ARCH 1.3

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Right after Vic left, Nala abandoned her project and goes up to her favorite spot to see his buggy disappear down the road.
This was it, she was all alone for the first time.

She anxiously hugs herself on the treetop platform.

Before starting the second shed, they had both wood-worked together on a makeshift stairway that spiraled around a thick tree nearby to create a functional observation post that was cool and discreet.

Nala calls it her pan kasi spot.

It was a weird experience up there; Nala was exalted with the birds eye view; the horizons of snow covered mountains were further defined, and on the ground everything was small.

Even the air was different.

Nala had added to it some coziness and compliments; a tiny chair, binoculars’ and cushions.
She would climb it almost daily as her cool down place from her late afternoon perimeter patrol runs.

Many times, Nala found herself there,
whenhermindwasfulloflongandheavythoughtsthatneededtobeworkedoutsome.

Sometimes she would catch a sunrise or sunset.

From aloft, she could observe and report for them.   
The closest side road in the distance showed consistent and predictable traffic.

Vic had received this as a positive sign of normalizing out there.

They also noted the planes and helicopters way higher above; unpredictable and frequent, barely visible and inaudible.
You could feel them looking down unscrupulously.

Vic drives along, unaware Nala saw him off.
The roadside homes change in quality and quantity the closer he gets to town.
The buggy cd skipping reminds him he’ll needs to fetch a radio today. His former radio was lost on a well-pump repair a few days before the green rain, Nala had accidentally knocked it into the well as a clumsy curious horsey back then.

They’ve been completely in the dark from any news and developments from outside their safe place.

Another cd skip, Vic shuts it off. He wasn’t feeling it. Needed to concentrate.

Vic notes a pattern; some occasional drivers or passengers in the passing by cars had a diverse theme of oversized hoodies, masks, sun shades and sometimes light face paint.

{Don’t know what to make of it…}

Vic pulls up into the Wal-Mart on the town outskirt and wedgied the buggy between a gang of cars in the parking lot.
The place was at around a third capacity.

Leaning over the glove compartment, he low key function checks his 1911A1 and magazine spring tension against the .45 rounds.

He gave himself a moment to feel out the environment before noticing some concerning changes.

Vics hands start shaking at the sights, {get a grip old man…  …people are walking in and out with bags; that’s good, that’s normal, there are police near the door, that’s been normal for some time now…}

Vic notices a SWAT truck tucked away at the extreme end of the Walmart building,

{…oh dear…    …Walmart seems more heavily armed than norm…}

Vic pauses in fear and disbelief.

Next to the truck there is a small group of heavily geared law enforcers.
Behind this small group there is a set of bosstone dynamics robots.
They appear to be offline; one humanoid robot, the other a large wolf looking machine with a small crane-like contraption on its back.
He had heard roughly a year ago that the military was employing them against international terrorist groups.
Vic was disheartened, but unsurprised to find that kind of metal gear here.

The police are hanging their hands comfortably on their armor and belts, on low alert, making sure people take off their hoodies, sun-glasses, facemasks, etc, before walking in.

Vic notes a motorcycle guy walk up and… {…yup, they made him take his helmet and jacket off.  Everyone seems to be nodded through so long as their faces are visible and no baggy clothing…}

Vic catches that many people with the hoodies and face marks seem to stay behind in their cars with company while others went it,

{Should be fine.  have to walk past them…   …leave the gun behind, the doorway, or even those robo-bots likely have scanners on them}

Vic get’s his walking cane out the buggy flat bed and began making his way to the entrance. 
He checks both ways before turtling across the front of Walmart’s huge painted pedestrian walkway.

A swat guard lazily nods him in while his swat buddies are smoking and joking to the side, indifferent.

Walking in, the two welcoming sensor doors swing wide with big signs; 

“Walmart inc Supports our Troops 🫡!” on the left door and “Make America Safe Again😀!” to the right.

Inside, the space opened up a different world full of product options.

Smelled like industrial a/c, waxed floors and plastic.
Mariah Carey jingles over the speakers.
“Keep calm and purchase on” posters were plastered every few displays.

