feralferret
Veteran Member
CCG, thanks!
Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
larry_minn
Contributing Member
But the hot, fresh meat would taste better then in a fancy restaurant by a Chef
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Down South, Dave’s House
They were gathered around the dining room table. Dinner had become the gathering meal, the thing to bring them all together from their various chores and errands. Today was a good day. Elsa and Stephen were back from their latest scavenging run early, and successful at that. They had eight more jars of honey to add to the medical larder, along with some more drugs.
Dave’s living room was transformed into where all the sewing, tinkering, and packing of things took place. This also kept people around Jessica all the time to help Samantha with her care. That need had been brought home shortly after Christmas when Samantha all but collapsed from overwork and not taking care of herself in her drive to be there for Jessica.
Now the nursing care of Jessica was shared, in spite of how much Samantha said she had it taken care of. She is still Jessica’s primary caregiver, but she reluctantly has accepted help from the others. It helps that Jessica’s condition has improved some. She was now, at least in the last week, been able to come to the table for the evening meal.
It has done wonders for Jessica’s attitude. For a long time, she was in and out of a fog, then so torn up over what happened, there was no consoling her. Screams of pain, screams of rage, screams of loss. They all tore through the group whenever they heard them. Through them all, Samantha was right there to try and help Jessica through it, even as she caused some of it in the physical therapy of her burned skin.
Once Jessica was awake and coherent more, Lacy was the other one trying to help her through this horrible time, her school training as a councilor taxed in ways she never anticipated when she was in class. Between Samantha and Lacy, Jessica was beginning to make some strides in her recovery, at least mentally. Physical recovery was still a long torturous path ahead.
Bill and Dave were hard at work trying to make the most of the vehicles they were going to take north. There were eight of them all told, with three splitting off once they got north. One of their biggest problems was having enough space for them all initially, then enough range out of whatever they took to make it all the way, while having enough cargo space for what they wanted to take with them. This led to some heated discussions.
In the long run, they settled on three vehicles being the ideal number. Dave and Bill were working on which ones from the few they had to choose from. A couple were discarded quickly as too small, or too hungry. Right now Dave and Bill were going through two vans Dave got from a tour company and Bill’s flatbed wrecker. They weren’t committed to these choices yet, but these were the ones they were working on.
The mood around the dining room table was lighthearted, if a little forces at times in an attempt to keep the smile on Jessica’s face.
“Gabe, you know, you might as well drop the pretense of climbing in and out Lacy’s window. I know you have been in her room most evenings recently.” Bill said as he tore off another piece of bread.
“Daddy, I..” Lacy started, then stopped as Gabe put his hand on hers and squeezed.
“Sir, I promise my intentions are honorable.” Gabe said hoping to get out in front of this.
“Honorable isn’t sneaking in a girl’s window at the wee hours of the morning.” Bill countered.
“Gabe, what were you thinking?” Stephen asked.
“I was thinking to wait until you and Elsa were back before I broached the subject.” Gabe said to Stephen then turned to Bill. “Sir, we have strong feeling for each other, Lacy and me.”
Bill looked at his daughter then back at Gabe, then to Stephen, who nodded. Bill turned back to Gabe and Lacy.
“Lacy, you’re an adult, and most of the time I trust you to think things through. With everything going on, and everything we are planning, give some though on how this may all shake out in the end.” He turned to look squarely at Gabe. “And you, young man. I like you. I really do. But know this. You break her heart, treat her wrong or take advantage of her feelings and you will wish I dumped your body in the desert for the coyotes.”
Most of the conversation after that centered on what all Stephen and Elsa saw on their latest walkabout.
They were gathered around the dining room table. Dinner had become the gathering meal, the thing to bring them all together from their various chores and errands. Today was a good day. Elsa and Stephen were back from their latest scavenging run early, and successful at that. They had eight more jars of honey to add to the medical larder, along with some more drugs.
Dave’s living room was transformed into where all the sewing, tinkering, and packing of things took place. This also kept people around Jessica all the time to help Samantha with her care. That need had been brought home shortly after Christmas when Samantha all but collapsed from overwork and not taking care of herself in her drive to be there for Jessica.
Now the nursing care of Jessica was shared, in spite of how much Samantha said she had it taken care of. She is still Jessica’s primary caregiver, but she reluctantly has accepted help from the others. It helps that Jessica’s condition has improved some. She was now, at least in the last week, been able to come to the table for the evening meal.
It has done wonders for Jessica’s attitude. For a long time, she was in and out of a fog, then so torn up over what happened, there was no consoling her. Screams of pain, screams of rage, screams of loss. They all tore through the group whenever they heard them. Through them all, Samantha was right there to try and help Jessica through it, even as she caused some of it in the physical therapy of her burned skin.
