The city was afraid. Which, to be fair, was perfectly understandable.

Magic, monsters, and a voice in your head would make anyone jumpy.

Steven could feel it in the overt tension of the people.

In the sounds of the city as they became something hostile and alien. That coughing car engine could be the herald of another Scenario where you would need to fight and claw to make it out.

The man walking next to you might be able to shoot lightning out of his hands. Maybe the woman crossing the street could put her fist through steel.

But that said, the city could be taking it worse.

People were scared and suspicious, but there was cooperation and kindness beside the fear.

A car with a flat tire still had people pulling over to help.

Steven liked to think that most people would still help if given a chance.

He hoped that cooperation survived the coming… However long this lasted.

He, Margie, Micheal, and the dogs were riding into town.

Their expedition was a simple grocery run. It had been two days since the contest, and while Margie‘s house was well stocked, it was better to get more while they could.

The city was in an odd state of balance. The government was still paralyzed, but the power staying on, and the promise of unlimited food kept the worst in check.

So far.

Clark’s words sat heavy in Steven's mind.

Someone was going to make a power play. Probably a lot of someones.

When that hammer came down, the tense city might crack like an egg.

People were going to try and secure the food. Even if the System promised as much as they needed, that wouldn’t stop humans from withholding it from each other.

Steven shook his head, pushing the dark thoughts aside.

They pulled off Old Seward onto Huffman, and a roundabout and a right turn later, they pulled into the Carrs parking lot.

It was just a Safeway, though Steven was pretty sure it was a locally owned grocery store first before getting bought out by the larger brand, but they kept the name.

“Yeah. Acquired in 1999. It’s technically pretty old by your standards since the J.B. Gottstein & Company that merged with Carrs started in 1915.”

Steven grunted. “Huh, didn’t know that. Thanks.”

He was getting used to the System’s random interjections. Though he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

The end of Huffman was a cluster of businesses, the aforementioned Carrs, a couple of gas stations, a sushi restaurant, and strip malls with shops varying from other restaurants to sporting goods stores.

The Carrs was a long box of a building with a strip mall connected to one side.

They didn’t have trouble finding a parking spot since the lot was half empty.

Steven chuckled. I suppose that thought answers whether or not I’m a glass-half-full or half empty kinda guy.

They stepped out, Buford and Noodle leaping from the back the moment the door opened.

The sky was clear, and the air was cold, biting at Steven’s skin with every step.

He enjoyed the winter, despite its hazards and discomforts. But he hated how it made a simple walk from the car to a store that couldn’t be more than a hundred feet feel three times that as the cold burrowed in.

Once they were inside Margie grabbed a cart, only for Micheal to shake his head and grab another. “No squeaky wheels. I’ll lose my mind.“

Margie shrugged and returned the cart. They got a few looks as they wandered down the aisles.

Some frightful, some curious, and a pleasant few friendly.

That tension pressed its way between Steven‘s shoulders. An odd sense of unfamiliarity mixing with a location he knew like the back of his hand. It gave him a sense of wrongness, like walking into your house to see all the furniture moved around.

Micheal grabbed a carton of eggnog and plopped it in the cart. Margie eyed him.

“It’s almost Thanksgiving!“ He defended.

“It’s not the eggnog I take offense to,“ she scoffed. “It’s that you’re grabbing some store-bought junk. Let me grab a few ingredients, and I’ll whip up some homemade eggnog. The real good stuff.”

Steven opened his mouth to make a barb about her recipe. It was an old, old joke between them.

Margie had always been at war with his mother.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

They’d go back and forth about who could make the better nog—each year bringing a refined version of their recipe, hoping to one-up the other.

The joke died on his lips as his throat tightened.

He closed his eyes and focused on Margie and Micheal’s banter, letting it take his mind away.

A gentle bump against his hip made him look down. Buford stared up at him, his big eyes full of concern. Steven gave the dog a weak smile and buried his hands in his ruff.

They kept walking and talking, and Steven did his best to keep his thoughts on the current conversation. They rounded another aisle, and Micheal looked back at a couple who had pointed at them.

“Are we getting more looks than we should be?“ He asked.

“Walking into the store with two dogs is certainly weird, but it’s not that weird. And several people have been walking around with active Skills lighting up their bodies. Why are we getting so many looks?“

Steven had noticed the looks they were getting.

And it was bothering the hell out of him.

The way the last couple had looked at them… It hadn’t been pointing out an odd detail. It was recognition.

