Here's something I wrote for the KBK giveaway a while back. I misinterpreted the rules and wound up writing an entire short story.
The vibrations of the railway paired disturbingly well with the warm steady breath of the overweight gentleman that was wheezing directly into James Mills face. His eyelids grew heavy as the train carried him along the poorly lit underground tube and his thoughts turned to the vitamin infused bird-meal that awaited back at his residence. James was of the merchant class, a self-employed clothing vendor providing uniforms and work outfits for the lower class, and both worked and lived in his shop in the Orange District, the section of Phoenix city where all shops and storefronts were located. James was returning home from meeting with a client who had recently placed a large order of servant outfits to replace the ones that were recently put into quarantine after half his clients staff caught the shivers and mutilated the gardener and neighbors. It seemed as if cases of shivers were becoming more and more common these past few months, but Governor Rose had insisted nothing out of the ordinary was happening, and that these were isolated incidents that have been thoroughly studied and taken care of. James never thought much of Phoenix City’s troubles and much preferred to let the government take care of things as long as they let him alone. In fact, all these recent shiver cases were actually a great boon for his business as those from the lower class seemed to be affected more, and that simply meant another work order placed for a lost uniform. As the train rumbled between districts James glanced lazily out of the window and through the thick glass tube to the uninhabitable Windshere beyond the city’s domes. It was beautiful in a way, how barren and blasted the landscape was in the dim lime colored pillars of light that shined through the polluted skies. Every now and then the reflection and angle of the light would catch a jagged unearthed bit of balem, infusing the violet crystal with a brilliant glow and giving the Windshere an impression of being decorated with great glittering jewels that shined and pulsated as far as the eye could see. If James had not seen the view a thousand times before he may have been moved, but instead he let out an inexcitable grunt as he sunk back into his seat and closed his eyes once more.
‘Now arriving, Orange District. Please depart in an orderly manner. Trains leaving for Gemini Sector will be departing on platform 2. Have a safe night.’ James turned on his side not wanting to get off of the train, but he knew the guards would soon sweep the cars and he would be fined for not adhering to the rules. “Five more minutes mom.” James murmured with a slightly bemused look on his face. As he exited the train he glanced over the line of people awaiting the Gemini train. Tired and dirty in their work clothes with backs hunched, they looked like they could be refugees on their way to some better far off land. The truth was the people who lived in the Gemini Sector represented the poorest and most repressed of Phoenix Cities populous. Not allowed to own businesses nor manage them, they did all the jobs around the city that no one else wanted to do and could be readily identified by their brightly colored jumpsuits, work outfits that James and his shop provided to the upper class to distribute amongst their employees. James’ father had been placed in the Gemini sector upon his arrival in Phoenix City and had always tried to impart upon James to treat them the same as he himself would wish to be treated, but in reality James never interacted much with them so he really didn’t get many chances to implement his father’s advice. Truth be told, James didn’t really interact much with anyone, as most of his business could be taken care of by computer. Occasionally he would meet with a new client placing large orders, but in these situations James often found himself trying to stifle his apathy and general disinterest with offbeat laughter and awkward smiles that really seemed to upset his clients more than anything else. James shuffled along the streets trying to avoid eye contact with passersby as the simulated daylight beamed down on him casting a long shadow on the walkway. The technicians would be switching off the daylight soon and the gentle glow of the street lamps and walkway would guide him the rest of the way home. Phoenix City couldn’t afford the luxury of mimicking