female voice said next to him.
He spun around, still shoving things in his box. She was gorgeous, with a perfect neckline that she made sure to show by raising her nose high. “What? Who are you?”
“I’m Superbia. Now, back to our topic. Are you just gonna let him talk to you like that? The boss? He fired you already, didn’t he? Why are you taking it like a pussy?” She twirled a finger in the air, as if pointing at the whole situation.
He leaned on the box. “I’m sorry lady, I haven’t seen you here before. You must be new. If you are, I’m deeply sorry for you but I hope you get more out of this hellhole than I had. Now, as for you calling me a pussy...”
She had full, red lips. She popped them, breathing out and repeating the word, “Pussy.”
“Now look here you-”
“Oh, look, there’s some spine left in you after all. Now point that thing where you should.” She deflected his comeback and pointed a manicured finger at the boss’s office.
Horace had no clue what was happening. What he did know was that the pretty, annoying lady had a point. What was he so afraid of? Getting fired again? Getting yelled at? The boss had terrorised his existence for so long that he might as well be a pussy.
No.
Horace squeezed his fists and stormed into the boss’s office.
He stood up, holding a phone in hand. “Are you still here? Horace Cadmus, since you’re too thick to get this through your skull: You’ve been fired!”
He turned back to the phone, thinking the matter over.
Horace swallowed and stepped forward, then pressed the phone’s button to end the call.
“What are- Horace! That was an important phone call-”
“I want a letter of recommendation from you.” Horace said calmly, and planted his feet.
His former boss chuckled. “A letter of recommendation? I wouldn’t recommend you as a plug to my waste management service. If I told you to stay there and keep the shit in with your worthless carcass, you’d find a way to spray them all over the place.”
It wasn’t funny. It was just mean, and not even clever, as comebacks went. Horace gritted his teeth and didn’t budge.
“Get the fuck out of my sight before I call security,” the boss waved him away, pressing numbers for a call.
Horace wavered. He was about to leave. He had given his last stand, right?
He saw the pretty blonde sitting on top of his desk, going through his things, chuckling with what she found. He knew exactly what she was laughing about. It was his action figures. They were toys, but Horace liked to keep them around. Especially the female ones.
Horace pressed the button and cancelled his ex-boss’s call again.
He was furious. “Now, you worthless shit, I’ll kick you out myself!”
“I’m gonna tell people about Evie.”
The boss’s wrath evaporated. He mumbled a few sentences, then hurried and shut the door. “There’s nothing to tell. You’re bluffing.”
“Oh, there is. You see, I’m friends with Evie, and she told me everything. Not that she needed to, I have eyes. I saw your sexual advances. But I have your dickpics here, the ones you sent her.”
The boss went pale. He sat down on his big-boss chair.
Horace swiped his phone and logged into Evie’s Agora account. “I have her password. She won’t mind me doing this, actually, I believe it will lift a weight off of her. There you go, nice and hairy.”
The boss recognised the picture. It was what he saw every day as he looked down and relieved himself.
“Timestamped and everything. Proof of sexual advances during the time she was working here, in which you made her life a living hell. Do I really need to spell out sexual harassment for you? Wait, this is very selfish of me!” Horace tapped his finger on the side of his mouth. “I’m only thinking of myself. Make those two letters of recommendation, one for me, one for Evie. She’s been out of work for two months now, the poor girl has been to fifty interviews already and no luck.”
The boss cleared his throat but otherwise stared, wide-eyed.
Horace leaned forward, propping himself up on the desk by his arms. “I don’t see you writing,” he said, snarling the words.
Chapter 2: Horace
Having nothing to do and bein
g on the other side of Athens, Horace went to a cafe and plopped himself down opposite his box. He ordered a vodka instead of a coffee, because his nerves were shot.
He still couldn’t believe what he had done. This was so out of character for him. He read and reread the printed letters of recommendation for him and Evie. Glowing words for the both of them, signed by the boss himself.
His vodka lime came and he downed it in a single chug. It gave him a slight buzz, but that was exactly what he needed right now.
“Not a pussy, then,” a familiar voice came from behind.
