Chapter 21
Cynthia led the way downstairs, and into the lobby. The lobby was starting to clear out now that it was getting later into the day. Cynthia led the group down a hallway much like the one used to get to 'The Restaurant' back in Sandgem town. No one was talking, and it felt sort of awkward.
"So..." James started, trying start a conversation. "How's-"
"Just shut up and enjoy the silence." Garth growled. James snapped his jaw shut. Cassidy glanced over at him and smiled slightly.
"He's grumpy." Shade whispered into James' ear, as she was sitting on his shoulder. James glanced over at her, and nodded in agreement. They all made their way silently down the wide hallway, and entered the store. James face-palmed.
"God dammit." James sighed. "This looks just like Walmart." Everyone looked at him quizzically.
"What's Walmart?" Cynthia asked.
"A business that is all over the world, under pays employees, and runs smaller stores out of business." He said, answering simply. He then whispered to the reader, "Don't quote me on that!
"Oh."Cynthia said.
"Alright." James announced to the whole group. "We have a rent to pay as well, so we can only purchase necessary items." James opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted by the intercom.
"Attention shoppers. The store closes in fifteen minutes. If you have any items you should head to a cashier now. Thank you!" A female voice announced.
"Quick! Split up!" James exclaimed. They split into groups of 2, and grabbed a basket. Cynthia rushed off with Garth, Shade went with Marco, and Cassidy went with James. They all booked it in different directions of the store, hoping to get everything in time. Cassidy and James managed to make it to the produce isle, and started to gather some vegetables.
"Just grab a couple things." James said. He and Cassidy started to gather some foods. They got lettuce, potatoes, carrots, and several other fruits and vegetables.
"Why only a couple?" Cassidy asked as she placed more things into the basket James was carrying.
"Because we don't have enough money to pay for rent!" James exclaimed panicked. Cassidy stopped in her tracks.
"What do you mean?" She asked, as James started to jog towards another isle just a couple meters away.
"I did the math." He called over his shoulder. "If rent costs six thousand credits per night, and we only have one-hundred-fifty thousand, we will be short by thirty-six thousand."
"How will we get enough?" Cassidy asked, catching up to him as he raced off once more. He put several toothbrushes and a tube of tooth paste into the basket.
"I'm going to get a job." He stated, once again shocking Cassidy.
"Where will you get a job?" She asked.
"Here." He said. "While we were walking in, I noticed a 'help wanted' sign." He placed a bar of soap into the basket.
"But I thought you said that they underpaid people here!" She exclaimed. She and James started to make their way to the front of the store.
"I said that the store in my universe did, I don't know about this one." He replied. He then whispered to you again, "Don't quote me on that either!"
"Attention shoppers. The store closes in five minutes! Please make your way to the exit now." The female voice announced once again.
"Crap!" James exclaimed. He and Cassidy made their way to the only cashier that was still in the store. He placed the basket on the conveyer belt, and started pulling out the items. The woman there looked a little outraged that she had to work while the store was closing.
"Hello." She said through gritted teeth. "Is this everything?"
"No," James replied, "we're waiting for the others." When he said this the woman looked like she was going to either tear off his head, or eat his soul. Through gritted teeth the woman spoke into a phone that connected to the intercom.
"Store closes in three minutes."
"Wait!" Cynthia cried out. She raced down an isle, and rushed towards James and Cassidy. Garth was running slowly behind her, panting.
"Slow down! I *huff* can't run as fast as you!" He panted, finally catching up to her because she stopped beside Cassidy. Cynthia started to unload the basket, placing them with James' basket items. Cynthia had grabbed several types of meat, shampoo and conditioner, tampons, and deodorant. James thought it was ironic that she put tampons into the same basket as bloody meat.
"Is this everything?" The woman asked hopefully.
"No." James said, feeling sorry for the woman. The lady looked like she was on the verge of tears, and slumped over. She picked up the phone, and used the intercom.
"Anyone remaining in the building, get here now!" She shouted. It echoed through the store. "You have one minute!" She warned. James was now craning his neck, trying to see Marco over the shelves.
"Hurry!" James heard Shade exclaimed. "Let's go!" James watched Shade race out of an isle, skid around a corner, and ran towards the four.