time of day as the domes were originally built as purely temporary and functional, and there were certainly no intentions of having people living in them for more than a couple decades. After the Blight, many sacrifices had to be made and decisions were hastily ordered out as the Earth withered around its denizens. Having been born and raised inside the domes, James had no concept of what life was like before the Earth died and only knew what his father described to him, so to him they were simply stories. In fact, James rather liked living in the domes and the concept of having an entire world around him made him feel uneasy and exposed. He shivered at the thought of having an endless horizon spreading before him with boundless space between his head and the clouds above. As James’ thoughts preoccupied him, the daylight was turned off and with an electric buzz the walkways guide lights lit up. This was his favorite time of the day as the streets were sparsely populated and the dark gently hugged him from all sides as if he were floating through twilight in a bubble. As James rounded the corner on which his shop was located his eye caught someone quickly darting about on the other side of the street. Must be someone not wanting to be caught by the curfew agents, he guessed as he glanced down at his watch. Three and a half minutes until curfew. As James reached the door to his shop he reached a hand into his jacket pocket, fishing around for his keys. Without warning, something whizzed past his head crashing against the shops wall with the cacophonous sound of mangled metal on brick, missing him by mere inches. James stood dazed, staring blankly down at a gutted street sweeper droid, its circuits torn out and wires flickering with the last few bursts of impulse. James whirled around to face his accoster staring into the eyes of Ambrose Perkins, the owner of the robot repair shop down the street. “Ambrose, what the hell are you doing? If this is your idea of a joke it’s in extremely poor taste.” Ambrose snarled, frothing at the mouth and stamped the ground like a bull readying to charge. James noticed Ambrose’s sleeves were covered in a dark viscous substance that he could only assume was oil from the droid and stepped backwards in confusion until he hit the wall behind him. Ambrose lunged at James grabbing him by the neck with both hands, his nails digging into James’ skin. As James struggled for breath, he could now plainly see what covered Ambrose’s sleeves was in fact blood and an emotional chord of pure terror reverberated throughout his body. James tried with all he could muster but couldn’t break free from his assailants grasp; his legs gave way under him as Ambrose followed him to the ground pushing harder and harder against his larynx. The dim lights illuminating the walkway grew ever softer with James’ vision as he began to slip out of consciousness. Suddenly he heard in succession two loud sounds that felt as if they emanated within his own head. Ambrose Perkins’ face froze for a moment and he loosened his grip as James gasped for air and attempted to upright himself. Ambrose calmly stood up and stared blankly into nothingness as he clenched his stomach and small rivers of blood trickled over his fingers. He slowly tilted his head down resting his gaze on James whose was face tinged blue from lack of oxygen and eyes wide with fear. Another shot rang out in the streets and Ambrose keeled over on top of James who pushed him aside for fear of getting blood all over his clothes. “Are you alright citizen James Mills?” Not waiting for a response the enforcement officer started to speak into his recording device while simultaneously holstering his weapon. “Ambrose Perkins, 42. Dead at 10:06 pm. Wife and two children found mutilated at residence, subject located nearby assaulting another citizen. Looks like another case of shivers.” “Citizen, please return to your residence immediately as curfew is already in effect.” James feebly pointed to his shop and pushed the door open, crawling inside. He stumbled across his store making his way to the stairs that led to the small apartment above. James no longer had any sort of appetite, on the contrary he vomited violently into his kitchen sink for what seemed like an eternity his mind careening in a million different directions. Mr. Perkins, his family, the shivers. James was completely overwhelmed by the night’s events and collapsed in a heap on the linoleum floor.