He turned around, and found the same lady from before, sipping a latte on the table behind him. And it seemed like she had been there for quite some time.
Horace squinted at her. “Thanks for the kick in the balls, but who are you?”
She sighed but she looked more sexy than annoyed. “Superbia Hyperephania. Call me Superbia. And I don’t take shit from anyone.”
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m Horace. Cadmus. As in call me Horace, and my last name is Cadmus,” he stuttered.
“Okay then, Horace, why don’t you join me at my table?” She seemed very inviting and... well, hot.
“We barely know each other,” Horace complained weakly.
She waved it away. “Oh, Horace, we’ve fought a corporate minion today and won! You should be delighted. Come celebrate with me.”
He thought about it for a second, then picked up his box and his glass of water and sat across Superbia. He caught her smiling at the box but decided to let it go. She had prodded him to stand up for himself, after all. Gosh, he still couldn’t believe it.
“Another vodka? Or not, let’s not make Gula happy this early.”
“Who?”
She clicked her tongue. “You’ll see. Now, Horace, let me give you my token. Download the app so you can collect it.”
Horace frowned at that. “The what? No, lady, you don’t need to give me anything.”
“Download the Evil Thoughts app, please.”
He shook his head, but curiosity got the better of him. He located the app, which was real much to his surprise, and tapped the button to install it. It popped up a Terms Of Service legalese sheet which Horace instantly accepted with his thumb. It took a minute or so to finish, during which he took the time to look more closely at the woman. She was dressed in a violet skirt suit, which despite being modest drew plenty of attention to her lovely legs. She had perfect blonde hair, full lips and makeup that turned her blue eyes magnetic.
If this day hadn’t been so weird, he’d have time to question why such a gorgeous woman would give him the time of day.
The app glinged and he opened it, pointing his phone at Superbia.
Hovering between them was an Augmented Reality Object, semi-transparent and visible to anyone with an AR app. It was indeed something like a token, with the word pride written in Greek on it, ΥΠΕΡΗΦΑΝΙΑ.
“What am I supposed to do with it?” Horace asked, scratching his nose.
“Take it. It’s yours, you’ve earned it.” Superbia seemed real proud for the entire thing.
“Okay,” Horace shrugged and tapped on the app. The token was collected and he saw it increasing a counter, one of seven. “I don’t understand, Superbia, what is this? A video game, what?”
“It is a game of sorts, but the stakes are much higher,” she said meaningfully. She added with a deeper voice, “And so are the rewards.” She swapped her crossed legs and gave him a full Basic Instinct.
Horace gulped. He lost his words for a while. “I-I don’t understand, the token, you, anything.”
She raised her head, practically staring down at him. “You, Horace Cadmus, are to go through the Evil Thoughts test. Many, many mortals have gone through it but few have survived. The dangers are great but so are the rewards, as I said earlier. You will meet my sisters and we will help you along with your life, nudging you in the right direction. Should you manage to satisfy all seven of us and pass the test, you will be amongst the few men who have achieved their dreams.”
Horace went through a dozen of emotions. He frowned, he winced, he smiled, he gritted his teeth, he leered at her legs, he rubbed his face.
Finally, he stood up and said, “You, lady, are nuts. Goodbye.” He picked up his box and left the cafe.
Chapter 3: Horace
“So, I needed to come clean with you immediately, in case you got an email about unauthorised logins to devices or anything,” Horace said, waving his arms around.
“It’s okay,” Evie shrugged, hugging her legs on the bed. She was in her floral pyjamas and looked unkempt, but Horace still thought she looked pretty. She was a very cute black girl, the only one he ever knew, really, with a round face and lots of curly hair in browns and golden hues. “I know you didn’t do anything else. Though I should change my password at some point, I think I’ve used it elsewhere too.”
“You really should.”
Her apartment was small, made for a single person to live in. One room, some separation from the kitchenette/table/entry hall and a tiny bathroom with a shower. The laundry machine was the dominant piece in said bathroom, and Horace had to bend sideways every time needed to pee.
