As I extracted it to scan the savings tag from the small plastic attachment, I noticed the person in the lane directly ahead of me. A man in the same dark-blue waxed jacket was currently placing a gallon of whole milk and a bag of coffee upon the conveyor belt.
He had been seriously injured and valiantly discharged from his service, choosing to return north to his family while his wounds healed. Unfortunately that was when Elturel had sunk into the Hells, and he was not there to help his former companions.