The Chaos That Comes From Lies and Love

Nathan sat on his stool reading an old magazine. The bell on the front door tingled indicating that a costumer had come in the store. He didn’t look up even as the person in front of the counter cleared his throat.

“Excuse me.”

“Yeah.” Nathan turned the page of the magazine.

“Um...excuse me?”

“Nathan! Get off your ass and help the costumer!” The owner yelled from the back room. Nathan sighed and put the magazine on the counter.

“Welcome to Max’s Convenience Store. How may I help you?” Nathan murmured dully.

“I need 7 items,” the man said nervously.

“That will be 14 credits.”

“What?! That’s half a week’s wages.”

“Look I only work here. I don’t make the prices. If you want to complain, talk to Max.” Nathan hand moved to grab the magazine again. He hated listening to people complain.

“No no. It’s fine. I’ll pay.” The man handed Nathan his ID. A person’s ID was everything. It got them food, clothes, and kept them from getting a souleater. If you didn’t have your ID, you didn’t have anything. Nathan swiped the card, handed it back to the man, and hit the button to open the gate. The store was set up how all stores were set up now. The costumer would pay for how many items they needed. Then the cashier would open that cage that held the items. Rarely any stealing took place since ID cards were kept on record and each card had a tracker inside them.
Nathan picked the magazine back up and began to read again. He didn’t even noticed when the costumer left or that the phone was ringing.

“Nathan! Pick up the god damn phone!”
Nathan rolled his eyes as he picked up the phone.

“This is Max’s Convenience Store. How may I help you?”

“Do you sell q-tips?” a woman asked.

“Yes. Those are 5 credits.”

“5 credits! That’s a lot for a pack of q-tips.”

“I don’t make the prices. If you want to complain, talk to Max.” Nathan stopped listening to the person on the other side of the phone and began reading. Hmmms and yeahs slipped from his mouth as the woman went on and on about how expensive items were. Finally the woman hung up and he went back to reading in peace. An hour later beeping came from Nathan’s watch. It was the end of his shift. Magazine in hand, he went into the back of the shop.

“Hank I need you to deliver it! I don’t trust your guys unless you’re with them!” Max persisted to the man on the other side of the phone. Max was a big man with a petruding belly, and balding head. His plaid shirt was a size too small for him and his pants were too short as they showed his pale ankles. Nathan sat in a chair in front of the desk and began to read again.

“Ok we’ll do that. Hold on let me get something to write on.” Max searched his desk for a pen and found nothing.

“Nathan can you help me find a pen?” Nathan didn’t move but kept reading.

“Nathan! Find me a pen!”

“My shift is over,” Nathan said as he flipped another page of his magazine. Max glared at him from across the desk

“Hank, I’ll call you back.” Max put the phone back on the receiver and looked through his drawers to try to find a pen. Finding one and grabbing the closest piece of paper, he tried to remember the important information he had received. After remembering everything successfully, he turned his gaze on Nathan.

“Why did I hire your ass in the first place?”

“Because no one wanted to work with your fat ass.”
Max sighed and began filing his papers.

“You owe me money Max.”

“Yeah yeah. I’ll get it to you.”

“I want my money Max."

“I said I’ll get it to ya! Can’t you hear? Geez."
Nathan rose from his seat, set his magazine down, and reached for his jacket that was hanging from the coat rack in the corner.

“I guess since you won’t give me my money, I will have to go the nearest Amosu and get my money that way.”

“No! Wait! I’ll pay you tomorrow I promise.”

“I want to my money now.” Nathan pulled his jacket on, walked back to the desk and, picked up his magazine.

“I don’t have anything on me now. Just enough to get me a cab home.” Nathan stared at the man. He was going to get his money.

“Fine!” Max reluctantly pulled out his ID and went to the front of the store. Nathan followed close behind. Using the cash-register, Max transfered the few credits he had onto Nathan’s ID.

“Thanks. Give me the rest tomorrow,” Nathan said as he walked to the door, “By the way, you could use the excerise from a walk.”
Faint cussing came from behind him as the door slowly closed behind him. Nathan walked down the street to home. Before the Amosu came, the homeless littered the street. But now if you couldn’t prove your worth, then why were you alive. It was an easy choice to make. Live and work or die. If you couldn’t make your choice yourself, the Amosu would be more than happy to make it for you. Those who weren’t killed were made to clean the streets they once slept on.
A mile from Max’s store, Nathan turned a corner into an apartment district. He went into what looked like a nice well-lit building but on the inside was dark, dingy, and old. The walls were lined with decaying wallpaper. Dirty stairs led to the apartments. Nathan climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway of the first floor. In the old days you would have heard a couple arguing but fear kept everyone quiet. Apartment 15. The pitiful place Nathan called home. He fished in his pocket for his his key and unlocked the door. Inside looked better then the building that surrounded it but not by much. Against one wall was his unmade mattress. Against another was a dresser and on top was a small tv. A small kitchen was off to the side. The only other extensions to the apartment was a small closet and a bathroom. It was just enough for a person to survive.
Nathan turned on the lights but it didn’t do much for the dingy room. He put his jacket away and went over to the wall against his bed. He moved the mattress and moved a panel in the wall. He reached inside and pulled a box. Setting it down on the bed, he opened it. Inside were old magazines, like the one Nathan had been reading. He put the one he had into the box and closed it. On top in black marker read Mom’s box. Nathan slide the box back into the wall, slide the panel back into the place and put the mattress back against the wall. With a sigh, he flopped on the bed and closed his eyes.

‘Tomorrow is going to be the same boring thing’, he thought as he fell asleep.