Under the afternoon rays, the black truck stops at a spot in a parking lot. Its doors swing open with Jin and Archie stepping out. Immediately, the people nearby turn their head in shock. Everyone walks away while looking back fearfully. As the two walk towards the mummified longhouse, people peeked at them from nearby cars. He looked at Jin who seems unfazed by the growing crowd. Yet, the piercing stares and echoes of whispers sowed fear into himself. As they got closer, an emerald green sign with the word “Spring” stood beside sliding doors. Shoppers going in and out with tote bags noticed them and quickly cleared the entrance. Some hurry back to the parking lot to avoid being seen.

“We're too early.” When Archie turns to his boss again, Jin was putting away his phone and gazed disappointingly at the door. He takes his time to think of what they should do, admiring the canvas-like longhouse.

“Is-is it bad being early,” Archie stammered. He couldn't help but feel pressured. The stares puncture him like knives, and the tension was enough to constrict his whole body and paralyze him. His friends said he would be use to it. Yet, it still felt the same now as before.

“It can.”

“Should we go back, sir?”

“You need experience,” Jin calmly says like a teacher to his student.

“I-I see. Sorry sir. I'll learn as much as I can.” His back starts to feel moist from the blunder.

“Let's shop,” Jin says suddenly. Archie felt puzzled and wondered if there was a deeper meaning. Without realizing it, Jin was halfway into the store. Archie quickly followed.

“Sir, I have a question? How do I say it. What are Dreads? I know I shouldn't say that but-” Jin reaches for a basket from a nearby pile.

“I'll allow you say it this time. But remember. We call them Empowered. I'll explain while we shop.”

“Yes sir.” Jin walks inside while Archie scrambles to grab a basket and rushes after. Around them were shelves of food, boxes of produce, baskets of packages, and screens with pictures and words over the aisles. Nobody seem to have noticed them while they walked to the produce area.

“Sir?”

“Take your time.” Jin was inspecting potatoes one by one as he spoke.

He casually walks around the fruit section. Apples of similar small size were gathered into a bag and stored in the basket before returning to Jin. “Sir, about my question.”

“About the Empowered.” He picks out some ginger and packs it in a small paper bag. “How much have you read the handbook?”

“I'm on page 88, sir.”

“Good.” A child from behind runs towards them. She stops suddenly and tiptoes away quietly when she saw Jin. Unfazed, he continues, “An Empowered is someone who redefines common understanding.”

“Common understanding?” Archie picks out a few large onions and stuffs in a bag. “Like they can do the impossible?”

“Not necessarily. For most, anything that is impossible will be just that. If it's improbable, that's a different story.”

“What's the difference, sir?”

“Improbable would mean it's possible but very unlikely. Most are logical. Very few are truly supernatural.” Archie grabs several tomatoes and a cabbage.

“But how do people get these powers? No one at the temple had them.”

”It's a mystery.” They walked over to the grain area with half a basket of produce. The rows of bread filled the section with its freshly baked odour. On the side was a display of all sorts of baked treats lined up neatly with many flavours.

“That looks tasty, sir.” Jin stays silent as they looked over the baked goods. Archie picks out a box of half-dozen cupcakes for his basket. “Is there no Affinity to look for Empowered?”

“None that aren't excruciating.”

“Are there times people get too dangerous,” Archie questioned. He looked around them at the other shoppers. They look away quickly as soon as he made eye contact with them. The staff nearby were starting to notice them and quickly hurried away with a power walk. They keep their distance from them but continue to watch them with unease.

Jin affirms indifferently, “Of course.” Jin had taken a long baguette while Archie took a pack of salt crackers, and tossed it into their baskets. On his face, there wasn't a change in expression. His tone, however, seem to soften. “Some unique cases have limited freedom.”

“What's a unique case?” They proceed to the meat section and survey the display. There were many cuts of beef and pork laid out neatly like fallen dominoes. Beside them were alligator tails and frog legs, packaged in large, clear box with a green label of the weight and origin.

“The Shapeshift Affinity. People with it have a unique card to not falsify their identity and fraud protection. One moment.” They stopped in front of the register. The butcher nearby was handing a paper bag to another customer. He went back to the register looking at the customer walking away quickly. The electric saw roared to life as he sliced a large hunk of meat and tossed it to the side.

