The van didn't travel too far away from where Gary used to live, as there was a little street that he wanted to visit himself to see how it was doing. He also felt like the next place they would visit would show more information about Slough, then just showing the well developed areas.
It was a row of shops that were still in the same area that had opened not too long ago, and the place where Gary wanted to visit was a bakery.
"So why have you decided to bring us here, is there any special meaning to this place?" Eleanor asked.
"Ah, I just wanted you to have a taste of the local food in the area, and besides if people ever visit Slough I want to let them know that this is where they want to go if they want the very best." Gary smiled.
He was sure that there would be some visitors that would come to Slough due to the programme and in turn, why not help out the local businesses. He remembered the last time he had come here he had met with a sweet young woman named Naomi, and he wanted to repay the favour for her niceness, and she really did make good food.
The whole group had entered the shop, and when they did, they had all immediately frozen, Spring took a big gulp. It was because inside the shop, there were four young adults, all dressed in the black and gold clothing.
"Are they… they… gang members?" Spring whispered.
"I think it might be best if we were all to get out of here." The guard said, although his job was to protect them and he felt confident he could do that. He didn't want to get on a gang's bad side. On top of that, while here, the guard was trying to size up just how large the gang was, but as they travelled in the van they saw countless people in the black and gold clothing.
It was clear that this was the gang that ruled the streets of Slough, and it was best to not get involved.
Before they could make an exit though, the men turned around with a few sweet breads in their hands.
"Oh… isn't that, Gary?" Park said with a wave.
Park was one of the sub leaders who worked under the core members, and last time Gary had arrived, he had dealt with some troublesome members of the Howlers that were using their name for no good.
Park however, had no idea this was happening, and he turned out to be a good person in the end. He was also one of the many members of the Howlers that had turned up when they were going to raid Notsburg. That day Gary had decided to remember everyones face that had arrived, as he would return their loyalty to them.
"Boss, I promise we aren't here to cause any trouble." Park quickly said as he remembered what happened the last time. "It's just after last time, well we became regulars of this place."
Hearing the word boss, and not just Park but the ones behind him acting in a panic, had caused the others to be confused. Why was Gary on good terms with these people, and why were they calling him boss?
"Gary… we're okay right, you know these people?" Clem barged her shoulder into him.
"Yeah." Gary replied.
"So they're not going to hurt us?" Rachel asked.
"Hurt you guys, if you are the boss' friend, then of course we would never hurt you, and besides how could we even lay a finger on someone like him." Park said.
With that said, the men waved their goodbyes and quickly left the coffee shop. They could tell that their presence was causing the others to feel a little scared and they wouldn't want that.
"What was that all about, why were they calling you boss?" Tyson asked.
"That… I'm not really sure." Gary answered.
It was true, Park and the others shouldn't have known he was the boss, because whenever he made public appearances he was to put on the mask.
"It was because of what happened last time of course." Naomi said, as she came from behind the counter wearing an apron that had flour all over it.
"Here, let me show you."
Naomi pulled out her phone and it didn't take her long to get the semi viral clip that went around in Slough. It was a video of Gary dealing with the gang members, fighting them just outside the bakery.
"It's amazing right, the reason why they call him Boss, is because they respect him of course, and they know that Gary would give them a beating if they ever tried something again." Naomi said, punching the air a couple of times.
Gary was embarrassed, to say the least, seeing him fighting in his hometown.
"He started fighting those guys when they were messing with my bakery and ever since, I've never had a problem again." Naomi continued.
"Wow, you went up against gang members just for a bakery?" Rachel said. "You're crazy even if you are an Altered. What if they went after your family?"
"I guess it isn't too much of a problem, if they knew Gary was an Altered then the gang might not want to go up against Gary due to their losses. It's the same for me." Tyson spoke up, seeing that everyone was talking about Gary so much that it was making him feel a little ill.
"I had plenty of offers from gangs. They know my strength after all."
"Gary, the more I learn about you, the more you are starting to become this town's little hero, this is great!" Elanor said with a big smile. "Let's head to the next area, when looking up Slough, one of the destinations was Burnham food street, and it's getting close to dinner time."
Hearing the next destination, Gary wanted to object but he didn't really have a good reason to, because Burnham food street was one of the places he was most likely to run into others that knew him.
Meanwhile Clem was starting to wonder, the way everyone had treated him so far, it wasn't normal and she was starting to think that there may have been something bigger to this.
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