The Mega Mall was a glittering tomb of consumerism. In the hours since the blue screen had vanished, a wave of primal panic had washed over the city, turning once-orderly civilians into a desperate, looting mob. Zaki and Vance, a two-man army against the rising tide of chaos, moved through the wreckage with the grim efficiency of men on a mission. Their destination was not a specific store, but rather a strategic target: a place with a wide array of useful tools, weapons, and most importantly, supplies.
The mega mall, a sprawling monstrosity of polished marble and endless corridors, was the perfect location. They moved quickly, their heavy boots thudding on the empty floor. The sounds of breaking glass and distant shouts echoed through the abandoned halls. Vance, with his lamp-club in one hand and his senses on high alert, led the way. Zaki, with his table-leg batons, followed close behind, his engineer's mind already calculating the best course of action.
They found their first major haul in a sporting goods store. The place had been hit, but not hard. They found and raided a supply of power inverters, power generators, and a mountain of warm winter clothes. They also found a variety of survival gear, from multi-tools to water filters, and a few good-quality backpacks.
"Alright," Vance said, his voice a low rumble. "Let's get this stuff and get out of here."
Zaki nodded, and then, a shimmering blue screen appeared before his eyes, his inventory window.
**Inventory: Hey, why is it so full in here... Is that a gasoline tank from a truck!?!**
Zaki stared at the screen, a look of profound shock on his face. He had an inventory. He was one of the lucky ones. Without a word, he began to toss items into the ethereal space, the backpack, the winter clothes, a few power generators, all disappearing with a silent, almost magical *poof*. He felt no weight, no resistance, and no sense of a full space. He was a walking storage unit.
"I… I have an inventory," Zaki said, his voice a low whisper of disbelief.
Vance, who had his own inventory, just nodded, a small, knowing smile on his face. "I figured you would. The system seemed to recognize your… engineering tendencies."
They continued to loot, filling Zaki's inventory with a staggering amount of supplies. He didn't feel any heavier, but he did notice something was a little off about the inventory's flavor text. *Is that a gasoline tank from a truck!?!?* He shook his head. It was probably just a weird bug. He had more important things to worry about. Like, for instance, a year-long freeze.
As they moved through the mall, Zaki made sure to grab a few gaming consoles and a couple of bags of chips and candy. He knew if Randy heard they didn't steal anything to game on, they would never hear the end of it. The thought of Randy's loud, boisterous complaining brought a small smile to his face, a brief moment of normalcy in a very abnormal world.
Their luck finally ran out when they stumbled into a gun store. The place had been ransacked, but a few shelves were still full of pistols, ammo, and a few high-powered rifles. As they were gathering the last of the guns, they were ambushed by a group of raiders, three men and two women, all armed with various makeshift weapons.
A fight broke out, a brutal, chaotic melee of metal and flesh. Vance, with his military training, had no problem with the violence. He moved with a practiced, lethal efficiency, his lamp-club a blur of motion. He took down the first man with a brutal swing to the head, and the second, a woman who came at him with a kitchen knife, with a swift, powerful kick to the chest. The woman crumpled, and Vance, with a grim look on his face, quickly took her weapon and a few of her supplies.
Zaki, on the other hand, was struggling. He was a trained martial artist, yes, but he was also a man who had never hurt a woman in his life. He dodged and weaved, trying to disarm his opponents, but he couldn't bring himself to hit them. He was a man of peace, a man who believed in the inherent good of humanity, and the idea of hurting someone, especially a woman, was a concept his mind could not grasp.
A man came at him with a baseball bat, and Zaki, with a quick, fluid motion, disarmed him, and then with a brutal kick to the chest, he sent him flying backward. The man landed with a thud, unconscious. Another raider, a woman with a broken bottle, came at him, and Zaki, with a heavy heart, disarmed her, then with a powerful punch to her chin, he knocked her out. He felt a pang of guilt, a sense of shame for what he had done, but he knew, deep down, that he had no choice. It was them or him. And he wasn't going to let his friends down.
The battle ended quickly. Vance, a new pistol in his hand, had taken down the last of the raiders, and the two of them stood in the wreckage, their bodies humming with adrenaline. The blue screen appeared before their eyes again, and they saw their experience points go up.
**-Level up!-**
**Vance:** Your level has increased from 6 to 9. Your stats have been increased.
**Zaki:** Your level has increased from 5 to 8. Your stats have been increased.
They both stared at their screens, a mixture of shock and satisfaction on their faces. They had leveled up. They were getting stronger. They were going to survive.
"Alright," Vance said, his voice a low rumble. "Let's head back. We've got everything we could. We need to get back to the RV and get this stuff to Randy before the sun sets."
Zaki nodded, and with a final glance at the unconscious raiders, he and Vance ran back to the hotel, their bodies humming with a new, dangerous energy. The world had changed, but they had changed with it. They were no longer just men. They were survivors. And the game had just begun.