Toxico: Chapter One

Xahylia woke to fine herself screaming until breathlessness prevailed. She inadvertently woke her daughter, sleeping within her own nightmares beside her. Gasping harshly enough to make her cough rather than breath, she turned to her sleep interrupted screaming daughter. Across the hall, another child was crying hysterically. Kassie Fumbled, thrashing out at Xahylia’s hands as she was attempting to escape the covers, but only made it more twisted. Eventually, three year old Kassie escaped the damp covers and crawled into Xahylia’s arms, shaking like a stunned animal.
The ground shook, causing the hotel to quiver. A gigantic whip of lightening broke through the sound barrier, to which Kassie howled almost as loud in response. Xahylia attempted to keep calm and cool for Kassie’s sake, but after that thunderous crash, it was harder to control her own shattered nerves. Her thoughts were frayed, in disarray, scattered on a desolate wasteland of fear. The hotel wobbled, frantically gripping onto its foundations for support, as if it owned its own existence, one that was not susceptible to nature.
Somehow through the melancholic wailing of the wind and the fighting of the elements, Xahylia heard someone screaming and pounding at the door. The door was actually bouncing on its hinges, which were swearing in exhausted protest. With Kassie clinging desperately to her neck, almost cutting off her air supply in fear of letting go, Xahylia stumbled like a drunkard, but eventually made it the three meters from the bed to the door. A large man, dark and hansom, entered the room, in the same kind of way Xahylia had made it to the door, carrying a young boy, pale and clinging to the man as if he were sown on. In accented English, he introduced himself as Amori, and the boy as his son, Oskah. Oskah looked small and frightened, too pale and withdrawn: he seemed about four or five years old. Once both children were vibrant and energetic, but now both were trapped inside the world of their parents, with nature’s vicious ambiguity forcing them into an unwelcome reality. Amori suggested that they might be “safe in better number,” just in case something was to happen. His English was stunted as he struggled to stop from conversing in his native language. Oskah did not even attempt to translate, although he must have been fluent in both languages. Amori continued to struggle until Xahylia suggested that it would be better to stay together. Evidently he understood better English than he spoke.
Eventually Kassie and Oskah fell asleep upon Xahylia and Amori. Both parents had fitful dozing broken sporadically by bursts of lightening and the rusty, crackling laughs of thunder, as if it were taunting them to stand against its ferocious power. As the day emerged quietly from the quelling storm and the tumbled, beaten down city, the survivors slowly gave essence to the darkened day. By two that afternoon, the day was clear and bright, the slight drizzle of the morning’s hazy beginnings were lazy, puffing up from the decaying, cracked cement and ruptured asphalt into a milky mist. The gray-white mist made Amori and Xahylia’s passage to inspect the city and its damage hazardous, but exciting just in its treachery for Oskah and Kassie. The pair were exuberant, but cautious, as the residue form the nights storm had not yet evaporated from there young, but extremely impressionable memories, their games and giggles twinkled with uncertain fear.
As the quad approached the West side of the city, any forms of life were non-existent. There was not a fly, not mosquito, nor even the most resilient of rodents, the cockroach. This disturbed Xahylia, as bugs and rodents were thought to be able to survive almost anything, even nuclear holocausts. Amori was apprehensive, because to him, this situation felt like it belonged in one of those cheap B-grade horror movies he so enjoyed as a child. Even the oxygen in this basin city was thin, it was nearly non-existent. They were all beginning to see that all of the West side of the city was a crumbled ruin, where numerous bloated, dead bodies, tinged with almost painted greenish yellow, assaulted there eyes. Oskah and Kassie were looking at the bodies, fascinated and horrified at the same time. The pair had already survived through more than any other toddlers should have. They shouldn’t have to see this, accept the cruelty of life so soon. They were still so fragile in there development.
