Kyle Kucsma

ENG-111-181
Intawitat
12/5/17

I woke up like I would on any other day; late in the afternoon, but I knew that today was

not any other day. The alarm across my bed was doing its best to function with its low tone

beeps. Today is Thanksgiving I muttered and sighed. The year is 2107, and the world is very

different than what was described a hundred years ago. High value companies have bought all of

the smaller companies that were trying to make a living, and because of that the world was

thrown into a giant monopoly of basic needs. No one acts like they did back in those times. I

know because my grandmother told me one time. My name is Ralph, and most people dont

consider me to be normal. I have a distaste to most current electronics, and that makes me

strange. Everyone these days uses their almost blinding phones almost every hour of every day.

Batteries were improved so much that phones could last for an entire day no matter what

somebody used on it. Cars dont exactly need drivers anymore, and everything is done

automatically with computer AI networks. All people have left is their entertainment and fancy

features that make them totally act like zombies. (JUST) I finally rose out of my bed, and almost

crawled down the stairs out of lack of motivation. When I arrived to the kitchen for once I spot

my mother sitting with her back to me at the table. Unknowingly I make an accidental glance

over at whatever my mother was looking at as I paced over to the pantry. My mothers attention

was captured by an advertisement for the newest Apple product. (AD 1) Upon further inspection

it looked to be a brand new smart phone and tablet that had bright colored lights and text behind

it saying BLACK FRIDAY DEALS!. The designs looked almost the exact same as what I

thought was current in technology, but it was slightly different in a few ways. Clips from the

advertisement showed a variety of people using the product in multiple extreme settings. First

came underwater, next some snowy mountains, and lastly use in a hot tub. (AD DESC) After
Kyle Kucsma
ENG-111-181
Intawitat
12/5/17
those five seconds I grew sick of the corrupt advertisement and started to prepare my totally late

and not lunch breakfast. I stared my mother down as I poured myself something cheap and

wheaty into a bowl. She looked like an absolute mess. Her eyes had bags, eyelids were drooped,

pupils dilated, and the whites of her eyes were almost completely red. Upon further inspection

one could point out the obvious wrinkles, but thats because shes my mom, and not some

undead zombie even though she acts like one. (PORTRAIT) I eat for a while before uttering a

single word. So, rough day at work? Oh, Im sorry. The day hasnt even started yet. (CHEESE

1) I try to push the joke past her, but she gave me no mind. This is how its always been. Im

going out. I eventually say as I grab my coat, and push out the door. The streets outside didnt

provide much noise either, as everyone who was outside was sitting inside their cars staring at a

screen in their Apple brand cars. (AD 1) The sight was nothing new, but it really made all those

people in the car look like wandering ghouls with no thoughts at all.

After about twenty minutes I came to a rather abandoned looking park near some more

houses. Despite the location, nobody ever comes to the park for the exception of the occasional

curious family. I walk past the sandboxes and rarely used jungle gyms and note the unnatural

smell from the burnt out broken phones that were left in the sand after an accident. (GORE 1) In

the park there played fake sounds of children playing. In the mix of it there would be the

occasional ad for another Apple product. (AD 2) I blocked the background noise as I approached

a shoddy tree fort in the middle of the park. The door was closed, so that meant someone was

inside. I climbed up the ladder and thought about my entrance. Too bad I dont have an old axe

or else I couldve been real scary. (REF 1)1 At the top of the ladder I leaned against the door

and gave it a solid knock that anyone couldve heard in the whole park. Is somebody there?

1
The Shining
Kyle Kucsma
ENG-111-181
Intawitat
12/5/17
A voice replied. No. If someone was, Im sure theyd knock. (CHEESE 2) I replied, putting

out the occasional joke. The door flung open, revealing a female young adult with long brown

hair, brown eyes, and a face full of life. Alright, ya goof. You got here way too early today!

Isnt your mom home today for Thanksgiving? Didnt you at least try to spend time with her?

The girl asked. Oh, I tried, Alyssa, but you know parents. They just dont understand!

(CLICHE 1) Alyssa leaned back against the wall of the tree fort. It doesnt help that big

companies like Apple ruined the world. Your grandma told you about what things were like back

then. Apple was still a big company, and apparently had some thought for their consumers. I

scoffed and sighed. Yeah, but now all they dont and only want the money to further spoil us.

(ARGUE) I know. Alyssa replied. I dont support them anymore after what happened to my

little brother. The moment he got his first phone I knew that he was gone. (DOI) I eventually

started to move down the ladder. Now are you going to come along? Tonight is going to be a

busy night, and we still have to make sure everything is correctly stocked up. Alyssa pulled

herself together and started to move out of the shelter. I suppose so. Hopefully it isnt as bad as

last year. The two of us were soon on the ground and walking along the sidewalk towards a

shopping center. Well Im sure we know itll be bad anyway. Just dont have anything popping

out of your chest over it.2 I manage to spit out.

After about thirty minutes of walking and casual chatting, both Alyssa and I reached the

front of our destination. The both of us work part-time at our local convenience store. We mostly

check stocks, but on Thanksgiving night were forced to stay for the midnight Black Friday rush.