“Hey man, what can I get for ya,” he yelled. His voice was clear despite the buzzing noise. The butcher's eyes focused on the saw, not daring to look up at the two.

Jin says, “The third and eighth sirloin on the left. The third venison from the top. That will be all.” The saw powers off. The butcher quickly wraps the meat chunks and slaps a sticker on each piece before handing it to another customer who also walks away quickly.

“Sure thing. Give me a minute.” He slides the tray out and takes the pieces from the display. He wraps them up before slapping each of them with a sticker. The butcher gave the bundles to Jin who gently puts it into his basket.

“Anything for-Oh! Mr.Jin,” the butcher unconsciously screams out. A few shoppers nearby turned to look at Jin in surprise. His shout seemed to silence the store for a moment before the idle chatter continued. People nearby turned away from the meat section on reflex. “H-H-how do you do today?” Sweat started to form on his head and his hands shook with fear. Archie felt pity for the poor man who had nothing to fear but was so close to the one person who could change everything.

“Well Mr.Heimer,” Jin calmly says. Archie glanced at him, surprised he knew his name. A shiny badge clung to the butcher's apron with his name on there. “Did an Eric Fullman work here before?”

The butcher seem to sadden and his hands stop for a moment. “No. No guy here like that. Anything for you?” Archie declines and they walk away from the counter. Behind them, Archie heard the butcher let out a sigh of relief before he collapses onto the floor quivering. His co-worker nearby rushed over and tried to comfort him.

“Any questions so far,” Jin asked.

Archie looked at the shoppers who had animal-like properties. He spotted antlers and someone with feathered wings. “How come it is unknown about who has an Affinity? Something life-changing should make them different from others.” They both pick out some chicken thighs and move into the aisles.

“People are simply born human. All anyone can do is wait and see if they are blessed.” They silently walk through the aisles one after the other. Though the store was buzzing with people, no one was in their aisle.

“Sir. Do people get nervous?”

“I think you know the answer. Remember when we visited Central Europe.”

A flashback of the unpleasant trip and the people they met at the countryside came to mind. The wary glares, angry outcries, and the rundown towns of empowered were still fresh in his mind. The grim cabin of a deceased family still haunted his dreams, “That's. It's worse than I thought.” Jin confirms the statement in silence. He grabs several bottles of dish soap and tosses it into his basket. “How could their parents lock up their own children...”

“Unfortunately, those are the milder reactions. You can ask Indraus for more stories.” They continue to browse drawing the eyes of other people. Archie wasn't sure what to ask to break the silence.

“I heard people can be immortal, sir.”

“Rarely.” The glowing yellow eyes reflected years of experience with people. Regret crept into Archie's heart as his doubt and concerns melted into an abomination of fear and pain. He shrugs off the feeling but a gloom hung over him. They were halfway through the beverage aisle now, their baskets were neatly filled. “I think we've stalled enough.”

Archie snaps out of his thoughts and remembered why they were at the store in the first place. He looked at his basket and realized how much items he picked up along the way. “When will the culprit show up?”

“Soon.” They turn into another aisle filled with snacks and frozen treats. “Don't worry about the frozen food, there's a fridge underneath the back seat if you need it,” Jin reassures. Both take a box of ice cream from the freezer and toss it into a filled basket. “What kind of person do you expect the culprit to be?”

“Human-like,” Archie spouts out immediately. He stops for a moment to recompose himself. He questions why he said it so suddenly. After a deep breath, he continues to explain. “Unassuming. If they are living outside, ragged and dirty. They might have a thin build. And they want to be in and out fast.”

“Simple. Do you need anything else?”

“Just a few more, sir.” From another fridge, Archie pulls out three frozen meals and they proceed to the checkout. The area was split in two: a dozen checkout lanes with short lines, and groups of cubicles with scanners with a long lineup. The two walk over to the first group of cubicles and line up behind other shoppers. They look away quickly while others started to squirm uncomfortably at their presence.

“Now, can you see anyone with your description?”

He searches the ocean of people in front and beside them. There were too many with different clothes and extra bodily features. Some people were even hidden behind the large bodies of others. Nothing he described stuck out from the sea of plainness and the extraordinary. “No sir.”

