Lost in the dark of the night -ziam-

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Rule no. 2 of being a "twenty something trying to make something of himself when there's not much to work with" should be to stay shopping for dog food at the same pet shop forever, because consistency is key. And because one day you'll find yourself in a pet shop similar to "Dom's PetSupplies" like Liam and something will happen that will change ya, like Liam.
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There was a small man standing behind the cash register as he (aggressively) pressed the buttons arranged along the cash register, looking absolutely livid as he did so. Liam just gave a small smile as he  pulled out his wallet to pay, waiting for the cashier to give him his total. The name tag he had pinned to his shirt read "Domonic" in messy handwriting. His shirt was only halfway buttoned and exposed more chest hair than Liam really wanted to see, and with closer inspection he noticed stains littering around his shirt. Upon colder inspection the stains seemed a light brown, almost like dried blood. Liam tried to forget that fact.
     A few more minutes of utter frustration from the man went on before he just yelled "fuck this" and tossed the cash register off the counter, his fists furled at his sides. Liam didn't know what to do or say, so he just stood there and hoped that this man doesn't  try to kill him out of rage. The man doesn't, just stands there and takes a few deep breaths before turning back to him.
     "Listen, how about I just make you a deal? I've received a particular animal, a snake, and he doesn't fit in here. He's albino and gots fangs, while all my other animals are cute and cuddly like kids like. So, you take him off my hands and you get the dog food for free, okay?" The man smirked, sliding the dog food back over to him. Considering what he had just seen the cash register being smashed into pieces on the floor next to him, he quickly nodded without a second thought, a tight, uncomfortable smile across his lips.
      "That'd be wonderful! I love snakes, adore them really, I'd love to bring it home with me." He lied through his teeth, really just wanting to get out of there. The other man beamed at that, quickly moving from behind the counter to lead Liam to the back of the store. They passed rows upon rows of animals, leashes, fish tanks and an assortment of other things before stopping in front of a faded red door, paint chipping around the edges to expose dull grey
     "You need snake food? I've got all the food that overgrown worm could ever consume, and all I'm asking is that you take the damn thing. What's your name? I didn't catch it." The man smiled, turning around and awaiting his answer.
"Oh uh, Liam. My name's Liam." He nodded, his grip around the bag of dog food tightening.
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He had to have been in that pet store for around two hours, listening to Dom's boring story of a how a crazy woman carrying tarot cards predicted animals down his path of fortune and gifted him the albino snake, which turned out to be there just so Dom could blame all of his problems on the poor thing. By the time he'd handed over the snake, it's cage, and the frozen mice it needed to eat, Liam was half-asleep and ready to head home.

"So you've gotten everything you need right? The food and shit, for the worm and your mutt?" Dom asked, holding open the door for Liam.
"Yeah, it's pretty shit that I've still got to walk home though. Don't know how the hell im going to get all this home." He shrugged, noting the distant thunder in the background.
"Say no more!" Dom smiled, grabbing the Snake food and dog food from Liam and tucking them both under his arms, eagerly turning to the younger man. "So how far away do you live?"
"About two or so streets down? It's the apartment complex down across from McDonald's." He shrugged and started walking, trying his best to balance the glass box that his new pet snake sat in on the palms of his hands, and Dom slapping his back to thank him for taking the snake didn't help a bit, throwing him off balance each time despite being such a small man. Most of the walk was accompanied by Dom's chatter, but he quieted when they neared it. Liam had eyed the fascinating creature the whole way, the way his eerily ivory scales reflecting the sun overhead, red eyes staring back up at him. It sent chills down his spine but he kind of liked it.

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In my mind Dominic is played by Robert De Niro, so try and picture that. Hope you like this story :-)