{"id":2535,"date":"2012-05-04T06:49:58","date_gmt":"2012-05-04T10:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gadflyonline.com\/wpblog\/?p=2535"},"modified":"2012-07-30T15:29:33","modified_gmt":"2012-07-30T19:29:33","slug":"rampage-by-melissa-r-mendelson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/rampage-by-melissa-r-mendelson\/","title":{"rendered":"Rampage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The parking lot was full of lost souls.\u00a0 Their footsteps crunched against hard, cold cement.\u00a0 Hands shoved into pockets, fighting to stay warm.\u00a0 White wisps of breath danced into the air, weaving in-between their shadows against the pale lamp post light.\u00a0 Eyes met darkness and then those penetrating headlights.\u00a0 There would be no rest for them tonight.<\/p>\n

The ride along the country streets was vacant, but not for long.\u00a0 Traffic lights flashed red and then green.\u00a0 Tires bumped along in quiet, and minds were full of memories.\u00a0 They remembered the wine, whose bottle now laid on its side.\u00a0 They remembered the empty plates that once held all that they could eat.\u00a0 Now, they sit here against cold, rubber seats, whereas their chairs next to their hearth remained empty, begging for them to remain home, but they were called away.\u00a0 And now they were here.<\/p>\n

The school bus dropped them at the curb.\u00a0 Its yellow, glass doors slammed shut.\u00a0 Without hesitation, the engine roared, taking off.\u00a0 The driver didn\u2019t waste time, not wanting to be trapped here, and left them behind, in the cold and the dark, and slowly they trudged down to their assigned outlet store, knowing what was to come.<\/p>\n

The bright lights inside gave comfort to the cold darkness.\u00a0 Warmth chased the chill away.\u00a0 Hands were released from pockets, and feet kicked the floor, shaking off the snow.\u00a0 Breath escaped into the air, and eyes took in all that stood before them.\u00a0 But then the glass doors slammed shut, locked in place.\u00a0 Time to go to work.<\/p>\n

The storeroom was now empty.\u00a0 The shelves were stocked.\u00a0 The racks were full.\u00a0 Registers clicked and clacked.\u00a0 The staff wore bright yellow shirts that made them stick out against the growing darkness, targets for the mayhem to come, but they laughed and talked instead, anything to kill the growing tension.\u00a0 But in the distance, they saw it, the golden caterpillar that now weaved its way here, and with it would come a million arms of chaos.<\/p>\n

The wait was over.\u00a0 The golden caterpillar arrived, engulfing the roadways under it, and the screams of brakes, the annoyance of honks sounded off into the night.\u00a0 Its eyes glared red, lighting up the darkness, and its legs spilled out across every vacant parking lot, now consumed.\u00a0 Its hands split into a pouring sea of the hungry, the rampant, who would soon reach these doors.\u00a0 Its voice rumbled in its throat, rising higher and higher, and it was a voice that could warm the heart of fear, that could annihilate tonight.\u00a0 And now their shadows were seen, spreading across the outlet mall, spilling over each other like a mob that would have no fury but a mindless rampage to destroy everything in sight.<\/p>\n

Twelve hours and counting.\u00a0 They set their watches, wincing at the scratches against the door.\u00a0 If only they could stay home, their minds begged, but they needed to be here.\u00a0 They needed the money, and this was the price to be paid.\u00a0 And again, they flinched as another struck the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time,\u201d the manager yelled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s time.\u201d\u00a0 He waited until each one of them arrived at their assigned stations.\u00a0 He gave a swift look over the merchandise, satisfied with what he saw.\u00a0 He then glanced at those behind the registers, noting their fear and anxiety.\u00a0 \u201cReady!\u201d\u00a0 They tensed with his word.\u00a0 \u201cSet.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes and theirs fell on those pressed against the door, begging to come in.\u00a0 \u201cHello, Black Friday,\u201d and with his last breath, he opened those glass doors.<\/p>\n

