After an hour of walking, a siren roar was coming up behind him. It was so fast he barely had time to hide. The ambulance flashed by and he could see Wendy and Bert in the driver's sits. They passed and soon the traffic picked up again. Down the highway, Robin spotted a highway turned off. A sign beside the road said gas station.

Robin walked off out of curiosity. A truck drove out as he walked into the parking lot. A large number of cars were parked here. Through the windows, the place looks like it sold food too. He wanted to see what was inside, so he dodged the passing cars, and approached the gas station. Parked outside the station where a red car and a green truck were parked. As he walked through the parked vehicles he was hit with a horrible headache. He reached out a hand to catch himself. A young couple appears and spots Robin by their car. They were both wearing masks.

“Hey, old-timer. What you doing by my truck?” asked the man, as he pulled his mask down to his chin. His girlfriend stayed close to him. They must have come out of the gas station. Robin removed his hand. “If you scratched the pant I'll take it out of your ass.” His girlfriend pulled out a metal rectangle and pointed it at Robin.

“Look at what he's wearing.” the young woman said, as she touched the metal rectangle. “This needs to be on U-tube.”

“Young man. I didn't mean any harm. I'll just get around. Have a good day. ” Robin said, as he decided to avoid the whole thing and move around their car. Wait they were following him now! The young woman was still pointing the metal thing at him. “What is that thing? Get it away from me.”

“What's with the costume? You cos-playing or something?” the young man asked, smirking. “Hey, why are you running away? It's only a phone. ”

A phone? That thing's a phone? But it has no wires, and it's so small? Are they lying to me and it's really something else? How can that be a phone? Robin thought as he moved around their car and pass them.

“Oh, I love cosplay. I'm glad older folk can love it too.” said the woman, as she came around still pointing that thing at him.

“Leave me alone,” Robin said as he approached the gas station doors. Are they trying to get a reaction out of me?

There were signs along the window. He paused to read them as he grabbed the door handle. One said. Smile you are being watched with a picture of a mounted camera. He remembered this sign, but not the other one. The other sign said masks are mandatory inside, with a picture of a mask below.

What is this? Is mask really mandatory? Robin thought, as he opened the door and stepped inside. The young couple followed him in. He glared at them. Hell, if this was the other world. They wouldn't dare try this.

The inside of the gas station was wall-to-wall with shelves each with colorful snack foods. There were other people here. They all had masks. The man behind the countertop. Who was also wearing a mask, looked up?

“Hey, no cameras in here!” the man behind the counter shouted. The young woman sheepishly put the metal thing down. Her boyfriend took her hand and pulled her towards the doors.

So it wasn't a phone. But a camera? They were recording me? Robin thought as he watched as the young couple left. Why? Do they just record random people for their home videos or something?

“Hey, you Gandhi or something. Where's your mask?” the man behind the counter asked.

“I don't...” Robin started but felt suddenly sick. His stomach groaned in pain and bubbles. “ Ah, where 's your restroom?”

“The restrooms are for paying customers.” the man said. But Robin was already looking around for it. He spotted the sign in the back. He hurried towards the door. “Hey, you can't go back there!”

Lucky the restroom was empty. Robin rushed inside and knelt by the toilet. He flipped the lit open and vomited his stomach out. Afterward, he shied away from the bowl and its new red-colored contains.

That hurt. Like I was coughing up my guts. Robin thought as he wiped his chin with his sleeve. Maybe that jerky was undercooked? Or maybe... he glanced down at his hands. He didn't realize it before, but one of his hands was going numb. It was the hand that held the uranium.

“Well, Crap. Hopefully, it's only mild exposure. I'll feel sick for a bit, but that's better than the alternative.” Robin muttered. The store owner appeared at the door.

“What the hell are you doing? Eww gross!” The owner said as he pinched his nose through his mask. “Don't move.” He dashed away.

It wasn't that bad and I'm the one with his head right up to it. Robin thought as he flushed the bowl. The contains spun into oblivion.

The man returned with a plastic spray bottle. He stepped inside the restroom and glanced at Robin.

“Where you touch? Oh never mind, just get out.” The owner said, as he circled around Robin and started spraying the toilet down.

Robin left the restroom and walked toward the exit. Other customers watched him wearily. As Robin passed through a row of shelves. A man ahead of Robin backed out of the row and waited for him to pass. In fact, everyone was keeping their distance from everyone. Robin didn't notice it when he came in. This surprised him.

In the other world, after becoming a runemaster people normally made way for you. But to see it here was a surprise. These people didn't know he was a runemaster.

He shouldn't have expected it from them. Maybe there was a rule in place.

Shouldn't the mask be enough? Do they really have to stay away from each other? Robin thought as he push open the doors. The light outside the turning red and orange. The sun was setting.

Oh hell. Now I have to walk in the dark. Robin thought.

He ventured back onto the road.