Chapter 49: Free Of Charge
The convenience store had been looted badly enough that Marek would not feel guilty about entering through the broken front window. But he still decided to use the door.
’At least someone still remembers how doors work.’
It was also strange how the cigarettes display rack was now empty, even the packets spread across the floor beneath it were empty. Meanwhile, only a fourth of the canned foods in its designated rack was taken. ’I guess people have different priorities.’
He ignored all these details. Shaking his head, he had more important things to take. Beneath the cashier’s counter, he found some reusable shopping bags. He then got himself some water bottles, then some gauze that some people wouldn’t bother taking, and then noodles.
He stopped after taking six packets of noodles from a stand. He stared at them for several seconds.
’Six should be enough.’
Marek added another six. The ones he paid money for did not survive the clash between him and that weird-speaking stranger.
Celeste did not comment.
He continued moving through the aisles, looking for anything that could replace the torn shoulder bag. The store did not sell proper backpacks. There were several smaller bags near the counter, but none looked strong enough to survive more than a few hours if he had to keep walking.
Moving through the aisles, he kept looking for a replacement for his torn shoulder bag. Unfortunately, in their nation, convenience stores never sell proper backpacks or shoulder bags. However, he found some smaller bags near the counter. It was just that...
’These small bags could probably not survive for hours, considering I’d maintain my pacing right now.’
He eventually settled for a large insulated grocery bag with two intact handles. It was not convenient, but it could at least hold everything he would be carrying along the way.
Marek placed his notebook near the center where it would be less likely to fall out. He needed the notebook as a guide. He could not afford to lose too many valuable information that might help him understand things in the future. ’I’m not a super genius who could remember everything in detail.’
Afterward, he saw his reflection on a glass wall. He could not see himself properly, but he could still see the outlines of his hair, where some of its spiky edges were dyed frost white. He then looked at his glowing blue eyes and then on his hands.
He was not trembling. He stared at it for several seconds, but nothing seemed abnormal.
The man in the alley was once alive for like several minutes ago. Marek remembered the stranger’s final attack clearly. The positioning of his body. When his blade slowly rose. And when the moment Marek pulled the broken barrier into his path.
Then, the steel entered his chest.
The sound afterward remained easier to remember than Marek wanted.
He expected something to happen whenever he thought about it.
His hands could have started shaking. His breathing could have changed. Maybe the realization would finally become heavier now that he was no longer fighting for his life. But he honestly did not feel anything. His brain could be telling him he should empathize, but he could not bring himself to empathize with a criminal, no matter the circumstance.
He only felt like sleeping. He wanted to sit down or lie down on his bed to doze off.
And none of those reactions seemed large enough for what had happened.
’I killed someone.’
Marek looked toward the front of the store.
The emergency lights continued flickering. Somewhere behind him, a refrigerator compressor tried to start before making a weak mechanical sound and stopping again. A promotional display near the counter advertised a meal combination that was probably not available anymore.
Everything continued as if nothing had happened. It poked something inside of him. He disliked that everything seemed normal.
He took two packets of pain reliever from behind the pharmacy counter and left several bills beside the register. Then, he looked at the broken window.
’At this point, I don’t even know who I’m paying.’
"I could have stopped leaving money several stores ago."
"You could have."
"Nobody is collecting it." Marek looked inside the replacement bag.
Twelve packets of noodles.
"So Mara’s food would have been free either way."
Celeste remained quiet for several seconds and then said, "Don’t joke your way around it. You killed someone."
"I am aware."
Marek stopped speaking.
Something about the way she said it bothered him.
It wasn’t her words or anything that she meant. It was the familiarity.
That exact kind of disappointment, he had heard it somewhere before.
Marek remained beside the counter while trying to remember where. It did not sound like Henry. Clara was more direct whenever she thought he was doing something stupid. That kid, Cooper, would probably laugh first before telling him the joke was terrible.
This felt older. Somewhere closer to his heart.
’Where did I hear that?’
Marek looked toward the dark front windows and asked Celeste, "How are you still talking to me?"
Celeste did not answer immediately.
"The Exhibition Center is almost half a kilometer underground from here if W-14 is still connected," Marek continued. "Before Day 367, it was more than eight kilometers away. I already crossed multiple districts. The network barely works, and you haven’t lost the connection once."
"You noticed that now?"
"I noticed earlier. I had other problems."
A short pause followed.
"That is a very Marek answer."
Marek stopped moving. "What does that mean?"
Celeste did not reply.
The pressure behind his ear remained.
Marek tried to wait for her response, but nothing came. He slowly placed the pain reliever inside the bag. "Your voice is familiar."
The connection stayed quiet. "I thought it was because you’ve been talking to me for several days."
But Celeste remained silent.
Marek frowned. "It isn’t."
Celeste did not end the connection. Marek could tell because the pressure behind his ear remained the same.
She had simply chosen not to answer him.
’Again.’