When I stepped out of the bathroom, I felt a little more centered. I was breathing better, as if the cold water had washed away some of the chaos I was carrying. It did not take me long to get dressed: the same clothes I wore when I still lived with my parents. A black linen shirt, dark gray pants, and equally black Converse sneakers. If it were not for the fact that everything felt a little tight, I would have said they were perfect clothes for being at home; but it was the only thing that was not soaked in wine or covered in vomit.
I looked for my things before leaving. This body's cell phone was strangely a generic, logo less brand, but it was a touchscreen, which did not quite align with the date, something else to investigate. The keys to a truck: which I remembered was a early 2001 Toyota Tacoma, but with some modifications to the cabin. I did not even have to look for the wallet; it was still in the pocket of the clothes I had taken off.
With that ready, I left the house heading for the nearby town, barely a five minute drive away.
Every time I passed a familiar place, a known sensation hit me: blurry memories, more like loose mental notes that failed to become something vivid, just footnotes on a page.
The town was exactly what one would expect… except for the rain. That rain gave the impression that everything was freshly washed, while at the same time making it look old. The unmistakable aroma of wood and wet earth seemed to be perpetual, while a fine mist could be seen in these morning moments. I stopped paying attention to everything, only concentrating on driving, as I was not in the mood for reflection not in the car, maybe in the store I could say something sarcastic.
Even with my mental silliness, it did not take me long to reach the commercial area. Among several establishments dimmed by the cloudy weather of the place, I found one of those stores that seemed to sell everything without being a supermarket. The name did not sound familiar to me, not from my past life at least, just a slight recognition from my current self, but who cared? Certainly not me.
I parked with some care, because although I knew how to drive, the truth is that I did not want to end my new life so soon, you know. Even if this body dies, I will continue to live, and I really do not want to know if I will reform as the spiritual life form I am in a few hours or in a few centuries.
Leaving aside the confusing thoughts about my own identity as a being, I reached the entrance door. When I pushed the door open to enter, a little bell rang above my head, those cheap little bells you find in all the stores, yep, those.
I looked around the place while grabbing one of the carts, in conclusion, a normal shopping day. But I started thinking seriously about my now while grabbing a box of orange juice.
I really did not have many goals in life, beyond someday living comfortably, which would be extremely easy with being a demon plus the insurance money…. But there was also the fact that if that were the case, I would not really do anything with my life, you know, just idleness, which is not bad if it is only occasionally, but a life, an almost eternal life, that way?
It really sounded more like a form of torture, so setting a couple of future goals would be best. Maybe something extremely difficult to achieve or something that keeps me active for a good while?
That sounds like a plan, I will just have to think about it after I test the abilities I have not tested yet. So that goes on the imaginary list of things to do.
I finished grabbing the orange juice and put it in the cart. Next was logistics: cleaning products, meat, some pasta, vegetables, and a few types of fruit. I headed to the fridge aisle in search of meat.
As I walked through the store, I thought carefully about the abilities that did not have such a visible effect. The clear example of this is [Possess], which was active right now. I knew that in simple terms, what it did was unite my immaterial self with a compatible material receptacle.
Although it was confusing, I knew that it was really more like using a meat shell than them actually being able to harm my true form. Of course, in this state, I was just as vulnerable to physical and magical attacks as any living being. But really, anything that hits me would only damage the shell, not the content. Although in the future, maybe making the shell more resistant should be the best thing for safety.
That is what I thought while holding several bags of pasta before continuing with that and putting them in the cart.
I could accept that, given that I preferred to live in a civilized society than to be hidden; you know, society has many advantages, in addition to the pleasures of experiencing like consuming the sweet souls of mortals.
My mouth watered until I rationalized what I had just thought… that kind of thought is something I think I have to get used to, but prevent them from defining me as an existence.
