Kismet

Fifteen - Konrad

Hours of walking, resting, and bitter comments because of the groups sour mood felt as if this adventure for a mere 'gas station' was not worth it.
At least that was what Konrad thought. His hair looked like a bird's nest, his expression for the entirety of the walk miserable, hungry.

Raymond was as happy as a child with a brand new toy, unfazed by nature's events. He was evidently dedicated to getting to the gas station, but the others had other thoughts going through their mind.

Konrad stopped for a minute, his achy legs stinging as he leaned against a tall, rough tree. He let out a shaky exhale, Ophelia stopping in her tracks to look behind and see Konrad taking a break. "Konrad." She beckoned, waving a hang towards herself to silently tell Konrad to catch up. Despite her gesture, Ophelia's expression was almost worried. Konrad nodded, jogging a little to catch up with the others, his mind hazy from all the walking. He felt like he was going to pass out at any given moment.

"Cheer up, Rad. We're almost there." Raymond teased, gently nudging Konrad's shoulder to try and lighten his fatigued mood. But Konrad merely rolled his eyes, clearing his throat and nodding dismissively.
It was obvious that he wasn't able to walk any longer. The others still looked tired. What time of the day was it? Afternoon, evening? Who knows, at this point. Everything felt like a blur to Konrad, despite the walk feeling slower than a slug attempting to win a race against a jackrabbit.

Kory let out a groan, as he rubbed the back of his neck, his body language indicating he was sore. Zeke inched away from him, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
The two had obvious tension between each other, and neither of them were brave enough to face it.

Aaliyah was quiet, observing about the forest in around her. Konrad found her odd. She was too quiet, but then again, it's better than being a chatterbox. Imagine the headache if someone in the group would keep talking nonstop. It was practically Raymond, but he occasionally spoke to encourage them to liven up and straighten their slumped backs. Konrad honestly expected the 'straighten your backs' from Raymond. It was common for adults for say that. But Konrad had neat posture, so he remotely assumed he wasn't apart of Raymond's posture-shaming.

"Haha! That's what I'm talkin' about, baby! There it is!" Raymond exclaimed, a relieved laugh escaping his lips as he pointed directly at a small building, a sixth of the size of the home the children had just escaped from.
It was tiny, a glowing sign on the window that said 'OPEN' in a thin font. There were rows of machines that all had the same colors, and same build. The area was vacant, including the streets.
Kory smiled, Zeke laughed in relief as well, and Aaliyah walked a little faster to see the so-very 'exciting' gas station. She was disappointed. Ophelia only smiled and looked at Konrad. He did not gaze back, only staring at the small building. That was it? That was what Raymond was so excited about? How anticlimactic.

"That's it?" Konrad blew out a sigh of disbelief. Raymond nodded firmly, as he grinned like an idiot. "Hell yeah! Cheer up, kid, you're getting a lot of junk you've probably never tried before. Ever heard of soda?" Raymond said, small emphasis on the word 'soda', which only made Konrad's mood swings worsen. "I haven't." He grumbled, rubbing his temple with evident disapproval of the building. It looked so dirty, and obviously not cared for properly. He wouldn't be surprised if there were insects crawling about the small place.

"Exactly! You can find new foods you might like. It's the best we can do, kid. We're stranded in the middle of nowhere." Raymond said, before speed-walking to the gas station, as the others quickly followed behind. Raymond opened the door, the scent of cigarettes and an unknown, unclean aroma lingering behind it. Konrad couldn't help but cover his nose with his palm to avoid the unpleasant smell.

"Hey, how you doing." A voice had risen up, its tone dull and near miserable. Raymond responded back with a 'good, how're you'. A simple response. Was that a normal occurrence when entering these sorts of places?
Aaliyah was completely fascinated, already exploring the small room, her eyes gazing at all different candies, drinks and other junk food. Kory was tagging along with her, sometimes sharing glances of confusion when they saw a food they have never seen before.
Zeke had his arms crossed, his brows furrowed in what seemed to be envy, or jealousy as he eyed the two examining new foods. Konrad suppressed a nervous smile. He never saw Zeke so sour over an interaction. Who was he jealous of? Aaliyah, or Kory?

Ophelia gave the man behind the cluttered counter a small smile. The man gave her a dull stare back, before he sighed and turned his back to the others to organize some items behind him. He was organizing small cartons that had different names on the front. Marlboros, Camels, and Virginia Slims. Her smile faded a little bit. Ophelia cleared her throat quietly, before walking to the drinks aisle in the very back.

Konrad glanced at the man behind the counter, before he quickly went to the snacks aisle, grabbing small, random snacks and shoved them in his pockets. He grabbed very little to prevent an evident bulge in his pockets. He cleared his throat, slowly walking back to his previous position behind Raymond.
Kory gave Konrad a confused look, before turning his focus back on the various snacks in front of him. Raymond just gave a small laugh, which nearly caught the man's attention.

Raymond was obviously empty-pocketed, he had a nervous look on his usual content face. Konrad glanced around at the store, his eyes drawing to a small box-looking item. It had a number pad, and a tiny screen above it. Was this some sort of futuristic device?
A sign on the glass barrier was taped up that said 'No Cash! Card only', which only made his curiosity increase. He wanted to ask questions, but he had pockets full of small snacks that he has never tried before. That'd blow his cover.

Everyone grabbed their food or drink of choice, Kory's being only chocolates and a soda. Zeke grabbed only two 'energy bars'. They were just a rectangular piece of nuts clumped together and then glazed with honey, or something. Aaliyah got herself a plastic bottle of chocolate milk, and a small packet of chocolate-chip cookies. And Ophelia grabbed a circular shaped piece of bread, that was glazed with a clear-ish white frosting. It had a hole in the middle.

The man was still organizing the items, his back turned to the group of future thieves.
Ophelia gave a nervous glance to Raymond, who was blankly staring at the cartons that the man behind the counter was organizing. He was distracted, in a daze.
Konrad slowly backed up to the front door, nudging Raymond with his foot to signal that they should leave immediately. Raymond left his circle of thoughts and nodded almost immediately. He cautiously creeped towards the door, as did the others behind him.
Konrad inched back to give Raymond some personal space. As he opened the door gently, a bell rung above them, definitely catching the man's attention. "Hey, you have to pay for that stuff, man—" He pointed out, but the group had already rushed out, without a clue on where to stop and eat.
Konrad certainly didn't want to go back in the forest, that's for sure.