Once Jessica was awake and coherent more, Lacy was the other one trying to help her through this horrible time, her school training as a councilor taxed in ways she never anticipated when she was in class. Between Samantha and Lacy, Jessica was beginning to make some strides in her recovery, at least mentally. Physical recovery was still a long torturous path ahead.
Bill and Dave were hard at work trying to make the most of the vehicles they were going to take north. There were eight of them all told, with three splitting off once they got north. One of their biggest problems was having enough space for them all initially, then enough range out of whatever they took to make it all the way, while having enough cargo space for what they wanted to take with them. This led to some heated discussions.
In the long run, they settled on three vehicles being the ideal number. Dave and Bill were working on which ones from the few they had to choose from. A couple were discarded quickly as too small, or too hungry. Right now Dave and Bill were going through two vans Dave got from a tour company and Bill’s flatbed wrecker. They weren’t committed to these choices yet, but these were the ones they were working on.
The mood around the dining room table was lighthearted, if a little forces at times in an attempt to keep the smile on Jessica’s face.
“Gabe, you know, you might as well drop the pretense of climbing in and out Lacy’s window. I know you have been in her room most evenings recently.” Bill said as he tore off another piece of bread.
“Daddy, I..” Lacy started, then stopped as Gabe put his hand on hers and squeezed.
“Sir, I promise my intentions are honorable.” Gabe said hoping to get out in front of this.
“Honorable isn’t sneaking in a girl’s window at the wee hours of the morning.” Bill countered.
“Gabe, what were you thinking?” Stephen asked.
“I was thinking to wait until you and Elsa were back before I broached the subject.” Gabe said to Stephen then turned to Bill. “Sir, we have strong feeling for each other, Lacy and me.”
Bill looked at his daughter then back at Gabe, then to Stephen, who nodded. Bill turned back to Gabe and Lacy.
“Lacy, you’re an adult, and most of the time I trust you to think things through. With everything going on, and everything we are planning, give some though on how this may all shake out in the end.” He turned to look squarely at Gabe. “And you, young man. I like you. I really do. But know this. You break her heart, treat her wrong or take advantage of her feelings and you will wish I dumped your body in the desert for the coyotes.”
Most of the conversation after that centered on what all Stephen and Elsa saw on their latest walkabout.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Alright guys,
Just horsing around while I had the two monitors up and did my most recent copies all combined into one word doc-
3,226 pages of Arial 12
1,391,201 words
This thing is getting a little large.
The average novel page calculation is about 300 words per page. That would make this thing as a single novel at around 4,638 pages long.
Part 9 is about 2/3rds along, part ten has started the notes portion, and the parts for eleven are teeing up. part 12 is in the wispy idea stage.
Editing on part 2 is in the slow and steady stage. Hopefully it will move a little quicker in the next month or two.
As always, it's our faithful readers that keep this movie playing in my head and pouring out on the keyboard.
Just horsing around while I had the two monitors up and did my most recent copies all combined into one word doc-
3,226 pages of Arial 12
1,391,201 words
This thing is getting a little large.
The average novel page calculation is about 300 words per page. That would make this thing as a single novel at around 4,638 pages long.
Part 9 is about 2/3rds along, part ten has started the notes portion, and the parts for eleven are teeing up. part 12 is in the wispy idea stage.
Editing on part 2 is in the slow and steady stage. Hopefully it will move a little quicker in the next month or two.
As always, it's our faithful readers that keep this movie playing in my head and pouring out on the keyboard.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
at the rate I have to make corrections, I would have run through several cases of paper and worn out two or three IBM Selectric IIIs by now
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks for all your hard and great work, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Up North, Deep in the Woods
Barbara heard them when she stopped to take a drink of water. She was in the second day of pulling the sled back to the house and had gotten in a good rhythm. Now it was just something that needed done. Now she heard the sounds of something else in the snow. When she tried to localize it, the sound stopped.
The sound stopping was the worrisome part. If it was just another animal on the move, it should either keep moving, or getting louder then fainter as they crossed each other’s trail. She wasn’t sure yet what this sound was doing. She now had to figure out this puzzle.
Barbara rechecked the set of her gear. The straps for the sled were clipped into her pack with disconnects and well clear of her beltline. Since she was moving and generating enough heat, her jacket was in the top pouch of her pack. This left nothing in the way of her getting to the tools on her belt.
Her revolver was ready, along with her knife. Since she was loaded down with meat already, the 22 pistol she normally carried for getting game was packed away in her pack. All things considered, she decided to make sure the trekking pole was in her left hand, leaving her right free for the revolver.
Barbara moved out again, this time making sure to pay more attention to the noises of the woods that weren’t hers. Too many things could be out there, and she wasn’t necessarily the top of the food chain in every encounter.
