Before the megacities rose, most buildings doubled down on their securities. Businesses were protected more than ever, but not everyone could keep up with the terrors of the marauders and mimics. Only a few establishments kept their businesses going while most went bankrupt. One of the successful ones was this big supermarket in the heart of Abels Creek.
Prices had doubled, even tripled, since the first attack. Coming here had become a luxury everyone wanted to have. These guarded places were the only grounds safe from raiders. Mimics, not so much. Still, elite guards peppered the vicinity. Their visibility offered a pinch of confidence and relief.
"Dad must be eating healthily… considering the kind of money he could put in his supermarkets." Denver looked around the building's entrance. It might not be the cleanest, but the structure was well-maintained. He could spot newly painted areas as if all holes were covered as soon as they were made. Only a man as wealthy as that guy could make miracles in these times.
The main lobby leading to the supermarket had a security check for everyone coming inside. Denver went through the machine after taking out his survival knife and handgun.
These things were now necessities. The guard watching over the check didn't bat an eye at Denver's weapons, only at his seemingly familiar face. The guard had seen Denver a lot. This man surely knew how to survive, he thought.
Denver presented his ID and his debit card at the reception counter. The first was a guarantee that he was not a mimic, and the second was for the purchases. They stopped caring if the name matched the ID. Some people lent their cards for others to do errands while others had theirs stolen.
"This card was used last night. Does it still have money?" the one verifying the cards chuckled. Based on his records, this card showed up ten times in the last three weeks. The purchases were even big enough to feed at most twenty people.
"My allowance never gets cut off." Denver reciprocated the joke. However, he wasn't lying. Someone kept loading the card to make sure he wouldn't run out of food.
The verification officer snorted. He found it unfair. They needed to work hard and risk death just to have food in their mouths, but this guy only needed to buy. Regardless, these kinds of people were the reason the officer and his colleagues had a job in the supermarket.
He shooed Denver with hand gestures. "You can go. Take care in going home later. A lot of people sure need your allowance."
"Thank you." Denver chuckled at the strange well wishes.
Denver walked off to the supermarket's entrance. He grabbed a shopping cart and casually strolled around to find the household items on his list. His list was not for food, but for the traps to be laid against the marauders. It was easy for him to build homemade explosives. His old job somewhat dealt with those… or what they could do to a human body.
He looked at the people he spotted in the aisles. They wore these somber expressions as if troubled. Choosing between food and water, medical supplies and fuel gallons. In the entire supermarket, Denver was the only one with a steady gait.
"Hey…" the voice of a small girl called Denver's attention. It was so rare to hear a child outside their building. The environment was simply too dangerous.
Denver looked to the side and saw a little girl peeking from a corner of a big pillar. Her dark hair was in thin twin pigtails. She wore a stunningly red coat and long socks. Her black dress reminded Denver of a little girl's expensive doll.
"…do you need me to look for your parents?" Denver figured the child should have companions. A child like her couldn't go through the security check alone.
"Tall person… help me." She pointed at the shelf behind her. "That one."
Denver looked over and saw boxes of pancake mixes lining the top shelf. Those were already luxury items. Looking at their prices pained the economic man inside him. He turned to the girl again. "…you should ask your guardian if you can buy something like this."
The girl watched him intently as he took the box and handed it to her. However, she didn't reach out to collect it from him. She only stared right into his eyes as if resenting him.
"I was told you were special. I'll try again." The child hid her body behind the pillar completely.
When Denver checked the corner, she was already gone. No one was in the aisle. His legs wanted to run, and his hand ached to slam the alarm button. The girl just now… was a mimic. She could never be a normal person in these times. Acting strangely and vanishing out of sight… One mimic slipped inside their supposed protected grounds.
What was worse was that… she was after him.
Denver's mouth closed, and he regulated his breathing. He could only stare at the corner where the girl should be. His hands balled into tight fists, and his nails dug into his skin. He grew scared, but fear never made anything better for him.
He turned away and focused on his task at hand. Strange mimics did not kill him, but those marauders might kill his neighbors.
Denver turned on his heel and walked off to continue shopping.
[Congratulations on passing the first stage of the evaluation! Please wait for the second stage.]
'There goes the strange voice again…'
Denver frowned as he placed two gallons of bleach in his cart. He glanced around in case he got another hallucination. However, the supermarket remained normal until he completed his list.
"Uh… are you raiding someplace?" The cashier frowned at the items Denver was checking out. He glanced at the man, who didn't look big enough to intimidate anyone. Denver had a build to lift heavy objects and even easily carry a person. However, he didn't have this murderous aura.
"No, but someone wants to raid our place. I can't risk it." Denver obliged to the small talk. His cart was full of suspicious objects. Security had already tagged him, but keeping his cool could get him through this without a hitch.
"Oh…" The cashier wasn't surprised with scenarios like that. It also happened in the supermarket while he was inside. Regardless, he only bid Denver good luck.
Denver rolled his cart to the supermarket's exit lobby. He loaded most packed things inside the bag and made makeshift straps to hold the gallons easier. Everything was heavy, but he had an entire six-story building to cover.