I put those thoughts aside before continuing with what I was saying, the abilities that are not visibly active. [Great Analyst] was next. It was an ability that could be understood as a background data analysis system based on what I knew about the world as well as what I perceived from it. An example of this is that I know by a quick calculation that in this supermarket there are only between about 45 to 47 people, counting the employees in that calculation, people of whom at least 65% are housewives, all of the above with a margin of error of 5%.
Those were my thoughts as I placed some cleaning products in the bottom of the cart.
Now how the hell do I know that? Simple, I really know it instinctively because the ability makes the conclusions in the background, but I can simply inquire into it to find out how I arrived at those conclusions because the ability answers me.
The number of people? Looking at the cars in the parking lot, the size of the place, the time of day, the number of checkouts in the place... How do I know how many are housewives or why they are? Simple, because of the day, a Tuesday, November 23rd, at almost 10 in the morning, so only someone who either works in the afternoon or is free at these hours would be the exception to the rule. Now, those are the conclusions. Obviously, there are more things involved, such as the weather, the sound of footsteps, among other factors, but the above was basically the important part.
Now how am I so sure this ability is so good? Because I used [Mana Perception] in the supermarket area, only detecting the general body shape as well as the position, detecting exactly 47 people in total not counting myself. Of which 85% were moving with a cart, of which 82% of the total have feminine builds and the rest masculine builds or were standing still at the checkouts. The truth is that I only looked at all that for a moment, which is why I only extracted those few data points.
Before continuing with my mental diatribe, I put some packages of fresh vegetables in the cart along with some types of fruit like apples, pears, oranges, and grapes… when I touched the latter, I felt something calling me in the back of my mind. If I was not mistaken, it must be that unique ability.
I guess I was so caught up in my head with those thoughts that I did not realize when I bumped into something as I was heading towards the meat aisle, my last stop.
The cart stopped with a dull thud, and my reflection on [Shadow Harvest] evaporated. But as I looked up, my eyes directed towards whoever I had collided with, the surrounding air changed slightly, and a strong aroma reached me just as my eyes landed on the woman.
In front of me stood a woman with frankly voluptuous curves, dominating the space with an undeniable sensual presence. Her skin was pale, vividly contrasting with her hair, pulled back in a high, neat bun of jet black color. She wore a deep wine red knit dress that clung to her body, highlighting her enormous bust, wide hips, and thighs. The wool fabric covered her neck with a high cut. Pearl bracelets stood out on her wrists. Her legs were partially covered by a pair of garters or high vinyl socks of a bright dark red color, just above the knee, adding an extremely sensual touch for the place we were in. Her face, with heavy makeup, smoky eyes with strong eyeliner, and red lips.
Unlike what might be expected, the woman's expression was strangely frozen. Like a deer staring at the lights of a car speeding before being inevitably run over. The previous aroma now spread as something dense, almost palpable in the air, to the point where I could taste it with my mouth.
An aroma that reminded me of several things, a dense floral aroma with salty notes reminiscent of the sea.
While all that was happening, the woman did not change her expression or even blink. My body had already tensed in a very uncomfortable physical response, not knowing how to react. Seeing that if I did not do something, the woman would remain frozen there, I had to speak.
"Hello, sorry about that, but I'm a bit distracted today," I said in the same tone I used so much in this life and the other, somewhat monotone with a bit of sarcasm unconsciously applied, but what could I do, habits are not corrected overnight.
My voice seemed to snap the woman out of the trance she was in. The woman's body reacted with a slight spasm while she hyperventilated all of a sudden. A layer of sweat spread from her forehead and slid down her neck, soaking her. Her skin was boiling in a red tone that I had only seen in people with a fever. I could even slightly feel the heat her body generated, which was extremely worrying, given that I was at least two carts away from her, and all that change happened in less than a couple of seconds.
"Ma'am?" I will be frank, the woman gave me a bad feeling even if she did not seem to show signs of being a threat, it is just that heck, I do not know what kind of world I am in, being paranoid should be totally valid in my situation. "Are you alright?" I spoke more to myself while approaching the woman, who frankly did not look well at all.