Amori, whose defaning silence and quite contemplation initially served unnerved Xahylia, harshly grumbled his first profanity. Amori thought his eyes betrayed him, but maybe it was his mind refusing to comprehend the strewn, lifeless bodies. There decay purile and inhumane in its surprisingly advanced stages. Kassie lifted her head and cried at her mother “What that yuck smell mummy?” The question was contemplated as both Amori and Xahylia sniffed, apprehensive, unsure and afraid, fear encompassing them in their own delusions of safety. Their chests and throat constricted to closing, both panicking, fighting to draw breath. The revolting, gross, almost acidic rotting smell was noxious as it inhabited every molecule of their bodies. Xahylia looked around and confusion momentarily flooded her consciousness. She thought that scavengers, or at least some rodents, were usually around the corpse. Oskah and Kassie had already covered their own noses and mouths with there jackets. Amori and Xahylia followed suit, covering there own noses and mouths while under-arming the closest child and escaping the horrific smell.
A few moments later, Xahylia forced herself to calm down, and stopped. Amori took a couple of seconds to realize. He reluctantly returned to her side. Kassie and Oskah were initial holding on, but struggled to the ground when they stopped. “What should we do?” Amori asked. Xahylia shrugged, slight disdain shrouding her voice, “Check out the rest of the city, and assess the damage: Amori struggled to grasp the concept. “Won’t there be police?” Xahylia shrugged again, “Yeah, but the community center and the city hall have both been demolished. There are no local police around. There is something wrong. What do you want us to do?” “Go to that government incinerator plant” “Why?” “There must be many people there. Police, that seem to be missing from here.” “I don’t like Kassie in large, angry, scared crowds with little or no supervision. Is that where you want Oskah? But if you feel it is necessary.” Amori studied her face for a few moments, then responded, “I guess looking won’t hurt.” Amori turned and called “Oskah.”
As they headed toward the East side of the town, the small group passed the north/south main street. Numerous people were scattered in a loose handful, looting, crying, screaming, and generally looking forward to an early grave. The four were passing a city whose future was embedded, like a thorn, somewhere in the past. Xahylia saw a gun shop. Somebody had already broken through the security, and there were possibly two or three people in there, but what she wanted was a gun. She was afraid and didn’t trust any of the other people to act in a sane and rational when half the city was demolished and inhabited by rotting copses.
“Amori…”grabbing him by the arm”…I’m going to get us some guns.”
“Do you think we need…” But Xahylia was already walking towards the gun shop, Kassie balanced on her left hip. Amori, holding Oskah, followed her into the store. There was another woman in there loading a semi-automatic, but ignored the new entries. Xahylia was already loading a handgun, and had three more in front of her, each with several bottles of bullets each. Kassie was sitting on the counter, watching her mother intently.
“Do you think this is a good idea, getting a gun I mean?”
“What else would you mean? A few moments of dark silence, brooding followed. She looked directly at him, her shadowed green eyes blazing straight into his almost black ones. He wanted to look away, but was intimidated by her fearless, determined gaze. “Can you shoot? Do you know how to use one of these?” Her voice was forceful, in command, placing the loaded gun into the hand not holding Oskah, who was watching in childish bemusement. Amori’s throat closed his hand clammy around the heavy metal gun, hesitant, unsure “Ahh…”
“Ahh what, yes or no?”
“Yes….I can” his voice cracking under the pressure and the intensity of her burning gaze, his mind freezing his English, his cheeks blushing red. Oskah shifted around and went to reach for the gun. “No”
“But why” his innocent eyes yet all knowing.
“They are not toys. They are for protection.” Then Amori pushed the gun into the belt in the small of his back, Oskah’s sneakered foot kicking him impatiently, smearing the handle design into his gently muscled back.
Thunder rumbled. “We should get bags, food, water, somewhere to stay. It may storm again: the hotel is probably not safe, judging from what we’ve seen in the Western Districts. Most likely a earthquake…” He looked at her, startled, then out of the barred window. “We don’t get earthquakes here, were not…” Amori’s attempt at butting in sent Xahylia’s patience to attack Amori’s already bloodied nerves “No, we are not on fault lines, but earthquakes still do happen.” Xahylia paused, noticing the bewildered look on his face, like fish noticing a hawk’s talons moments before they descent into unwelcome oblivion. “Look, I’m unsure about the safety of the hotel, and I am not risking Kassie’s life, nor my own” Xahylia had finished loading the fourth gun, pushed two into her pants belt at the small of her back. She threw the last one too Amori, “So you know where we could get some of the stuff we need?” she asked as she grabbed and army surplus bag and threw in extra bullets and some little silver packets. “A convenience store is