[CENTER][h3][color=#83250F][b]Vernon Thompson[/b][/color][/h3][/center]
[SUP][CENTER]Plot: Dark Necessities || Location: Kilbride, Super E Mart, Night[/CENTER][/SUP]
[hr]
Dim lights and the steady drum of rain against the roof of the building caused Vernon to yawn. Softly, the cash register booped and beeped as items were scanned at a steady pace. He leaned over the handle of the shopping cart to stretch his back. He stared ahead of himself, his gaze passing through the large paneled windows of the storefront, and into the rain soaked parking lot. Streetlights gave everything an orange glow in the rain, the light taking on a sap-like quality because of all the water.

The cashier, a young brown-skinned woman with dyed red hair and long decorated nails, blurted out suddenly, [b]"You came at a weird time, Mr. Vernon."[/b]

 Arching a brow, Vernon looked over at her and replied, [color=#83250F]"Don't I always come at this time?"[/color] 

Two and a half hours before the store closed on a Saturday, preferably around the end of the month, Vernon always arrived for his monthly restock of food. The Super E Mart tended to empty out around this time or it was populated by people that were half-drunk and hyper-focused on their searching for groceries-- not by the nosy mothers of four with screaming children or the large groups of teenagers acting like stupid little shits. He would call this store, despite it's size, actually something peaceful around this time. Most of the other cashiers were either clocked out or staring at the ceiling lights, waiting for their time to leave, except for... 

Vernon squinted and eyed the young woman's nametag-- Ah, Yolanda. She had worked at the store for maybe three years and he still hadn't memorized her name. She was around her twenties or something, he couldn't tell, but her work schedule seemed to always line up with his visits. They had something of a good rapport between them and she liked to keep him updated on local events every so often. 

[b]
"Naw,"[/b] Yolanda replied, [b]"I don't mean like that-- I mean, like, they been havin' some weird trouble this whole week. Fires over in, like, that labor district, gangs acting up, and then, like, all this rain. Folks ain't been goin' out much but they come in to stock up when stuff, like, looks like it's goin' down hill." 
[/b]

Glancing over his shoulder, Vernon eyed isle six, the one where the large bottles of water and soda resided, and reminded himself of it's relative emptiness. The steady booping of the cash register occupied the silence between them for a moment as Vernon lapsed into thought. Two piees of information weren't unusual in Yolanda's report but, the first thing she had said?

[color=#83250F]"Fires?"[/color]

[b]"Yeah Mr. Vernon, up by the uh-- you know. That electrical labor place?"
[/b]

[color=#83250F]"Power district?"[/color]

[b]"Mmhm,"[/b] Yolanda replied, rotating a box of popcorn around, trying to find the barcode, [b]"Firemen been real busy, same with the hospital folk, they been racin' all over the place I hear. I mean, like, my grandma went to the ER for chest pain but had to wait a real long time, like, last week or so."[/b] Vernon shook his head, [color=#83250F]"How they startin' fires in this kind of weather?"[/color]

Yolanda sucked her teeth the took a sarcastic tone as she replied, [b]"I ain't no [i]fire-ologist[/i] Mr. Vernon, I scan items in E Mart."[/b] Vernon couldn't help but smile. [b]"Plus,"[/b] continued Yolanda, [b]"I don't even live up that way so, well, like, I don't really care too much, you know?"[/b] She shrugged then started typing on her cash register, [b]"Cash, credit, or debit?" [/b]

Vernon gave her a weary stare as he pushed his shopping cart forward. 

[b]"Yeah I know Mr. Vernon, I just gotta ask every time,"[/b] Yolanda responded without a glance at him,[b] "Like, you ain't gotta look at me with that face-- two-hundred thirty seven dollars, forty cents is your total."[/b] Vernon pulled a weathered leather wallet out of his coat and began counting through his cash.

A young man, face covered in acne, rushed seemingly out of nowhere to pull the cart to the end of the register belt. Vernon heard the boy's heavy sigh as he began bagging the groceries. [color=#83250F]"Don't waste your breath like that, Julian,"[/color] Vernon warned the boy, [color=#83250F]"Else you ain't gonna have enough goin' to ya head."
[/color]

[b]"Mr. Vernon you know all I need to worry about is catching the football,"[/b] Julian laughed over the sound of plastic bags, [b]"This just a part of my biography on Wikipedia to make me look normal later!"[/b]

[color=#83250F]"Yeah, well, look normal with all ya brain cells, huh?"[/color] 

Shaking his head, Vernon moved to assist Julian with bagging the groceries. He was a good kid but he was a right knucklehead when he wanted to be-- reminded Vernon of himself sometimes. Julian waved a hand as if to shoo Vernon away, [b]"What you doing, man? You know you ain't gotta help me out like that slow-ass [i]Amberly[/i] chick-- you in a hurry?"
[/b]

[color=#83250F]"Yeah-- you know Bongo outside gettin' antsy."[/color]

[b]"No she ain't. I saw her on the way in man, she chillin',"[/b] Julian chuckled again. Vernon continued to help him with bagging the groceries. After a few minutes all the groceries were bagged, the price paid for in exact change, and Julian was walking Vernon to his truck to help load the groceries up. [color=#83250F]"Really workin' hard for that tip, mmhm,"[/color] Vernon told Julian as they loaded the groceries into the covered truck bed. 

[b]"You know it-- I gotta buy the new Fifa game, need this extra money!"[/b]

Vernon shook his head and handed Julian a ten dollar bill then waved goodbye to Julian. He opened up the truck door and found Bongo relaxing on the passenger's side of the bench seat. She perked up slightly when he sat down and started the engine. 

[color=#83250F]"You ready, girl? I think we got some fires to fight,"[/color] Vernon briefed the dog, [color=#83250F]"I hear there's a bit of truble up in the Power District. We close enough, ain't we?"[/color] Bongo pushed herself up from laying then pawed at the window behind them. Vernon slid the tiny pane of glass open and Bongo shoved her head out to, staring over the truck bed, panting slightly. [color=#83250F]"Naw, I ain't get nothin' that's gonna spoil. We got enough milk at the house, meat in the freezer..."[/color] He trailed off as he shifted gears and began driving. 

Pert of Vernon wondered what exactly he was going to do when he got to the Power District but, another part of him wondered how fires could be a a big problem, enough for Yolanda to take note of, especially in this weather. She was good for telling him big occurrences, ones that he needed to know as a citizen but, never had she made him take note of something like a fire problem or power lines down-- that sort of thing. 

This time Vernon knew something weird must have been up. Yolanda's inability to remember details often irritated him but she would at least get the most important gist of it, then relay it to him.

Well in about fifteen minutes or so, Vernon would see what exactly there was to note about these fires, once he arrived. Vernon turned the radio on and eased in to the ride, letting his thoughts focus on the song.
[sub]Currently playing on the radio:[url]http://tinyurl.com/b8unk4r[/url][/sub]