Yesterday's Gone: Season Three (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER)

“I’m gonna go inside so I can make my morning grunt sculpture.”
    Luca looked confused and said, “Huh?”
    Paola said, “He means he’s going inside to take a crap.”
    Luca smiled, then lightly laughed.
    Mary said, “Paola!”
    Boricio grinned, then turned his back to the crew and headed inside, slamming the screen behind him.
    Once Mary was certain Boricio was inside and halfway to the bathroom, she took Luca gently by the arm and turned him toward her. “Are you still sure about all of this, Luca?”
    He nodded. “I already told you,” he said. “Going with Boricio is what we’re supposed to do. If you don’t believe me, you can do whatever you want. I’ll understand. But my answer isn’t going to change.” His voice was ancient, almost stoic. If you’d just met him, you’d never suspect an eight year old was speaking. Mary said nothing, as Luca continued. “I saw Boricio as a boy. Before he was like this — before his stepfather broke him.”
    He turned to her with swollen eyes. Mary couldn’t tell if they were sad or tired. “But I fixed him, Mary. I promise.”
    “Life doesn’t work like that, Luca,” Mary shook her head. “I understand how you can think you fixed Boricio, but trust me, you didn’t. People can’t be fixed that easily. Believe me, Luca. I’ve wasted a lot of my years, too many actually, trying to fix broken men. But unless a man wants to be fixed, Luca, there’s nothing you can do to change him. And trying is useless.”
    Mary caught Paola from the corner of her eye, listening in and pretending that she didn’t know her mother was talking about her father.
    “But that’s just it, Mary,” Luca said.
    “What?”
    “He did want to be fixed. And I fixed him.” Luca used the hand that wasn’t holding his cane to point at his head. “From the inside.”
    Paola said, “Yeah, Mom, Boricio’s super creepy. No doubt. But we’re better off with than without him. At least for now. I agree with Luca on that. Besides, I have to learn to defend myself.” She paused, then said, “And you.”
    Mary looked surprised. Paola went on. “You’re gonna be like major pregnant soon, Mom. Who’s gonna defend you then?” Paola’s bottom lip started to tremble. She tried to say something else, but her voice cracked and she seemed as though she could barely swallow. Finally, she shook her head and said, “I can’t stand the thought of not being able to protect you and the baby, Mom. And I shouldn’t have to think about it. There are plenty of guns; why can’t I learn to use them?”
    “Because you’re a kid. Kids aren’t supposed to be learning how to use guns and defend their mothers. They’re supposed to be going to school, having crushes on boys, and fighting with their moms — like it used to be,” Mary went from Luca to Paola and pulled her daughter into an embrace.
    “That world is gone, Mom. You’re being naive. I need to learn, and Boricio said he would teach me to shoot.”
    “I can teach you to shoot,” Mary said
    The screen door slammed and Mary could hear Boricio heading back toward them.
    “Well, that was fast,” Mary said.
    Boricio laughed. “I’ve read that issue of Entertainment Weekly by the crapper 15,000 goddamned times, and I didn’t give a nugget of fuck about Breaking Bad or The Vampire Diaries or any of that other crap that got cancelled forever. Besides,” he smiled. “I’m what you might call a prolific shitter. One of the benefits to being full of shit, I guess.”
    Mary hated herself for laughing, but she couldn’t help the small giggle that suddenly escaped from her mouth. Fortunately, surrendering to humor seemed to make everything better.
    Boricio sidled up to her side and said, “Look, I’m sorry if I was stepping on those purty little digits of yours, Miss Mary, but I swear on my fat sack and all the creamy fun inside it, I was just trying to help your little lamb. You and Luca too.”
    “You’re a pig, you know that?” Mary said.
    Boricio grinned. “You’ve been living high on the hog, sister, but now it’s time to get down with the sows. When the apocalypse comes, you gotta be able to get in the mud.”
    Mary held her hands in the air. “What does that even mean?”
    “It means you’re lucky as fuck that you’ve managed to find yourself on Team Boricio.”
    “Lucky?” Mary snorted. “ Team Boricio had exactly one player when your last three players were drafted.”
    Boricio cackled, probably