Later that night, outside a bodega store in the middle of downtown where the white van was parked, the individuals—Abel, Dee, and Richie—were talking.

"How come this is the only store available?" Richie asked while looking at the store's led light.

After traveling the whole night and checking out a dozen stores, the three finally found the only open store in the city.

"Maybe the whole town is at the concert?" Dee replied while she rummages inside Richie's backpack. Richie, his back against Dee, rolled his eyes in response to the nonsense reply of Dee. He was waiting for her to finish as she shuffled the inside of his bag looking for the envelope of money and the list given by Mack.

"Are you guys sure Mack said I can come? I mean, what if I'm needed at backstage? The band has some crazy fans you know." said Abel.

Abel, a young man in his late teen and innocent to a fault, has been in the crew with Dee and Richie for about a year. The three of them traveled the tour's route from town to town in their white van—transporting wire cables, sound gears, and lighting equipment. Dee and Richie have been in the roadie business for two years before Abel joined them this year. Abel is the youngest of the three and even from most of the people in the crew, but because of his build, he was always placed as a bouncer in the tour. A job that was always conflicting with his friendly and easy personality.

"Yeah, we're sure. After the last five crazy fans got passed you, I think he wants you out of the way even for just the night." Dee replied.

"What? Those were not my fault. Those fans were very crafty." denied Abel.

"You gave two of them a tour of the VIP area and showed them the band's shower room". Richie said plainly.

"They said they were from the record label". Abel explained.

"They were wearing the fucking band t-shirts! And WERE 16 YEARS OLD!" Richie replied.

"They looked old." justified Abel.

Richie and Dee sighed.

"Found it!" Dee exclaimed. "Well, that's enough banter boys. Let's just do this and go back as quickly as possible. We don't want to get fired." Dee said after finally finding the envelope of money.

"Abel, stay here and watch the van. The keys are still stuck in the ignition and we don't want it to be stolen. We're on the sketchy side of the town after all." said Dee.

"You guys think that just because I'm younger you can order me around?" said Abel.

"Yes. Yes, we do". said Richie laughing.

Dee laugh in agreement and both walks towards the store snickering.

Abel was left outside, irritated, but still followed their instructions. He sat in the driver's seat and waited. They were right this were the sketchy part of the city. He heard something about a gang fights happening near the area, but when he was about to inquire about it with the other roadies they just laugh at him making fun of him being scared with his big build. So he ignored it.

After a while, boredom and the urged to pee came to him. Not wanting to hold it in, Abel got out of the van and went to the corner of the store to have a quick piss. As he was relieving himself he saw something through the store window. His eyes grew wide and panic filled him, Richie and Dee will not like what's going to happen next.

--

Inside the store, the clerk was silently waiting on the counter. There were no customers at the time. His eyes followed Dee and Richie as they walk around the store without care.

They were walking aisle to aisle in search for the chips and wines that were requested by Mack. They do this while horsing around, pushing each other and laughing at each other's jokes. Dee even stumbles and almost knock a rack of magazines.

Richie holds the list in his hand, reading it again and again as a reminder for both of them.

At the chips' aisle, Dee grabbed a whole shelf of chips dropping everything in her basket. They then found the wines near the cashier on display. Richie got hold of five of them and placed them on the cashier counter.

"You think this is enough?" Dee asked.

"I think that's plenty". said Richie. "Some of the chips can fit my bag but the rest will have to get bagged."

Dee looked at the pile of chips and wine, and then looked at Richie.

"We should have brought a tote bag." she said.

"Why bother? The store got plastic bags."

"Well, the environment and stuff."

"What? The shit you say sometimes are fucking stupid. Environment? Your carrying a basket full of plastic foil wrap, genetically enhance and probably not real potatoes and your worrying about a measly plastic bag? You don't really care about the environment stupid" Richie replied in his usual irritated and angry tone.

"Okay, fine. Give me your bag. Let's put these inside."

It was their usual banter—Dee with her non-sense fight the power and Richie with his angst and dark humor. This conversation continued as the two put the wines inside Richie's bag and the chips in a paper bag.

Suddenly Dee noticed a sound coming from outside the store window.

"What's Abel doing?" Dee asked.

She puts her attention to the store window where she sees Abel acting crazy outside.

Richie and the clerk also looked at the direction of the sound. Abel was banging the glass window of the store. He was shouting something when all of a sudden, the clerk who was standing silently behind the counter lifts his arm he was hiding an automatic pistol and shot at them.

"Gun!" Abel shouted as he smashes through the window and breaks the glass.

A loud BANG echoed the store. As soon the two heard the gun shot, Richie and Dee quickly hid under the counter with wide eyes, shocked.