Where is Everybody? thirty four · 3:34am Sep 18th, 2017
I can't stand it. I'll not go back to that hellhole. I saw what it did to Alex, and I'll not let it get to me. I had the wind knocked out of me, and rapidly felt weak just being in that car. No way they'll drag me into their cavern. I was boozing myself to oblivion per usual when the HPI scum tried to buy me out of the place. Fortunately for me, and for Vinnie, she stood her ground. She didn't sell me out. Yet when they fled with news they'd come back for us, we all took off. I don't like to steal. But I won't allow this deal. It's just my luck it resulted in us getting transported to some weird horseland.
I had never planned to do any three things but feed Val by having my way with Vinnie, get drunk, and watch over my miracle cauliflowers. Now that latter's out.
She told me they'd leave them all alone if I come quietly, or they fork me over. The answer is no. They can't have me. I won't go there.
As we began taking anything we could quickly and quietly stash away in the trunk, I thought about that scene. I was peeking out of the curtains at them negotiating over me. They would not give up. Time after time, "Give us the boy" rang in my ears, I had to cover them. Sometimes, I wish I hadn't gained these sensitive ears. That sealed it. I was out of there. I didn't care where we'd go, but we weren't staying here. I got out and grabbed Val De Lump and told him his sustenance is going on a trip, and he'd best come along if he doesn't want to starve. He said he's perfectly well fed with Alex and co. But ours was the kind of passion he'd be able to feast upon and not need a large party. Besides, he likes us. That bought him.
Down i-10 and up hwy x, we wouldn't keep upon the main road where we'd be geese for the slaughter, the firing squad, the hunting posse. More dead vegetation than I'd imagined met my eye, and ever more lack of corpses on the road made it seem like something out of The Twilight Zone. When we found the Santa Fe dam, I'd thought this was a perfect place to rest a minute. There's dozens of these in any given direction. They may figure we'd break here, but by the time they choose this one, we'd be long gone. I do miss my cauliflowers, though. They'd die if I tried to pot them then move them like this. Oh well.
More and more mouthwriting is making me an expect at the lack of hands, something Vinnie and Val don't need to do. Pity...
With all the greenery in the area behind the dam, we hadn't noticed there were deer here. Grazing in the meadow of a park, which was now overgrowing, were it not for them. In some places, it was. Yet oddly rather than spread out and scatter, they seemed to stick together in a cluster, and only eat certain portions. Weird. Almost like they decided they will only eat an area they started in then move around. All of the grazed area was connected. No stray patches or anything.
When I decided to take a swim in the lake, there was a strange abnormality in it. That's the dozenth. Almost as if there was a sudden blast, there was a flash of light, and a splash. I hurried to the car and told Vinnie to step on it. No use gathering minerals here, nor feeding on the feelings of deer. She listened, then I spiked. My head spun, and she went limp.
When we woke up, it was quiet. I got up and looked out the window to see a blank landscape except for tall grass over a hill. In the distance there were mountains, but like none I'd ever seen before. They looked like a perfect pattern. Like an artist drew them and went unrealistic, but easy on them. They were dimensional as we were, and had texture, but the shape and size was too perfect. Like they were manufactured.
Val was the second one up, then Vinnie. Curse me. I got them into this. I may not get them out. I couldn't tell where we were, but it wasn't any place I knew, let alone So-Cal. Vinnie spoke up and said So-Cal is far off now. I wish I could laugh.
When we eventually came out, the place was still oddly quiet, yet we could see a house in the distance. There were several trees full of what looked like apples in them, and a lone house with a smoking chimney. A big haystack was outside of a large barn, and clear tracks indicated someone had been here, and they were like us.
We'll stay in the car tonight. Tomorrow we'll see who lives there and get some questions.
