The Calling of Time

Impossible Vision

Horace and Manda took turns driving. There was a small tiff over this at first, since Manda was reluctant to give the wheel over. I had lingering suspicions that being the driver gave her a kind of “captain of the ship” feeling, and handing over the reigns to someone else was clearly hard for her. But by the time it started to get dark she was rubbing her eyes and yawning, and Horace finally convinced her to let him drive.

We didn’t stop anywhere until the neon clock on the dashboard read 10:30pm, and then Horace only pulled us over for a few minutes while he filled the tank with gas from one of the cans. It was just me and Manda in the car for little bit then, because Jai insisted on going out to stand beside Horace and keep a look out.

Manda’s usual log sawing was absent this time. Her breaths were deep and even, and she had her face turned towards the driver’s seat, her lashes dark against her pale cheeks. There were dark circles under her eyes.  Even asleep she looked exhausted.

 This was the first time I’d seen her look peaceful since I’d met her. I felt a stab of guilt. I hadn’t reserved judgement on her. I’d been thinking how horrible she was, aggressive and scary, but now she didn’t look scary at all. She looked tired, and small. She was doing all of this for me…or, at least, some part of me that was buried deep down somewhere. Lady Time.

I shook my head, still staring at her.

It still seemed impossible. It wouldn’t surprise me if some majestic looking woman popped out of the bushes and cried, “Here I am. I’m Lady Time! Where were you guys?”

Oops, a case of mistaken identity.

Horace slid back into the driver’s seat, and I jerked my gaze away from Manda’s face. He filled the car with the smell of gasoline, and I wrinkled my nose as Jai slid onto the seat beside me. Both of the men tried to close their doors as quietly as they could, eyeing Manda while they did.

“It’s about time,” Horace whispered. “She’s going to run herself into the ground.”

“She’ll try.” Jai clicked his seatbelt into place and gave me a smile. “Alright, Kali? Didn’t want to get out and stretch your legs?”

I glanced out the window at the shadowy forest we were driving through. “Maybe when we stop next.”

“It’s creepy looking, right?” Jai traced one finger over the glass, peering out at the dark silhouettes of trees. “But it’s actually safer than the city. The suckers tend to stay closer to their…”He trailed off, and I finished the sentence for him. “Food?”

“Yeah,” he said. “That.”

What he said was true, of course, so it was almost sad to see the forest dwindle away as we continued driving. We began seeing the signs of another city, and soon we were driving through a rural neighbourhood. The houses here weren’t in shambles. They were still battered and run down, but appeared untouched by flame or scavengers.

I was pressing my forehead against the window, both hands clutching the hourglass in my lap, when the vision hit me. It wasn’t like last time. There was no illusion of falling into dreams. There was no gentle prelude of drifting away. My vision blurred, snapped to black and suddenly I was gone.

The motion of the jeep slows. Gravel pops and cracks under the tires as Manda steers us into the parking lot in front of a low, dark building. She tells us she’s going to stretch her legs, to check if there’s any ammo left in the old gun store. She and Horace argue briefly. He doesn’t want her to go inside the building. She snaps back that it’s obviously abandoned, and she traded half her ammo for the damn windshield and needs more. Horace gives up the argument and we all get out of the jeep.