"I'm trying!" James heard Marco shout. Marco stepped out of an isle, and walked towards the group comically. He seemed to be balancing a carton of eggs on one paw, and in the other he held a basket. "It's hard to run while your carrying both eggs and a basket separately!" Marco almost dropped the eggs, but made it to the group without falling.
"We made it!" James exclaimed. He took the basket from Marco, and started to put the things with everything else. There were several rolls of toilet paper, water bottles, plastic cutlery, recyclable plates and cups, some different types of medication that resembled painkillers, and the eggs.
"Is...that...everything?" The woman asked in a strained voice, and seemed to be visibly restraining herself from strangling James.
"Yes it is. Sorry about that." James felt that apologizing was the right thing to do. The woman said nothing, and started to scan their items. Everyone stood there quietly as the items were scanned. James suddenly stiffened.
"Crap!" He whispered to Cassidy. "I forgot the money!" James suddenly darted off, leaving the woman to watch him go.
"Where is he going?" The woman asked in curiosity.
"Bathroom." Cassidy answered, shrugging her shoulders.
"He does know that there's a bathroom right there, right?" She asked, gesturing behind them to two very clearly marked bathroom entrances.
"Would you look at that." Cassidy replied. The next minute or so was fairly uneventful. They stood there quietly as the rest of their times were scanned, and put into plastic shopping bags. The woman pressed several buttons on the cash register, before chancing up at the group.
"Your total comes to ten thousand credits." She told them. Everyone started to glance around at each other, wondering if they possibly had several thousand credits on them.
"Umm..." Cassidy began. She stopped when she heard sprinting coming from down the hall of the store. James raced in through the front doors, and ran towards the group, wildly waving the money in front of him. He slammed into the counter, bashing his knee in the process, and handed the woman the wad of bills.
"Here!" James panted. The woman took them, and started to count.
"What happened?" Cassidy asked, glancing at him. There was a bruise forming on the side of his face, his clothing was all disheveled, and he was leaning on his left leg.
"I fell down the stairs." He answered. "Gracefully." He added. Cassidy started to laugh.
"How you've stayed alive this long is beyond me." She giggled.
"Me too." James said. The woman handed James several bills and a receipt.
"Here." The woman said.
"Keep the change." James said, handing the woman the bills. "Think of it as an apology." The woman's face seemed to brighten, and she pocketed the money. James and Marco gathered up the grocery bags, taking an excessive amount so that no one else had to carry them. They made their way to the entrance of the store, taking extra care not to drop anything.
"Have a wonderful day!" The woman called happily. The second they stepped out of the store, the doors shut behind them.
"That's slightly creepy." Cassidy said to James, glancing behind her at the now darkening store. James said nothing. Cassidy glanced down at his hands, and saw that he had one shopping bag per finger. "Do you want me to take one of those?"
"No!" James said strained. "I've... got it!"
"You don't need to show off." Cassidy sighed.
"I'm... not!" James gasped. "I just... need to carry more than everyone else." Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Cassidy, I could feel your eyes roll from here." James told her.
"I give up." Cassidy sighed. She followed James as he made his way up the stairs, and to the doorway of their 'apartment'.
"Crap." James said. "I forgot the keys in my pocket."
"Then put down the bags." Cassidy told him.
"I can't! What if when I put them down, and they spill out all over the ground?" He argued.
"They won't." Cassidy sighed, putting a hand on her forehead.
"They might." James retorted.
"Fine." Cassidy sighed. "Which pocket?"
"Back pocket." He told her. She slide her hand down his right back pocket, and felt around.
"I don't feel anything." She said. She accidentally pinched him while looking for the keys. James gave a startled yelp.
"Uh- Other pocket..." He said, visibly uncomfortable.
"Oh." Cassidy mumbled. She was blushing quite red, and she pulled her hand out of the wrong pocket. She fished the keys out, and opened unlocked the door to their 'apartment'. James walked in quickly, and set the bags onto the table, shaking out his hands.
"My hands will have lines in them for the rest of the week!" James exclaimed, as Marco set his bags onto the table as well.
"I told you to put them down." Cassidy sighed.
"Cassidy, if you sigh any harder your lungs will fly out your mouth." James warned her. This caused her to giggle.
"Yes doctor!" She giggled. James rolled his eyes, and read off the receipt.
"In total we spent fifteen thousand credits, but the total cost of purchases was ten thousand. Did I really give that woman five thousand credits?" James asked in disbelief.
