The Chosen — 2025-11-07 (Patreon)

FREE access for Members, Benefactors, Sponsors, and Supporters!

Some posts and sections of some posts are reserved for Supporters.

AGI Stories content almost always appears on Patreon first, in advance of all other platforms. You get it first!

Chapter 22: RUNNING THE NUMBERS by Devon Collier

I managed to get about 7 hours in the ER waiting room napping on and off as I could. I get the idea the staff tolerates homeless visitors somewhat. But I don’t think it’s a sustainable solution to my problem.

Calls about getting duplicates of my Social Security card and birth certificate have not gone well. The government shutdown seems to have affected on-hold times at Social Security. And I have no answer to “what’s your mailing address?” questions.

I’m trying something different today.

Early this morning, I showed up at dawn outside the Home Depot on Hamilton Avenue—word is, if you wait there long enough, somebody’ll come by looking for help they don’t have to file paperwork for. You just stand around with the others, hands in your pockets, trying not to look desperate. A guy in a pickup rolled through around seven, said he needed two people to sweep up at a remodel in Sunset Park. Cash same day.

I figured it was worth the shot. Eight hours swinging a broom, carrying out trash, and scraping old plaster off the floor—no breaks, no shade. He said a hundred flat for the day, maybe a little more if we stayed late to haul out drywall. By the time I finished, my arms ached and my throat felt like sandpaper, but it was a day’s work.

After the ride back, I did the math. A hundred bucks in my pocket. The Greenpoint YMCA charges about seventy for a night, plus ten for the room membership. That leaves maybe twenty for food if I walk and save my gas. Enough for a burger, fries, and something cold that isn’t tap water.

So yeah—one day of sweeping floors buys me a shower, a clean shirt, and eight hours of sleep without worrying who’s walking past. Not much of a future plan, but for tonight, it gets me off the street and puts real food in my stomach. That’s what counts.

I’ll go back tomorrow.

Be your best you!

Become a Patreon Member (Click Here)

The Storylines are the heart of Ailana Geven Imagines, and they are found in the Collections section of the site.

Support AGI with:• one-time contribution through TipTopJar.• one-time contribution through Throne.• Patreon Membership.

Pleast all characters in this story are fictional characters, their images generated with AI for AGI Stories. They do not represent any real person, nor is their appearance based on any real human.

"Thank You" Message to Paying Supporters:

Thank you very much for your help underwriting the cost of producing AGI Stories content. You can be sure that your paid membership is valued greatly! At the time of this post, not counting hardware, AGI Stories racks up expenses of just at $100 per month.

Patreon members… You are covering a nice portion of that.

I believe most of you who help with the costs are doing so because you want to support the production process and show your encouragement. That means so much to me! I am honored and greatly moved.

While most of the content on AGI Stories is free and much of it is public, the hope is that reserving a few pictures and small sections of the post for you is a modest indication of gratitude!

Again, thank you very, very much.

~AGI Original Stories & AI Images