The first plan of action would obviously be to enter the store myself. However, I wasn't sure if that was a wise idea. I wasn't exactly being quiet about my investigation. If I went in alone, someone might recognise me and who knows what they'd do. No, I needed someone to go in with me. Someone I trusted, maybe even someone who was looking for a new pair of shoes. But could I morally let someone change their very being just to get some dirt on this store? It turns out I could, as the opportunity fell right into my lap in the form of a phone call. I was about to drive to the coffee shop for my daily stake-out when my cell phone vibrated. I rolled my eyes with a groan upon seeing the caller ID, but reluctantly answered it.
"Hello Chad..."
"'Sup lil' bro! Boy am I glad you picked up. Listen, are you busy right now?"
"Well, I was -"
"Hah, of course not! You never are. So I need you to do me a solid and pick up Butch from school today"
"What? But I -"
"It's just so rammed here at the shop, otherwise I'd go myself"
I sighed loudly. "Doesn't he usually get the bus home?"
"Oh yeah, I also need you to do another solid. You need to take him to that shoe store on the corner of Madison Road. Flicko's or something"
My heart skipped a beat. "Funko's?"
"Yeah, that's the one! I ordered him some new gear from the online store last week. All totally tailor made to best fit his needs. But they don't deliver. Stupid right? So pick Butch up from school, get the order from Funkys and bring him back home, a'ight? Thanks bro, I owe you a brew! See ya!"
Chad hung up before I could get another word in. He was always like this, boisterous and full of himself. Just because I'm a freelance journalist, he thinks I'm never busy and always expects me to do his errands because he runs his own business. And just because I'm his younger brother, he thinks he can still boss me around like it's no big deal. Doesn't he realise I'm thirty and not thirteen? Ugh, I hate his presumptuous ass... But I couldn't leave Butch stranded at school. And I could finally do some surveillance inside the store! I just had had to take the good with bad. I started the engine in my car and made my way to his school.
When I arrived, Butch was already standing outside the entrance and he made a beeline towards my clunker of a car, climbing into the back seat. I turned and said "Hey Butchy Boy, how was your day?"
He shrugged. "Alright I guess. We talked about symbolism of the weather in Lord of the Flies which was cool". Butch was always a quiet, smart lad with a passion for literature just like myself. We had a lot in common, not like Chad and him. They were more like apples and oranges. Chad is a loud-mouthed, huge lug of a man whereas Butch was a reserved, skinny wimp. It was obvious that Brad was a big disappointment to Chad, even if he never said it out loud. They just had no common ground between them. It didn't help that Butch took more after his mum's side of the family. Chad divorced from Pam a few years after Butch was born and lost the legal battle for shared custody after she moved to Canada and refused to take him with her. Things like that can be rough on a kid.
The car journey was spent mainly in silence, aside from the car radio. I begun to question whether or not this was the right thing to do. Could I really let my only nephew get wrapped up in this kooky biz? He was a good kid, he didn't deserve to go through the changes I'd witnessed. What if he ended up another dim-witted jock like so many other good kids before him? Or one of those weird skater boys the store kept churning out? Or, god forbid, what if he became a man like that rugged, surly cowboy I clashed with earlier in the week? Who knows what my brother purchased for him. I doubt he even knew what he was getting Butch into. But then given his track record of father/son "bonding", maybe he did. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to shape Butch to be more like his namesake. But I was the only one who knew about the whole body changing thing right...? Right! Nobody believes me and I haven't mentioned anything to Chad or Butch. This was just a coincidence is all. I'm sure the shoes he chose were just normal, everyday trainers. I couldn't find anything unusual looking on their website after all, and I searched for hours. Besides, me not taking Butch to the store wouldn't stop my brother from taking him another day to collect the shoes, and I'd have missed yet another opportunity to get valuable information on what goes on in behind the curtains. I reluctantly convinced myself it was a necessary sacrifice.
I found my usual parking space, and finally stood outside the entrance to Funko's Footwear with intention to enter. I took a deep breath and walked through the automatic doors, getting my first official look inside. And honestly? I was slightly underwhelmed by the place. It looked just like every other shoe store in America. It was clean, kind of pristine, and the walls were lined with boxes upon boxes of shoes. There were all the known brands and a few I hadn't heard of. Most importantly, they were all brand new. I couldn't see any of the scuffed, dirty shoes I'd seen on the kids who stumbled out of the store. What did this mean? Was it all just a cover? I didn't realise I'd stopped to think it through until Butch tugged on my arm and said "Hey, wake up". I shook my head clear then darted to the middle of the store to look for assistance. However, I couldn't see anybody else along the aisles, employee or otherwise. And along with the muffled pop songs playing overhead, it left an eerie atmosphere. I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a cough from behind me. I turned quickly to see a smartly dressed, elderly men stood by the cash registers with an unsettling smile. Feeling on edge, I pulled out my phone and looked for the text my brother sent me with the email details.
"Uhm hello, I'm here to pick up an order for my nephew here. It should be under the name Chad Castillo".
I showed the cashier the reference number. He checked the computer, smiled and nodded his head. "Ah yes, the vintage Outbacks. A mighty fine choice, I'm sure your nephew will find them to be positively life-changing. Excuse me while I grab them". As he went into the stockroom, I reviewed his words. Life changing? He wasn't exactly subtle was he? Did he know that I was investigating the weirdness in this store? Maybe this was a trap to get me inside and now they were going to ensure I didn't squeal about what I knew! Or maybe I was just getting paranoid again... The cashier promptly arrived with a large shoe box, much larger than I was expecting. I thanked the man and turned to leave the store, but stopped in my tracks when he yelled out "Wait, you can't just leave!".
I turned on the spot with a quizzical look. "Why not? We have the shoes right?"
"You're not allowed to leave the store without trying your purchase on first! Store policy."
I scratched my head in confusion. That would explain why everyone wore their new shoes when leaving the store instead of their own. But it didn't explain why they never fit, or how they appeared to actually change the person wearing them. Maybe the footwear's effects needed to be manually activated by the staff. Or there was some kind of microchip inside of them that activated upon being worn. I didn't want to bring more attention to myself than I probably already had, so I shrugged my shoulders and pointed Butch towards an empty bench. As he sat down, I opened the shoe box and gasped. What in the world was Chad thinking when he ordered these!?