Chapter 32: Rewind (1)
Wearing an N95 mask, dark sunglasses, and a Seagulls ballcap, Jack walked up to the counter and handed the scan card with his chosen lottery numbers to the cashier. To help Jack look heavier, Madison had helped him craft an amateur fat suit using old clothes purchased from a thrift store, and he was sweating like a pig under all those layers. He also found it awkward walking around in the pair of platform shoes they found. The shoes made him look taller, but they were several sizes too big for him and even with the five layers of socks, he felt like he was swimming in them. He was going to be so happy to get home and shed this ridiculous outfit.
As Jack watched the cashier feed the scan card to the lottery machine, he noticed that the man's hand was trembling. The cashier was an older gentleman, so Jack just assumed he had the beginnings of palsy. After the machine finished processing the scan card, and spat out a lottery ticket, the cashier fiddled with the cash register, then handed Jack his lottery ticket.
Jack took the ticket, turned and started walking towards the door. Neither he nor the cashier had spoken during the entire transaction. Jack had kept his mouth shut because he didn't want the cashier to remember his voice. He wasn't sure why the cashier had remained silent, but was happy to have avoided the awkwardness of refusing to reply to polite conversation.
As he exited the convenience store, he heard the throaty growl of car engines and the almost squeal of tires. He looked up just in time to see four police cruisers roar into the convenience store parking lot and come to a screeching stop. Before the cars had even fully stopped, cops were pouring out of their vehicles.
The cops were brandishing shotguns and pistols and were all shouting a confusing mix of instructions.
"GET ON THE GROUND!"
"HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"
"TURN AROUND, HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD!"