Later
A few hours later and she knew for sure she was being followed by something. With the snow on the ground, it wasn’t like she could go quietly herself, and no way in hell she could hide the trail she was leaving. Now her next step was to figure out what it was and how determined they were.
Being followed brought it’s own share of problems. There was no way Barbara wanted to lead someone else back to their cabin. She had to fix this in a way that didn’t expose the others. Todo that meant having a plan and a place to do it.
The map in her head and her memory of the terrain she hiked through to get to this point took on a new, greater importance. She needed to see who or what was after her. The best ways she thought of were to either leave a false trail, double back and observe them chasing it, or to get somewhere open enough she could spot them as they crossed it behind her. All of this while leading them away from the cabin. Neither of these plans sounded like much fun.
Barbara’s brain struggled to come up with a suitable spot. The one she decided on wasn’t idea, but would have to do. Her next problem was getting there early enough to still have daylight to spot them.
She kept up her frequent pauses to make sure they were still following her. She could still get lucky and they lose interest in her and she get away, but that wasn’t her luck. The noise was still there, somewhere behind her.
When she got to the finger of the lake, she re-examined her plan. The lake would make it hard for them to remain hidden and catch up with her if she crossed it’s frozen surface. This finger was long, and widened out into the lake proper off to one side, and there was steep rocky terrain at the other end of the finger. Both of these would slow someone down a lot. This meant if they were chasing her, they would need to cross the lake like she did.
This time of year, the finger should be frozen deep enough for her to move right across it. As soon as she got to the other side, she could hold up and scan the shore she just left to spot who or what was after her. Once she knew what it was, she would adjust her plan from there.
As she stepped off onto the frozen, snow-covered surface of the water, her brain ticked off the main predators she was worried about. Wolves, bear, cougar, or people. Most everything else wouldn’t track her this far. She wasn’t sure which of those options worried her the most but none of them made her happy.
On the far side of the bank, Barbara pulled the sled up into the trees and rocks at the water’s edge and pivoted. Her binoculars in hand, she started scanning her back trail. The disturbed snow stood out like a highway on the flat surface of the frozen lake. No hiding which direction she went.
Scanning and scanning, she final saw movement. Multiple spots of movement. Damn! Cougar and bear don’t hunt in packs. That left wolves and people. She checked her revolver again and made sure her speedloaders were ready. After another minute of thought, she dropped her pack and retrieved her Hi-Power and made sure she had the magazines for it where she could get to those in a hurry.
She put her pack back on but didn’t clip the sled to her yet. If she had to, she could abandon the sled if that meant getting away. The pack held more important things than the sled did. If she had to, she could even ditch the pack and run with just the top pouch or even with just what was on her belt or her pockets. Right now, she needed to figure out what was after her though. More time with the binoculars.
Barbara heard them when she stopped to take a drink of water. She was in the second day of pulling the sled back to the house and had gotten in a good rhythm. Now it was just something that needed done. Now she heard the sounds of something else in the snow. When she tried to localize it, the sound stopped.
The sound stopping was the worrisome part. If it was just another animal on the move, it should either keep moving, or getting louder then fainter as they crossed each other’s trail. She wasn’t sure yet what this sound was doing. She now had to figure out this puzzle.
Barbara rechecked the set of her gear. The straps for the sled were clipped into her pack with disconnects and well clear of her beltline. Since she was moving and generating enough heat, her jacket was in the top pouch of her pack. This left nothing in the way of her getting to the tools on her belt.
Her revolver was ready, along with her knife. Since she was loaded down with meat already, the 22 pistol she normally carried for getting game was packed away in her pack. All things considered, she decided to make sure the trekking pole was in her left hand, leaving her right free for the revolver.
Barbara moved out again, this time making sure to pay more attention to the noises of the woods that weren’t hers. Too many things could be out there, and she wasn’t necessarily the top of the food chain in every encounter.
Later
A few hours later and she knew for sure she was being followed by something. With the snow on the ground, it wasn’t like she could go quietly herself, and no way in hell she could hide the trail she was leaving. Now her next step was to figure out what it was and how determined they were.
Being followed brought it’s own share of problems. There was no way Barbara wanted to lead someone else back to their cabin. She had to fix this in a way that didn’t expose the others. Todo that meant having a plan and a place to do it.
The map in her head and her memory of the terrain she hiked through to get to this point took on a new, greater importance. She needed to see who or what was after her. The best ways she thought of were to either leave a false trail, double back and observe them chasing it, or to get somewhere open enough she could spot them as they crossed it behind her. All of this while leading them away from the cabin. Neither of these plans sounded like much fun.
Barbara’s brain struggled to come up with a suitable spot. The one she decided on wasn’t idea, but would have to do. Her next problem was getting there early enough to still have daylight to spot them.
