You work at Blockbuster. You’re behind the counter, half-asleep, surrounded by apocalypse movies and isekai anime you know too well and enjoy and plan to put them back when it’s nearing the end of your shift in a few hours.

Carlos your coworker who’s still new to this job watches the clock. Alexina a coworker of yours who is the superintendent restocks as gum pops in her mouth and she chews.

Carlos grabs a random tape from your pile annoyed your not really watching anything on the tv on the counter anymore and shoves it into the TV.

The lights flicker. Power goes out.

Alexina sighs and stumbles to the back. Carlos messes with the TV and as you stand to orient yourself—

The TV roars to life.

The store shakes. Shelves crash. Tapes fly. Glass cracks. The whole Blockbuster slams into the ground.

The TV knocks Carlos out as it lands on him. You’re thrown into the counter. Alexina goes silent in the back.

Smoke. Ringing ears. You come back into consciousness and look outside.

No parking lot. Only mist… and a forest.

A glowing humming sigil burns in the dirt and broken ground then flickers fading away. A silhouette of a robed woman stands outside the blockbuster. Then as your senses come back…the smell of rot.

From the mist limps a zombie witch girl, gray-skinned, dragging a sparking staff like a cane.

Her eyes find you. Carlos is down. Alexina isn’t moving. You’re hurt. And the witch is coming closer.