A-Void by Babak Govan (phonics readers txt) 📕

taking my arms to wrap them around her waist, holding onto my forearms to keep them there. It was right there that I knew I wanted to be hers more than I wanted her to be mine.

The Powerhouse Visitor Center and Airport Industrial Park are empty. An outdated banner along the top of the courthouse lures visitors to nearby ghost towns.

On Route 66, we maneuver through crashed and stranded big rigs. Coyotes, darting so fast their brilliant eyes mimic fireflies, excavate one of the open trailers. An especially brawny coyote displays his fangs from atop the cabin of a GREATCO (“Celebrate the joy that everything can be yours!”) truck. Are they the only creatures here?

TIME 2

“This will serve as your one and only Orientation,” the Lizardman said as he began pacing along the lineup. He motioned the guard to relax.

“Rule 1: You supply your own vaccine. Those of you who are waiting to get it, you must go carry out your lives normally. That brings me to Rule 2: If anyone catches on to where we are, every group member dies. We will kill women and children, and we will do it first.”

“Don’t think we haven’t done it in the past,” Dragon yelled.

“Rule 3: We leave with or without you; we couldn’t care less who you are. Rule 4: If you make it into New Jamestown, you are on your own. If you need papers, we can supply a contact for you. Ten thousand per person, including children. Understood?”

“How do we know we can trust you?” asked a lanky man with an unusually concave chest as he stepped in front of his son.

“What?” Dragon grabbed the guard’s gun, strode to the doubter, and swung the gun against his head. The doubter fell to his side, blood from his ear pooling under and around him. His boy, shaking at the sight of his father’s blood splattered along his hands and arms, sprinted into the wilderness. The lineup huddled. Jasmine covered Isabella’s face with her hand, pulling her to her hip.

“How can you trust us? How the fuck did you hear about us?” the Lizardman asked calmly. “They won’t be coming with us, you see, and that boy, he will die here like the rest of them. So, if you want to get out, understand the Rules!”

TIME 1

LEAVING FLAGSTAFF, AZ

9:43 PM

At the border of Flagstaff, we arrive at the Zoo of Extinct Animals and Argentinosaurus hovers over the ticket booth. I select a parking spot between the Giraffes and Dolphins sectionals, recheck my Organelle v463.2 for a signal (still nothing), and reach into the backseat for the vodka bottle.

Cleveland smells like a dog. I bathe him, and then me, inside a nearby Super 8 motel tub.

I inspect my eyes and mouth—I’m still virus-free.

Gallup, New Mexico is approximately 200 miles away.

TIME 2

From his pocket, Dragon pulled out individually tagged burlap sacks and again approached the lineup. I retrieved our identification cards from my pockets and offered them when it was our turn.

“You look nervous. Anything you want to tell me?”

I could smell the dryness of his mouth. “No, nothing at all.”

Jasmine’s fingers grabbed mine. “What is it?” she whispered, attempting to not move her lips.

TIME 1

ENTERING GALLUP, NM

4:02 AM

A GREATCO (“Celebrate the joy that everything can be yours!”) building, lining both sides of the street and connected by a series of bridges, is the only structure in the middle of town. In front is a billboard portrayal of a very happy family.

GREATCO Groceries

GREATCO Electronics Sales & Installation

GREATCO Furniture Sales & Delivery

GREATCO Party Supplies

GREATCO Automobiles, Parts, Rental, & Service

GREATCO Art & Supplies

GREATCO Hospital & Urgent Care Center

GREATCO Nursery & Landscaping Design Center

GREATCO Dentistry

GREATCO Appliances

GREATCO Toys & Games

GREATCO Authorized Organelle Station

GREATCO Sporting Goods & Little Leagues

GREATCO Sea & Land Adventure Vehicles

GREATCO Housewares

GREATCO Financial Planning

GREATCO Pools & Ponds

GREATCO Family Fun Center & Arcade

GREATCO Bowling Alley

GREATCO Office Supplies

GREATCO Management Consulting

GREATCO Construction & Hardware Supplies

GREATCO Liquor & Wine

GREATCO Tax Preparation

GREATCO Musical Instruments & Music Education

GREATCO Travel

GREATCO Psychotherapy Clinic

GREATCO Interior Design

GREATCO Custom Motorcycles

GREATCO Antiques

GREATCO Laboratories

GREATCO Pets & Fish

GREATCO Bank

GREATCO Chiropractic & Massage Center

GREATCO Real Estate & Property Management

GREATCO Dry-cleaning, Alterations, & Upholstery

GREATCO Optometry

GREATCO Pharmacy & Vitamins

GREATCO Fitness Center

GREATCO Cinemas

GREATCO Art Gallery

TIME 2

“This group comes with me,” Dragon motioned at our troop.

We followed him to an outpost of cropped tents, each outfitted with one yellow box per traveler.

“Any questions?” he asked Jasmine as I kneeled to discover that each box contained basic living supplies.

“No—but have you really killed children?”

I reached for her arm. Dragon signaled me to stop.

“Ask this doctor of yours to tell you about survival needs.” He kicked me in the abdomen.

“What are you doing?” Jasmine screamed.

“Daddy!”

TIME 1

GALLUP, NM

10:05 AM

El Rancho looks like a winter lodge. A limp side door beside heaps of putrid trash leads into the kitchen. I investigate while sloppily eating corn and beans directly from the can I find there.

Cleveland eats what’s left and lies at my feet beside the log chair, from where I track the ribboning staircase. I remember Jasmine pausing halfway up a staircase like this one, to shake off her high heels, revealing the faint bruises along the thin spine of her ankles. She smiles. It was on the last night we lived that way.

I notice my hands shaking and reach for my Organelle v463.2. No signal. What if I’m fooling myself?

TIME 1

GRANTS, NM

3:00 PM

The Trans Am dies outside of Blake’s Lotaburger. I smash in a window and am still disappointed that even at what’s supposed to be a bona fide burger joint, all moderation is lost. “Healthy” menu options have replaced “grub.”

Gold trimmings border the cobblestone facade of the grocery across the street. Etched into the window glass is the silhouette of a butcher. Decapitated flowers are mounded atop whiskey barrels and repurposed wooden crates.

With Cleveland, Isabella’s unicorn, Steamboat