There was no hesitation.\u00a0 They came on swift wings.\u00a0 Security failed to hold them back and drowned beneath them.\u00a0 Their screams were muffled under a thousand feet, and the hungry stretched their hands, their claws out into each and every direction, snapping on what they desired.\u00a0 If another dared grab the object of their affection, a battle would ensue, and the victor would leave, leaving the wounded behind.\u00a0 There was no time to care.\u00a0 This was war.\u00a0 They were on a mission.\u00a0 Nobody was going to stand in their way, and the store was gone, lost in mindless mayhem with a piercing wail from the golden caterpillar.<\/p>\n

Six hours to go.\u00a0 The store was a mess.\u00a0 The shelves were already empty.\u00a0 The racks were destroyed.\u00a0 Paper, boxes, bags decorated the floors.\u00a0 They were still coming, never to relent or fall back, and they swarmed the small outlet store, pressing those in yellow shirts up against the walls.\u00a0 Anticipation was replaced with anger as they asked for what they wanted, only to be told that their object of desire was now sold out, and they screamed a bloodcurdling scream of loss and fury.<\/p>\n

Break.\u00a0 One hour of freedom.\u00a0 Sandwiches and soda were brought into the break room way before the chaos erupted.\u00a0 Now, that food and drink was devoured, filling those on the edge of exhaustion, and they still had hours to go.\u00a0 If only they could go home, their minds begged, but there was no going home.\u00a0 There was only going back into the melee that waited for them behind those stock room doors, and they shuddered at that thought.\u00a0 But if only they could survive the rest of their shift, they could go home, leaving the night crew to take over where they left off.<\/p>\n

One hour to go.\u00a0 Rays of sunlight broke through the darkness, giving false hope because they were still coming.\u00a0 Warmth and cold danced as strangers, toe to toe as those glass doors swung back and forth.\u00a0 Lights flickered overhead with intensity, and a thousand voices were the wind that swept through the small store.\u00a0 The madness was here to stay, and it screamed with the word, \u201cSale.\u201d\u00a0 But the stockroom was now empty, and their hunger went unsatisfied.\u00a0 So, instead of leaving, they destroyed, attacking those, who tried to wait on them, but the true relief, their escape from this rampage was the arrival of the night crew.<\/p>\n

Horror shined in their eyes.\u00a0 They struggled to push past those that blocked their way to the store room, but a thousand hands grabbed onto their arms, trying to pull them in.\u00a0 Their feet struggled to walk as fast as they could, but they were bombarded with question after question, questions that they could not answer.\u00a0 They just got here, taking the school bus as close as it dared go, and they hadn\u2019t even put on their yellow shirts yet.\u00a0 But the mayhem didn\u2019t care, snapping at their laziness to not respond with what they wanted to hear.\u00a0 Where had their humanity gone?\u00a0 They were now pieces of the golden caterpillar that held traffic in a deadlock.<\/p>\n

Freedom.\u00a0 The staff exploded from the stores, throwing off their yellow shirts.\u00a0 They moved through the swarms that crowded around stores, dodging any grasp or question.\u00a0 They were off shift, so they didn\u2019t want to be bothered.\u00a0 All they wanted was the yellow school bus that would rescue them from this chaos and take them back to where they began.\u00a0 And then, they could finally go home, but instead of being happy at that thought, they shook.\u00a0 They trembled because they would have to return tomorrow and the day after that to tango with the yellow caterpillar and its minions all over again, but not now.\u00a0 Now, they were free, and there was the yellow school bus.<\/p>\n

The night crew had no such luck.\u00a0 The hours dragged by.\u00a0 The shelves were broken.\u00a0 The racks were crippled.\u00a0 The floor was showered in debris.\u00a0 Fingers crunched against register, and voices engulfed each other, screaming the word, \u201cSale.\u201d\u00a0 And they kept on coming, and they refused to go away.\u00a0 Even when those glass doors closed back in place, locked one final time, they struck the door, sending the night crew jumping back, but they would not let them in.\u00a0 Make them wait until tomorrow, their minds begged, and tomorrow would come on swift wings.\u00a0 And they were not going home.<\/p>\n

Have you ever seen a war zone?\u00a0 Bodies lied in its wake.\u00a0 Smoke rose up into the air.\u00a0 The echo of gunfire was still loud and clear.\u00a0 Destruction reigned supreme, and pulling the pieces back of an ordinary day would take a lifetime.\u00a0 But the night crew didn\u2019t have that long, and they wanted to go home.\u00a0 They slowly picked one part of the store and started there, knowing that they could be in that spot for hours to come.<\/p>\n