James started awake with a jolt at the sound of loud rapping on his shops door. He stood and began to blearily make his way downstairs, stopping briefly at a mirror to notice the purple and red bruises that had bloomed on his neck. “Open up,” yelled a voice from the other side. James looked around and grabbed a nearby scarf from the coat rack, wrapping it around his neck and tossing one end over his shoulder. He swung the door open revealing two law officers with furrowed brows and impatient looks upon their faces. The portly one pushed James aside, letting himself in followed closely by another with balem-lensed goggles and a moustache. The chubby officer walked around James’ shop eying everything as if he were searching for something for which he could incriminate. His gaze eventually fell upon James who had sat himself on a stool by the computer. “Citizen, we are aware you were the victim of an assault last night, and we are here to ask you a few questions and test you for shivers. Do you have anything to declare before we temporarily revoke your rights?” James shook his head, “No sir.” “Good then let’s get started, I am Officer Wilkes and this is my colleague Officer Pond,” Wilkes gestured towards the man in goggles who had placed a large metal case on the countertop and was fidgeting with the clasps on its side. “Citizen, what was your business being out so close to curfew on the night in question?” James stared out his shop window seeing a parade of law officers milling around the front of his shop, investigating the crime scene he assumed. “I had a meeting in the Sapphire Sector with a new client and the meeting ran a bit long, so I had to catch the last train of the day home.” Wilkes nodded, but seemed preoccupied by the commotion outside, “Yes of course, and what was your relationship to the recently deceased?” “Well sir, he ran the shop down the road. I’ve only ever really seen Ambrose on the street a few times where we would say hello. You know, friendly chat and the like. I once took my vacuum in for repair there, but he wasn’t in at the time so I had to take it elsewhere and…” Wilkes waved a hand cutting James off mid-sentence, “That’s fine, that’s fine. So you had no contact with the deceased the day in question prior to your assault?” “No sir.” “Were you aware that Mr. Perkins was illegally siphoning balem energy to power his shop?” James looked shaken, as the thought of his neighbors being involved in illicit activity without his knowledge made him feel uneasy, “No sir, I… I had no idea.” Wilkes leaned over the counter in an accusatory manner, “You gonna stick to that story?” James grew flustered, “Why yes sir, how would I have known anything about that? I would never endorse that kind of activity.” Wilkes raised an eyebrow “So you never noticed in all these months your shop was not being charged for balem consumption? I find that extremely difficult to believe.” James was shocked. He honestly hadn’t noticed anything of the sort as he had all of his bills put on an auto payment program. “Officer I swear, look here at my records. My bill payments go straight in each month automatically. I was never notified of any discrepancies. I didn’t know, I honestly didn’t.” Wilkes leaned back and motioned towards his companion, “Well, we will be able to tell if you had any contact with Mr. Perkins and his residence within weeks of his infection. Officer Pond, if you would be so kind.” The second officer adjusted his goggles, the purple crystal momentarily catching a reflection of light. He reached into the metal case drawing out two clamps attached by wire to a small black box inside. “Now relax Mr. Mills. I can’t tell you this won’t hurt because it will, but if you cooperate it will be over before you know it. That is, if you were telling the truth.” Officer Pond had already put on a pair of black rubber gloves, and along with his goggles and slicked back hair he looked like some nightmare of a dentist straight out of Hells waiting room. James recoiled but Wilkes held him firmly in place by the shoulders as Pond placed the manacles around James’ wrists. Pond then turned his attention back to the small black box flicking and turning a series of switches and knobs. With the first switch, the case hummed to life, and with each subsequent dial, grew louder and louder until James felt as if his entire shop had been transformed into a turbine engine. James could feel the weight of the manacles around his wrists and the sensation of tingling upon his skin as all his body hair went erect and was quivering, dancing in the air. Suddenly a jolt of electricity shot throughout James’ entire body, shaking violently his nerves and forcing him to grit his teeth in response. “Officer Pond, your readings?” “Mmm, Officer Wilkes it seems as if our friend here has…. Not been exposed to the shivers.” Pond glanced up at James who was sweating and shaking on his stool. “That’s a good thing Mr. Mills. That means you don’t have to be taken to quarantine. You do most certainly want to avoid that.” Pond chuckled a bit under his breath at the prospect. Wilkes seemed agitated with him, “What about his collusion with Ambrose Perkins? What do the readings say about that?” Pond leaned in close to the dials and tilted his goggles, “Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be any indication of balem energy exposure at the levels that were found in Mr. Perkins or his family, which would indicate our friend had not had any prolonged contact with the deceased in the last couple weeks. Although… no sorry, that was just a little bump, heh.” Wilkes shrugged, “Well Mr. Mills, James if I may, it seems you are clear and infection free. Congratulations.” As Pond started to power down the machine, James could feel the steady flow of pain leaving his body and noticed he had wet himself during the process. Wilkes reached down and removed the clamps from around James’ wrists, as he did so Pond shot an aggressive look towards the burley officer who either didn’t notice or choose to ignore it. As Officer Pond clamped his case shut, Wilkes moved towards the door, “The city of Phoenix appreciates your cooperation in this matter and apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you. Please fill out the mandatory evaluation form for our stellar performance and return it to your local precinct within the next four days.” As the two were walking out of the door Wilkes turned around and said, “Oh, and expect a bill for the unpaid energy consumption along with the fee for your interrogation. Have a safe day.”
