Post by pseudo on Nov 11, 2014 5:24:56 GMT
Sea salt stung Jeremy's eyes and nose. The harsh one-note song of the seagulls wheeling overhead grated on his ears. The boardwalk bowed in a little under the weight of his heavy duty winter boots, stretching and creaking and threatening to shatter into the sand below. The air was so full of smog, pockets of light seemed to get caught on their way down and hang, struggling, in the sky as an incandescent haze. The wind chilled Jeremy through his windbreaker and the two sweaters he was wearing. A chain link fence blocked cut across the boardwalk between the empty fields of wild grass and the abandoned attraction buildings. The fortune telling booth and the gift shop were visible from just outside. Jeremy squinted through the chains at the former Beam Rager arcade. Without the lights he could just barely see the screen of Fight Puncher Two reflecting moonlight.
Jeremy hooked the toe of his boots and his numbing fingers into the fence and scaled it easily. Scars from earlier attempts still stood out on the sides of his hands. Now, closer to his goal, Jeremy looked over at the arcade. He couldn't help himself from running in a little shuffling jog. The fabric of his windbreaker rubbed against itself in excited whispers as he got closer and closer.
The door was open; it had been since the place closed down. Jeremy stepped inside the dead building and a smile spread across his face. Spiders had taken over the corners of the room and set up cobweb dynasties that sprawled for inches - the insect equivalent of miles. Jeremy had once seen a rat trapped in one, squealing and struggling as it slowly starved to death. The entire building smelled of must and mold and age and death and the slight nectar scent of old cotton candy. Prizes lined the wall farthest from the door with dusty placards underneath that used to show how many tickets each was worth. Time had worn away a lot of the ink and a family of bees had made its home in the head of the child-sized stuffed bunny. The arcade machines stood like statues, their screens facing into the center of the room where Jeremy stood. Waiting. Jeremy took off his coat and threw it near the pedals on Motor Racer. The room around him held its breath.
Jeremy snapped. The room sprung to life. Skee balls racked into place as a dozen arcade machines boasted their names through tinny speakers. The dark room became illuminated. 16-bit worlds floated into place all around. For a minute, Jeremy just watched. A moment he'd lost sprang into the present again. The cotton candy smelled fresh. A tear dripped off the end of Jeremy's nose and landed in a spider's web.
The charge started to dissipate. It never lasted long enough. Jeremy approached the nearest machine. Lion Hero II: Bravest of Heart blinked its request for four more credits. Jeremy ran his empty palm over the coin slot, selected a character, and let muscle memory take over.
By the time the sun rose, every last machine had died again and Jeremy had broken back out. No one ever knew he was there except the spiders and the seagulls and himself. He walked back across the boardwalk, over the fence, and the rest of the way through the industrial district and, as the clock struck eight, fell asleep happy.
(I don't really know if this fits in any canon or not. I just really wanted to start this up.)
Jeremy hooked the toe of his boots and his numbing fingers into the fence and scaled it easily. Scars from earlier attempts still stood out on the sides of his hands. Now, closer to his goal, Jeremy looked over at the arcade. He couldn't help himself from running in a little shuffling jog. The fabric of his windbreaker rubbed against itself in excited whispers as he got closer and closer.
The door was open; it had been since the place closed down. Jeremy stepped inside the dead building and a smile spread across his face. Spiders had taken over the corners of the room and set up cobweb dynasties that sprawled for inches - the insect equivalent of miles. Jeremy had once seen a rat trapped in one, squealing and struggling as it slowly starved to death. The entire building smelled of must and mold and age and death and the slight nectar scent of old cotton candy. Prizes lined the wall farthest from the door with dusty placards underneath that used to show how many tickets each was worth. Time had worn away a lot of the ink and a family of bees had made its home in the head of the child-sized stuffed bunny. The arcade machines stood like statues, their screens facing into the center of the room where Jeremy stood. Waiting. Jeremy took off his coat and threw it near the pedals on Motor Racer. The room around him held its breath.
Jeremy snapped. The room sprung to life. Skee balls racked into place as a dozen arcade machines boasted their names through tinny speakers. The dark room became illuminated. 16-bit worlds floated into place all around. For a minute, Jeremy just watched. A moment he'd lost sprang into the present again. The cotton candy smelled fresh. A tear dripped off the end of Jeremy's nose and landed in a spider's web.
The charge started to dissipate. It never lasted long enough. Jeremy approached the nearest machine. Lion Hero II: Bravest of Heart blinked its request for four more credits. Jeremy ran his empty palm over the coin slot, selected a character, and let muscle memory take over.
By the time the sun rose, every last machine had died again and Jeremy had broken back out. No one ever knew he was there except the spiders and the seagulls and himself. He walked back across the boardwalk, over the fence, and the rest of the way through the industrial district and, as the clock struck eight, fell asleep happy.
(I don't really know if this fits in any canon or not. I just really wanted to start this up.)
