Jake was surprised at how clear the grocery checker’s voice came through the cacophony behind him.
“Just a moment,” she said.
Something cracked into the back of his skull and he stumbled away from the panel of the self-checkout register. Multi-hued flashes of light filled his head, and he flung his arms out towards the conveyor belt for support.
The automatic words from the register chimed into the chaos. “Welcome to-”
Another loud sound – something impacting the register’s screen.
“Shuuuut uuuuup!” the checker screamed. The sound of her voice filled his skull to capacity.
Jake’s vision began to clear and he turned to see the middle-aged, female checker cock her arm back with a large can of soup in it.
He dove for the floor, certain she was aiming for him, and rolled onto his back.
The can hit the register screen, buried one corner into it’s flat surface, and fell onto the floor. It rolled toward his feet. Campbell’s Chunky.
The checker screamed again and launched several more boxes and cans.
“Security!”