THE NEW SANTORINI

Cautiously, Kevin picked up the crystal, grasping it tight in his hand.

Once more, the glowing, paper-thin, fluorescent screen appeared before him again.

‘DO YOU WANT TO ADD THE CHAINSAW AND THE CRYSTAL TO YOUR STORAGE SPACE? TO COMMAND THE SCREEN, SIMPLY MAKE THE COMMAND IN YOUR MIND.'

Kevin, unsure of how to do it, only uttered a silent yes in his mind, and to his surprise, there was a response on the screen as his chainsaw and the crystal disappeared.

‘SUCCESSFULLY STORED ⅖ ITEMS IN STORAGE SPACE. TO ACCESS THEM AGAIN, SIMPLY UTTER THE COMMAND OF WHAT YOU WANT IN YOUR MIND, OR IMAGINE IT THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO HAPPEN.’

For an artist with an imagination like his, Kevin thought this would be no problem for him. It was as the screen faded away that Max called out to him.

“That zombie hit me so hard. Come help me up.”

Kevin went and helped his new friend sit up, making sure to slip the orb in his pocket carefully.

“What the bloody hell was that?” Max asked, panting, as the zombie's throw had weakened him and made him exhausted. “I congratulated myself on how many zombies trying to bite me I have killed only to find the one planning to swallow me alive. At this point I prefer being bitten, Kevin. How did you even manage to fight that bitch off?”

“Did you not see?” Kevin asked, squatting next to him, excited, but still yet, exhausted.

“Yes, I sure did. For minutes you sat there idle as it punched at you, and I wondered why you were not running away or trying to escape. I only saw you stand up and attack the zombie till he was dead like a champ. So proud of you, buddy.”

“No… Did you not see the blue fluorescent glow? The blue glow just like a screen in mid air, like in all those sci-fi movies? The messages glowing on it?”

“Blue fluorescent glow?” Max laughed a bit too hard for himself, raising his hand to hold his hurting chest and wincing in pain as soon as he laughed. “The only glow I saw and can still see is the glow of the fire, and it most certainly does not look blue to me.” he answered, his breath heavy and laboured as he stared at the fire.

Nothing measured up to Kevin's surprise at these words, instantly feeling cold, clammy sweat on his skin. He was sure he had been wide awake and not dreaming, and that he had been given a three cubic metre space, with messages shown to him on a paper-thin fluorescent surface by someone called the Allfather, congratulating him on being one of the chosen few, as the message was put.

“Kevin… Kevin…?” Max's voice distracted him, and he saw the other man wincing in pain. “What happened to you? You've been distracted and seem out of place, or is that how you usually are?”

Kevin shook his head, not knowing what to say.

“Help me get closer to the fire so I can lie near it for the rest of the night and recover myself, please. I feel myself getting stronger and better, but the hit hurt me so bad.”

Nodding, he helped Max around and after walking over the dead zombie's body, put him near the fire, taking out a sleeping bag in his bigger luggage and setting it for him to lie, and as he sat and watched his friend fall asleep, so did his own intrusive thoughts come into his head.

He had seen things that Max did not see, he thought, or had he?

Was the stress from this zombie invasion driving him crazy?

Had he truly lifted his chainsaw by controlling it with his mind, or was he just going crazy?

He had just been witness to the strangest day he had ever lived through, one he was sure never to forget, and to think he was still alive so far. His thoughts felt scattered, and he found himself in need of a cigarette to collect his thoughts. Not wanting to wake Max, he dove into his bag and sure enough, found a box of cigarettes.

“The scavenging vulture.“ He chuckled, looking at his sleeping friend.

The fire was dying already, but still good enough to hold, and he pulled off the doors of his kitchen cabinet and threw it in, watching the flames burn, reflecting the flames in his head.

Lighting the cigarette, he toon in a puff and shut his eyes, hoping and wishing it was all a bad dream— Gina and Felix, and all these zombies coming after him. But he opened his eyes and sure enough, the body of the large zombie he had just killed was lying there.

Taking a piece of burning wood from the fire, he went and tossed it upon the dead zombie, watching in silence as it slowly caught fire and burned away. He stood there, smoking his cigarette and watching.

As the zombie corpse slowly became ash, he flicked the stub into the flames and whispered to himself:

“Goodbye, the old Kevin Santorini.”

He shut his eyes and controlled it, and sure enough, the screen was before him again. It did not matter anymore if he was the only one who could see it.

With his mind, he reached into the storage capability and took out the crystal he had taken from the zombie's head, controlling as it floated slowly in mid air towards him. When it came close enough, he took it and carefully examined it before seeing the Allfather's trademark on it— the skull and crossbones over the biohazard symbol.

This time, the screen appeared of its own accord.

'DO YOU WANT TO UPGRADE YOUR SPACE?’

In his mind, Kevin gave his affirmation, and felt a cold sensation as the crystal disappeared into his palm.

'CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE EXTENDED YOUR SPACE FROM A 3-CUBIC METRE TO A 3.5 CUBIC METRE!!!’

At this message, Kevin smiled to himself as he made one of the beer cans that Max had thrown away and which now rested near his feet float towards him in mid air. Everything in the range of 3.5 cubic metres near him was within his control, and subject to his mind.