She kept up her frequent pauses to make sure they were still following her. She could still get lucky and they lose interest in her and she get away, but that wasn’t her luck. The noise was still there, somewhere behind her.
When she got to the finger of the lake, she re-examined her plan. The lake would make it hard for them to remain hidden and catch up with her if she crossed it’s frozen surface. This finger was long, and widened out into the lake proper off to one side, and there was steep rocky terrain at the other end of the finger. Both of these would slow someone down a lot. This meant if they were chasing her, they would need to cross the lake like she did.
This time of year, the finger should be frozen deep enough for her to move right across it. As soon as she got to the other side, she could hold up and scan the shore she just left to spot who or what was after her. Once she knew what it was, she would adjust her plan from there.
As she stepped off onto the frozen, snow-covered surface of the water, her brain ticked off the main predators she was worried about. Wolves, bear, cougar, or people. Most everything else wouldn’t track her this far. She wasn’t sure which of those options worried her the most but none of them made her happy.
On the far side of the bank, Barbara pulled the sled up into the trees and rocks at the water’s edge and pivoted. Her binoculars in hand, she started scanning her back trail. The disturbed snow stood out like a highway on the flat surface of the frozen lake. No hiding which direction she went.
Scanning and scanning, she final saw movement. Multiple spots of movement. Damn! Cougar and bear don’t hunt in packs. That left wolves and people. She checked her revolver again and made sure her speedloaders were ready. After another minute of thought, she dropped her pack and retrieved her Hi-Power and made sure she had the magazines for it where she could get to those in a hurry.
She put her pack back on but didn’t clip the sled to her yet. If she had to, she could abandon the sled if that meant getting away. The pack held more important things than the sled did. If she had to, she could even ditch the pack and run with just the top pouch or even with just what was on her belt or her pockets. Right now, she needed to figure out what was after her though. More time with the binoculars.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Her mind kept coming up with all kinds of worst-case scenarios. It used to be a game years ago to entertain herself passing the time sitting on some flightline waiting for a plane or waiting at the DMV. ‘What would I do if…’. It might be chased by zombies, stuck in the desert with two flat tires, passport stolen in a foreign country, or any one of a hundred different things. She solved them all a hundred times over, a hundred different ways. Now, here she was, waiting to find out what was after her, wondering if it would line up to one of her preconceived problems, and knowing she hadn’t wargamed it where she had to make sure she didn’t lead trouble back home.
Cougar don’t hunt in groups. Neither do bears. She kept repeating that in her head. Those were two of her big worries. Next was wolves. Wolves hunt in packs, but are usually shy. That brought her around to her other worries. Coyotes sometimes hunt together and were less afraid of people, but could be deterred by the same loud sounds and fire that works on wolves.
People hunt in packs. If it was people following her, she had to seriously question their motivation. She had put extra turns and backtracks into her path, yet still they were there. If it was someone looking for help, lost, or some other benign reason, then they should have gotten closer, caught up, yelled out or something. They did none of that. If it was people.
More movement. It didn’t fit what she was expecting, but close. Dogs.
Cougar don’t hunt in groups. Neither do bears. She kept repeating that in her head. Those were two of her big worries. Next was wolves. Wolves hunt in packs, but are usually shy. That brought her around to her other worries. Coyotes sometimes hunt together and were less afraid of people, but could be deterred by the same loud sounds and fire that works on wolves.
People hunt in packs. If it was people following her, she had to seriously question their motivation. She had put extra turns and backtracks into her path, yet still they were there. If it was someone looking for help, lost, or some other benign reason, then they should have gotten closer, caught up, yelled out or something. They did none of that. If it was people.
More movement. It didn’t fit what she was expecting, but close. Dogs.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
They came out of the trees with their heads down in the trail Barbara had left with the sled. That was one of the first clues this wasn’t a pack of wolves. She would have preferred the wolves.
These dogs weren’t uniform in appearance. They were all big, or at least tall. No Pekinese here. From there the similarities diverged. Several different colors of fur, different body shapes, some obviously mixed breeds to go with the others. There were some with definite shepherd lines, some with the stocky builds of Mastiffs or Pitbull lineage.
Barbara didn’t like the looks of things. They were trailing her and not in a hurry doing it. This deliberateness meant whatever she did had better be right, otherwise they would keep trailing her, looking for a weakness or an unguarded moment. She had to change the pattern. She had too far to go for these kinds of worries.
She scanned the slowly advancing pack as it worked it’s way across the open frozen space. It was hard to get an exact count, but it was more than ten, maybe as many as fourteen or fifteen. She pulled a speedloader out of her pocket. This was a better job for her three-fifty-seven.
