Under Attack

Eggs, milk, radishes and cream. I might as well get sugar, we were low anyway. It should have been so simple, a quick in and out before the blizzard comes. Then all of a sudden this bastard hit so hard you could only see whiteness outside. 

It reminded me of the fuzz you see on TV, that static. It would just fizz and fuzz and the wind rustling and bustling outside in a whirl and twirl definitely sounded like the static. I stared out of the doors as I had took my basket for my shopping, it was just so perplexing. So sudden as well. I come in and the blizzard seemed to have manifested itself. I noticed there were no other cars in the lot which is strange. No one was at the cashier either. Shrugging I went down the first aisle to do my shopping. 

Ah yes, Christmas stuff. I should get something for my nephew. I think I will take a look at that LEGO set on sale. Hm only €14.99, down from €20. Sure, why not. Do kids still play LEGO at age 12? Depends on the kid I guess. I figure it won't hurt, it is a decent set with a spaceship on it. It looks complicated enough. I continue down the first aisle that is quite open to the right side to allow for gift card displays, and various other seasonal things. The aisles that fork off to the left are for cereals, cooking, breakfast stuff it seems. Lots of candy and nutritional bars.

I continue down and reach the bread section. I guess I will get a croissant, I like croissants. Haven't had some in a while. It's odd, normally there are people in the bread section. Come to think of it, no one is here. I look around to see any faces but I see... no one. Not a single soul seems to be in the supermarket. I look to the butcher's area and no one is in the back either. "Odd" I think to myself, but I am a bit worried. Where is everyone?

I head to the meat section and look around for someone, but see nobody. The towering aisles of produce continue on past the fresh meat section to the frozen and refrigerated meats, but no one is there either. I walk towards the frozen goods area and the aisles to my left, candies, sweets, chocolates, are all empty. I arrive in the fresh produce area and all around the vegetables, fruits and other fresh good stuff is hanging out. I pick up a bunch of bananas. I absent-mindedly smell them. Bananas alright. I put them down and look around, no one. Not a single soul. There is still music in the background. Suddenly Bowie's "Space Oddity" begins to play. I feel a little unsettled.

I continue to walk further from the vegetables and fruits toward the beer and liquors section. Not a single soul there. You'd think there'd be more people trying to get drunk this time of year, with Christmas right around the corner, but no. The countdown of the song hits four. I look around and see no one anywhere, not a single sound around me. Just as Bowie's song reaches the initial crescendo I notice something on the floor near the beer cases. A small bundle of blanket with a little yellow rubber ducky on it. It's blue and it seems to be moving. I approach it slowly. A little arm pops out of it. A little arm?! 

It's a child. He is yawning. A little boy is near the beer crates, just laying on the floor. He seems comfortable and after his stretch he falls back asleep as if I was not even there. I look around for the mother, but there is no one, not a single soul. 

"Hello?" I shout out but it is greeted by silence. I warily spin around looking for anyone, a single soul, but no one besides this baby. My shopping basket only holds some croissants and LEGO. I take them out and gingerly put the baby in the basket. He does not complain and simply stretches his fingers a bit as he continues to dive into his own dreams.

I am now very, very careful with the basket. I don't have kids of my own so I don't want to fuck this up. If I drop the basket, who knows! Well, maybe then someone would come. Suddenly I'd be the bastard that dropped the baby. The image of this child falling on his head pops into my head and disappears just as quickly. 

I walk onward and reach the aisle where there are toiletries and toothbrushes and the like. I notice there is a mirror and I look into and I see myself. Unkempt, tightly wrapped in a warm Scandinavian jacket and my toque on top of my head. Not that it isn't warm in the supermarket, it is. I open my jacket slightly, realizing that I am a bit warm. This whole situation is unsettling. I turn around and notice that the supermarket has become larger. Or... did I become smaller? I am confused. I shout again "Hello!?" but no one answers. I notice the boy squirm slightly. I should not wake him up, that would not be good. What if he starts screaming?

What if exactly! I am all alone here! Maybe the baby screaming would help? No, I could not punish this innocent thing for something it has no power or influence over in any way. I decide to walk back to the produce aisle, where the fruits and vegetables are. I am getting quite hungry in all this. 

As I walk toward the produce aisle I notice that the toiletries aisle has become... very long. Very, very, very long. I am confused. Was it always this long? I look to see if the baby is still a baby. Yes, it is. This is a dream? Am I dreaming? I continue to walk down the toiletries aisle and a seemingly endless but never repeating assortment of toiletries opens up before my very eyes. I stop to look at a shampoo. 

"GUTIRLA - FOR HUMANS AND GOR" A gor? What the hell is a Gor? I notice there are two faces on the bottle, one of a human, like me. The other looks... brutish. Green coloured, but still slender. The other being has an underbite and two little teeth sticking out either side and is smiling. It's smiling? It's hard to tell, but it has lush hair, just like... the me. The human. Hold on. 

I head to the cashier, or where the cashier should be and I notice that the toiletries aisle has become a large light on the ground, nothing more. Beside it, another large light on the ground. To either side of the lights are the toiletries, yes, but the large lights. They are huge and stretch off what seems to be endlessly.

"Captain." I hear a voice. I look at the baby boy. He yawns and stretches his little hands and after smacking his lips he stares upward and says it again.

"Captain. Are you ok?"

I feel an hand on my shoulder. I spin around and there is a green coloured humanoid in front of me wearing a brown-gold suit. It is tight on the humanoid. This is a Gor? Is it? I am unsure. There is a name tag on the left breast side of this humanoid. It has an underbite, like the shampoo, and only one teeth protrudes it's lips. Despite the underbite it is oddly good looking. Orange colored eyes stare deep into me and it's flat nose seems so appealing. It has it's hair cropped into a pony-tail. I continue to stare at it.

"Captain." It speaks! What... is...

"Captain, are you ok?" It shakes my shoulder.

Of course it's... it's Commander Rutgur.

"Commander, I - uh - thank you. I am not feeling too well. I am..." I look down upon myself. I am also wearing a brown-gold suit. It's my uniform. I am... A Captain?"

"Commander you hit your head pretty hard there, but we managed to escape. I am happy to inform all engines are working fine. We had a breach in the canteen, no losses. There was a breach in torpedo rooms, four, fourteen and-" 

"Hold on, give me a second. This was rough. Let me sit down."

I tell Rutgar. Holy fucking shit what just happened. Where was I?

"I am on... where am I Rutgar, help me out."

Rutgar looked at me confused. In front of me were my command bridge and officers. I was staring out to space. I am in space.

"You're... on the bridge madam..."

I nod and clutch my head "Of course. Well get me to the medical station, immediately."

"Of course madam, this way."

"You... are you real? You must be, that means you notice I can not walk. Get me a stretcher. Now."

"Y-yes madam, I am sorry, I-"

"Don't be sorry! GO!"

Rutgar ran out and was followed by two ensigns. I swear they are so incompetent sometimes. What was that memory that I was living? A blizzard? I had never seen a blizzard, but it was so clear before me. What is a Euro? I felt like I had seen these things before. I closed my eyes and I could see the supermarket clearly. It was like our supermarkets but less flashy. It was so simple. A simpler time. My head is killing me. What's a TV?