Vic wanted to use the motorized cart like he used to before, but the government was recently requiring the REAL-ID or STAR-ID cards with the additional BLUEPILL-ID card for handicap access to use them.  Immediately after, Walmart included scanners to their carts and began charging for its use. 
Vic didn’t qualify as he didn’t have a non P.O. Box address on record to provide, and had to be strict with his meager finances. 

Vic’s tired legs and bad back misses using these motorized shopping carts…
…And the kid in him thought it was fun.

Vic hooks his walker onto the manual shopping cart like the rest of the plebs and starts rounding around the massive store isles.
People from all over the town picking stuff up and down, adding to cart, and overall going about their standard consumer behaviors in their own little worlds and packs.  Occasional kids running around as nimble cart-crash risks.

There’s a little amber light and a cheap tablet at the handle of the shopping cart.
Vic presses a microphone symbol button on it and says, “canned food”.
The tablet responds with “isle 9” above a small map showing his position and where he needs to go.
Unknowingly, the camera on the tablet ai analyses his face to find records of him, to calculate frequency of visits, loyalty status, and whether he has gone to other stores and for what.

He pushes through the islands and isles of products, passing the same similar things with different flavors, different prices, different preservatives, different qualities.  Overchoices after overchoices, and bright colors and cute characters, most all of them from many companies that seem to all fall in one way or another under unlabeled and unfamiliar sounding conglomerates.

Vic arrives to the food section and reasons to himself, {the canned foods and grains, rice, beans, pasta are pricier than before…   …gosh darn it…   …not going to be able to buy as many now…     …can’t depend on this way of getting food…   …odd…   meat options of pork, chicken and beef are not available at all.  Good thing, Nala can’t eat those, she says they taste bitter.  ah!  Fish.  She likes fish, try to add more fish here…    …would be a good idea to teach her how to fish soon…}

Vic takes some cans of food into his cart.

The black dome cameras above him continue to make full use of our panopticon society. 
It’s ai assisted software, quietly in the background, describes and analyzes customers and employees in legalese;  <<<  Disclaimer: Walmart inc has the fundamental right to protect itself as a legal person and global citizen entity against potential threats from other people.  Subject is an elderly male non minority in appropriate dress attire entered at 3:16pm.  Subject spent over 5 minutes within 3 meters of canned goods section and had touched/handled our products multiple times.  Theft Risk level assessed as low-moderate.  Associate assistant en route, no team leaders alerted >>>.

Vic had moved onto the hardware/rope section when a painted silver blue and yellow robot puppy with a big screen for eyes rolled up.  It gave a friendly cheerful bark and it’s face flash and scrolled;
<<< *welcome to walmart inc!🙂 *Always low prices*Always walmart* Save money*Live better* >>>

The hardware products were behind locked plexiglass doors.

The dog barks and it’s screen eyes asks how it can be of assistance.

Vic asks as he points, “Yes, could ya please allow me a looky look so maybe I can purchase this here 550 cord?”

The dog records and processes Vic’s speech and appearances and uploads it to its Walmart ai servers without alerting the customer,
<<<customer ai rapport system activated. Southern dialect reply selected >>>

The dog replies, “Yeehaw!  You bet there partner, my name is santa’s-little-helper by the way, and I’m so glad you’re here at the home of the rollback”,
The digital puppy eyes on the goggle screen wink at him and continues, ”I’ll have that slidin’ door open for you in two steps of a croc’s sandal i’ll tell you what”

The dog’s nose sensor flashes red as it moves it’s snout to the lock on the glass; an “unlocked” symbol flashes on the dog’s face.

Vic opened the glass and went over the 550 cord options,

{Also pricier than before.  I can’t buy more than one roll without losing from the other things we need…    …prices keep going up, and my social security can’t cover this…    …oh!  Nala might like the purple colored cord one, but it’s a little more extra…     …i shouldn’t buy it but…}

The dog barks, robotically sits up on it’s back legs, and it’s friendly ai voice starts speaking while it tail wags, “Good choice there big fella!  Also, we noticed you are’t signed up for our loyalty freedom rewards card; if you sign up today, you can buy one item and get the other one half-off, and if you buy two full price, you get a third one free!  If you just buy one without signing up, well chucks cowboy, that math doesn’t add up as good ya know?”