She took a clumsy step forward, staggering as if she could not maintain her footing. It was then that I noticed the aroma becoming even denser, and a sound of liquid constantly being spilled filled my ears. I did not have to look down to know what had happened.
Something I could not pay attention to because another louder noise filled the environment; a wet, heavy thud sounded when I fixed my gaze on the floor; it was the unmistakable dull burst of flesh colliding with the hard, damp surface of the floor, accompanied by the metallic sound of the two carts moving.
The woman had collapsed to one side like a puppet whose strings are cut. The woman was twitching with slight spasms, her eyes rolled back, as well as more of that aroma which at this point was obvious were the woman's fluids that she kept expelling, if the clear enlargement of the puddle was a visual indicator in this situation.
All that appreciation took no more than a few fractions of a second, in which I completely moved the shopping carts so that in case her movements were more abrupt, she would not hurt herself more than she already had.
Although I was thinking logically, the aroma was now so dense that it made it a little difficult for me to concentrate on anything other than the woman. It was so much so that it would not be until after leaving this supermarket that I would realize I had an erection since the aroma had entered my nose.
It did not take me more than a few fractions to consider what to do. Her spasms did not seem that serious, so lifting her to take her to an employee should be possible. When I knelt down to lift her, she was burning in a quite literal sense of the word. I could feel her skin slightly burning as she continued to spill her fluids; like touching a bag of meat on a hot summer day.
When I finally had her in my arms, the woman did not feel heavy, even though by her height of almost 1.7 meters and build, she should weigh about 90 kilograms. It felt like lifting something quite light, but without my mind ignoring the weight. Well, the woman was still leaking, so I dropped that train of thought as I carefully lifted her entirely, being careful not to break anything due to the movement.
The woman did not seem to react as I would expect, because her eyes were still rolled back, but the spasms were of an increasingly smaller, yet constant, magnitude. I moved with some care because of the dampness that she kept spilling.
The aroma did not stop increasing in density. It was not a bad smell, but the fact that it was so strong was extremely annoying. As were the woman's own reactions when I left the aisle carrying her. I quickly looked around before finding an employee of the store.
She was a young woman between 16 and 19 years old, with long, golden blonde hair that fell over her shoulders, and penetrating blue eyes that showed her tiredness. Her figure was noticeably athletic and curvy, highlighting a generous bust that hinted through her clothes, almost or even larger than the woman I was now holding, a bust on which an employee badge with the name Roxanne was visible. Her expression was one of utter exhaustion, you know, that "my life sucks" expression. She had a Lollipop between her lips, which she was distractedly nibbling on. She wore the uniform, which consisted of a slightly faded light green sleeveless T shirt worn over a white short sleeved shirt underneath. She wore denim pants that fit her hips, along with a pair of matching faded blue shoes. Despite the uniform and the tired look, it was undeniable that she possessed quite a beauty.
"Hey, there's someone having a collapse here!" I told the employee who was stocking something. It seemed I caught her attention because the employee spun around abruptly, somewhat startled. The look of boredom transformed into an expression of understanding when she saw the woman in my arms, her face red with fluids still dampening the floor and my clothes. The lollipop fell from her mouth before she clumsily approached where I was.
"W what happened to her?" she managed to articulate when she was in front of me, looking at the woman with worry and disgust, a lot of disgust on her face, before grabbing one of those radios on her employee belt with that tired expression.
"I don't know, I was going through the meat aisle when I saw the woman catatonic before she collapsed and started spilling her fluids," I said quickly while the young woman looked at me and also waited for some response from her radio, which only spat out static, before nodding with some disgust at the last thing I said. She shifted her gaze between the woman and the unresponsive radio, only sighing as she indicated where to put the woman.
