The two women peering down at me were angry. The one with the pulltop earrings was trying to pour water into my mouth to wash out the blood. The other woman had a wet cloth and was wiping at my forehead.

‘Those bastards,’ the pulltop woman said, ‘They drag you from one of the higher apartments?’

I shook my head, the movement sent waves of pain down my spine.

‘Oh...’ the other woman said, ‘Astra look at his tablet.’

The pulltop-earring woman – Astra picked up my shattered tablet and turned it over in her hands, ‘I haven't’ seen one of these things for months. Is there anything else Hera?’

Hera searched my little room, ‘No. Not even a poop bucket.’

Astra’s eyebrows shot up, ‘Where did you come from?’ She asked.

I coughed, she poured a little water into my mouth and I swallowed the metallic-tasting mixture, ‘I came from the basement.’

‘And they had to drag you?’ Hera asked, ‘Most writers can’t wait to be up here.’

‘Most writers can afford it,’ I coughed, ‘Rent is more than I can afford. I’m not going to be able to eat or drink for the next week.’

Astra shook her head, her face was going red with indignation, ‘That’s taking this to the next level. Your manager should be fired...’

I gave a groan and wiped my mouth, a patch of blood transferred to my sleeve, ‘Ahh well... It’ll give me something to write about.’

The pair of them looked at each other, their eyes widened. Hera was the first to speak, ‘Oh... it’s him.’

‘Him?’ I asked.

‘Oh my god,’ Astra said, ‘You’re the guy who’s been exposing what the hell’s going on here.’ She grinned at me, ‘You’re a legend. You’re like...’ she threw her hands up in the air as searched for the word, ‘Damn... I’ll let you know what you are one day. But man... I didn’t even know if you were a real person. You’d have to be pretty brave...’

‘...or brain damaged to try take Crusher on.’ Hera finished.

‘In this situation, I’m taking both of those things as compliments,’ I said.

Slowly, painfully I sat up. My brain was all scrambled, but I reached a shaking arm for my tablet. Hera grabbed it and put it into my palm, ‘You’re writing?’

I nodded, ‘If I can get enough views than maybe I’ll be able to buy some painkillers.’

Astra bit her lip, ‘I’d donate some of my reads to you, but... both of us can barely afford this apartment.’

Hera nodded, ‘I’ve been on rice crackers for the last two weeks. My story hasn’t been catching the readers lately.’ She gave a brave smile, ‘I mean, rice crackers aren’t all bad, apparently if you soak them...’

‘...it makes you feel fuller,’ I finished. The two of us smiled at each other.

‘Victor!’ Astra called out the door.

There was silence.

‘Victor!’ She called again, ‘I know you’re there.’

From the other room came an audible sigh, then the scraping of a chair, and finally a pair of glasses and a mop of unruly hair.

‘I was nearly finished with that chapter, colleague.’ Victor said, as if his voice box was stuck on passive-aggressive mode, ‘What is it?’

Astra rolled her eyes, and gestured to my body, ‘Ummm.... maybe it’s the guy who’s been beaten to pulp then dragged into our dorm.’

‘Yes. I see that.’

‘The guy you didn’t so much as get out of your chair to help,’ Astra said.

‘Yes. I was finishing a chapter.’

‘Well now you can help him,’ Hera said, ‘He needs food, painkillers, water.’

‘No.’ Victor said. And walked out of the room.

‘You’re a real piece of work,’ Astra yelled at him, ‘If you were in his position-'

'-then I would try to write a chapter,’ Victor said, ‘That is how we survive in here Astra, not kindness, not helping one another, we survive by writing chapters, and writing as many as we can.’

‘Bastard!’ Hera yelled as he sat on his padded wooden chair to tap away at a brand new low-range PC.

I tried to turn on my tablet. The screen flashed on and off and then displayed a rainbow of colours that fanned out along the cracks that spiderwebbed their way across the screen.

‘Pretty,’ I said.

‘But no good for writing,’ Astra said, ‘Listen. I’ve only got a loaf of bread tonight, but you can half of that.

‘And five of my rice crackers!’ Hera added.

The pair waited to see if Victor would say something, but the man just kept hacking away at his keyboard.

‘He’s got two pizzas ordered,’ Hera hissed, ‘Both for himself.’

‘We’ll get through this,’ Astra said, ‘We’ll help you back on your feet Eli.’

And then, I felt something hot and wet on around my eye. It rolled down the hollow of my cheek and traced a line in the blood on my neck. I’m not ashamed to admit it – I was crying.

‘Y-y-you...’ I stuttered, ‘You’re the first humans I’ve seen in a very long time.’

I reached up an arm and wiped away the tears, but more took their place, ‘You’re both so kind. So...good.’

‘Hey now,’ Astra said, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe at my tears, ‘We have a rule here... no wasting water – especially not on those Crusher Media bastards.’

She smiled at Hera, but Hera was staring far off.

‘That look means she’s got an idea,’ Astra said.

‘I think...’ Hera said, ‘I think that Eli has no way of writing, and no income until he reaches above 100,000 views. I think he’s screwed, unless...’

‘Unless?’ Astra said.

Hera looked at her friend, ‘I’ve got an idea. Lets leave him here with some water and go out to the writing room.’ She turned to me, ‘We’ll be back at dinner time with some food.’ She patted my hand, ‘Stay strong buddy.’

Astra nodded to her friend, then turned to me, she bent low so her face was right beside me, then she whispered softly in my ear, ‘We’ll show those sadistic money grabbers.’

They shut the door behind me.

After a while a little flap opened in the wall next to me, and out popped my little poop bucket. The beautiful thing was scrubbed clean and smelt of lavender. I patted it and then lay back, chest heaving with every breath.

I was in pain. Big pain. Small pain. Medium sized pain. I had every type of pain in the world. I tried to pour water into my mouth – but even that felt like barbed wire sliding down my throat.

My tablet cut my thumb when I tried to turn it on again, and the stupid colours were all the screen displayed.

Eventually I gave up and threw it into the poop bucket. I knew it’d feel good to shit on that thing – to shit on Alex’s head as he tried to talk to me.

I truly believe that mental picture of me pooping on Alex’s smug face was the only thing that kept me alive until dinner arrive in the form of rice crackers and bread soaked in water to make them go further.

I didn’t mind the water. If anything it helped the bread and crackers to slide down my burning throat easier. Astra and Hera didn’t tell me what they’d been up to, but the whole time they kept giving each other these side-glances that meant it was something sneaky.

Then they started yawning. They told me they had chapters they needed to finish off before they went to sleep and left.

‘Thanks,’ I whispered to them, ‘Just thank you... so so much.’