Bad Day in Utopia

The police moved in to protect the crushed elder. The small mob of hungry and angry women turned on the officers. Avy closed her eyes as she saw the law enforcers raise their weapons. Shots. Echoes. Silence. Avy wanted to run. She didn't. She was hungry.

After a week of loneliness and tears it was now again time to make the journey to the seized grocery store. Avy dared not leave her small, peach colored, stucco house unless it was absolutely necessary. Eating was necessary. Every week since the rationing had started, Avy would walk with Mr. Bogan, her neighbor from across the street. Bogan had moved from New Jersey after retirement. He had worked with the IRS or some government agency. Avy figured he was in his late 60s to early 70s but still had the strength and vigor of someone much younger. He had not mellowed with age and this short, bald man with a nose like W.C. Fields, had been foul when the skies were clear and blue and continued on with little change in his demeanor now that the skies were murky and cold. Avy thought that Mr. Bogan was the biggest jerk she had ever met. One of the only times she ever spoke with him before the Gloom was when he yelled at a friend of hers for parking in front of his house. "You can't park there! We have covenants. Get that damn car out from in front of my house you stupid bitches!"
Avy wasn't sure if Mr. Bogan liked her now or if he was just walking with her for protection. She wondered what would happen if they were mugged. Would he defend her or offer her as a sacrifice for his own life like a virgin to the gods? He showed little humanity when their world was a paradise. Why would he show any now?

"You look like shit!"
"I'd rather not talk about it. Let's get going." Avy replied to Bogan's harsh greeting.
"I hear they have some news as to what is causing the Gloom."
"Yeah?" Avy was now interested in listening to Bogan.
"Yeah, the Florida Guard is here now, and get this - they are on horses!"

Avy and Bogan arrived at the ration point after a long, cold walk through the rain and fog. Each step through the slosh made up of rain, stagnant sewage, and gritty sand was painful and strenuous, but with hunger being a primal motivator, they had trudged forward and made it. Avy's blond hair was now matted flat against her skull and her sweater was heavy from the moisture it had absorbed. Her running shoes contained what felt like a gallon of water and sand and she wished she had something better suited for the miserable conditions. She had spent all of her clothing money since being in Florida on cute shoes and sandals and fitting sundresses and string bikinis - all useless now. She did have a raincoat, one raincoat, but she gave it to her neighbor weeks ago. He said he wasn't going to just sit and wait to die. He was sure that some global catastrophe had taken place and he thought the Florida Keys might have survived it - something about the wind patterns protecting the Keys from any fallout or whatever environmental pollutant had caused the disaster. He was going to hike to the chain of islands and find a hospitable place to live; some place with sun and coconuts. He asked her to go with him, but Avy refused. What if her family came looking for her? How would they find her if she left? And anyway, the Gloom couldn't last forever - could it?

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