THE GIGAS

pg 6

As the last dregs of sunlight pathetically dies out to give way to the night. I look over my handiwork, wiping away the intense sweat dripping down my face.

We had screeched to a stop smack dab in the middle of the flickering light barely coming on from the solar powered street lamp. Junior scurried out of the camper as soon as we stopped with a long extension cord wrapped around his shoulder and forearm.

It was odd but the gas station still has power. I think it must either have a generator or be fed from the electrical grid by some renewable energy source.

The gas station has no light illuminating it inside because the people who found it sometime in the past busted out all the lights, except for the light in the back where we parked ourselves under. The place had already been looted and trashed when we found it.

Junior silently stood beside me after I had finished. The RV had rough cut out metal sheets allover the windows and a special hook lever to seal the side door shut against those gigas trying to get in. I had painstakingly drilled holes and corded metal chains to hold the sheets against the RV.

I clapped my thickly gloved hand on junior's shoulder after a couple minutes looking at our home "let's get inside before its too late"

"Yea" he replied with thick guilt laced into the word. Its alright there is is a lesson to be learned especially because he is still young and learning. Hopefully someday he will use this knowledge to help others if not only himself.

Inside the humming of the small built-in refrigerator and the soft yellow light almost made it seem like the outside world was some alternate universe and we were again in a time when civilization was modern and alive. Ruth hummed as she cleaned the game of its insides. She turned over each creature deciding whether or not the skin was worth anything for bartering.

Joseph who had just woken up with crazy hair looked longingly at the animals insides. I closed the door behind us and pulled the chains to engage the hook lever mechanism to shut the door until dawn.

With big puppy eyes he waits until his sister notices him.
" What?...what do you want?" She rolls her eyes. Joseph seeing his opportunity swivels ruth around. Now facing him, he points to the innards then to ruth before his hands become a flurry of words.

" Eeww, fine....come closer I will teach you the different organs" she said confidently with a scrunched face. Joseph patiently waited as ruth stretched out the innards and laid them down on a reused aluminum sheet.

Basic anatomy, its good to keep the knowledge flowing from one person to another. I taught Junior then Ruth, all of the knowledge that I could remember. Ruth will impart the knowledge she learned to Joseph and I will reinforce that knowledge as well. (minipurse)

I sit at the table as I watch the lesson. Joseph mouths the words without a sound as Ruth says them.

"heart..lung..intestine..liver..kidney...gonads" Joseph points at an organ saying the word silently then signing out the word. When he couldn't remember the word for the organ anymore he looked at his sister with big pleading eyes. Ruth would begrudgingly say the organ names over and over.

Though I know she loves Joseph the most, she tries to be 'hard'. I suspect because of the situation we are in, she is closing her heart with a wall to avoid being hurt if one of us was to not make it, I can't blame her.

I can only hope for another minute, hour, or day nothing more. Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us so I can understand..

I don't know how long they where at it learning when abruptly Joseph's eyes went bug eyed and he stood up as though some one had lit his ass on fire.

His face turned a horrifying red colour, clapped his hands over his ears and started to open his mouth to let out a howl of deep pain. This isn't good.

I leap across the camper prying open a cabinet and rummaging through Joseph's belongings. I run the short distance back with medical tape and his sound canceling head phone.

Junior claps a hand over Joseph's mouth as another howl rips out of his throat. I tear away his hands from his ears. I look at junior grimly, he restrains his younger brother's body to be as still as he possibly can. I, on the other hand, deftly put the tape over each ear being careful to not tape where the seal will be and finishing by sliding his headset on.

Joseph slumps into my arms, his strength spent. He cries silently and his tears quickly dampen my shirt. My heart breaks for him, he says he can hear a sudden and intense multitudes of sounds at once as if someone had condensed the sound of large crowds in several malls altogether, that is what triggered his response.

They must be near and they must be many. Joseph has saved us many times with his most adept hearing. What doesn't bother us neurotypicals, is greatly distressing to him. The best I can fathom for myself would be if someone put a fork to a plate but I am sure that is only a small sliver of discomfort compared to his great pain.

Usually when there are fewer of those things he only whimpers or whines his distress and lets us know they are near.

Ruth gets up and calmly opens the kitchen table bench taking out her favorite short sword and ninja stars. Junior walked over to choose his long staff blade and double swords that are usually strapped to his back during an oncoming battle.

Joseph would have taken the bow and daggers but he is in no condition right now to defend.

I gently coax him into the corner with the best defensive position. Ruth and Junior pileup next to their brother waiting for me. I grab my fully functioning rare magnum .45 reverently, put it in my empty holster and took out my kitana.

Its going to be a long night.