Vagabonding.1 [COMPLETE]

4. Kid Jones

How is it even possible to get lost walking in a straight line? It didn't seem likely, but I was more than positive that this was not even the same town I had just left from. Even though my limbs were aching with exhaustion, I continued to stumble between the sleepy houses and the dew-covered grass. A gas station would be the best place to start... there's bound to be someone around here, somewhere.

After a good search, I spotted a lone gas station in the distance glowing like a miracle from manufactured Jesus himself, glowing heavenly white from the lighting.

A few more agonizing blocks and I finally made it to the gas station that I had my mind set out on. I walked directly towards the bathroom, ignoring the sound of the television playing in the background softly.

When I had entered the bathroom, I painfully bent over and placed my head in the sink to drink water before sitting on the ground where I finally broke down from the stress. One last cry for the road, I'll stop being a kid now. At least that's what I told myself in between my hushed sobs.

How long was that cry? It barely lasted more than five minutes before I patted my face roughly. I calmed myself down and looked at the mirror to see myself with puffy, red eyes. I looked away in disgust and rubbed my face dry against my shirt while I reached for the door's handle blindly.

I stepped out and cleared my throat to get the cashier's attention as I walked towards him.

The balding, mustached man behind the register stripped his eyes away from the small hanging television on his side of the counter long enough to ask, "Yeah? What do you want?"

"Any chance you have today's newspaper?"

"You want a paper? Why?"

"I just wanted to read the news," I said, the words seemed to pour out like a deep exhale of apathy, "I'll give it back if you'd like."

The man pulled one from underneath the register and handed me a newspaper, "Here, keep it. Not many kids these days get off their darn computers to read anything on paper these days... it's always android this and gigawatts that..."

I thanked the man and opened the newspaper up to read the date. It was somehow later than what I was expecting it to be. I don't know what I quite expected from looking at the date. A part of me hoped that it would make me feel more human and get a better grasp of life, as if the numbers alone were going to bring back my memory. Despite the date clearly showing that it is just another day, nothing had changed in my mind. Instead, it made me feel more distant than I would have thought.

I managed to steal a candy bar or two as I left onto the street and tried to find a secluded area to sleep in for the day so I could beg for money the next day. Eventually I found a spot behind a small little store where I leaned against the wall as I mentally claimed this spot to myself.

There was enough shade from the now rising sun, it was still nice and cool enough so I could relax for just a few hours as well. Looking to the left and the right of me there was no one to be seen, I was in the deadest part of the town so I shouldn't have to worry. They can't find me here, what are the chances? So I closed my eyes and drifted off into a few minutes rest when I was spotted.

"What are you doing behind here?" Someone said loudly.

I opened my eyes quickly as I felt my heart pounding in my chest from being suddenly woken up, "I'm sorry, I was just... I was napping."

Along the wall that I was leaning against, the door to the right of me was opened slightly. The woman who peaked her head out was someone in their late twenties with dreadlocks that were neatly pulled into a huge pile on the top of her head. She already had a good amount of gray stripes running through her brown colored dreads as well as decorative strings and colorful beads... was she a regular human or one of them? Maybe I'm too paranoid for my own good.