Barbara steadied her revolver in a two-handed grip across the log she was behind. She needed to injure as many as she could. The more dogs out of the fight, the less likely they will be to continue after her. She practiced swinging from one target to the next a time or two while still clutching the speedloader in the fingers of her off hand. She would fire six, automatically reload and any that had not de-assed the area fast enough would be helped along their way.
She knew after she cranked off the rounds, she would have to scoot as quick as she could to put more separation between her and the pack. Barbara looked down the sights. She wanted to not spend more than one bullet per dog and move to the next.
The dogs were almost in the middle when Barbara started firing. Dogs were yelping and screaming now. She had the cylinder open, Still at eyelevel, she guided the speedloader and the six rounds into the cylinder to begin round two. Four, Five, Six, the second cylinder of the three-fifty-seven sped downrange. She wasn’t sure if she hit them all, but they were well on their way back into the treeline opposite of her.
She didn’t waste time staring. She was up and on her way, trying to make some distance from there. She had places to go.
It was about ten minutes later, long after she stopped hearing the dogs when she heard another sound that snapped her head around. Four gunshots. The dogs weren’t hunting for themselves. They were hunting because it was their job.
These dogs weren’t uniform in appearance. They were all big, or at least tall. No Pekinese here. From there the similarities diverged. Several different colors of fur, different body shapes, some obviously mixed breeds to go with the others. There were some with definite shepherd lines, some with the stocky builds of Mastiffs or Pitbull lineage.
Barbara didn’t like the looks of things. They were trailing her and not in a hurry doing it. This deliberateness meant whatever she did had better be right, otherwise they would keep trailing her, looking for a weakness or an unguarded moment. She had to change the pattern. She had too far to go for these kinds of worries.
She scanned the slowly advancing pack as it worked it’s way across the open frozen space. It was hard to get an exact count, but it was more than ten, maybe as many as fourteen or fifteen. She pulled a speedloader out of her pocket. This was a better job for her three-fifty-seven.
Barbara steadied her revolver in a two-handed grip across the log she was behind. She needed to injure as many as she could. The more dogs out of the fight, the less likely they will be to continue after her. She practiced swinging from one target to the next a time or two while still clutching the speedloader in the fingers of her off hand. She would fire six, automatically reload and any that had not de-assed the area fast enough would be helped along their way.
She knew after she cranked off the rounds, she would have to scoot as quick as she could to put more separation between her and the pack. Barbara looked down the sights. She wanted to not spend more than one bullet per dog and move to the next.
The dogs were almost in the middle when Barbara started firing. Dogs were yelping and screaming now. She had the cylinder open, Still at eyelevel, she guided the speedloader and the six rounds into the cylinder to begin round two. Four, Five, Six, the second cylinder of the three-fifty-seven sped downrange. She wasn’t sure if she hit them all, but they were well on their way back into the treeline opposite of her.
She didn’t waste time staring. She was up and on her way, trying to make some distance from there. She had places to go.
It was about ten minutes later, long after she stopped hearing the dogs when she heard another sound that snapped her head around. Four gunshots. The dogs weren’t hunting for themselves. They were hunting because it was their job.
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223shootersc
Veteran Member
Oh my! Thanks, CCG!
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Some other scumbags tried a similar ploy; IIRC that didn't work out well for them.
No guarantees, just saying . . .
larry_minn
Contributing Member
Well it’s better to know. Feral dogs are something I never have faced. Mad/rabid yes. Long arms are better. But dang old revolver shooting. She now can’t go home as dragging leave a trail anyone can follow.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Run, Hide, Fight
Barbara’s brain was going a million miles a minute even if her legs couldn’t. The gunshots were probably somebody putting down the injured dogs. That meant they would be after her soon, if not already. She didn’t know how many dogs survived her shooting. She didn’t know how many dogs were still able to follow her, but that wasn’t that big a deal since she was leaving a huge trail anyway. Even if she ditched the sled, she would still leave a path through the snow. Of course this shit couldn’t happen in the summer!
Running was pretty much out. That left hide or fight. If it came down to a fight, what did she have? Two more reloads for the 357 not counting the ones in the gun. She had the Hi-Power along with three extra mags. That’s not a lot of firepower. She had the 22LR pistol in her pack. Awesome accuracy, but limited impact on the target. She had it with her for rabbits and squirrels.
Barbara didn’t know how many hunters there were with the dogs, but she didn’t think she was in any good position for a fight. That left hide. She would have to hide her tracks to have any hope but the prospect of them still having dogs made that a stupid idea. Run, Hide, Fight, strike one two and three. Now what the **** was she going to do?
She needed a plan. She needed a way to make them want to stop hunting her. What would do that? If she was too dangerous to keep hunting is one thing, but she had no easy way to pull that off. If she was too fast or gone too far for them to keep going? The problem with that one is they are probably faster than her. The other way they may give up was if she was already dead.
