Zeke locked eyes on the staggering Lil' Michael, chest heaving, health bar hanging by a single red sliver. He raised his Super Soaker Neo90, neon circuits pulsing along the barrel.
"Not on the First Toy's watch!"
SCH-BLAM!
A high-pressure blast of glowing aqua tore across the food court, slamming into Lil' Michael's glittering chest. The bassline hiccupped, then died.
The zombie backup dancers froze mid-snap, mid-shuffle, arms suspended in eerie tableau.
Lil' Michael let out one last garbled cry—"Hee—hee—OOOOHhhh nooooo…"—before exploding into a storm of digital pixel dust.
The Boss Health Bar at the top of their HUD cracked apart and rained shards of crimson light.
Then, Zeke and Julie's accessories lit up: the earring and the keychain pulsed together, beams of prismatic light weaving around the cloud of fading pixel dust. Slowly, the remains compacted, folded, and re-assembled into a hovering cube.
When the light faded, a sealed plastic toy clattered to the ground in pristine, shrink-wrapped, retro-style packaging.
ZOMBIE KING OF DEPOP – 1982 LIMITED EDITION.
Zeke's eyes went wide. "No freaking way… I've been looking for this toy forever!"
He dove forward, scooping it up with both hands like buried treasure. His HUD pinged:
BOSS COLLECTIBLE ACQUIRED!
Julie, still catching her breath, let out a shaky laugh. "Guess you finally scored your grail piece."
The sealed Zombie King of Depop toy shimmered, then vanished into Zeke's inventory screen with a triumphant DING!
The First Toy keychain jangled against Zeke's belt, gears whirring. A blocky 8-bit KA-CHUNK! sound rang out as a neon door of pulsing pixels unfolded in midair. The kids shielded their eyes as a shimmering portal opened, filling the ruined food court with rainbow light.
"Victory Room unlocked," the First Toy's voice announced. "Step inside to claim your spoils."
Zeke and Julie exchanged a look, then stepped through—
—And landed in a void of swirling arcade geometry. Floating neon grids stretched out like infinite game tiles, walls flickering with scoreboards. Triumphant synth music blared:
A massive HUD materialized before them, golden letters flashing: DOO-DOO-DOO-DOO-DOO-DOO-DOO-DOOOOO! LEVEL ONE CLEEEEAAAR!
Their totals rattled up old-school pinball style, lights flashing and buzzers chiming. At the bottom of the screen, a glowing treasure chest icon blinked.
Player One: ZEKE
Enemies Defeated: 42
Boss Defeated: ✔ Lil' Michael
Items Collected: Speed Shoes, Health Pack ×2, Boss Toy (Rare)
Damage Taken: 27%
Style Bonus: +300
Precision Bonus: +500 pts -Headshot Accuracy!
Player Two: JULIE
Enemies Defeated: 38
Boss Assist: ✔
Items Collected: Pandora's Box (Ultra Rare), Med Kit ×1
Damage Taken: 12%
Style Bonus: +300-Crowd Control Combo!
"Level Rewards incoming," said the First Toy.
CH-CHUNK!
Two floating prize orbs appeared before them. One red, one purple. Zeke grabbed the red—his Neo90 flickered and reloaded itself, upgrading with glowing decals:
NEW WEAPON MOD: Hydro Blaster Burst Fire!
Julie watched her purple Super Soaker slim itself into a sleeker frame, runes glowing along its tank:
NEW WEAPON MOD: Bubble Bomb Launcher!
Both kids' glasses pinged:
SYSTEM UPDATE: STAT BOOST – +10% Movement Speed, +15% Accuracy.
As the jingle wound down, the grid beneath their feet rippled. A new door began to pixelate into view, its surface flashing with ominous icons—chainsaws, baby rattles, and shadowy fangs.
The First Toy's chuckle echoed:
"Good work, kiddos. But remember—every level cranks the dial up. Ready or not, Level Two is loading…"