6:30 pm, 30 minutes before the Annual Purge

As I drove down Main Street of my small town, I took another glance at the buildings I had seen only a short while earlier. It seemed like there were less people now in the businesses. I assume this is because in a short while, they can get so much out of these places without spending a single cent. I, on the other hand, would like to get what I need beforehand, seeing as how Americans on Purge Night are like lions chasing zebras. I finally made it to my destination: Walmart. It's still the place to go for everything you need for a good price. I pulled into the nearly-empty parking lot and walked in. Only on Purge Night can you find a Walmart completely customer-free. The only way I could convince myself it was even open was the cashiers at the registers. I went to the store frequently, so I knew where to go for supplies. Since the Annual Purge has become so popular, there was a whole section dedicated for the event that had everything from machetes to pistols. I'm still amazed at how cheap each weapon was. I assume it's so everyone can afford to Purge. Anyway, I grabbed a pistol, some ammo, and some emergency food, just in case. I walked over to the checkout line and the cashier, who looked about 18, rang my purchases.

"Got everything you need for tonight?" the cashier asked as she scanned the bar code on the gun.

"I think so," I replied.

"You Purging tonight?"

"Yes. Actually, it's my first time participating."

"Huh. Doesn't look like you have much to Purge with." She scanned the boxes of ammo.

"Well, I only have one person I plan on killing tonight..."

"Hm. Sounds like a grudge."

"Yeah, I suppose you could call it that.

"Do I want to know what happened?" She scanned the food.

"Well, the person I thought I could trust decided to Purge last year on everything I loved."

"So, did he like destroy your home or something?"

"Yeah. He also took the lives of my love ones."

"Oh." The way she said that made me wonder if she cared or not. She then proceeded to bag my purchases and hand me a receipt.

"Have a nice night," she said with a smirk. I wonder if she was being friendly or sarcastic.

"Don't I still have to pay?" I asked.

She just smiled and replied, "My boss says all purchases after 6:45 are on the house. It's a way to get more last-minute customers, and he figures any money left will be stolen anyway.

"Well, I guess the makes sense... wait... Did you say 6:45?!" I then looked at my watch and saw it was 6:49 pm.

"Aw, shit... Didn't know how late it was... Well thanks again!" I then ran outside and into my car.

After starting it up, I pulled out my cell phone and called Michael. After ringing a few times, he answered.

"What is it?" he asked as soon as he picked up.

"I'm about to start heading to Chicago," I told him. I could hear him deeply sigh.

"You're seriously going to do this?" he finally asked.

"Of course," I replied.

There was a few seconds' pause before I heard him say, "Whatever you do, don't die."

"I don't plan to," I told him.

"Good... Well... Be safe out there, James. I mean it."

"I'll try. I'm going to kill him and come right back. If all goes well, I should be back by midnight at the latest."

"You better. Well, I'll let you go now. Good luck tonight. May God be with you."

Before I could reply, he hung up. I stared at my phone for a few seconds before putting it down and starting my car. I had a long night ahead of me; it wouldn't hurt to get a head start.