Cally Co

We ran and ran until our legs couldn’t carry us anymore. Then we walked and groaned in pain together with each step. Over the horizon, through the thick yellow atmosphere we saw the bold red letters of a sign. “Cally Co.” mom nearly screamed. She was so excited! A new sense of youth hit her and she sprinted again toward its doors. The front looked like it had been crushed under the weight of a truck or two but beyond that, it looked fine. A large store like my last home. She pushed the sliding glass doors open and hurried me inside with her. We carefully maneuvered around the collapsed ceiling and rubble, over a few leaky puddles. This stores shelves still had stock. No one had been here yet! Mom walked me through the isles until she came upon a can with an image of a fruit on it. Not a mango, or a pineapple. Those I had tried in cans before. This one was small and round. She carried the can down a few isles until she could spot a can opener. She carved the top off of the can and handed it to me. I stick my grimey fingers into the thick syrup and plucked out a slimy piece of fruit flesh. I stuck it in my mouth and shivered. It was very good but also, very sweet. I handed the can back to mom and continued exploring. I found a water room where previous humans used to waste gallons of clean water to defecate and urinate. I tested the taps and discovered that one of the sinks still worked and with a few flushes one of the toilets came up clean too. We had fresh water, food, and who knows what else!  

It had been an exciting day, but we were tired. I found an isle dedicated to small animals and grabbed the largest pet beds I could find. I brought four of those mats to the stockroom in the back of the store and set them up for mom and I. This would be the first time we slept on anything soft in ages. I searched and searched for a blanket but it seems that if there were any, they had been crushed beneath the ceiling. No matter, there was plenty of kindling for a small fire. We kept warm by burning boxes of old documents and expired crackers.  

That night we ate until our bodies were satisfied and slept for half a day. When we woke I asked mom why she had yelped at the old elite and she tried to deny it. Mom never lied to me before, so this must have been bad. “please tell me” I insisted. She shook her head. I growled “did he hurt you?” she shook her head and sighed. “He poked me with something. May have been a needle. I actually hadn’t realized that’s what happened until we stopped running. At the moment I thought he pinched my butt.” I felt heat rise up through my whole body. How dare he. I’d kill him if I could! She pushed her jeans down to show me the injection site on her rear. It was horrifying black with dark purple trails expanding out from it like tiny inky tentacles. I described it to her and shook with rage. “We need an astringent.” I took off running up and down the store to find alcohol. I came upon a bottle of vodka which I soaked a paper towel in and pressed to the hole. Mom drew a sharp breath through her teeth.  

We rested for months, just living off of canned goods, water, and sleeping comfortably. We were safe again. Briefly, I could have sworn I heard my sisters laugh echoing through the store. I must have been over tired.  

In the morning I decided to go after my journal, and a few more of our supplies. I took off while mom slept and ran silently through a dusty red fog. Our old home had been surrounded by Armadillos as though it was their new base. I took a few deep breaths to settle my nerves. Then stood up straight and walked in. I made no eye contact, I said nothing. I behaved just like one of them. As I came to the front door I saw one of the Armadillos up close and it took everything in me not to break character. My father stood there by the door. His face was grim and his eyes were set ahead. I couldn’t quite tell but I think he recognized me and was trying to let me pass.. I could smell him. I could smell the cologne he was wearing every day and a vision sprang up in my head. The night prior when we escaped that smell had been there. Perhaps he was the one trying to grab me. Perhaps he was the reason we escaped. 

I walked right up to my journal and picked it up. This was the point where I began to catch the attention of the other Armadillos. I moved a little faster toward our med kit and blankets. Suddenly I had a dozen Armadillos surrounding me. I held my bag close to my chest, found a small break in the circle and sprinted for it. Tears ran down my red hot cheeks as I passed dad again. This time he lunged at me. If it had been any other armadillo I would have drawn my knife and fought, but I couldn’t fight my dad. Even if his chip was functioning again and he was braindead inside.  

I sprinted to the box mom had used the day before and rested inside until I was sure they had lost me. I wasn’t sure they even followed me into the culvert. Mom must be getting worried by now. I opened the door and ran toward Cally Co at a steady pace. Before long I was at the door panting and groaning and dry heaving. Mom greeted me and took away the blankets and first aid kit. She hugged me and sighed. “what am I going to do with you? You scared me half to death.”