The Holiday Riot

The streets were alive with all manner of activities, the holidays were fast approaching and everyone was clamoring over each other to get last minute gifts for loved ones. A time meant for peace and goodwill was a battleground of thirsty shoppers hunting for the best any retail chain could supply. The wickedness was all around. It was worse this year than it has been before. Years past didn't bring such bloodshed to the halls of the shopping mall, but this year people were attacking one another with fists, knife, guns, it didn't matter. It was like Krampus had a hold on the souls of the denizens of this town and Christmas cheer faded into faceless corporatism, or so thought Daniele.

Still a kid by todays standards at twenty-five years old, Daniele didn't like to take part in this aspect of society, he hated it. All the faceless consumerism, the real meaning of the holiday spirit was lost in the presence of greed. He didn't want to feed the belly of the beast, call it a personal protest, call it being an edgy, hell call it being a holiday hipster, it matter not to him, but he had to go out all the same. His mom was in need of a few extra ingredients to prepare the Christmas feast. He may of loathed the holidays but family still meant something to him, after all he wasn't a monster. So off he went into the fray, hoping to get in and get out as fast as he could without having to be in the mass delusion for to long.

On his way to the grocery store Daniele would have to drive past the mall in all its yule-tide glory. The roads were unseemly, the streets were lined with fire. There were cars turned over, shrapnel spread along the road and emergency vehicles flying any way the roads allowed for. He was creeping through the apocalyptic nightmare his town become, driving ever so slowly in awe of the horror trying to figure out how it all went wrong. Thats when he saw the explosion at the mall. All the emergency vehicles rerouted and headed up to the mess.

Daniele made it to the grocery-store unharmed, with a slightly empty parking lot. He made his way in and quickly grabbed what was on the list. Two pineapples, four loaves of peasant bread, fresh cranberries along with fresh thyme and dill, and a partridge in a pear tree, his moms cruel attempt a joke he thought, but a he smiled anyway. On his drive back through the carnage, another explosion struck the mall and a body part bounced of his car leaving blood on the windshield. He didn't creep through this time he just wanted to get back. When Daniele walked in his mother asked "How was it out there."

"Oh you know, just another Christmas."

"You know mom, I really respect your use of fresh ingredients for everybody." he continued. "It shows a lot of thought and care"

"Well Daniele, the holidays don't mean much without such things."