Vic replies, “Thanks…    …Rudolph?  i might check it out next time, ehm…   …i’m finished now; and i’ll be taking this, so..”, Vic scratches his chin and looks sideways while he remembers the line to end the interaction, “I am satisfied with your care?”.

The dog background processes Vic’s reply into a customer service survey, makes note that Vic’s last visit before today was 25 July 2026, say’s “alrighty then part’ner, are you sure there isn’t anything else we can help you with?”, and remains silent while tilting it’s head and giving a light puppy whimper.

Vic closes the auto locking case door, ignores the robo-dog sales associate, and places a purple 550 cord spool in the cart along with the cans, baby wipes and other necessities.

The dog says “anything else give us a howl!” and rolls away as Vic moves on to try to gather some final things from his list.

In the background, the black cameras keep observing him:

<<< customer face and gait automatic update to UNITY system complete.  Walmart complies with all legal requirements put forth by the UNITY TREATY; Exporting information to our friendly troops on duty.  Subject is a sporadic customer.  Subject does not have a loyalty freedom rewards card.  Subject is not enrolled in the STARID/REALID Homelander systems >>>

Ready to leave and disappointed with how little he was able to get, Vic makes his way to the self check out.

The woman on the other check out side is voicing her complaints; she was being charged extra despite the digital sales advert coupled with her NFC app coupons and wished to debate her receipt.  A screen in front of her politely asks her to wait as an approving manager is currently speaking to another customer.  “That’s what you said last time you guys did this and I waited half an hour, nobody showed up, I had to leave!  Hey!  I know what you are doing!  It’s not gonna work this time!”

The self checkout machine screen shows an attractive young ai generated woman respond to her; “We’re sorry for any and all inconvenience.  Walmart values it’s customers.  A manager with authority to approve a potential 10% discount off your entire purchase will be with you shortly.  I will be back to check on your case in 5 minutes”, the ai lady is replaced by Walmart commercials of families smiling and celebrating each other with products they have on stock.

The unhappy customer replies in frustration, “Forget it!  fine!  i’ll just pay the extra charge.  But you can’t keep getting away with that!  It’s wrong what you are doing!”

The screen turned pink and both voiced and displayed a warning: “Emotional over reaction concern detected. We value a safe environment for our customers and employees.  Further discourse will trigger us to alert security.”

  The woman quietly paid and left.

Vic is sure he is being overcharged as well as there are a lot of confusing additional taxes, pre-recycling and convenience fee percentages being added, but no way is he going to deal with that.
He goes to pay but the dollar signs on the screen are more than Vic’s total net worth, so he was forced to mentally prioritize and remove things from out of his cart to afford what he could.

Worried and ashamed, Vic takes what he was able to secure back to the buggy.

Vic is in his seat ready to go, however, before turning over the ignition switch a Law enforcer confidently appears at his driver’s side window,
“Hey there sport, everything alright here?”

Vic looks up and see’s a fully geared UNISAFETY Officer with Detective labeled above his left chest pocket, the name Lewis on the left tag. Vic reflectively turns away from eye contact and kept his head low, “yes sir officer, all is good sir.”

The officer smirks, “Mighty fine truck you got here, still kicking strong I see.  Now I hate to bother you on this lovely day, how about you show me your REALID and we can all be on our way.”

“I, I haven’t gotten one yet sir”, Vic remarks, almost pleading.

“Oh! Well, what have you been up to then?  It’s been a few months out now, so I don’t think I could possibly understand what the hold up is.  You know, the law is the law and we can’t have you running around breaking the law on us can we?  Are we…”, the Detective takes off his sunglasses, exposing fierce blue eyes and smiles, “being transgressive?”

Vic submits, “No sir.”

“Tell you what, go ahead and show me whatever ID and license and registration you do have and we can talk about next steps.”

