Mall Walkers Contest |
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Window Shopping
by Sean Loftiss
Kevin stood outside Game Nirvana with his nose pressed against the glass. Inside the display case, surrounded by designer sculpted action figures, was the mother of all hand-held gaming consoles: the GameMan XLL. Not only could it play all the latest and greatest action/arcade games, but it had a built-in emulator that played all of its competitors' games as well. Kevin drooled as he watched the previews cycle on the overhead monitor. This was all that he'd dreamed about for so long that, even after everything else that had happened, it still brought him back to Edgemore Mall.
Outside, the world had gone mad. With the onset of the epidemic, life had lost all meaning. The government quarantined the infected sectors, but it didn't lessen the emotional impact. People wandered without hope or purpose. There was little else to do, but wait... Like everyone else, Kevin roamed back and forth from home to school to work to home again. But there was an inexplicable solace he experienced when he stood here, staring at that little blue screen.
For some strange reason, Kevin thought of his mother. She'd been one of the first victims of the plague. He could almost hear her voice, inside his head, telling him to put on something decent for a change. For the first time since he didn't know when, Kevin really looked at what he was wearing. His shirt was ragged and torn, and his baggy blue jeans were smeared with muck. He hadn't realized they'd gotten so filthy. He should have changed long ago.
As he looked up, he saw his classmate, Wendell, approaching. Kevin grunted in welcome, but Wendell didn't pay any attention. He just passed by with another group. Wendell had been running with a different crowd lately. If Kevin was upset, it didn't show. He turned back to the comfort of his personal sanctuary.
Gunfire echoed faintly throughout the corridor - a sure sign that the blockade had been breached. Kevin was too absorbed in his video to notice. But those around him did, and they headed for the exit.
A burst of automatic weapon fire perforated the store window. The shattered glass held for a split second, and then its weight forced it to rain down about him. Kevin stood there, stunned, face to face with his deepest desire. With trembling hands, he reached inside and snatched up the GameMan XLL. At long last, it was his! He raised his prize to the heavens and shook it in exultation.
But something was wrong... Kevin lowered the unit and glared. He shook it again. No! How could this happen? Kevin's triumph turned to tragedy as he realized the GameMan was a fake - a mock-up for display purposes. His serenity forever shattered, he howled in outrage and tossed the sham away.
Behind him, the looters' vanguard raced down the hallway on a pair of roller skates. The scout wore insulated coveralls, a motorcycle helmet, and ski gloves, and wielded an aluminum baseball bat to finish off any remaining resistance. Wendell's pulverized corpse was proof of its proficiency. It raised its war club and headed straight for Kevin.
The discarded console landed in the looter's path and wedged between its left skate's wheels, causing them to jam. The scout somersaulted into the wall with a resounding thud and slid to the floor. Kevin, at last, finally noticed the looters' presence. He bent over the unconscious figure. The battered helmet was just like the ones he used to use dirt bike riding. Kevin undid the strap and pulled away the helmet to reveal a woman's long blonde hair. The fact that she was a woman meant nothing to Kevin. All that mattered now was his all-consuming hunger. He leaned over even further and bit off her nose. >From all around, zombies swarmed over the woman as she jolted back into consciousness. They tore at her hair and clothes and flesh as the feeding frenzy began. Her agonized screams echoed along the passageway.
Kevin grinned to himself through half-decomposed lips and rotten, yellow teeth. If he couldn't play, at least he could eat...
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