Endling

Chapter Three

 Daria Loyal rolled around on her bed in a pile of colorful silk scarves, letting them caress her naked middle-aged body. Each scarf still carried the scent of her contraband perfume and if she closed her eyes she forgot she was in this 10x12 cracker box masquerading as an apartment. It was government sanctioned housing in a grossly overpopulated building, in a human-infested suburb in an over-capacity country in a world stretched beyond its limits. If it weren't for her scarf therapy, all she would smell was soup and desperation wafting through the whisper-thin walls. But this is how she said fuck it. Fuck all the new limits and rations and rationality. Why not indulge in an obscene number of tactile textiles even when underwear could cost a week's salary. What's the point of caring any more that society is in a downward spiral? Daria craved color and comfort and days gone by when her skin was taut and people noticed she was there.

The chimes shattered the mood. That annoying sound that meant someone was calling, someone needed something. Daria took her time extracting herself from the bed, draping a caftan over her body and pouring a glass of watered down wine. Girl's got to pace herself. The chimes were unrelenting.

Daria touched her smartphone and her daughter Sadie appeared on the screen. "Mom," she demanded, "It's important." Daria paused for a draw on her tumbler. "I'm listening," she replied. Why was everyone so dramatic these days?

"We need to move on," Sadie implored, "That was way too close."

"Nice move by Zeke with thePokémon," Daria offered. Sadie told her she wasn't half bad either, but how long can they keep this up. "Another five minutes and we would have been dusted."

Daria sighed audibly and started singing the old-time reggae tune Three Little Birds. "Don't worry, about a thing ..."

"Mom, focus, I need you to focus," Sadie pleaded.

"Worry is giving us wrinkles, dear. Listen to the song."

"Good god mother can we stay on topic?"

"Put my grandson on the phone."

Zeke moved toward the phone as light on his feet and nimble as a cat. "Hi, Nana."

"Zeke darling, your mother seems overwrought. Is she getting those bags under her eyes and biting her nails?"

"Her face twitches when you guys talk."

"Zeke, you know I only want what's best for you and your mom. It wouldn't kill her to give more attention to her appearance. No sense in cashing in all her chips until the world has actually ended."

"Tell Nana we may need the coordinates for that old glamping site," Sadie urges from the background. "But send in code format."

"Nana, we..."

"I heard her, sweetie" Daria interrupts Zeke. "Sure, whenever you need something from Nana I hear from you both. Don't think I'm not keeping tally on my favors to you."

"Nana ..."

"You owe me another scarf and I don't care if you have to risk your life to get it. Stay tuned, crumb cakes."

Daria digs out what they need from her phone and scrambles it in their secret code before launching it in a text message to her daughter. Oh great, now she'll also have to dig out camp-wear for this little excursion. When the time is right, though. Abundance of caution and all that.

Her Walter used to love going glamping together back in the day. It had reached its peak of popularity when people were finally faced with the reality that the world's natural resources were drying up. The places for optimum glamping had become very exclusive due to high demand and low supply. There simply weren't enough places to safely visit nature. Of course, virtual glamping was on the rise, but what fun is that, Walter would say, when the pine cone smell is piped in?

Walter. Sweet Walter.

Daria vividly remembers losing Walter. It was shortly before the world really started going bonkers. Before they were full-on persecuting scientists and intellectuals, before they twisted religious superiority with government, before they blatantly started calling racism patriotism. But the signs were all there. None more telling though than what she witnessed right after Walter died.

Eight days after her husband died, Daria Loyal lost her shit in a Walmart store.

She hated coming to the fulfillment centers. With only two choices left, Amazon or Walmart, it was the lesser of the evils in her mind. She knew she needed to exceed her food and drink quota for Walter's memorial so she filled out all the requisition forms. She started the day resigned to the process, going through the motions. Her mind was full of minutia, her heart was full of grief.

After 24 years of marriage all she had left was an ache in her chest and 24 pairs of men's socks. Yep, one pair for every year of marriage. She also had her daughter Sadie of course, who had just turned 21. Sadie and Walter were in cahoots about something they discovered online before he died. It was something terrible, but Sadie would still not discuss it.

Daria entered the cavernous store through giant automatic doors. Everything was blinding white like polished porcelain with pops of Walmart blue. Demented yellow smiley-face holograms hovered over the aisles where the deals were. Daria longed to smack the floating face that welcomed her to Walmart. There was no staff as all transactions happened on smartphones.

Daria drifted down one aisle after another. Every five minutes someone would bump into her or step in front of her in the mad shuffle. While normally this would be annoying, today it was infuriating. Daria's grief was so tangible she felt like it was a veil other people should be able to see. Being metaphorically invisible was tiring and she was still honing her true invisibility. She had an invisibility mishap once when only her clothing disappeared when she was trying to slip out of church unnoticed. New Covenant Church was now unwilling to host the memorial.

Something else didn't feel right in the Walmart today. She was getting used to a population with fewer children, but this store was completely void of children which was weird.

Out of nowhere a woman began shrieking, "My Jordan! My Jordan is gone! Someone please help me!" Daria looked all around to see who might run to her aid. Several men in blue uniforms appeared around the woman. While the woman was in hysterics, the men appeared strangely calm. They escorted the woman out of sight. The whole scene gave Daria the willies and made her want to leave. I guess the lone child there in Walmart today vanished like dresses on a clearance rack. That's it. With nerves frayed to the limit, Daria aimed for the exit.

Daria stood in line with her loaded cart and her requisition app open, ready to scan. She felt a jab of pain in the back of her shins. She groaned and grabbed her leg, turning to see the oblivious person behind her ramming her with his cart as he chatted on his phone, staring off into space.

"Excuse me!" she snapped. "Sorry," he mouthed with an eye roll and turned his back on her to finish his conversation. Without hesitation, Daria shoved his cart back in his direction. The cart collided with the man's back. With an oof! he lost the grip on his phone which went sailing in the air and crashed spectacularly on the floor. He spun toward her, "You crazy bitch!" He lunged. She grabbed a jar of maraschino cherries from her cart and launched it. It exploded on the floor next to him in a pool of sticky sweetness and glass shards.

Alarms sounded and security bots whirred toward them. Daria grabbed hold of her cart and bolted past the other shoppers toward the door. She ran her phone over the scanner to let herself out but it buzzed and flashed red letters LIMIT EXCEEDED. The rest of the people in line started heckling her. Who do you think you are jumping the line? Look at what that greedy woman has in her cart! What's the matter with her? Daria grabbed a jar of pickles and whipped it at the wall. People gasped. The security bots caught up with her now and long tentacles reached out for her wrists. She kicked the first bot and screamed, "I filled out my req, you glorified toaster." The second bot clamped onto her right wrist and began pulling her away. She kept screaming "I filled out my req! I filled out my req!" The other shoppers shook their heads disapprovingly and the man with the cart sneered.

As they took her away, all Daria could think about was the woman whose child went missing.