“Yes sir…”, Vic has his gun and vehicle documents in the glove department, so he buys time by reaching slowly for his wallet-

“Ep Ep Ep!”, the officer takes a slightly more alert stance, points with one hand at Vic and rests his other hand on the pistol grip of his belt, “be a good sport and reach around nice and slow if you would there”

“Yes sir, pulling out my wallet now”, Vic struggles to regulate his breathing, worried about the possibility of another panic attack,

{can’t let them take me away…   …can’t be arrested…    …sorry Nala…   ….i….    …i might not be making it back today…}

Vic’s eyes salt up a bit as the officer is going over his unexpired yet recently obsolete driver’s license; he contemplates that this might be his best chance to make his move.

Radio garble then channel voices kick in;

<<<   All hands on deck report to bus for briefing and turnover, all hands on deck all hands on deck; immediately- out   >>>

The officer scoffs disappointed and hands Vic his license back.

“Looks like you got saved by the bell Mr. ‘V.J.’ Chapman…    …how about this, you go to the registration and licensing right now and get yourself squared away, no detours, that sound like a plan?”

Vic nods, “Yes officer”. 

The Detective taps on Vic’s car twice and returns to his unit.

Vic started his truck up and went to town.

Vic really wanted to see her, he told himself would go straight back to Nala after seeing her; he went to see Dorothy.

Vic walks into the Buckhannon library.

Cool public ambience fill his nostrils, chased by the unique smell of shelved book pages.

Calm ambience.

Vic feels a wave of relief as there sat Dorothy at the front desk.

He missed the sight, this was bliss, she looked okay.

He tries to get a pre-smile going on, unsure what to expect, nervous, still shaky from the detective encounter and even shakier seeing her after the world had flipped.

He forgot what he had rehearsed to say, then realized he never rehearsed anything, as he didn’t know what to say after all this time and so much having happened.

{Oh no, I didn’t check my teeth, what do i say to her after all this, gosh dang it!  I forgot to bring back the books!  I hope she-}

“Ooooooh my goodness there you aaaare!”, Dorothy had looked up and caught him looking awkward and goofy in the entrance way and warmly invites him over.

Dorothy stands up to receive him, a comely senior woman with a light green dress, hazel eyes behind snazzy grandma reading glasses and a yellow ribbon pin.

She eases up in excitement, she’s so happy, she walks around the counter corner to greet him closer, “Vic can I, I mean, may I hug you?”

This was unexpected and warm for them both, they always have been barely more than friendly acquaintances and had never touched before, let alone hugged.

Vic opens his arms and Dorothy falls into him, he starts to say “oh shug so glad to see you as well-! uff!”.

  As they embraced Dorothy had tightened up Vic’s ribs into hers for a few meaningful seconds before letting go and resting her hands on his shoulders in front of him, both their eyes meet in shared relief.
Vic was left breathless, in more ways than one.

“And i’m even gladder to see you!”, Dorothy wipes a tear and explains, “I thought the worse, the rain, it took most, it took most people that were… …. How you been!? Where you’d been, I was so worried for you!  I wish I could call or, I would have driven by if I knew where you…   

Her voice cracks, Vic is soft and speechless.

He didn’t know Dorothy valued him that much. He certainly did her.

Vic says his part, “I’m sorry friend, I’ve been okay, just, no idea what’s been going on, last I was here there were cages everywhere and…”

Dorothy was processing what he was saying and returned to reality, suddenly changing both her face and the subject on him,

“Vic! Did you come in the truggy?”

“Ah!  You remember the buggy.  I did, and about that, i was in Walmart and-“,  Dorothy aggressively cuts in further, “Oh!  Did you ever do those upgrades you were sayin’? Could you show me how that buggy is looking now?”

Vic is confused, “Well, I uh, I haven’t yet done…”, Dorothy holds his hand and gently squeezes as she leads him away.

Outside the library, just two old people crossing the street together, two old friends that haven’t seen each other in a while.

“That must be it!”, Dorothy picks Vic’s vehicle out and she walks them towards it.

Dorothy is nervous for being so forward yet glad she could use this excuse to touch him more.
Vic hides well his struggle to keep up with her, he didn’t like using his cane when he went to see her and she has more springs in her steps than he does.

