The moon

Chapter 1

I walked in the empty store. 

"Hey Rylee! How it going?" The cashier shouted while getting up from his chair, that was behind the counter. He was boxed in by an L-shaped counter and a cardboard half door.   

I half- smiled at the cashier.

"Hey Mark. Good and yourself?" 

He sighed and back sat down.

"I'm getting old Ry. My old age cant take anymore." He laughed a hard rusty laugh, but it  soon turned into coughing fits.

"Don't say that. In my eyes you are still young." I placed on the old counter; some chips. a pack of gum, and cat food. 

"Thanks Ry. I see you still have that cat. How is he doing?"

I handed Mark the money. "Well he is a handful. Clawing at my couch. Knocking things off the counters. He attacks my feet when I turn corners.  He is just a lot. " 

Mark chuckled and handed me the change."Well he is a cat Ry. And he should act like a normal cat now. That means you nursed him well. His life was on a limb when he got ran over by that car."

I smiled. "Yeah"

"Hey Rylee have you heard? We are going to have more than five years without the sun and moon. Nothing but darkness. Not even stars. We might even have power."

I chuckled. "Really Mark? You believe that crap? That stuff is outrageous. Like really where would sun and moon go? And plus that cant happen. It is impossible." 

He nodded. "The news never lies. Plus its the most excitement that would happen in my life. I sit here and do nothing but collect money and tend to this broken down store." He packed my stuff in bags.

I grabbed the bags and said my farewells. 

No sun and moon? Bull shit. That would be the day I accept my dad as my father. 

I walked through the alley way and the mist made my throat go dry. 

Across the alley way, my house sat midway down the street that was lightened by street lamps. I tired to imagine the street with no light but pushed it out of my mind. Bull shit.

Music from my house hit my ears. Music that sound like rock from the 80's.

My heart pounded faster thinking my house was broken into but then my eyes laid on a beaten up car which belonged to my father.

My paced quickened and I entered the house ready to yell at the man who gave his sperm to my mother.

In opened the door to see my cat Henry running from the kitchen to the living room. He was followed by a monster with a loaf of bread. 

"Oh look Henry! Rylee is home."He spoke with his deep voice that made me sick to my stomach. Henry hissed and ran under the couch.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in California?"  I sat down the bags on the counter, in the kitchen. 

He laughed and grabbed the bag away from me putting the cat food in it's place.

"Well Im gonna be  staying here for awhile. I toke some time off from my job." I snatched the bag of chips from him and opened it pouring a small bowl for him.

"Bull shit. Leave right now." 

He smiled and patted my shoulders.

"Come on. I cant spend time with my own son?"

I pushed him away and went to fill a pot with water. 

"You should've toke care of your son while he was growing up instead of leaving him with a dying grandmother. And when she passed away didn't even bother to show up at the funeral. Doesn't contact him for years. But now wants to spend time with him. " 

He sat at the table and huffed. 

"I gave you this house. That should be more than taking care of you. What you need more money?"

I slammed the pot of water on the stove and put the fire on high. 

"Money is not what I need. I needed to be  raised with love and with the presence of you there in my life." 

He looked at me with hurt eyes. 

"Im sorry."

"Too late for that." A shock pain went through my head and  I grabbed the counter trying to keep my balance. The room around me was spinning. 

"Is there any way to make it up to you?" His voice was distorted and sounded far away even through the table was 4 feet away from were I was standing. 

I held my head as it started to throb with pain. 

"No there isnt." I said through clenched teeth.

"You okay?" He grabbed my shoulders

I shook him off and tried to straightened myself to show him I am fine. 

I need this guy to leave.

"Yeah." I said trying not to fall or pass out in front of him. 

"You didn't take your pills huh?" His voice sounded plain.

I looked at the way toward where the bathroom would be and remembered that i haven't.

The room became darker and my strength disappeared making me let go of the counter.