Her worried and tired face became clear while, after almost a minute of moving, we reached a door with a sign indicating that only employees could enter. She quickly opened the door, letting me pass while I held the woman, who was slowly calming down but still having spasms and fluid leakage, which, seeing how much water her body had released with that, was worrying.
When I passed, I quickly took note of the place. It was a common employee break room, a table next to some chairs, a small vacuum tube television on another smaller table, and a quite small refrigerator at the back of all that.
"Put her over here," Roxanne instructed me, opening a folding stretcher that was against the wall next to some supermarket items stored there.
I carefully placed the woman on the stretcher. Her flaccid and hot body gently impacted the canvas. The spasms had not ceased, although they were slow and constant. The sound of the fluids dampening the canvas seemed strange not only to me, if the clear retching of the employee next to me was an indicator.
Roxanne moved away a bit to now be able to speak on the radio, which no longer threw static but a somewhat annoyed male voice asking things I could not hear well from my position. While she talked to the possible manager or other employees to come help or call a paramedic, I was next to the woman, drying myself with a towel the girl offered me. Even so, the smell was still stuck to me. I could not help but shiver, unable to cover my nose because my hands were stained with that liquid.
A slight tingling rose through my body as I thought about things that only a sexually repressed person would be able to conceive. I only returned to reality because those thoughts were the result of my physical body as some instinctive response, not MY thoughts as a being. My mind broke through the thoughts this body had like a weak resistance before calming me down.
I looked at the woman with a clear new paradigm in my head. If it were not for the employee and the risk of exposing myself, I would use magic at this very instant to find out what the hell was wrong with this woman. My fist clenched without me realizing it; the air let out a minimal whistle before a dry snap vanished in less than a fraction of a second.
I repressed my growing emotions before unknowingly speaking with my true voice filtering through as my eyes lost that touch of panic I had because of everything that had happened until now, completely replaced by a mirror of calm, like a man looking at a newborn.
"It's okay, everything is fine. So you should calm down," was what I said dryly, not expecting anything to happen, because words do not stop epilepsy or whatever the woman had.
That is what I would think if the woman had not stopped in silence as if a switch had been flipped. Her body was still burning, but the red color left her face. She stopped expelling that translucent pink liquid from her vagina. Her breathing stabilized as the spasms stopped. For a couple of seconds, the woman's eyes returned to normal, eyes that looked at me for a couple of seconds with an emotion my mind could not process before closing, completely collapsing from exhaustion or fluid loss, whichever you want to believe.
The employee was still on the radio, occasionally looking at the woman on the stretcher, realizing that she was calm and seeing how the woman's breathing stabilized. I looked at Roxanne, who audibly sighed as she approached.
"The paramedics are on their way," she said, putting her radio back on her belt, before continuing with everything. I detached myself from the conversation while putting one of my hands in my pocket, forming a small test tube with my ability, all while the store clerk asked me a couple of things so I could leave already. I quickly put some of that liquid from the woman into the test tube before continuing with my train of thought. That is until I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts when she mentioned something that caught my attention when I gave her my name.
"... that name, by any chance are you related to Sparkles?" she said while my mind remembered that this is the nickname by which many know my sister, at least in this reality. I looked at the woman a bit. Because of her age, only a little younger than mine, she could be one of my sister's many friends. She whispered something unintelligible upon seeing my face, remembering that she was dead.
"Yes, she was my younger sister," I only spoke dryly because of the discomfort of still being wet, as well as the reminder of some happy memories with her, which clashed with everything I had experienced today, from dying, being reconstructed, being fused, experiencing memories that are increasingly mine, testing a bit of the power I now possessed, to the incident of that woman leaking on the stretcher. Everything was unreal in more than one sense, like a bad joke in which the final punchline was me.
Perhaps it was my expression or my own awareness of the situation of my deceased relatives that the girl let me go in silence when she took the necessary data. Still soaked, I took the almost full shopping cart and passed through the checkout almost like a robot on autopilot. That is how everything went, for when I came to, I was already sitting in the driver's seat of the truck.