Steven grit his teeth and sent the image of a middle finger at the System.

There was a quiet buzz in the back of his head as the System chuckled.

“The contest,“ Steven groaned.

“They must’ve watched it live. Or maybe they participated. Either way, they recognize us.”

Micheal’s head rocked back like he’d been struck. “Does that make us famous? I’m not sure how to feel about that.“

Margie shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the looks. “I mean, we did finish second place in the very flashy contest while Steven did his best impression of a green disco ball. It was pretty eye-catching for people watching at home.”

She hummed and ruffled Buford’s ears.

“I kind of doubt the new fame’s gonna stick. There’s too much other crazy shit going on for us to be at the forefront of people's minds.“

She paused to grab a bottle of olive oil. “Well, unless we do something else eye-catching.“

Micheal winced. “So we’re definitely going to end up in the public eye again.”

The old woman rolled her shoulder in a lazy shrug. “So far, we’ve been quiet and trained at the house. That’s not particularly flashy.“

Steven picked up where Micheal had left off. “Until the stupid System strong-arms us into doing something flashy again.“

Steven was not a fan of the attention. It made him uncomfortable on general principle, but far more importantly, having people aware of them was dangerous.

Someone having foreknowledge of their Skills and capabilities would introduce an element they hadn’t had much of yet. Counter builds.

If someone knew what you could do, they could plan their Augments accordingly.

Maybe someone had a defensive Skill that was great at blocking big hits but struggled against someone like Steven, who pelted them with small projectiles.

They might have an Augment that weakens the Skills ability to take big hits in return for making it better at dealing with people like Steven.

Typically they might not have it ready, but if they knew what Steven could do, they’d come prepared.

And there were other ways someone could counter him.

Suppose someone figured out his half-second delay when multicasting they could slip hits in. And if they realized just how bad the backlash from a broken shield was, they could focus on breaking them, which would stop Steven from throwing them out indiscriminately.

All those downsides and more from having notoriety.

And while people could come at him while knowing his Skills, he would have no idea what they could do.

But on the flip side, the people in the contest were supposed to be the strongest in the city right now.

The only people who could watch the broadcast were people who weren’t in the competition, so by rights they should be weaker.

Of course, that could change, and even if someone was weaker than him, it might not matter if they had a perfect counter for his Class.

As they walked through the store, Steven saw more people looking their way. Everyone didn’t recognize them, but it was enough to put him on edge.

Going to the store with the dogs probably wasn’t helping.

Without them, he might be a vaguely familiar face in the crowd. But two college-age guys, a sixty-year-old woman, a massive malamute, and a basset hound kind of stood out against the background.

Steven’s mind started to drift, despite his best efforts to focus on something else, anything else.

It drifted to thoughts of eggnog and holiday dinners and family gatherings…

Margie wrapped an arm around his shoulders, giving him a quick, firm hug.

He blinked up at her. They had reached the checkout, and he hadn’t even realized, too lost in his own head.

He smiled at Margie and shook his head. “Sorry, forgot where I was for a second.”

He glanced around. There were actually a few employees still working. One bagger, a cashier, and he was pretty sure he’d seen another walking along the shelves.

The sight was so familiar that his brain hadn’t even registered what was wrong until now.

“Why are you guys still working?“ The middle aged cashier shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips. “Bored. Not that much to do at my house, and people are plenty chatty with the whole sudden magic and entrapment thing. I have to fill my time with something.“

Steven wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

He supposed that any kind of familiar routine would be comforting when the laws of physics changed.

Steven fully shook himself out of his head and realized another oddity. No one was paying.

People in the self checkout filled their bags like they usually would, dutifully scanning each item. But once everything was tallied up, they hit confirm, grabbed their stuff, and left.

The cashier noticed Steven’s look.

“The System restocks stuff once it leaves the store. So paying for it doesn’t really matter. But, the food vanishes if you don’t check it out like you were planning on buying it.“

Steven scrunched his brows as he stared at the groceries. “Why?“

The woman shrugged. “Who knows? The System is just fucking weird.“ Steven nodded the point. “Fair enough.“

They grabbed their groceries and braved the cold on the way to the car.

The ride back was frustratingly uneventful, and Steven resorted to slotting and unslotting his Augments just to focus on something.

Once they were back at Margie‘s, she made eggnog.

After dinner, they sat down to watch a movie. And as Steven sat there, eggnog in hand and a plate of warm food in his lap, he truly relaxed for the first time since the contest.