Snakes in a checkout lane (open)

So it had come to this. After months of recovery and intensive testing, Major Richard Mathis was reduced to nothing more than a common civilian... at least temporarily. Medical leave they called it, only he had not applied for leave. If the choice had been his, he would be back out in the field again leading his troops. He felt fine and appeared healthy, so this was nothing more than insulting to the proud military officer. To make matters worse, he was still being subjected to those annoying mental health sessions to make sure his mind was as intact as his body. Who knew when he'd be able to return to duty? For now, though, he had to deal with... shopping.

"For the love of God, let's get this over with," he grumbled.

How long had it been since he'd stepped foot in a civilian shopping center like this? He specifically avoided them because people tended to staaaaare. He was a large man with a stocky bodybuilder appearance who tended to pull in for too much unwanted attention. It made him so uncomfortable that he began to imagine people staring at him when they weren't. That was the case today when the casual shoppers at Barry's Food 'n Drug filled their large shopping carts with edible provisions for their families and really didn't give a damn. Family was one thing Mathis had never had, so he only grasped one of the handheld baskets on the way in.

Bread, milk, eggs, protein supplements, steak, chicken, potatoes, dish soap... he went down the aisles picking out everything he was lacking in his temporary apartment. His basket was full and he carried the jug of milk in his spare hand, but he still needed one thing before he left. And if that baby didn't stop crying, he was going to strangle its mother and give it a reason to cry... the sooner he got out of here, the better. He passed by the cereal aisle with the screaming baby and gave it a harsh look with his tense eyebrows, then forced himself to carry on and finish this inconvenient business.

Why did his skin itch so damn much? Must be the pressure.

Bananas... the last thing on the list. He hastily tossed them into his overflowing hand basket without caring too much about the condition of them, then headed to the checkout lanes; the full lanes with lines going back into the aisles. Mathis nearly tossed down his groceries on the spot and leave empty-handed, but he really needed these groceries. Mathis bit his lip and settled into the line that looked shortest... or almost did until he noticed the crying baby at the back of the line. No, the line on the opposite end of the store was better for his sanity. That would have to do, even if it was longer and went through the frozen food section. He made his way down and waited.

Damn it was cold in this aisle. Maybe it was all his time spent in the desert. Or just as likely, his skin was still sensitive after healing from the burns. Either way, this was testing his patience even further. Soon this would be over though, and he could go back to the apartment, store his groceries, and take out his frustrations at the gym. He just had to bare through this last but and...

"... no, hold off on my meetings until tomorrow," the man in front of him said out of nowhere. Was he really using one of those bluetooth headsets? Mathis thought those had phased out by now. "I'm with some clients right now and won't be able to make it into the office." And he was a rotten liar too. If he didn't shut that thing off soon, Mathis was going to tear it out of his ear and... "While you're at it, get Joseph scheduled to work this weekend. He..."

Mathis reached forward and plucked the plastic earpiece out of the man's ear, crushing it in the process. "Hey! That was expensive!"


"So is my patience," Mathis responded gruffly. "So we're even. Next time save your phone calls for later."

"Are you kidding me? You're paying for that. I was in the middle of an important call and I..." And then he just snapped. Mathis cut him off short by dropping his milk jug and grabbing the man by the neck. The business man was lifted up and slammed into the freezer. "Maybe you didn't hear me..." Mathis began feeling his body tensing up. It almost felt like his skin was splitting. "Don't. Test. My. Patience."

The line broke up and people began to panic. One woman pulled out her pepper spray and someone began to call the police. Unfortunately, none of that was going to help. Major Richard Mathis was beginning to experience his first transformation.