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Remy darted across the street and grabbed the sign post, panting hard as he glanced behind him, but there was no sign of Nkiruka. He'd gone maybe a block, but he needed food, now. Turning, there was the corner entrance of the Blue Seal Pharmacy, one of the few bodegas that wasn't a giant vending machine. The owner didn't like street kids coming in, and definitely wouldn't like the state he was in, but there was little choice. 

Hauling out one of the c-notes Harry had pressed on him earlier, he stepped inside and immediately caught the eye of the owner behind his protective plastic shield. 

"Get out!" Saul Henderson thunders, getting off his stool and grabbing his bat. "Out right now, you hooligan, or I'm calling the cops!"
"I've got money!" Remy cries out, crumpling down to the floor while holding the bill aloft. "Please mister, I'm hurt, I'm hungry, and I need a place to hide from some perv."

Saul pauses, taking in the boy's face starting to purple, his messed up clothes, and the bill. "Perv?"
"He just came up to me in the street, I was just walking towards the fire, told me he wanted to hire me...!" the boy wept. "I think he'd been watching me for a while. I was afraid he...."
"He do that to your face? You want me to call the cops?" Saul gruffly relented, putting the bat back under the counter and glancing back at the other patrons. 
"So some bot comes and hauls me off to child services?" Remy shook his head. "Please sir, I just need some food."

Shelves under the counter held various candy bars, Remy leaned over and grabbed two energy bars, then put the bill on the counter. Issac looks down at it, then looked up, "That's not going to last long. Jimmy! Fetch this kid a sandwich and a carton of milk."

There was some rustling in the back, then a young man wearing an everwhite-tee and an apron appeared with a foot long cold cut sub and a carton of milk. He whistled when he saw Remy on the floor, kneeling down while Remy was chewing on one of the bars. "Damn, boy, who gave you that?"
"Truckers," Remy managed, gulping it down. "They caught me dumpster diving outside the Watershed, one of them gave me this." He gratefully took the milk out of Jimmy's hand and got it open, drinking it down.
"Maybe you should see a doc..."
"No!" Remy sputtered, milk dripping down his chin. "They'll call child services to come and get me! You don't know, mister, it's not safe in there. I'm better out here."
"Saul, this kid's gonna need more than a sandwich...."
"Please, I'll be fine!" Remy said, pushing himself up. 

"Show him to the back," Saul sighs waving at the doors in the back corner. "Get him cleaned up a bit and let him eat his sandwich while he warms up. I promise, no cops."

Jimmy offered his hand, and the boy crammed the other bar into his pocket and let Jimmy lead him to the store room.

Dorothy, one of the shop's graying regulars, came up as Saul was ringing up Remy's purchase. "You're not going to charge him for that, are you?" 
"Don't worry," Saul said, "This time I'm giving him the employee and desperate kid discount." 
"Well, I want to pay for sandwich," Dorothy insisted, reaching into her purse.
"Dorothy, it is not necessary, I assure you," he smiles thinly.
"Well, what about some soap and some washing tabs? He's got to keep clean!"
"Yes, that's fine. Could someone fetch me those?"

A young man and his date pushed through, putting a bar of soap and a box of washing tabs on the counter. 
"Thank you young man," Dorothy smiled, giving his girlfriend and approving look as they slip out the door. 

"John," the girlfriend said when they were outside, "Are we going to leave that boy there like that?"
"I'm already dialing," he replied, holding up his phone.

"Thank you for calling the New Haven Police Department," the voice menu announced. "If this is an emergency, please press 9. If you wish to report a homicide, please press 1..."