Third Shift Entrepreneur

Chapter 14Proof It Works

Matt showed up a few minutes early at the address Alberto had texted him earlier. The mostly quiet residential street was tucked in an industrial business corridor with a number of cars parked on both sides of the street. As he approached, he could hear the ruckus of sound effects and squealing laughter coming from the back of the house. Walking up to the front of the house from where the noise emanated, he saw a prominent backlit sign that said Apocalypse: The Experience in blood-soaked letters along with an arrow pointing down the side alley toward the garage in the back. A small crowd had gathered, consisting of high school kids, young adults and some couples in their 30s. All told, maybe 15 or 20 people were there.

A woman with white ash covering her face, pierced only by red contact lenses that gave her eyes the eerie appearance of something from the dead, was busy warning the assembled crowd, “It's coming! It's almost here!” She wore a white jumpsuit that looked part paramilitary uniform and part prison outfit. People seemed skittish, frantically laughing, grabbing hold of each other and delighting in the nervous excitement. “And you must be Matt,” she said, never breaking character and seeming to look right through him. How did she know?

“Yeah, I'm Matt. Alberto invited me,” Matt answered, a little taken aback by being confronted by this apocalyptic space figure.

“Alberto, yes. From Zoron, the planet nearing extinction? He wants to take over ...