Rewinder by Battles Brett

Author:Battles, Brett [Battles, Brett]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery, end of the world, alternate reality, conspiracy, Suspense, thriller, time travel
Published: 2014-08-21T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE STORE CALLED 7-Eleven turns out to be a kind of prepackaged food market. The sheer number of items the place carries would be enough to distract me if I don’t force myself to stay on mission and approach the counter where a clerk is finishing up with a customer.

From the turban he’s wearing and the color of his skin, I guess he is Indian. There are many from the India region of the empire in New Cardiff, too, so this man’s presence is not a distraction to me. But his customer is. Though her skin is lighter than the clerk’s, there’s no question in my mind she’s African. When she speaks, I expect to hear a heavy accent, but the one she has is similar to that of my nurse, Clara.

The woman must have sensed I’ve been staring because as she leaves, she glances at me and says, “What’s your problem?”

“I’m sorry. No problem. I didn’t—”

“Yeah, you’d better be sorry,” she says as she pushes open the door.

I take her place at the counter and the clerk says, “Can I help you?”

“Do you carry maps?”

“A map of what?”

“Brooklyn.”

He turns, pulls something out of a holder on the wall behind him, and sets it on the counter. “With tax, eight ninety-three.”

I reach to pick it up, but he puts a finger on it, holding it down.

“Pay first.”

“I just need to take a quick look at it.”

“Eight dollars and ninety-three cents or it goes back on the wall.”

The only money I have is what I was given to use on my mission. Since it’s two hundred years old, I doubt the clerk would honor it. Besides, I don’t know what kind of dollars he’s talking about. In New Cardiff we use the pound, and I’m not sure why they aren’t doing the same here.

“I’m looking for a street. Rosemary Avenue. Can you just help me with that?”

“Buy the map, find the street. If not, go. I have other customers.”

The answer I need is inches away, but it might as well be on the other side of the ocean. “Thank you for your time,” I say and make a quick exit.

Stepping outside, I have no idea what to do. As I turn left, I see the customer who was inside the store earlier. She’s standing on the sidewalk, pulling disks of food out of a hand-size yellow and white bag.

She raises both eyebrows and says, “Why do you keep looking at me? Who the hell do you think you are?

“I’m sorry. I’m not staring,” I say quickly. “I was actually wondering if you could help me.”

“Huh. Right.”

She turns and starts walking away.

“Please, wait. I…I’m looking for a map. You wouldn’t happen to have one I could look at, would you?”

“And have you run off with my phone? Not going to happen.”

“I didn’t say anything about a com-phone.”

She stops and looks back at me. “A what?”

“I’m trying to find out where Rosemary Avenue is.”

“You don’t need any map to find Rosemary Avenue.”

“You can tell me where it is?” I ask.

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