The morning sun bakes the pavement beneath my feet as I pace through the city, the scent of rain filling the air as last nights downpour evaporates in the newfound heat. It's a perfect day, blue skies as far as the eye can see, and with the weather so wonderful I had simply decided to walk. Lacking any job or responsibilities had their upsides on occasion, and simply being able to go for a walk on a lovely day with no destination in mind was one of them.
It wasn't like I had nothing to do however, my mind turning to the washing sitting ready in my hamper and the growing need to replace some of my old shirts as I turned down into one of the many small shopping strips along the outskirts of the city proper.
The boutiques lining the street were most certainly out of my personal price range, the dwindling savings in my bank account serving better uses than purchasing some designer jeans or tailored button-up top.
However, as I wander past another series of shopfronts I lurch to a stop. Back pedaling slightly I glance back at one store nestled in-between two others in a matter than seemed almost like a subdivision or mistake in the aging buildings construction. The narrow shop sits filled with all manner of flannel tops and seemingly well-made shirts and pants, a series of signs in the window quickly stealing my attention.
CLOSING DOWN SALE
ONE DAY ONLY
UP TO 90% OFF
BUY ONE GET TWO FREE
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth quickly reach for the door, my arm hair standing on end as I touch the worn polished brass doorknob. With a little shock I push the door open, a small chime ringing out as the door bumps the bell dangling above it.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I step inside, the door closing behind me oddly fast as I lurch into the entryway. The air is warm and almost moist, my mind chalking it up to the evening rains and delightfully warm morning.
"Hello?" I call out, my voice echoing slightly down the long and narrow shop floor. Looking around I spot a small counter top, the register sitting on it looking strangely new and unused. A small note appears taped to the register, the hastily scrawled and messy text reading...
'Try clothes, changing room at back'
Cocking an eyebrow I glance around, looking for some sort of employee or owner only to find no one. Towards the back of the room I can spot a small booth, it's door open and shifting slightly as if quivering with anticipation. Beside it sits another door, resting perfectly sealed against its frame as to not even let light through the gaps.
"Is anyone..." I begin to shout, only to grow silent as a croaking groan rumbles up from the back of the store.
"Try... Change..." the voice coughs, the low rattling voice seemingly getting lost in the thick walls between myself the whoever was speaking.
Pausing for a moment I look at nearby rack, my gaze falling to a set of perfect looking jeans and a mustard button-up top. Swallowing hard I quickly snatch the items from the rack, folding them over my arm as I begin to walk to towards the back of the room and the cramped changing area. On the way I snatch up a set of thick leather boots, adding them to the collection as I glance around at what else I could try one.
"Okay, I'm..." I call out, reaching for the changing room door only to recoil as I feel a warm damp moisture lining the dark hard wood. Cringing slightly I quickly pull off my own flannel top, using it to wipe the wet door before slipping inside. "I'm just going to try something on, back in a sec"
The store itself had not been there the day before, the once empty storefront having been closed due to various repairs and permit issues. However, the entity itself did not care for things like local government regulations or health and safety violation. It cared for one thing and one thing only, to feed on potential and the delicious succulent energy take comes from breaking and reshaping reality.
It posed as something everyone or anyone would want, somewhere that was selling their immediate desire at a price that they simply couldn't refuse. The aim of this was simple, to lure in target and somehow bring them back through the monsters maw and deeper into its 'stomach'.
There they would need to discard a part of themselves, typically their clothing, for the monster to consume as it drained that essence from its victim. Should they leave now they would become more akin to an un-person, no life or soul to their name as their body shifted into a blank and immediately forgettable shape. However, despite stealing so much from its victim the monster would give something back into return.
After consuming the potential it had stolen from a victim it would be left with this left over style and substance that it would need to get rid of. Regurgitating these leftovers up in a temporarilymore appeasing shape, the monster would force this 'pre-loved' essential character onto its latest victim, reveling momentarily before they leave in the taste of yet another life altered beyond repair.
There were never repeat encounters with the monster, the victim suddenly finding themselves transported in some cases to the other side of the world once they left the creatures 'stomach'. Try as they might they would never find this particular 'store' again, many often giving up before long as they adapted to their new life and the strange body they would form along with it.
Twisting back and forth I look over the new clothing as it clings perfectly to my body, the fresh jeans squeaking slightly as they stretch for the first time.
"Fits like a glove" I muse happily, fiddling with the button on the top as I enjoy the sensation of the high quality fabric against my skin. For a moment my lips purse, my hands shifting over the clothing in search of something.
"Where's the price..." I mutter under my breath, wanting to know what 'UP TO 90% OFF' would actually mean on such well-made clothing. Without another thought I unlock the changing room door, a rush of air quickly following as the whole building seems to exhale.
"Hey! How mu..." I begin to call out, my vision blurring for a moment as the dim store appears to shift and shudder before my eyesight suddenly snaps back into clarity. Twisting and turning I look around at the unfamiliar...
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