"Great job genius!" Garth exclaimed sarcastically. "Now make me food, I'm starving."
"When are you not?" James asked. Garth glared at him. "Would it kill you to say please?"
"Yes." Garth grumbled, walking into Cynthia's room.
"Well then..." James began to put the meats into the fridge, when he noticed something on the packaging. "Hey Cynthia, what do you get meat from?" Cynthia looked at him as if he were stupid.
"Animals," she replied, "why?"
"Just curious. I didn't know you had animals here." He told her.
"What, did you think we ate pokemon?" She exclaimed. She seemed to pale a bit after she said that. "We would never eat a sentient creature."
"Alright, thanks." James proceeded to put their purchased goods where they belonged. Meats in the freezer, veggies and fruits in the fridge, pasta in the pantry, and unknown times were placed on the table. He put away bathroom supplies, moved the styrofoam plates and plastic cutlery into a cupboard.
"Done." James announced. He crumpled up all the plastic bags, and put them under the sink. He then started to pull out several boxes, and placed them onto a counter. He then started to boil some water, and pulled a package of hot dogs out of the fridge. He started boiling more water over another burner, and put the hot dogs in it. James poured the macaroni into the first pot.
"What are you making?" Marco asked, stepping into the kitchen.
"Macaroni with hot dogs." He replied. "Sorry, but this was the fastest thing I could think of."
"Let me help." Marco said. He stepped into the kitchen, and started to assist James.
Cassidy glanced over at the two in the kitchen, and Cynthia did the same.
"Wgen did they become best friends?" Cynthia muttered, seeming to be in a foul mood. Cassidy shrugged her shoulders in response, but had a vague idea about when.
-20 minutes later-
"Garth!" James called, setting the plates of macaroni with hot dog on the table. "Dinner!" Garth walked out of Cynthia's room.
"You don't need to call me like a dog, my nose works perfectly." He grumbled. He clambered onto the last chair remaining. Garth, Cassidy, Cybthia, and Shade were all seated at the table, while Marco and James stood away from the table, waiting to hear how they did.
"Yummy!" Shade exclaimed happily, digging into her meal. Cassidy and Cybthia made sounds of content as well, while Garth silently ate his food.
"Three out of four!" James exclaimed to Marco.
"We did good." Marco nodded. They high fived loudly. He and James filled up their own plates as well, and sat next to each other on the floor, backs backs against the wall. Over the course of the meal, the two traded jokes, punched each other in the arm, and even arm wrestled at one point. Marco won of course, but it was close.
Now that the meal was over, they cleaned up, and threw the excess into the fridge. The rest of the night was fairly uneventful. They talked, told jokes, and got ready for bed. They showered, ran Shade a bath where she soaked almost everyone in the room, and relaxed as the day came to a close. Slowly, everyone started to trickle to their rooms. James made his way to Cassidy's room several minutes after she had gone.
"...and that's why the moon changes." Cassidy finished telling her story to Shade the moment James walked in. Cassidy was under the covers, and Shade was curled up next to her, sound asleep.
James turned the light off to the room, startling Cassidy slightly. He undressed, got into the sleeping bag jammed up against the wall, and rested his head on his arms as a mock pillow.
"Goodnight." Cassidy said to him, shifting over in the bed.
"Goodnight." James replied. He listened to Cassidy's breathing slowly decrease, until she was deep into sleep. James lay there for what seemed like hours, thinking to himself.
Authors Note
Hey, sorry this didn't come out for a while, I was taking a short break. Anyways, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is out, exciting. Anyways, life's fine. My arms are really sore due to lactic acid build up from working out. GONNA BE BUFF! Anyways, Remembrance Day just passed. I'm not sure how many of you celebrate it, or if you have a different day all together. Anyways, thanks for all the support! I will continue writing this until it meets with a satisfactory end, or I die. I have some ideas, but one of them was really sad, and actually made me tear up a bit. I know, I'm a baby. I will include that, and will try to make this an emotional roller coaster. If you catch any references, good for you (and I mean throughout the whole story). Not sure if any of you are actually reading this right now, or if any of you even read the Authors Note. Who cares about the author!? Just kidding. Thanks for all the support, and I eagerly await to hear from you all!
Thanks
InfamousVenous
P.s. Sorry about the long Authors Note!
P.p.s. By the time you read this, this story should have 10,000 views! Woo! Milestone!