George's eyes rolled in exasperation as he witnessed another infamous display from the town's liveliest couple. Their explosive arguments and dramatic makeups were something of a local legend, often talked about over a cold beer and a hearty laugh.
"Jeeze," Stephanie murmured under her breath, her gaze fixed on the spectacle before them. She elbowed her brother lightly, unable to resist making a sarcastic comment, "Think you can sneak a few rolls of toilet paper over to us?" As she scanned the crowd, she noticed several people scurrying away from the chaotic scene around Stanley, no doubt trying to avoid getting caught up in the drama.
The family huddled together, a tight-knit unit amid chaos. Their mother's voice cut through the noise, commanding their attention as she disrupted Stephanie's budding plan. "Listen y'all," she spoke with authority, her hands resting firmly on her hips. "We gonna split up to cover some more ground, ya hear?" Her eyes scanned her children to ensure they were paying attention before continuing. "Steph, my darling, you're on water duty. Grab a cart and fill it enough that would make Stanley jealous." She then turned her gaze towards her son, George. "And George, you'll be getting us some canned food - chili, tuna, things like that. Just none of that vegan shit; I ain't never gonna be hungry enough for that." Her orders were met with a nod from Stephanie and a strong urge to salute from George. "Well, what you waiting for?" Their mother's voice rose in frustration as she shooed them away. "Get on to it!" The two siblings quickly dispersed, each with their assigned tasks in mind.
George stood tall, his hazel eyes scanning over the dwindling selection of food. A determined look crossed his face as he muttered under his breath, "Screw it." With a swift movement, his hand plunged into the crowded shelf, squeezing between cans of baked beans and chili. Suddenly, an entire row of cans tumbled down with a deafening crash against the metal bottom of the cart. It sounded like a chorus of small explosions echoing through the quiet aisle. Undeterred, George continued his personal scavenging mission. With each step, he felt like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep, a show that aired decades ago but still seemed to linger on local channels in this forgotten town. Cans clinked and clanked together as they were added to the growing pile in his cart. George's eyes darted from one item to the next, eagerly searching for anything that caught his eye. And with every successful find, the once-empty cart now overflowed with supplies for his survival.
The harsh expletive of "Sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph" sliced through the air and reverberated in George's ears. Anxious to know the cause of the commotion, he abandoned his mundane task of pushing a cart and eagerly made his way toward the source of the voice. As someone who thrived on the local gossip and drama, George couldn't resist the chance to be part of whatever was happening. A low grumble permeated from the cluster of men gathered around a TV, drawing George closer with each step. He barely registered the shiny new PS5 and Switch games on the shelves, usually a source of temptation for him, as he focused all his attention on the group before him.
A chubby man in a too-tight polo shirt struggled to figure out how to unmute the TV, his frustration evident in his furrowed brow and tight grip on the remote. His son, Billy, made his way through the crowd gathered around the television display, deftly weaving between people until he reached the TV on the top shelf. The older gentleman in the group praised him for being able to work with technology as Billy fiddled with the buttons and knobs on the electronic screen. Suddenly, a the news anchors voice echoed through out the group, reporting on a strange phenomenon happening all over the world. Viewers could see live feeds from different countries showing massive sinkholes appearing out of nowhere. As more images flooded in, it became clear that this was happening everywhere - Asia, Europe, Russia, India - even tiny islands were affected. The videos looped back to the first grid of displays, showing countless locations where these sinkholes had appeared. It was a global tragedy unfolding before their eyes.
"No...there can't be more," George stammered as he watched the chaos on the TV screen. His eyes widened in horror at the devastation unfolding before him.
"It's never-ending," Billy muttered, his voice barely audible over the screams and cries coming from the TV. He moved closer to George, standing shoulder to shoulder as they both tried to take in the gravity of the situation. "They're appearing everywhere," Billy whispered urgently in George's ear, trying not to attract attention from the other people watching. "And they're targeting the edges of countries," he added, his voice breaking with emotion. "Millions of lives lost," he said, his gaze falling to his feet as if feeling the weight of every single one of those deaths.
George reached out a hand and gently grabbed onto Billy's glasses, which were close to falling off from his trembling hands. Tears streamed down Billy's cheeks as he struggled to hold back sobs. "It's going to be-" George started to say before they were interrupted by a loud shout from the news anchor on TV.
"Something is happening!" he exclaimed unprofessionally, his words magnified by the audible volume of the TV. George turned to face the screen just in time to see a pulsating purple energy erupting from the edges of all the sinkholes. The intensity grew with each pulse until it finally exploded with such force that everyone praying around the pits was thrown off their feet. Cameras filming the events high above were quickly consumed by the purple energy, leaving nothing but darkness on all screens.
"What the hell..." Billy's father spoke, looking around at all the shocked and confused faces surrounding him. Suddenly, a powerful tremor shook through Walmart, tearing through shelves and sending products flying in all directions. People screamed and ran for cover as an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude ripped through the store with ferocity, causing even the cement floor to splinter and crack. Billy's father quickly lunged towards his son, pulling him down to the ground and knocking George onto his backside. TVs crashed off shelves, creating a deafening roar as they fell like a game of dominoes.
The fluorescent lights, hanging high on the ceiling, flickered with a buzzing hum before finally dying out. In its place, the eerie silence of the store filled the air. Whole aisles swayed and cans vibrated violently, clattering against the unforgiving concrete floor. The sound was deafening, drowning out any other noise until all that could be heard were panicked screams ringing through the store.
"Dad," George heard Billy's voice break through the chaos, "I got you boy, I got you," his father's reassuring words echoed in his ears. Slowly, as if sensing the fear that permeated the space, the quiet crept in. The shelves stopped swaying, cans lost their momentum, and landed with a resounding thud. The screams faded into an eerie silence that seemed to weigh heavy on everyone's shoulders. It was then that they realized it was over - no more movement, no more noise - just stillness and an overwhelming sense of relief.