Glenn heard a familiar high pitched beep and rushed to his minimized tab to see if he'd gotten a new message.
It said, "Ya, sounds good - I can make it Friday at four, as long as you're not busy.. X"
Glenn had been talking to her for about four months now. ShyKitten64, AKA Katherine, the 18 year old girl gamer he'd met over Steam playing Civilization V. They'd skyped only twice, and Glenn had somehow managed to act more socially awkward the second time the night before.
Her message was referring to the location - a park in the heart of the city - where she and Glenn had decided to meet.
There was only one problem. His delivery shifts were Monday through Friday... From twelve to five o'clock.
"Damn," he muttered, slamming down his headset.
He contemplated telling her about the predicament, but ultimately decided he'd just call in sick that day, instead of flaking on her. Missing one day of work wouldn't hurt.
It was only Wednesday afternoon, post-shift, which meant, as Glenn put it, he had a solid two days to get his shit together.
He hoped after she saw what a compassionate and caring guy he was, Katie would forget about his other faults, like his not-so-lavish lifestyle.
After going for a brisk walk around his neighborhood to clear his head, he came home and went to sleep. That night, his thoughts drifted from the prospect of his upcoming meet-up to, "When was the last time I got a haircut?"
The next day Glenn woke up early and brewed himself a cup of black coffee. He drank it from his rainbow Atlanta, GA mug the same way he'd gulp down a shot. His facial expression also mimicked this action. He hated the taste of coffee, after all, but it helped get him going in the morning.
He threw off his dorky plaid pajama pants and put on some jeans and a dark black t-shirt that matched his coal colored hair, and grabbed his keys and wallet from his counter.
Arriving to work twenty minutes early, he parked his light blue bike next to the entrance of the building. "Papa's Pizza" were the words the neon aqua and yellow sign outside the door displayed. A cowbell hung above the door inside, alerting the staff of entering customers.
"Glenn! My boy! Aren't we lucky you arrived early?" His manager Herbert came strolling up to him. His booming voice always had a happy undertone.
"Listen man, we're gonna got a lot of calls in tonight around the end of your shift, with it being New Years Eve and all. I hope you're prepared to be rushing all around town."
Glenn smiled, "You know how much I love busting my chops for you, Herb."
Five hours of deliveries later, Glenn was at home on his couch watching Halloween. He imagined most everyone else was out celebrating New Years, and that only served to make him more depressed as he stuck his hand into the popcorn bowl.
Glenn was on his bike, wind blown hair fighting against his helmet as Green Day blasted from his headphones. He turned a corner, dodging a petite brunette woman pushing a double stroller. One more block and he'd be at the park. It was hard to tell whether it was the adrenaline from the exercise, or if he was just nervous as hell. He concluded it was the latter.
He'd called in sick. Herbert seemed a little disappointed overall, but Glenn told him a family member was in the hospital, so as not to get fired. He felt bad about lying, but he didn't want to let Herbert know he'd let him down if not over something serious. And was this?
A minute later he arrived at St. Vincent's Park. Cars were parked on either side of the quiet street. He walked his bike over the rack. Children slid down slides and climbed across monkey bars, while smiling parents watched intently. His eyes scanned the area slowly, until they came across a pretty girl sitting on a bench, reading some kind of comic book. Squinting at the title, Glenn could make out the words "Night of the Living Dead" on the cover.
He recognized her from her profile picture. This was the girl in the photos, the girl he talked to over webcam. Her blonde hair led to a milky pink ombre, falling down past her shoulders. He stuck his phone and headphones into his pocket and after a minute of fidgeting with his hair, walked over to her. "Katie?"
She turned in his direction, smile widening. "Glenn! You made it!"
"Were you expecting me not to?" he asked, plopping down beside her on the bench. Now that he was closer to her, he noticed other things about her, like the green spot on her left iris, and the beauty mark on her cheek.
"No, that's not it. I'm just... excited to see you."
"How's the book?" It was the first thing Glenn could think of to say. He wasn't great at conversation.
Katie looked puzzled, but then she looked down at the comic book sprawled across her lap. "Oh. It's great!" She closed it and picked it up gently back into her bag.
"Great..."
"So, Civilization V! Awesome game play, huh?" Katie's eyes darted around, her timid gaze switching from Glenn to the playground's mulch shavings behind him.
"Yeah. I was really anticipating the release. I'm not disappointed."
"You know, I'm sorry if this is weird. It's just, I don't meet up with people in real life much. I usually only talk to friends and family, really."
Glenn understood the feeling. "Don't worry, I'm the same way. It seems like some people don't see me as anything more than a pizza boy."
"Well at least you're working. I live at home, and I'm plagued by an awful disease."
Glenn's mouth widened. "What do you mean?"
"Writer's block. It's torture. My dream was to become a writer, but now I'm struggling to write more than a few hundred messy words on a page. I can barely afford my apartment's rent."
Glenn laughed a sigh of relief. "Confession: I still live with my parents." He really wanted to get that part over with, and while they were sharing their dirty secrets it seemed like the perfect time.
"Confession," Katie raised an eyebrow, "I didn't go to college."
"Confession: I didn't either."
"Did you not have the money?"
"My parents did, but I feel like the whole thing's a waste of time."
"It does seem like a scam. Why waste thousands of dollars when you could just write a book and get fame... a movie deal?" Katie frowned, "That's what my thought process was anyway."
"Well, we'll certainly be great parents if nothing else." Glenn said sarcastically, and then realized how weird that sounded. They'd just met after all.
"I'm sorry. That was..."
"No, it's fine. I get the joke." She smiled sympathetically, grazing his hand with hers.
Glenn was about to say something about the weather. It was then that he saw him.
Something or someone rather, a man charging toward them. From afar it looked like a person, but as it came closer Glenn could tell what was once human was no more. He was a balding middle-aged man in a bloody white and gray flannel. His scratch mark covered skin looked decayed, and a piece of flesh torn from his neck. He was limping at a consistent pace, with no plans of slowing down.
"Run!" Glenn yelled to Katie, sprinting toward his bike.
Frantic parents searched for their children, one mother screaming "ISABELLA!"
"Wait!" Katie grabbed her bag and keys. "Come with me!"
Glenn glanced at the green Honda parked underneath the shade of a willow tree. He didn't give it a second thought, taking shotgun as Katie unlocked the car. She backed up, wheels skidding as they retreated north past the half dead man who turned its head, as if confused by all the noise. They didn't look back.