19 The Shop

"You two, come here!" John urged them and grabbed Julia's wrist, leading the group to hide behind a raided convenience store.

"Are you okay?" he asked Julia after ducking down beside her. She flicked a shaky smile and nodded, despite her racing heart. But her brief relief faded as she caught her husband casting worried glances at Dalia instead of her. She was familiar with his flirty personality, but that's all it was, she thought. 

John peered around the corner, tracing the terrible sounds. His eyes landed on an apartment complex at the end of the street, its walls crackling with fissures. Then he saw it - the beast. It was a nightmarish fusion of a pocket monster and alien invader, like something ripped out of the pages of an H.P. Lovecraft novel.

The creature was massive, easily three stories tall. A viscous black fluid poured out from its skin and sizzled when it dripped onto the pavement. It smashed cars aside like toys with a plethora of limbs and its diabolical red eyes glowed as it sniffed the air, searching for prey.

John ducked back behind the store, his heart pounding. How could they possibly defeat a monster like that? They were sent here to defeat every monster in the vicinity, but this was on a different scale.

"What do we do?" Martin asked, his voice cracking by fear. His wide eyes shifted between each member of the group as he nervously adjusted the collar of his frayed shirt.

"Let's get out of here," John said after a tense pause, glancing anxiously down the ruined street. They would have to face this hulking creature eventually, but today? No, today they stood no chance.

John pulled a hand-drawn map from his pocket, the paper crumpling in his sweaty grip as he pondered their options. Theodore had marked certain locations that could serve as operational bases.

There was a hospital - but surely it had already been overrun and had nothing of interest. A mall - neither fortifiable nor subtle. And an old mansion on the outskirts of the city, overgrown and isolated. That seemed their best bet, but it was too far away for now.

John wanted to raid and secure the mall, but Martin argued that it was too big to defend.

"Yes, it is too big, but it's the best course of action. Not only is it placed strategically smack-down in the centre, but there will be plenty of resources," John countered. 

Julia and Dalia nodded unconsciously in agreement, glancing around the dreary back-alley littered with trash and broken glass. But Martin remained unconvinced, his arms crossed stubbornly across his flamboyant outfit.

"We'll be killed if we go there!" he yelled, his shrill voice echoing down the alley. John thought his tone seemed arrogant and misguided.

"How can you know that for certain?" John retorted, drawing more nods from the two women. "This isn't some zombie movie. There likely won't be a horde of monsters lurking in every dark corner. And if any do appear, we'll handle them."

Martin opened his mouth to continue arguing, but finally resigned himself with a dismissive "Tch, fine," his expression still stormy.

They advanced through the desolate streets, keeping an eye out for any movement. The group's gazes scanned the streets frantically, monsters could be lurking anywhere, and it was not their final day, not today. There was debris and abandoned cars littered all over the city, like a graveyard of hopes and dreams. As they prowled near the mall, they hesitated, their eyes darting around, scanning for danger.

The parking lot seemed frozen in time. Aside from scraps of paper and bags skipping across the cracked pavement, there was no sign of life. John tightened his grip on his knife as they stepped inside.

The group's footsteps echoed through the mall's interior. Shattered glass, broken chairs and random objects littered the floors, yet there was no jumpscare, no monster patiently waiting for them. 

John exhaled and gestured the group to move further in and search resources, but before they could begin their search, Dalia's gasp caught the group's attention. Something leaped up inside Julia who was shocked by the sudden noise.

Dalia was peering into the wreckage of a clothing store, where a strange device hummed softly. It was sleek and metallic, with a single glass panel. The group approached and Julia reached out hesitantly to touch it. As she did, the panel lit up, displaying four words, "Julia Bess. Identity Confirmed."

Intrigue invaded John's thoughts, what could it be? He wondered. Julia was startled at the machine's strange knowledge and stepped away from it, her arms coiling around her own body, as if shielding herself from some unknown force. Martin took a step back, his hands hidden behind his back.

Seeing as nobody wanted to approach the strange device, John took a step forward. He leaned in to the sides, inspecting the device from every angle, but he soon abandoned the notion of inspection. Clearly, the only way to figure this out was to interact with it.

John mirrored Julia's earlier move and rested his palm on the glass panel. Like before, the screen confirmed his identity, but John didn't remove his hand.

A second later, a new screen replaced it.

[John Sarack]

[Points: 800]

[Browse Catalogue]

Those were the words on the screen. John's quick wits grasped the meaning of the words and he tapped on the "Browse Catalogue" button. 

The group watched in silence, their eyes glued to the screen, following John's actions. He seemed to have an idea of the device's purposes and they all observed, subconsciously leaning forward.

As John tapped on the button, a new screen popped up, displaying thousands upon thousands of items. John's eyes narrowed. He was familiar with a wide range of fantasy tropes and clichés, but this was something else. 

Could this small device really pop a mansion into existence? Could it really materialise an arsenal of weapons? As always, seeing was believing, and so John fixed his gaze on things he could purchase and he deemed useful.