James sat and stared at the tiled wall in his bathroom with his arms wrapped around his legs as the warm water gently poured around his shoulders, streaming over his chest, and pooling at his feet. He pondered the life of Ambrose Perkins and his family. It was so sad knowing that such a brutal and unforgiving fate had fallen upon his wife and children. To be beaten to death by their loving husband and father, the sheer terror and betrayal they must have felt in those last moments was inconceivable to James. He felt so sorry for them, and so sorry for himself that he didn’t have a family. At least they had that in life before Ambrose caught the shivers and murdered them, at least they had love. In this moment James felt so very alone. The water trickled down his cheek meeting with a tear that was immediately washed away down the drain. ‘That’s it!’ James thought, pounding his wet fist on the shower floor creating a small splash. ‘From this point on I will be more assertive. I will smile and wave. I’m going to go out of my way, dammit, to meet new people!’ James stood up with renewed purpose and turned off the water. Stepping out of the shower James grabbed a towel, quickly wrapping the soft fabric around his waist. There was a commotion outside, but James assumed they were still investigating the scene of the crime from the night before. James trotted over to his dresser, giddy with the prospect of making new friends, and who knows, perhaps he would meet that special someone. He thumbed through his shirts, stopping on a flattering salmon colored polo with some smart looking stripes along the collar. He held it up against his body and nodded with approval. Once fully dressed, James stood for a while in front of the mirror practicing his smile, “Good day. Why hello there. Oh yes, this is quite a nice evening. Goooood day!” His smiles seemed an awkward motion, but James assumed it was because he was simply not used to it. Surely his happy face was not as odd looking to others as it felt on him. James started down the stairs humming to himself, but stopped as soon as he reached the bottom. The front window of his shop was broken and there was glass strewn all about. James could see something was happening outside, but his view was partially blocked by a torn banner that had been hanging above his storefront and fallen like a curtain. James hesitantly made his way around the counter and inched towards the busted out window. He could hear yelling from beyond the portal and decided perhaps this was not the day he would be putting himself out there. There was a groan from beyond the tattered banner, and James froze with trepidation as the embossment of a figure began to take shape, pushing its way through the fabric. The banner rose like a lifting veil, playing across the approaching specters motif. James pawed at the door behind him that led back upstairs, all the while keeping an intent gaze upon the intruder. As the banner reached the top of the stranger’s head, it flopped to the floor revealing a woman whom James had never seen before. From her uniform James could plainly see she was a law officer, but something was very amiss. Her uniform was bloodied and torn in spots revealing fresh scratches and wounds of varying sorts. James recoiled, he knew what this indicated. Her glassed over eyes, frothing mouth, she clearly had the shivers. James panicked and turned to unlock the upstairs door, but the woman furiously leapt across the room with unnatural speed toppling James over and pinning him against the floor. James grabbed at her wrists in an attempt to stave her off, turning his head to the side and yelling towards the street. “Help! Help! An infected, this woman has the shivers! Help!” James could hear someone responding as he struggled to throw the rabid woman from atop his torso . “Over here, behind the counter! Help me, please!” The responder grabbed the woman by the neck, tossing her to the side with great force. “Oh God, thank you.” James looked up to see the face of officer Wilkes looming over him. “Oh officer, she attacked me crazed with the shivers. You likely just saved my life.” There was no response, and James could only watch in what seemed like slow motion as Officer Wilkes descended upon him with all his weight and began to tear chunks of James’ flesh from his body. The last thing James could remember thinking is ‘This is exactly why I should never leave the house.’
