Flee the sea to the desert

hummus, pita, veggie sammies, a couple of left over sconettes from marsha, relatively late night cereal

I'm travelling through a tortured, dangerous place with a group of people. Mona from Josh's store is with me and I feel the need to protect and look after her, as she is quite pregnant. I'm not certain what the root of the danger is, but we're trapped in a shredded industrial district that lines a canal. I'm having deja vu, and I know, for the time being, what is coming next, so I keep trying to hurry people along. We need to get to higher ground, because when that ship comes barrelling through the canal, the wash could carry us away. The people don't really believe me untl it's almost too late, but we do manage to get away before drowning. We find ourselves on top of a tall building, broken brick, rust everywhere, broken glass, decay. How will we get down? Where can we go? I don't know if it's another wave from the canal, or if there is seismic activity, but the roof suddenly pitches and rolls like a wave, throwing us around. I hold onto Mona, determined not to lose track of her.

I come down hard on some glass, which shatters to powder and coats my hand. Not good. Now I have only one hand that I can use, any use of the other will grind the glass into my skin, and I'll never be able to climb like that. What can I do? Someone offers me a Swiss Army style pocket knife, I think they found it on the roof there. It's old, tarnished steel. I manage to fold one of the shorter blades and try to scrape the polvo of glass off. There's another, longer blade, but it's strangely curved and toothed, and I don't think it would help much. I find another attachment that folds out into a sort of eyebrow brush. Bingo. I manage to brush away the glass. My palm is somewhat shredded, yeah, but not as bad as it could be and I feel I can operate.

But can we get down inside the building itself? I find a hatch in the roof, pry it open. The interior of the building is a giant mess of pipes and rust and tattered insulation. Like an old heater writ large to the size of a 10 story building. I start to climb down, assuring everyone that they can make it, too. I begin to clamber and swing and hop down though the maze of pipes and crud.

I make it out. I'm in some foothills, sort of in the canyon area, it seems. But I'm lost, and I'm alone now. I think the city is off one way, but I'm uncertain. I start along a paved path, but at some point there is a fence and I can't keep going the way I feel is right. I have to turn, off to the right. I make it to a giant box store. I need some cheese, so I take a number at the counter. The counter is huge, I realize-- I wonder if the entire store is located behind the counter. The girl from the restaurant that gets the Bianca was pesto and olives is working back there. I obviously have been waiting, but she starts serving other people first. I'm waiting and waiting.