Dorothy takes off her bracelet and snaps it into a mini antenna and sticks it onto the hood before filling Vic in,

“I’m such a hot mess right now Vic, sorry, just making sure we aren’t being heard, there’s so much surveillance going on everywhere and…” Dorothy looks arounds as inconspicuously as she could, “Vic! You don’t know what’s happened for the past month!?    …Vic, it’s getting more dangerous everywhere, we are trying to leave as soon as we can, we… 

…they are sayin… [she lowers down], they are saying the turning point is now, and within a year it should be over, the last world war should be over…   

Vic… we are trying to go to one of those kasitopias communities out there..”

Vic recognized kasi as meaning tree….    …and showed his surprise and confusion to Dorothy.

“you don’t know!?  Vic, have you heard anything at all!?”

Vic sheepishly confesses the buggy’s radio hasn’t worked for years and he lost his other radio before the rain…   …and he doesn’t have a t.v. or wi-fi or a cell phone or anything of the sort.

Her eyes widened at a realization,

“Vic, you told me you had a horsey that visited you near where you lived,” Dorothy snaps her fingers trying to remember, “…Nala right?”

Vic’s gears start turning and he suspects Dorothy’s 2 dogs and cat turned human, “ah!  the kiddos!?  Starnick, Jiggz and Lucy…    …jan pona Dorothy?”

She laughs happily, “jan pona Vic?!”

She comments “Oh wow I’m so relieved she’s okay!  The horses also turned after the rain…”

She smiles a little somber, “The kiddos are okay!”,  “…they are so wonderful but I’m afraid I can barely keep up with all that energy!”

Dorothy looks away, she couldn’t bring up that one of her dogs didn’t make it.

Dorothy wipes another tear, abruptly, “Vic I…    …I thought you were dead.”

Vic pauses, stunned, before replying as smoothly as he could muster,
“Well, I’ll have you know, these rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated and as you can see i’m…    …wait, why’d ya think that?”

Dorothy’s face turned dull as she explained, “Many people died hun.  A lot of us old folks died, in nursing homes and hospices, and prisoners…     …and orphans and foster kids, and pets and homeless folks…     …Vic, I’m so sorry if I’m wrong, but, I always thought that you were…    [Dorothy fidgets a bit before continuing]…    I saw you once selling apples in the other town from your trunk and…       …my grandfather would tell us about how he had to sell apples when he was homeless to…    …i just always got the feeling that you were really struggling out there…”

Vic feels exposed, he did well to cover himself up, always avoided the topic, and he didn’t want to lie to her; he wanted to comfort her,

“Aw chucks Dorothy, i’m not homeless, i have a small place a few ways up the road…    …it’s just un-listed and not my property is all, but i’ve been living comfy…”

Dorothy tears up some more, “Oh dear gracious me I’m so sorry I can’t stop crying I…”  Vic tears up with her and let’s her know, “I’m right here with you, I missed you friend. Can I…    [Vic is both scared and hoping for another rib crusher from her] hug you again?” 

Dorothy squeeks and gets in for another hug, and salted Vic’s shoulders in quiet happy suffering.
Vic never realized how much she held him in esteem and care, they were always quiet about their feelings for each other.

“I’m just so glad you are here.”  Dorothy sniffles, relaxes, purses her lips not knowing what to say next, yet in a big way emotionally satisfied.
She was starting to give up hope that he would see him again.

Dorothy found him charming. Calm and collected. Sweet. Humble.  She naturally liked that.

She found herself holding his hands again, appreciating the rough edges of his calluses.

Vic and Dorothy have quick, scattered, incomplete chats over the situation and events.

Vic shared his experiences in Walmart, the prices, supplies, and the officer encounter, and how he doesn’t know how he and Nala are going to be better prepared for this crazy new world.

Dorothy listens, realizing she is way more up to date with current events, and alerts him on the border communities and kasitopias, how the war is everywhere, and that her and the kiddos are preparing to go soon.

“Vic would you…    …can i give you my address?  I live nearby,

I was hoping to invite you and Nala in a week to…    …maybe leave with us?”