This last one had her mind churning. What would it take for them to think she was dead, and in a way it would be hard to check or take too much time to check, so if they did, she would have a good enough head start to make a good escape?
What she really needed was a good snowstorm to roll in and cover her tracks she thought as she glanced back at the trail the sled was making. Sled. The kernel of an idea started to form. Now she just needed to find the right place and a few supplies.
Barbara’s brain was going a million miles a minute even if her legs couldn’t. The gunshots were probably somebody putting down the injured dogs. That meant they would be after her soon, if not already. She didn’t know how many dogs survived her shooting. She didn’t know how many dogs were still able to follow her, but that wasn’t that big a deal since she was leaving a huge trail anyway. Even if she ditched the sled, she would still leave a path through the snow. Of course this shit couldn’t happen in the summer!
Running was pretty much out. That left hide or fight. If it came down to a fight, what did she have? Two more reloads for the 357 not counting the ones in the gun. She had the Hi-Power along with three extra mags. That’s not a lot of firepower. She had the 22LR pistol in her pack. Awesome accuracy, but limited impact on the target. She had it with her for rabbits and squirrels.
Barbara didn’t know how many hunters there were with the dogs, but she didn’t think she was in any good position for a fight. That left hide. She would have to hide her tracks to have any hope but the prospect of them still having dogs made that a stupid idea. Run, Hide, Fight, strike one two and three. Now what the **** was she going to do?
She needed a plan. She needed a way to make them want to stop hunting her. What would do that? If she was too dangerous to keep hunting is one thing, but she had no easy way to pull that off. If she was too fast or gone too far for them to keep going? The problem with that one is they are probably faster than her. The other way they may give up was if she was already dead.
This last one had her mind churning. What would it take for them to think she was dead, and in a way it would be hard to check or take too much time to check, so if they did, she would have a good enough head start to make a good escape?
What she really needed was a good snowstorm to roll in and cover her tracks she thought as she glanced back at the trail the sled was making. Sled. The kernel of an idea started to form. Now she just needed to find the right place and a few supplies.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
larry_minn
Contributing Member
With my level of ability I need a long arm w/scope. If you can constantly hit 8” group at +250 yards. You might not be located on your first shot. Can maybe get clear, or 2nd.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
What followed was a near frantic scavenger game taking place at the same time she was fleeing for a spot Barbara thought she remembered from the map. Along the way she was scooping up branches and pine needles whenever she came across a stand of pines. She also made sure her trail always went in one side of the clump and straight out the other side.
Whenever she stopped, she strained hard listening for sounds of pursuit, but just because she didn’t hear them, didn’t mean they weren’t back there. As she got closer and closer to her target location, the more she churned her plan over and over in her head, looking for alternatives, flaws and improvements. One factor in her favor was the sun. It was getting late in the day. If she could time it right, this might just work.
The terrain got more difficult, the ground got rockier under the snow and the trees were more pine than anything else now. She brought her bundle and sled under some pines and moved forward carefully.
The snow and rocks in front of her opened out onto a cliff. Carefully looking over, it was at least sixty or seventy feet to the jumble of boulders below. She looked along the cliff. It got shallower off to her right and a lot steeper and dangerous to her left. Good. She had to hurry.
First things first. Barbara undid the straps on the sled. The bundle of meat wasn’t light, maybe a hundred pounds. She set the meat aside and filled the sled with a few rocks and a bunch of snow crammed into a garbage bag from her pocket. On the very top of the bundle, she added one of the front quarters of meat from the bundle then strapped everything down tight.
The pack from her back had the next parts she needed. Her spare pants and her sweatshirt got the same treatment of snow, along with the sticks and limbs for shape. The hood was pulled up and cranked tight then stuffed to hold shape. All of this she dragged to the edge of the cliff.
The sled was first. Barbara tried to get it to land upside down when she dropped it over the edge, but she ended up with the next best thing. It jammed almost straight up and sown in some rocks at the base of the cliff. One down and one to go.
This one was more difficult. She needed her fake body to land almost starfish style, or at least in a shape suggestive of a body, preferably face down. For once the gravity gods were with her and it landed with a sickening ‘thump’ on a couple rocks below.
The last prop for her one act play was a hunk of rope. She tied it around one of the trees at the edge of the cliff. This was a delicate thing. She wanted the knot to look strong, and conceal the space where she cut the inner cords to weaken it. The far end of the rope, about twenty feet down, she rubbed and frayed it on a rock, then dropped the frayed free end over, where it hung about halfway down the cliff.
She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard something. Movement perhaps. She had to hurry.
