The bell above the door chimed again, soft and familiar, but I barely registered it.
My hands moved on autopilot-wrapping a book, sliding it across the counter, offering a polite smile, answering questions I'd answered a hundred times before.
On the surface, the shop was calm and busy, but there was hardly any crowd today. They were all too busy suffering from the plague.
Inside my head, it was anything but calm. My phone was going off, causing notifications to light up my screen.
[Ding! Faith points +120.]
[Ding! Faith points +85.]
[Ding! Faith points +200.]
The notifications stacked one after another, overlapping until the sound blurred into a constant hum at the back of my skull.
I didn't need to check to know the number was climbing fast. And it was climbing faster than ever.
I swallowed and focused on the customer in front of me, nodding as they thanked me and left. The door closed. Another chime. Another point gain.
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
