THE MOMENT
Shawn was having some regrets. He'd gone against his gut the night before with some questionable street food, which wasn't the first time he'd decided to brave the risk. But, he'd also forgotten about the yearly 'Teamwork Day' at work. Each department competed against the others in games, and it was considered a big deal by most. Shawn wasn't high enough in the command chain to matter too much and it was only his first year. He'd noted the excitement in others, but it entirely slipped his mind until he showed up that morning.
His stomach started gurgling as soon as he clocked in; but, he managed to get most of the plan from his supervisor before he had to excuse himself. It sounded like a ton more fun than he first thought. Chroma Corp. wasn't like the typical corporation he was used to and in the few months he'd been there, he felt like he finally had a job he enjoyed doing. The best part was that the company treated its employees with respect and appreciation. The 'Teamwork Day' wasn't mandatory. It was a day given to the employees, and anyone who didn't want to participate could take the day off, though very few did. If Shawn had remembered, he might've done that instead. His regrets only grew stronger when he heard the first screams and gunshots. He sat still to listen and try to guess how close they were. Then, his phone chimed with a notification.
[Where are you? - Dave] His supervisor asked.
[Department restrooms. - Shawn] he replied.
[What's happening? - Shawn] at the same time that he asked, another message came through.
[Almost done? - Dave]
[Not sure. - Shawn] he admitted. His stomach seemed to be recovering, but it was too soon to tell.
[Zombie outbreak. - Dave] he answered quickly.
[You should go home. - Dave] he added.
[Zombies!? - Shawn] he asked. And another volley of gunshots answered from outside the restroom.
[I can help! - Shawn] His team needed him and he tried to will himself better. His stomach rejected that idea with another bubbling gurgle.
[I'm hurrying! - Shawn] He was trying to hurry at least, but his body had its own agenda in that moment. And, even if he stood up right then, his jelly legs had fallen asleep long ago.
[Maybe you can. Armed? - Dave] the question came and Shawn answered instantly.
[YES! - Shawn] he reached down to his pants around his ankles and drew his gun to be ready.
[Coming to you. - Dave]
[Which stall? - Dave] he asked.
[Last one. - Shawn] As soon as he answered, the bathroom door swung open and heavy footsteps ran in. It was followed by undead groaning, and a sudden foul stench worse than any natural odor. Shawn did his best to position himself with his legs hidden up and the gun pointed at the polished chrome stall door.
There was a commotion as someone ran to the wall right in front of where Shawn was seated, followed by shambling, dragging feet. Then, finally the signal came.
"Shoot now!" Dave yelled and Shawn squeezed the trigger.
All at once, orange super-heated energy gathered at the barrel and shot forward. A tiny fireball flew through the door and disintegrated it to ash before doing the same to the zombie on the other side. Dave, an older gentleman, had moved out of the way just in case. In seconds, the zombie disintegrated like the door.
"Good job," Dave chuckled, but stayed out of sight to protect Shawn's dignity.
"That'll work for a while, but if you're going to be stuck in there all day you might as well go home," he said.
"I can help!" Shawn answered while feeling particularly vulnerable.
"Yeah, but not much longer. The accounting department is already way ahead on the leaderboard. At this rate, we'll be forced to phase two sooner rather than later."
"You didn't say anything about a second phase...?" Shawn asked.
"The game wasn't finalized when you showed up, then you had an emergency," Dave chuckled. "It's kind of a point race, and once a certain score is reached, new values are introduced."
"So, stronger zombie?" Shawn asked.
"Phase 2 is Turbo Zombies," Dave answered.
"Oh. Okay, thanks. I think I will take the rest of the day off...," Shawn replied. Standard, slow moving zombies were manageable, but he wouldn't stand a chance against Turbo Zombies.
"Hey, don't sweat it," Dave chuckled. He caught the disappointment in Shawn's voice as more gunshots were heard outside the door. "You got one kill at least, you helped the department. But, it'll only lose us points if you get yourself killed. Relax, recover, and get yourself in game shape for Teamwork Day next year," Dave said. He waved only his hand in front of the door, then walked away.
"See you tomorrow, hope you feel better."