In his own eyes, Calvin Jones wasn't someone who really stood out. He was on the low end of average height, with broad shoulders and a slight gut despite being rather muscular overall. His eyes were deep gray, perhaps the closest part of him to being interesting, and his face was rather average as well. Not ugly, but not handsome either. His short, shaggy black hair wasn't worth noticing either.

But still, the nearly 20 year old didn't mind. His looks had never mattered to him. He just lived his life and did his best to be happy with it, even if it wasn't very remarkable either. Deadbeat dad, disappointed mother and a sister who was better at him than everything for his family, and a simple job pushing carts at Wal-Mart. Too poor for college but wealthy enough to avoid going hungry and save up for his own place. To Cal, life wasn't perfect and never would be, but it was still good for now.

Still, nothing can stay the same. It's against the very nature of existence to stagnate. And the world was about to have a very unexpected change, as was Cal's life.

The day things changed started normally enough. Early morning shift with a ride to work before the sun was starting to rise, waiting a while before clocking in a few minutes early and going outside. The carts in the bay were almost overflowing, and none left out in the parking lot. Cal sat down and waited, reading on his phone as he waited for the store to open and carts to start moving in and out. That's when the strange parts started. For a brief moment, the screen of his phone flickered. A blank screen. "Crap, must've hit the off button on accident." A quick press and it was back to normal. No harm, no foul. And soon he was working, taking advantage of the still slow pace to help people empty out their carts.

The next sign something was off was equally easy to dismiss. About to go inside for his lunch break, Cal stepped through a sudden cold spot which made him shiver and was gone in an instant. "Ugh, fall really is right around the corner. I hate the cold." Already dismissing the event he went inside, shivering again as the store's AC hit him like a snowstorm. "Why can't they ever have the heat on for once..."

But the last sign? That was pretty difficult to mistake for some simple random occurrence. Cal's shift was nearing its end, and a couple other cart pushers had clocked in as business reached its peak for the day. All was well, with Cal a bit tired and ready to clock out, maybe grab something before he left. And that's when the world was turned in a whole new direction.

"Grrrraaaaaaaaggghhh!" No warning, and there was a skeleton standing near the store entrance, holding a medium length sword in one hand with a vaguely Roman looking metal helmet on its head, slashing at a man. Several people screamed and started to run, and the man who was targeted screamed the loudest as a long cut appeared on his chest, deep but not enough to stop him from running. The skeleton pursued him, but adrenaline and fear gave the runner wings as he dashed to his car, going right past the cart bay. Focused solely on its victim, the skeleton charged after him despite the growing gap with mindless fury.

That's why it never noticed a small row of about five carts pushed by a young man smash into it from the side. Its ribs got tangled into the gaps between the metal wire that made up the cage-like cart, attaching it to the front of the row even as a singly rib cracked under the impact. Unphased by the pain, it slashed at Cal, who let go of the carts and leaned back with surprising flexibility for his size. The cart and undead moved forwards several feet before the skeleton used its feet as brakes, untangling itself. Those seconds proved invaluable for Cal as he grabbed another cart, but this time he swung it through the air. The skeleton leaned back, avoiding the wild hit, but Cal wasn't put off balance despite the cart's akward shape. He was strong, and individually the carts weren't more than a few pounds. As the skeleton thrust for a counterattack, Cal lifted the cart and tilted it. The blade slid between the gaps in the frame of the cart, and got caught as it went through the other side. With the slight twist, Cal had trapped it between the gaps. His leg, made rather powerful from pushing rows of carts uphill for hours on end, shot forward and smashed into the skeleton's knee, knocking it into a kneeling position as it lost its grip on the sword.

"I'll be taking that!" Quickly Cal hopped a few feet back, dropping the cart and pulling the sword free easily as the skeleton got back on its feet. It clacked its teeth together in defiance and ran at Cal, letting him notice its finger bones were abnormally sharp, almost claw like. He didn't hesitate, spinning aside from the hit and bending his knees so hewent down slightly, then continuing the spin and almost leaping up, adding to the momentum of his slash. The sharp blade cleaved through whatever magic held the vertebrae of the skeleton's spine together, making it fall to the ground in two halves. "Ha! Take that bonehead!" Cal was panting, both with exertion and the adrenaline roaring through him, a wide grin on his face that faded quickly as the skeleton's top and bottom half put themselves back together. "Hey, that's cheating!"