“Rather than using your eyes, use your other senses.” His eyes wander down at his basket and then his feet. A spark went off in his mind. The shoes he wore had no soles and there were no socks underneath. Darkness envelops his sight as his eyes shut. He taps his foot on the ground and it tingles at the vibrations. The black void cracks with white lines forming silhouettes of everything around him. His eyes reach the whole store and saw everything from every angle. One person was greyer than the others in comparison.

“Someone weak in this line? About ten ahead.”

Archie was about to leave the line but Jin stops him. “Don't rush. She'll still be here.” He wasn't sure how he was so confident. Questions swirled in his head, but the question of how he knew they were female stuck out the most.

As he said, she was still in a cubicle when they entered one themselves. In his unseen world, he felt she was struggling to scan her food, fumbling her hands to hold an item. At first, he thought that Jin was spying on her, but he sensed Jin was focused on checking out. Without a clear plan, he starts to scan his groceries and, once they were finished, walk towards the exit.

Outside, they waited near the entrance. Jin watches the check out area intently through the window. As Archie looked around, he felt relief how empty the lot was. The fear of the stares melted away and his focus went back to Jin. “Sir, how do we find evidence? She seems like a regular shopper and she isn't moving.”

“Yes. She's conflicted.”

“About us?” Jin pulls out a large screen with several buttons on a long handle. The image seems to be from a security camera in the checkout area. The colour changes to black and white before zooming in on a scanner. A red ball appears and waves around. It arcs down slightly and morphs into veins to form the shape of the terminal before disappearing.

“This is the evidence.” The screen changes to say “lost connection” in bold orange letters.

“Do we arrest her, sir?”

“We can but it will be difficult.”

“Why is that sir?” Jin looks at Archie briefly to remind him of who he was. “Sorry. What do we do sir?”

“For now, I'll drive the truck around, keep an eye on her.” Archie gives his bags to Jin's outstretched hand and walks into the crowd of stationary cars.

Immediately, the woman hobbles out of the store and rushes away with a slim bag. Her right leg seems to drag along the ground and the bag bounces back and forth. Archie waves his hand at her. “Excuse me! Miss? Do you have a moment!” He jogs after her unsure if she heard him. They both stop near the main road unable to cross traffic. “Miss. Could you tell me where the nearest monorail station is? My friend left me here and I don't have my phone.”

Without hesitation, she spun around and sprayed Archie's face. He falls to his knees as his eyes burn with pain. In his darken world, the edge of it crumbles and, around him, the outlines turn into static. He could hear her turning around to run and reaches for her hand. The static seem to turn towards him and her pulse beats faster.

Archie yells, “Miss! Why?!” Her hand moves wildly to wrestle out of his grip. Her arm seems to tire from flailing but her pulse beats even faster. She reaches for something and swings downward at the iron grip. Although he should have felt pain from it, a cold bottle merely taps his hand. Suddenly, his palm felt cold and wet. The thin hand slips out and both stumble backwards onto the ground. He hears a loud shatter and his feet sting with cold. In front of him, the world fades into grey and all he could see were ripples of footsteps.

As he struggles up and readies to run after her, he hears a slap followed by a metal can clanging to the ground. A familiar voice hums into his ears and immediately stands upright waiting for his boss. “Felicia Everwood. Age 23. Affinity, Glitch. You are under arrest for assault and theft. Archie, overhand.” Archie raises his hand over his head and felt a cardboard box in his hand. With a quick motion, he uncaps the carton and pours the cold milk over his eyes. Tears and milk poured from his eyes as he opens them to see Jin standing over the culprit. Her hands were tied together with a blob and her hair flowed down to the ground.

“I'm-I'm sorry for my mistake, sir,” he breathed out. Milk drips off his chin with his suit soaked in stains. Even though, his eyes sting him, he continues to maintain his posture. He wonders what his punishment will be.

“It's fine.” Archie relaxes his shoulders. “At least we can confirm our suspicions were correct.” Felicia looks down, staring what seemed like past his shoes. Her arms were too tired to pull apart the rubbery bindings and her legs seem to have given up moving. The two men lift her up and escort her into the truck with a crowd slowly gathering to watch what unfolded.