In Search of Home

Chapter 45

Viktor had been too stiff and wired to drift off in the car as he usually did, but their trip wasn't a long one. He hoped they weren't going to the vet or anything. Nothing was wrong with him. He was just maybe a little mentally unstable. But so was everyone else! He wasn't special. 

As soon as the doors opened, Nohkka jumped out. Vok'Rul shouted after her, carefully extracting himself from Viktor and stepping out. Viktor watched, holding back a laugh, as the alien almost tripped on the way out. Thankfully for him, no one was around to see it. 

Vok'Rul whirled around to face Viktor, obviously a little embarrassed. He told the teenager something sternly, and Viktor just smiled at him, full of mirth. He hopped out of the car while Vok'Rul wrangled Nohkka into place at his side. The alien clipped the leash to the back of his harness. Viktor held back a sigh. 

They started walking toward a large building. It was short and blocky - nothing like the grand building Viktor had been taken to a few days before. It was colorful, though. Oranges and reds splashed across the front, accented by white lines. There was a large logo of an animal he hadn't seen before, as well as some written language scribbled underneath it. 

Viktor waved to the bodyguard that was trailing behind them, trying to look too casual to be anything but.

"So, what is this place?" he asked no one in particular, sticking close to Vok'Rul as Nohkka ran ahead. She was already at the door and waiting impatiently by the time both alien and human got there. 

No response, but he supposed that Vok'Rul was trying to keep tabs on Nohkka, though he looked pretty at ease. He'd probably done this before. Viktor got tired just looking at her. How did she have so much energy?

As soon as they walked in, Viktor realized what sort of building this was. He was immediately put on edge, stepping even closer to Vok'Rul as his stomach did flips. 

It was a pet store. 

No, Viktor thought, trying to shake the tension off his shoulders, it seemed like just a supplies store. For pets. But there were no animals he could see. The stench of straw did not meet his nose, and he couldn't hear any of the familiar roars, growls, and grunts of any animal. 

Vok'Rul seemed to know exactly where they going, leading the pair to the back of the store. Viktor drank in the sights as well as he could. 

The store reminded him of any run-of-the-mill supermarket back on Earth. There were aisles, at least. That was where the similarities ended, though. Instead of hanging signs, large holographic symbols were hovering in midair over the shelving. The aisles themselves towered over Viktor, though they looked just shy of Vok'Rul's height. The alien really was just freakishly tall. 

The store seemed to section off designated areas, just like any other store on Earth. However, instead of straight aisles lining the store, as soon as someone stepped into a section, they would find it opening up into what seemed like a maze. They didn't go into any other sections, sticking to the main pathway of the store, but whenever Viktor peered in curiously, the aisles seemed to twist and writhe. He felt like he'd get lost rather quickly in this place. 

Aside from the merchandise, which was baffling and exotic, the place was packed. Aliens of all sizes were milling about. Some of them had floating carts that Viktor had seen in the marketplace; flat trays that trailed after whoever was using them. There were plenty of children, too, running up and down the hallways, pointing at things and talking. 

Nohkka looked like she was seconds away from joining them, but she refrained, sticking by Vok'Rul instead. They entered a section, finally, and Viktor was pleased to note that he had been right about the maze theory. The aisles were wide - probably about ten feet across - and packed to the brim with... stuff.