Marcid

Sixteen - Raymond

Raymond didn't understand why the whole lot of kids were so bitter throughout the entire adventure. Yes, they had been walking for quite some time, but they occasionally took breaks. Was that not good enough? He should have thought about their ages, and how much their bodies can endure before collapsing.
But none of that mattered now! They grabbed food, and now they are looking for somewhere to stop and eat, to gain back that fuel. Raymond wished he could have grabbed something for himself, but what did it matter? He would just ask Konrad to share.

"Where are we going to eat?" Konrad asks, fidgeting with his hands. They looked like they were being picked at. Raymond smiled, nervously letting a chuckle leave his lips. "Ah, somewhere. We'll figure it out, right?" He said, his joyous demeanor slipping.

It felt too quiet. They were walking in the middle of nowhere, the streets vacant and the gas station long gone. Where even were they? Raymond stupidly left his camping gear behind, and he had a map in his rucksack. But he just had to let it slip his mind, how stupid of him.
If he had the map, maybe they would've found a way to a town, or a park. But they were stranded in the never-ending streets.

It was obvious that the group was losing hope of finding a spot to peacefully eat. Everyone looked hungry and tired and it surprised Raymond that they hadn't started eating their chosen foods right after they ran away from the gas station.
"So . . . You guys are pretty quiet. Something wrong?" Raymond questioned the younger people. Zeke bitterly responded. "We're tired. I'm tired." He sighed, putting his food in his pockets, he then wrapped his arms around his umbilical region as if trying to prevent a hungry groan from his stomach. Raymond sighed, his long-lasting patience wearing thin.
"I know, but this'll be worth it, kid. Be a little positive, yeah?" Raymond gave a weak smile. Zeke reluctantly nodded, biting the inside of his cheek.

The others were already unwrapping some of their snacks,  except for Konrad and Aaliyah.

***

A couple of cars had passed by during the group's tiring walk, and everyone had already eaten their snacks, so there was none left to spare for Raymond.
Raymond tried coaxing the cars near them, in hopes of being picked up, but none had pulled over, or even opened their windows to respond on their way out.
They were stranded, lacking any sort of connection towards society at the moment: But roads always led somewhere—a town, a city, hell, maybe another gas station.

A poorly black-painted minivan pulled over right next to the group, as the window slid down noisily.
'You kids need a ride?'  A gruff yet friendly voice emitted from the poorly painted car, a man with tough looking appearance, tattoos practically engulfing his visible skin, all except for his face. The man had a fresh buzzcut, pale skin, and sharp green eyes. It was hard to trust such an intimidating-looking man, one who was older than Raymond himself.
"Not a kid." Raymond nervously chuckled, clearing his throat as he stopped the others, somewhat attempting to get them to stay behind him. "That big van hopefully could fit all of us. You sure it's not too much trouble?" Raymond put forward, as he tried creating small talk with the daunting-looking man.
"Yes," the man cleared his throat. "It's not too much trouble. Where are you kids headed?"
"Not a kid," Raymond repeated, almost bitterly. "We don't know. We're kind of stranded here."
"That so?"
"It is so."
Despite the man's intimidating look, he was quite friendly. But Raymond wasn't exactly buying it. He knows he shouldn't 'judge a book by its cover,' but something in his gut told him the new man was not as friendly as he portrayed.