The other three quarters were crammed into a trash bag and strapped to the outside of her pack. When she hefted the pack onto her shoulders, it was heavy but manageable. She shouldered her way through the pine thicket along the cliff edge, headed left, uphill, higher along the chasm.
‘If it sucks for you, it sucks for them, and they might be weaker and give up sooner’. The phrase echoed in her head. She had heard it enough in training, had said it enough while teaching. Now it was put up or shut up time. She had to get higher in the rocks, find a hole and hide.
Barbara would wait out the night and listen. If she was quiet and still, she could maybe hear if there was anyone still after her. If so, she might even be able to tell if they bought her little trick. If they did, and thought she was dead and left, then she could move out after they left. If they tried to go down the rope to check, it only went halfway and could break if they were heavy enough. If they went the long way to check her body, it would take them a long ass time to get down to the bottom of the ravine.
The other possibility is they don’t get fooled and come after her. Run, Hide, Fight. They won’t like finding her.
Whenever she stopped, she strained hard listening for sounds of pursuit, but just because she didn’t hear them, didn’t mean they weren’t back there. As she got closer and closer to her target location, the more she churned her plan over and over in her head, looking for alternatives, flaws and improvements. One factor in her favor was the sun. It was getting late in the day. If she could time it right, this might just work.
The terrain got more difficult, the ground got rockier under the snow and the trees were more pine than anything else now. She brought her bundle and sled under some pines and moved forward carefully.
The snow and rocks in front of her opened out onto a cliff. Carefully looking over, it was at least sixty or seventy feet to the jumble of boulders below. She looked along the cliff. It got shallower off to her right and a lot steeper and dangerous to her left. Good. She had to hurry.
First things first. Barbara undid the straps on the sled. The bundle of meat wasn’t light, maybe a hundred pounds. She set the meat aside and filled the sled with a few rocks and a bunch of snow crammed into a garbage bag from her pocket. On the very top of the bundle, she added one of the front quarters of meat from the bundle then strapped everything down tight.
The pack from her back had the next parts she needed. Her spare pants and her sweatshirt got the same treatment of snow, along with the sticks and limbs for shape. The hood was pulled up and cranked tight then stuffed to hold shape. All of this she dragged to the edge of the cliff.
The sled was first. Barbara tried to get it to land upside down when she dropped it over the edge, but she ended up with the next best thing. It jammed almost straight up and sown in some rocks at the base of the cliff. One down and one to go.
This one was more difficult. She needed her fake body to land almost starfish style, or at least in a shape suggestive of a body, preferably face down. For once the gravity gods were with her and it landed with a sickening ‘thump’ on a couple rocks below.
The last prop for her one act play was a hunk of rope. She tied it around one of the trees at the edge of the cliff. This was a delicate thing. She wanted the knot to look strong, and conceal the space where she cut the inner cords to weaken it. The far end of the rope, about twenty feet down, she rubbed and frayed it on a rock, then dropped the frayed free end over, where it hung about halfway down the cliff.
She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard something. Movement perhaps. She had to hurry.
The other three quarters were crammed into a trash bag and strapped to the outside of her pack. When she hefted the pack onto her shoulders, it was heavy but manageable. She shouldered her way through the pine thicket along the cliff edge, headed left, uphill, higher along the chasm.
‘If it sucks for you, it sucks for them, and they might be weaker and give up sooner’. The phrase echoed in her head. She had heard it enough in training, had said it enough while teaching. Now it was put up or shut up time. She had to get higher in the rocks, find a hole and hide.
Barbara would wait out the night and listen. If she was quiet and still, she could maybe hear if there was anyone still after her. If so, she might even be able to tell if they bought her little trick. If they did, and thought she was dead and left, then she could move out after they left. If they tried to go down the rope to check, it only went halfway and could break if they were heavy enough. If they went the long way to check her body, it would take them a long ass time to get down to the bottom of the ravine.
The other possibility is they don’t get fooled and come after her. Run, Hide, Fight. They won’t like finding her.
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Escape & Evade aka live to fight another day
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Exactly
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Later, At the Cabin
“What the hell? She’s been gone two weeks! When do we do something like go look for her?” Benji yelled.
“Where do you suggest we do that? All we know is the rough place on the map. She said about four days out, and four days back, plus whatever time she was figuring to get a good look-see out that way.” Randy tried to put the best face on it.
“Four out, four back makes sense, but she’s been gone almost twice as long. I’m telling you, something’s wrong and we need to do something.”
“Barbara’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”
“Damnit! I mean it! What if she’s laying in a ditch, or lost, or mauled by a bear…”
“Or stolen by gypsies” Randy cut him off.” Look, I’m not saying it isn’t serious, but really, what the hell could we logically do? At best we could go out to the general area and then what? Set a bonfire? Yell and scream? If any of the things you mentioned happened to her, we wouldn’t find the body until spring unless she was able to take care of herself.”