And hours went by.\u00a0 Finally, the store was put back together.\u00a0 The floor was cleaned, and now black garbage bags filled to capacity waited to be thrown out.\u00a0 Nobody dared go outside, not even to the dumpster because they would slip in, and they would have to start all over again.\u00a0 The shelves were still bare, but the racks were filled with whatever was left.\u00a0 They wouldn\u2019t be satisfied tomorrow, and the morning crew would pay that price.\u00a0 But they would be rescued by the night crew, and the night crew would have to stay behind like tonight.\u00a0 But for right now, their job was done, and it was one in the morning, the crossroads of Friday into Saturday.\u00a0 And they just wanted to go home.<\/p>\n

The glass doors slowly opened.\u00a0 The night crew slipped out with garbage bags in hand.\u00a0 A shadow moved, and they froze.\u00a0 It was only a stray cat, and the manager urged them on.\u00a0 He turned to close and lock the door, thinking they were home free, but as they took another step, one of them appeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you open?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you kidding,\u201d the manager thought.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Ten a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0 A shadow of a person wavered before them.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

The night crew watched that person slip away.\u00a0 He melted into a growing line around the store.\u00a0 Hungry eyes met their gaze as they huddled together for warmth.\u00a0 Their hands were folded with anticipation of what they would soon hold.\u00a0 Their breath rose up into the air in sync, hearts beating together, tendrils of the golden caterpillar that would never go home.\u00a0 It was released from its cage, and it was here to stay right through Christmas, and after that, this place, this store would become a ghost town.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast bus,\u201d the manager yelled.\u00a0 \u201cHurry, unless you want to stay here.\u201d\u00a0 He watched the night crew run as if their lives depended on it.\u00a0 He padded his coat pocket, making sure the money was safe.\u00a0 It was his job to go to the bank and drop it off, but he couldn\u2019t let anyone outside the store know how much he was carrying.\u00a0 He hurried to his car as fast as he could go, but the shadows circled around behind him, filling him with fear.\u00a0 \u201cHome free.\u201d\u00a0 He jumped into his car and slammed the door shut, frantically pushing the lock button.\u00a0 \u201cOne day down.\u00a0 One month to go,\u201d and his voice trembled with that thought.<\/p>\n

As his car warmed up, fighting to stay alive, the yellow school bus rose into view.\u00a0 It peeled away once all were on board, bypassing the yellow caterpillar, who merely shrugged at its annoyance.\u00a0 The monster was tucked in for the night, and its arms and legs itched with readiness, waiting for those glass doors to open.\u00a0 And those on board that bus would have to return to do this song and dance again.\u00a0 The manager had to return for the night shift tomorrow night, but his mind begged him to stay home.\u00a0 Call in sick, but if anyone dared to call in sick, they would be looking for another job real soon.\u00a0 And jobs were scarce.<\/p>\n

As the manager slowly left the parking lot, shrouded in darkness, he sought out the radio stations still thriving along the air.\u00a0 Music melted his fear, his tension, and his fingers uncoiled around the steering wheel.\u00a0 His heart was free to beat, and warm breath escaped from his lips.\u00a0 But as he paused by the red traffic light, the final exit to escape the mayhem that tormented him until now, fear and terror struck home, horror stories on the news of the world gone mad.<\/p>\n

\u201cShooting erupted at a local mall.\u00a0 Mass mayhem in the streets.\u00a0 Local employee gets trampled in store.\u00a0 Multiple car accidents reported.\u201d\u00a0 A long pause.\u00a0 \u201cYes, folks.\u00a0 The yellow caterpillar was king tonight.\u00a0 Hello, Black Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The parking lot was full of lost souls.\u00a0 Their footsteps crunched against hard, cold cement.\u00a0 Hands shoved into pockets, fighting to stay warm.\u00a0 White wisps of breath danced into the air, weaving in-between their shadows against the pale lamp post light.\u00a0 Eyes met darkness and then those penetrating headlights.\u00a0 There would be no rest for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,200,219],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2535"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3626,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535\/revisions\/3626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}