The cold night air brushed against Sammie's bare feet, drawing her attention downward. In the faint glow of the streetlight, she could see her feet were marred with black soot, and she cringed at the sight. She tried to brush the grime off, but it only smeared further, leaving her feeling even more conspicuous.
"I'd best get this sorted out first," she muttered to herself. "Otherwise, I'm just going to draw too much unwanted attention."
Across the street, a small pharmacy stood open, its lights casting a warm, inviting glow. Sammie hunched her shoulders, trying to make herself smaller and less noticeable, and quickly crossed the road. She pushed through the glass door, wincing as the bell above jingled loudly, announcing her presence. She glanced towards the counter, relieved to see the young cashier engrossed in his phone, barely noticing her entrance.
She ducked behind a shelf, quickly locating a pack of baby wipes. She tore it open and began wiping down the visible parts of her body, working efficiently to remove the soot and grime. She stuffed the used wipes into her pocket, taking care not to leave any evidence behind. As she wiped her feet and legs, she felt a sense of urgency gnawing at her—she needed to clean up and get out before anyone took a good look at her.
With her skin somewhat clean, Sammie surveyed the store, searching for anything else that might help her blend in. Her eyes landed on a display of sandals at the end of the aisle, along the back wall. She hurried over, grateful to find a pair in her size. Without hesitation, she tore off the tag and slipped them on, feeling a small comfort at having something between her feet and the cold ground.
Next, she turned her attention to a nearby rack of sunglasses. She ran her fingers down the selection, choosing a large brown pair that would help obscure her face. As she tried them on, she caught her reflection in a small mirror above the display. Leaning in closer, she noticed a few small smudges still on her face and quickly wiped them away, scrunching her nose in frustration. As she adjusted the glasses, she glanced into the mirror again and saw the cashier watching her.
"Bugger," she whispered under her breath. She ripped off the tag from the sunglasses and slid them back on, trying to act nonchalant as she walked over to the counter. She placed the sandal and sunglasses tags, along with the baby wipes, on the counter, ignoring the cashier's curious look. Her eyes darted to a display behind him, where several power banks were stacked. Beyond that, she noticed the security feed on a screen, showing various angles of the store.
An idea sparked in her mind. Quickly pulling up an app on her phone, Sammie asked the cashier to grab a power bank from the shelf behind him. As he turned to retrieve it, she discreetly placed her phone face down on the counter near the register. The phone app began its work silently as Sammie pretended to browse the charging cables, picking up boxes and pretending to read the information on the back.
A soft ding from her phone indicated that the app had completed its task. She grabbed the necessary charger cable for her phone while casually retrieved her phone, just as the cashier returned with the power bank. He seemed to notice something odd, his brow furrowing as if he were about to say something. Sammie felt a jolt of panic and, without thinking, grabbed the nearest candy bar from a nearby display. She tossed it at him, a sudden, unexpected action that caught him off guard.
The cashier fumbled with the candy bar, his confusion giving Sammie the distraction she needed. She quickly swiped her phone across the payment terminal, paying for her items before he could recover. As the transaction completed, she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the store, not bothering to say a word.
Once outside, Sammie immediately pulled out her phone and opened the app again. With a single tap, she activated the command she had prepared earlier. Inside the store, the security feed flickered briefly, the footage of the last several hours being silently erased from the system. No one would see her entering the store covered in soot or know that she had tampered with the camera feed.
She walked briskly down the street, the sandals slapping against the pavement. The sunglasses and hood obscured her face, offering a small measure of anonymity. Her heart still pounded from the encounter, but she felt a growing sense of relief. She had successfully avoided drawing too much attention to herself, at least for now.
As she put more distance between herself and the pharmacy, Sammie felt the weight of the events of the night bearing down on her. Her mind raced with questions and uncertainties, but she pushed them aside for the moment. She needed to stay focused, to find a place where she could lay low and figure out her next steps. Whatever strange power had brought her back, she couldn't risk exposure—not until she understood what was happening to her.