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Sang
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I found a trash can in the back near the meat displays. I dropped the cell phone into it and walked away.
It wasn't any good anymore. Volto could use it to track my location. I didn’t need him to have the advantage of tracking me now.
There was no way I'd leave here to go to him. I needed a backup plan of some sort. The woman on the phone had said to keep it on me, but I had a feeling that wasn’t the case anymore.
I pretended to shop some more as I tried to think what my options were. For a bit, I passed through aisles, examined items, checked prices and labels. I absently put a box of crackers in my basket.
And then I realized I probably didn't have any money, so I couldn't really leave the grocery store. I would have to check the backpack and hope I found some there, or set the basket somewhere and just leave.
But what if that’s what he wanted? Volto knew I was here. Was it better to stay where he knew I was, or try to leave and hope he couldn’t follow?
He also knew how to manipulate those phones. Whoever I had connected with at the Academy, would they think I'd changed position if Volto messed with the GPS?
I nervously scratched at the plastic of the basket I was carrying, going over my options. One, stay in the store, pretend to shop. Hope that someone was on the way and that Volto wouldn't dare come while I was in front of other people like this.
Or two, leave, but I risked running into Volto or the others being unable to find me. Unless he planned on attacking me and forcing me, I wasn't going to get into a vehicle with him.
The woman had said not to leave. Since this was the last place she knew me to be, I’d stay as long as I could.
I refined my plan as I backtracked through the store. I needed to take more time here. Hopefully go unnoticed by anyone else until someone got here.
Wil was still loading a shelf, but his stack of pasta boxes on a little hand truck was almost gone. He paused when he saw me coming around the corner and stood.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi.” I hesitated again. I didn't really have a plan beyond just staying near someone I thought I knew. If too much time passed and no one showed up, I’d ask Wil to call a cab for me to take me to the diner. I wasn't totally sure where everyone else was, but the diner was the one place where I could count on at least one Academy person to be.