The pallet of trash bags uses up the rest of our cash. No problem. We make it right back before we reach the truck.
A couple workers spot us in the parking lot. They're followed by five more. Then a dozen more.
We price gouge the shit out of them. Sell bags for three times what we paid. They don't care. Buy it like insulin.
None of this looks out of place. The parking lot is covered in makeshift vendors. Hadn't noticed it before.
There's a lady selling burgers not far from where we parked. Runs a Coleman stove on her truck's tailgate. She's making a killing.
Another guy is hawking batteries. The line is long for that one.
Other people lean homemade signs against coolers. Barter away beer, pills and ammo.
Off to the side, I spot a Wal-Mart worker walking a woman back to her vehicle. Policy. It's after 8.
We sell off half the pallet before calling it quits. The workers cuss us out. Want to know why we'd need so many for ourselves.
Sam out-cusses them all by a mile. They go away.
The burger lady hollers to us as we reach the truck.
"Wanna trade? Burgers for bags?" she says.
May as well. I toss her a few boxes of bags. Sam retrieves the burgers. The lady even gooses them up with ketchup.
We eat them right then and there. Watch as she sells the bags for even more than what we were charging.
"You like 'em?" the lady says.
"Yeah. They're real good," I say.
"One of the last places to get a burger in Williston. Restaurants can't keep staff anymore. Keep leaving to make better money," she says. "Got me a nice business going."
Sam gives her the thumbs up between bites.
We gas up before heading back to the Man Camp. It's dark out, but the roads are lit like runways. The trucks take off and land on a glow along the rolling horizon.
Sam nods off. I turn the radio down. Think how good right now feels.
*** PLEASE SUPPORT MY WRITING! ***
This story will only be posted on Wattpad for a limited time. If you'd like the full version, head to your favorite online e-book/book retailer and pick up your own digital/print copy. Search for "Invisible Hand Sobieck." Or leave a review of the book on Amazon once you're finished reading on Wattpad. Thank you. ~Ben
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The Invisible Hand - A crime novel
Mystery / ThrillerA corrupt sheriff hires a ruthless vigilante to hunt down a murderer during the modern day North Dakota oil boom in this crime thriller full of unexpected twists and turns.
