The First to Die at the End

The pawn shop was clearly hit by looters, based on the broken glass from the front door. Valentino and Orion worry that there might be danger, and Orion convinces Valentino to let him go in first.

The store owner, Férnan, at first tells Orion that they’re closed because much of their inventory was stolen, but Valentino, coming closer, reveals that he’s a Decker. Férnan invites them in, and they look through the looted store. Eventually, Férnan’s son Rufus finds them a camera, and the owner gives it to them for free. Valentino doesn’t enjoy being treated differently because he’s a Decker. He accepts the camera but offers to buy the bike the owner’s son said he wanted for the boy. They haggle, and Valentino enjoys imagining father and son hanging out together.

When they leave the store, Orion takes the first picture of Valentino.

Férnan was not called by Death-Cast, and he feels touched by Valentino’s generosity. He thinks his mother would call their meeting lucky, and Férnan feels it could not have come at a better time. He’s been clashing with Rufus, who is closer to Férnan’s wife (who, coincidentally, is the doctor working with Orion and Valentino) than with Férnan himself.