Its certainly the most stressful time of the year as there are many reports of trampling of both

people and staff. As the both of us passed the front of the store we noted the already intimidating

2
Alien Franchise
Kyle Kucsma
ENG-111-181
Intawitat
12/5/17
line by the front doors. All we could hear was their near silent breathing, and the sounds of

constant finger tapping. (GORE 2) We soon made a wrap around the store and entered through

the back. I didnt like the look of that crowd. Alyssa commented. I hate to agree with you, but

I think itll be a big one this year. I replied. Eventually the both of us slipped into uniform and

started to stock the shelves with every Apple product given to us. (AD 3) The process itself took

about four hours with a half hour break afterward. The two of us were left in the breakroom with

bland tasting company lunches. I looked over to Alyssa and thought of asking her: Would you

like to play a game?3, but she looked tense. I didnt need a brain to tell why. From the break

room various cameras point towards the entrance of the store, and the feed is shown on a

monitor. The crowd outside was almost three times larger than from when we first arrived. I soon

speak up with the taste of Apple cardboard on my tongue from all the work we did. (GORE 3)

Hey, do you come here often? Because I swear I see you every other day. (CHEESE 3) From

my cheesy comment alone Alyssa let out a snicker. Oh, stop it, ya goof! Thanks for trying to

cheer me up. She looked over at the monitor. Its just stress. I rose out of my chair, hopefully

reassuring her with my words. Hey, since there are two doors to man I say that we split up.

(CLICHE 2) Yeah, that sounds fine. Just be careful. Alyssa said. After a few more hours of

checking stocks and security the two of us took our stations at the front doors. Various other

employees were there as well, but none of us really talked to each other. The clock was nearing

midnight, and from the glass doors I could see only the dense ominous fog that was hiding the

size of the crowd outside. (CLICHE 3) Within minutes the time reached midnight, and the

overhead speakers suddenly came to life. At this time, we of Applemart would like to welcome

you to the annual Apple Black Friday sale. Please no pushing, shoving, or any physical violence,

3
Saw reference
Kyle Kucsma
ENG-111-181
Intawitat
12/5/17
thank you (AD 4) The speaker made a repeat as I braced myself for what would come next.

The doors slid open to release the yearly horde upon the store.

The first thing that I saw come from the thick fog of the outside was a sprinting young

man with a horde at his heels. The way everything was positioned made it look like he was

running from him, but that was probably the truth as well. It was first come, first served for these

kinds of sales. The young man who was leading the charge didnt make it far, however. The

horde behind him eventually caught up with him and started to trample him. His phone fell from

his hand and slid towards me, but it was soon crushed multiple times by eager feet. The device

probably wouldnt work after that. (JB 1) My first thoughts were to break up the crowd to help

the young man on the floor, but he was soon pulled away by another employee. Almost

immediately after sounds of a fight came from some of nearby aisles on Alyssa's side of the

store. I came rushing over to the scene and witnessed what I could only describe as a massacre in

progress. Various people were taking products left and right off the shelves that were

painstakingly stocked within the last five or so hours. Everything that was placed was quickly

taken, and fights soon erupted between people who wanted a piece of the big bounty. (CAN) I

myself had to get involved with a few of these fights and had to break them up. Almost every

single time I got involved a phone would fall to the tile floor and crack the screens, leaving the

phones distorted in further use. (AMP) During each occurrence I was forced to bend down to

pick up the cursed devices and return them to their owners. The cracks on each device were

unique and created a rugged texture on the once perfect screen. (GORE 4) It didnt take long for

something to go horribly wrong in the store as a loud shriek was heard from the front. I along

with a few other employees rushed over to shockingly discover Alyssa on the floor as people

trampled over her arm. The staff and I did our best to push all the mindless consumers away
Kyle Kucsma
ENG-111-181
Intawitat
12/5/17
from Alyssa and called an ambulance. After about ten minutes the ambulance arrived, and all the

people that stormed the store left. I still stood in the spot where my dear friend had her arm

crushed. Damaged and destroyed phones of all kinds were scattered on the floor, including

Alyssa's very own that she uses in emergencies. (GORE 5) Upon further inspection the phone

had several shoe marks along the screen, multiple long running cracks originating from the top

edge of the screen that moved down to the very bottom. (WOUND) It didnt look like it was

damaged so much that it wouldnt work. It was just ugly now. A phone directly next to it was

bent and cracked, and didnt look like there would be much hope for it. (JB 2) I perked my head

up to the entrance of the store and gave a glare to the Black Friday sale sign. (AD 5) My distaste

for these products solidified even more within myself.

After my shift ended I took all the broken phones that were left at the front of the store in

a garbage bag. I felt a pent-up rage boiling up deep within myself because of my friend getting

hurt. In the darkness of night, I took the bag of phones to the incinerator located at the back of

the store. In my rage I threw the phones inside and turned the incinerator on. Bright orange

flashed across my face as contained flames lit up the small area around me. Snaps and crackles

came from the phones inside the flaming chamber. (DBF) I gave a sigh as I felt a weight lift off

my shoulders as those pain causing zombie makers burned. The next couple hours would be

spent alone in the tree fort at the park, but as day broke I made up my mind to walk over to the

hospital. The walk itself took a few hours, but a spark of hope lit within me as I soon spotted the

Apple branded hospital signs. (AD 6) I made a mad dash to the doors, and soon made my way

inside with the wind nearly knocked out of me. The woman at reception was certainly surprised

to see me enter the way I did and asked me for my business. I ended up telling the receptionist

that I came to visit Alyssa who was checked in many hours ago. She gave me Alyssa's room
Kyle Kucsma
ENG-111-181
Intawitat
12/5/17
information and told me where to go afterward. The hallways in the hospital were silent aside

from the quiet background music. I soon stopped at the door that I was told belonged to Alyssa,

and gave it a hearty knock. First was silence, but soon her voice came through the door. Is

somebody there?