Burning

Epilogue

This wasn't supposed to be his job. What was the point of hiring the register kid in the first place if he wasn't going to finish the work. Restocking the shelves should be nothing. Well, not for him, but he had an old back to blame. The man waited for his knees to unlock before he grunted back up to the counter and used his elbow to pull the rest of him upright. That was enough. If people wanted gum they could just pull it directly from the box. That wasn't why people showed up here anyway.

He adjusted the twisted badge that read 'Ed' and pulled his undershorts which were trying to go sideways as well. Ed hobbled back behind the plastic divider. A sign above alerted people the register was emptied at night and also had a prominent NRA sticker above in case anyone didn't believe it.

Ed just prepared to call the register kid directly and let him know if he wasn't there in five minutes he shouldn't bother to come at all when the door squeaked open. The smell of wet brine air scented with cold weather blew under the plastic divider and he sighed at the incoming rainstorm. Not unusual here but with the summer approaching it should be less frequent. No wonder his back was killing him.

"Where the hell have you-"

It turned out it wasn't his missing worker but a pair of kids. College he'd guess. Neither of them had very clean clothes and had he cared more he might have noticed the glassy-eyed look the boy had. But he was too annoyed watching the boy wrinkle his nose at the missing tiles on the floor. In fact, the kid sort of had a permanent haughty expression on his scruffy face.

"Connor, you should get something to eat." The girl told him with a nervous expression. She simply looked tired. Her eyes were unusually blue-green and had Ed been a younger man he would have made sure to compare them to the sea when she approached the counter.

"Which pump?"

"We don't need gas." The boy answered hoarsely, dumping what seemed like the entire rack of beef jerky onto the counter. His hands were crossed over his chest. "But we would like directions." Pause. "Please."

Ed decided he didn't like this kid so he turned his attention to the girl instead. "Where are ya looking to go?"

She smiled brightly despite the circles under her eyes. "Port Angeles."

"Well you can buy a map. You're almost there."

The boy grimaced and turned to examine the shelves. Ed heard him cough and frowned. It sounded wet.

The girl leaned forward so her chest rested on the counter and he quickly turned his attention there instead of her face. "If you could please help- we got a little turned around. We were looking for a bar in particular so a map only helps so much."

He cleared his throat and pulled out the old map he kept stashed.

"What bar?"

The girl handed him a flyer and he grunted. "I know the place. All you gotta do is-"

Before he could even get a finger onto the spot, the door squeaked open again. In stumbled his late register boy.

"Sorry- sorry Ed but I have to tell you-"

"Can't you see I'm with a customer?" Ed snapped. "Getcha uniform on-"

"Ed I gotta talk to you first-"

"Ronnie I swear-"

"It's about-"

"-the gas?" Ed tried not to look panicked as he interrupted quickly but this Connor kid still raised his eyebrows. Ronnie, the numb-nuts, was about to say it out loud. The smile wilted on the girl's face and the boy now had his arrogant eyes on the idiot teenager. "'scuse me missy- I think we may have a leak- let me just circle it for you- where's a pen where's a pen-" he cursed up a storm in his head. He needed them out. Now.