Chương 46: Leisurely Pace

June sat on the muddy grass in front of a grave. Rain violently pelted him, and thunder billowed, swallowing the sounds of honking vehicles.

'Why did I have to choose today of all days to be dramatic?' The Mother's Day dinner did not go well, but June already knew how it would turn out beforehand. In fact, most family dinners were just a repeat of what happened today; the only difference was that he had money and an actual backup place to spend the night, so he walked out. June decided that he should cool off a bit before calling Mortimer.

He didn't need to, since Mortimer gave him a spare key to the studio and told him that if he ever needed to, he could stay in the guest room.

'He probably knew something like this would happen someday.'

'Damn Oracle' Mortimer was a sly old man, despite his reserved looks. June, funnily enough, looked up to the old raisin; he somehow felt more familial than his own family. The grave he sat in front of wasn't one of someone he knew; it was just in a far corner of the cemetery that no one else except the caretakers ever visited.

He didn't need to worry about any confrontation at the moment, since the day he decided to wallow outside happened to be the only day in a couple of years when the rain decided to flood the area, not to mention that he may or may not have trespassed after closing times. Now he was sopping wet, stuck outside in the first flash flood since 2013.

'I hope everyone got home safely.' June wanted to head straight to Mortimer's studio, but the buses were most likely closed, and walking during a flood seemed like a pain; he was half tempted to just fly there. June sat up and patted the dust off his rear habitually, but it was just mud. He let out a deep sigh and then extended his hands out for the rain to wash them.

His sunglasses were covered in water, making it nearly impossible to see, so he folded them and put them in a case before putting them in his sling bag.

'People have better things to worry about than my eyes today.' June decided to make a couple of calls to his friends to check up on them. He then checked a camera app on his phone and saw his dog sitting beside his mother while she sadly watched a drama. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

'I wish I could talk to Lilia.' Unfortunately, he didn't have her number, nor was he in a position to kick his feet in the air while twirling a pen, talking to his crush. The rain was already horrible, and getting worse. The graveyard had a moat around it for a small, quaint river to pass through, which connected to a park, which went somewhere else that June never bothered to figure out, but the moat is the only reason he wasn't knee deep in water at the moment.

'I think it's time to leave.' June looked at the grave that had kept him company while he composed himself and gave it a small wave before leaving. He walked along the grid of roads around the graveyard and eventually made it to the gate he jumped over. It wasn't the first time he's been in here after closing hours, but it was the first time he had trespassed on purpose. The gate wasn't tall, which June found weird, because on the opposite side of the cemetery, another way larger gate sat.

'Guess ones for people, and the others for cars.' June hopped the gate with ease to finally get a look at the flooding. The rain had only started several minutes ago, but the water was now high enough to lick the elevated flowerbed resting on the sidewalk. June started to walk with a leisurely pace; his socks were soggy, and his clothes were wet. But it couldn't get worse. A car drove by and splashed him. June let out another deep sigh and wiped his face, and continued on his leisurely walk.

He took a slight detour toward the plaza that was several blocks away, and he wanted to grab a snack from the dollar store. The neighborhood he lived in looked better when it was flooding, fewer people, the cracks in the roads were covered by rushing water, the trash was swept away by the wind, and the donation boxes that were thrown over looked like an act of nature instead of an act of a hateful few.

'Isn't nature beautiful?' June took a deep breath and inhaled some water, causing a short choking fit. After a while, he walked into the U-shaped plaza. The large parking lot was empty, and a streetlight that had been standing there for years had fallen over. Some of the stores had barred their windows, others were too late and had already shattered. June had looked at the open dollar store, sighed, and then closed his eyes when he walked in.

'The cog of capitalism never stops turning, eh.' June walked in and grabbed a push cart. He knew which aisle the snacks were in, since he and his mother often visited, especially during walks. He got a pack of sour candies, and he grabbed some cheap chocolate bars too. He grabbed some plain vinegar chips since Mortimer seemed to like those, and grabbed a couple of soft drinks. He even grabbed a couple of dog toys since he had the disposable income to buy his dog things now.

June pushed the cart to the self-checkout and slowly scanned each item. Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep He produced a card and tapped before the machine was able to finish its sentence. And then he let out another deflated sigh, as a gun was pushed against the back of his head. The store was being robbed. He knew that, of course. June decided to stretch his legs a little, so he prompted the assailant.

"Shoot" The man behind him didn't shoot. June waited a couple of seconds; his patience was running thin, and his chocolate would start melting.

"Shoot the gun, or move it away." June didn't sound rushed or scared. This wasn't the first time a gun had been pointed at him after all. June swiped a chocolate bar onto the floor.

"Whoops" He bent down to pick it up and kicked the robber in the knee, caving it in backwards with a disgusting squelch. His eyes were still closed, but he was able to smell it. His second favorite smell. FEAR