Horace’s eye went for the illustrations she had printed out. They were fantasy ladies, clad in armour, wielding weapons or staffs that glowed with energy, riding dragons or standing at the top of a pile of fallen skeletons. He found it funny that he had converted her to the dark side. Couple of years ago Evie would consider all this stupid, and would say so out loud and at every opportunity. But when he finally found the perfect game for her she dove in and absolutely loved it. It was a fantasy game where she played a powerful queen, slaying enemies, gathering up more magical power, dressing up in fabulous gear with exquisite detail.
It was the first epic drop she got from the game that she printed out, and it hung there on the wall. There were many more after that, in a progression typical of all role-playing-games on the computer. Bigger, bulkier, shinier, you could see with a single turn of your gaze her character’s progression in the game from a lowly princess to a powerful queen and finally an awe-inspiring empress.
Horace hadn’t seen the latest printouts, they must have been new. After all, he had no time to play online with her and she had.
She must have noticed him looking around and she became self-conscious. “Um, sorry for the mess,” she said, her throat dry.
“Puh-lease. I’m a bachelor. This is way better than mine. Anyway, here’s the letter.”
His friend accepted it, sniffing as she read. Her eyes widened. “Wow! How did you manage that?”
Horace shrugged. “I blackmailed him.”
“Hooo- what now?” she glared. “Damn, shoulda been there to see that. Nice work, Horace!” She punched him on the shoulder.
“Nah, why would you ever wanna walk back to that depressing place? I hope it helps a bit.”
“It will, Horace. Thanks,” Evie said sincerely. “Not that I’m not happy about it, but this whole thing, standing up for yourself, it’s very uncharacteristic of you.” She waved towards him, then quickly added, “Not that I’m complaining.”
Horace rubbed his neck. “Yeah, it was weird, actually. There was this strange woman at the office which I’ve never met before, um... Superbia. Weird name, I know. And she kinda prodded me to stand up for myself. And I did. And then I went for a coffee to calm down ‘cause my heart was pounding and I couldn’t believe what I’d done myself, and there she was again.”
“Wait,” Evie interrupted with a palm up, “she stalked you? How far?”
“Eh... Not that far, it wasn’t the cafe down the corner ‘cause I didn’t wanna stumble on anyone from work. So I walked a couple of blocks, at least, then just sat down at the first cafe I saw. It was definitely not within ‘grabbing a cup and going back to work’ range, but not by far.”
“And what did she say?” Evie asked, seeming interested. “And was she hot?” she raised an eyebrow.
Evie chuckled. “Ballsy. I’d never imagine you doing what you described.”
“I’m telling the truth, Evie.”
“I believe you. That’s why I’m saying I’d never expect this from you. It’s cool.” She stood up. “Want some orange juice?”
“Sure.”
She brought orange juice and it was nice and cool. It had been a warm day and Horace was after all chugging his box along in the heat of the metro. Evie lived in the centre, at Pangrati. It was close enough to make commute bearable wherever she might find work. Horace, on the other hand, had to endure at least an hour of commute-time and two or three mass transit swaps to get anywhere.
Oh, well.
She had a small fan blowing a bit of air from the window. It barely did anything and it had seen better days.
“Is it too hot? Want me to put on the air conditioner? I’m saving up but with you here I can spare it.”
“No, I’m heading home anyway. This is chilly enough, thanks. Got any interviews lined up?”
A sore subject. She looked away, pulling her legs close to her body. “No... I have one next week. I went and applied for unemployment benefits yesterday, when that clears I’ll be fine for a while. Well, for a couple of months if I stretch out expenses.”
“It’s okay, something will come up.” He hesitated, then repeated his invitation. “You know you can always crash with me if things get tight, right?”
She gave him a tight smile and nodded.
“Anyway, Evie, I’m off. Just wanted to come over and see what you’re doing, and to give you the letter of recommendation. Good luck with the job hunting! To the both of us.”
She greeted him off at the door, nodding away and folding her arms to her chest.
Horace left, but he kept thinking about his friend. She looked vulnerable, and the male part of his brain wanted to protect her and take care of her. But who was he kidding? He was in no position to take care of anyone, not even himself.
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