Regona City: Flight (BK2)

How to Break an Addiction

A 'bang', followed by a sigh of frustration, made Sahara look up from where she was wiping down a table in Drake's Café. Jack had walked into the dining room, looking both tired and in a bad mood.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" he called.

The chattering ceased as customers turned their attention to him.

"We're closing early today. So finish up what you've got, because in fifteen minutes the doors will close regardless of if you're finished or not."

"You can't do that!" a teen called.

"It's my café," Jack replied as he glared in the direction the voice had come from.

There was grumbling all around and yet no one made another comment. Nodding with satisfaction that everyone seemed to have gotten the point, Jack turned back to the kitchen. Sahara and Alegra exchanged glances. It wasn't even lunchtime yet. Both abandoned what they were doing and hurried after Jack.

They found the twins cleaning the kitchen, getting ready to close up.

"What's going on, boss?" Alegra asked as she and Sahara entered the kitchen.

Jack turned to them, a scowl on his face. "We're running out of ingredients."

Alegra frowned. "Then buy some more."

"It's not that easy," Orion spoke as he entered the room behind them. He was holding a hologram screen in his hands.

"No money?" Alegra asked.

Sahara had moved to help the twins out and Arden tossed her a rag so she could wipe down the counters.

"Actually." Orion and Jack exchanged glances. "It seems that Regona is finally beginning to run out of things."

Everyone froze.

"Running out?" Reagan asked. Panic was in his eyes as he whirled around.

"It's a wonder we lasted this long. I guess with the population being so low after the virus we could simply use what was stored. But now it's almost gone," Orion murmured.

"Can't you make more?" Sahara asked curiously.

"Who? The kids?" Jack asked with a snort. "They're too busy boarding around to do that kind of stuff."

"Death! We're all going to die!" Reagan yelled as he put his hands on his head in despair.

"I won't," Arden told him in a matter of fact tone.

Reagan's eyes grew wider. "Mutiny! One twin may not live without the other!" He picked up a spatula and stabbed it in the air to get his point across. Everyone ignored him.

"Actually, Rayne has made sure that the basics will always be available," Orion explained. "We just won't have any of the luxury items."

"Like strawberry milk," Sahara murmured.

The twins froze and turned to stare at her in horror.

"Terrell's going to go on a rampage if that runs out," Arden told her fearfully.

"Death!" Reagan wailed as he sunk to the floor hugging himself. "If it isn't from hunger, it's from a strawberry milk addict. I don't want to go that way. I'm too young to die!"

"Oh shut it," Alegra told him. "You're worse than Naomi."

"He has a point though." Arden shrugged. "Can you see Terrell without his strawberry milk?"

Sahara, Reagan, and Orion all shook their heads simultaneously.

"He'll probably kick us all out of the warehouse," Orion noted.