“That’s ****ed up…”
“That’s reality. How many body recoveries have you done here in the park?” When Benji didn’t answer, Randy continued. “With the amount of snow dumped on us the last couple days, we couldn’t even follow her tracks. The best thing we can do is the same thing Kerfuffle is doing. Use the tower and keep a lookout and be ready to help if we see a signal or a sign from her.”
“There should be more…”
“Three feet or more and that’s just in the flats. How the **** do you expect to find her if she can’t signal?”
“Pretty cold-hearted of you there Randy.”
“Not cold-hearted, practical. We get a signal or anything else to go on, I’ll be the first one out the door. We have to get something ready if we need to do that. Right now, going out without a clue about where to go or how to help would just end up with Barbara getting back to the cabin and having to go out and collect our bodies in the spring. At the very least we have to wait for the snow to stop. With the clouds overhead, that won’t be soon.”
Benji didn’t say a word as he walked off towards the garage, presumably to get some gear ready. Ten minutes later, Randy was up in Barb and Stephen’s room, staring out the windows to the north, occasionally sweeping the terrain with the binoculars. Kerfuffle was right there with him, sitting on the windowsill, her eyes never leaving the window.
Outside the snow continued to fall.
“What the hell? She’s been gone two weeks! When do we do something like go look for her?” Benji yelled.
“Where do you suggest we do that? All we know is the rough place on the map. She said about four days out, and four days back, plus whatever time she was figuring to get a good look-see out that way.” Randy tried to put the best face on it.
“Four out, four back makes sense, but she’s been gone almost twice as long. I’m telling you, something’s wrong and we need to do something.”
“Barbara’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”
“Damnit! I mean it! What if she’s laying in a ditch, or lost, or mauled by a bear…”
“Or stolen by gypsies” Randy cut him off.” Look, I’m not saying it isn’t serious, but really, what the hell could we logically do? At best we could go out to the general area and then what? Set a bonfire? Yell and scream? If any of the things you mentioned happened to her, we wouldn’t find the body until spring unless she was able to take care of herself.”
“That’s ****ed up…”
“That’s reality. How many body recoveries have you done here in the park?” When Benji didn’t answer, Randy continued. “With the amount of snow dumped on us the last couple days, we couldn’t even follow her tracks. The best thing we can do is the same thing Kerfuffle is doing. Use the tower and keep a lookout and be ready to help if we see a signal or a sign from her.”
“There should be more…”
“Three feet or more and that’s just in the flats. How the **** do you expect to find her if she can’t signal?”
“Pretty cold-hearted of you there Randy.”
“Not cold-hearted, practical. We get a signal or anything else to go on, I’ll be the first one out the door. We have to get something ready if we need to do that. Right now, going out without a clue about where to go or how to help would just end up with Barbara getting back to the cabin and having to go out and collect our bodies in the spring. At the very least we have to wait for the snow to stop. With the clouds overhead, that won’t be soon.”
Benji didn’t say a word as he walked off towards the garage, presumably to get some gear ready. Ten minutes later, Randy was up in Barb and Stephen’s room, staring out the windows to the north, occasionally sweeping the terrain with the binoculars. Kerfuffle was right there with him, sitting on the windowsill, her eyes never leaving the window.
Outside the snow continued to fall.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Tough times call for TUFF people and decisions! Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Down South
Elsa and Stephen tried to stay quiet and move mostly at night. They were checking another small clump of houses. Stephen was hopeful this little group of three or four houses went unnoticed or were too far out of the way from the normal path of travel. They would normally sit and watch a spot for the whole day to see if it was occupied.
Elsa was the one with the keen eye for stuff they could use, and he was the one able to see signs of continued habitation. One of their earlier worries turned out to be a non-player. In over a hundred houses they watched, they only saw one, one dog. They went around that set of houses. They were after unoccupied places. They weren’t raiders.
The houses in front of them weren’t in the best of shape, which they knew was a good sign. The little crease in the land the houses sat in reminded them both of Bill and Dave’s houses’ location. After watching all day and into the evening, they could detect no signs of life. No movement, no lights, nothing. They moved in.
Their first target was the house closest the road. There was a small barn or large shed next to it needing checked as well. The first stumbling block was when they got to the door.
The white security grate on the front door was solid, and the back door had one to match. Either would take too long and be too noisy to go through. This led them to their back-up plan. Looking and looking to pick a good window to go through. They found a smaller sliding one in the back that looked like a likely candidate.
Elsa and Stephen used hand pressure and a lifting motion to bump the window from it’s tracks, giving them the access they needed. Stephen was the first one in.
“Bedroom, just like you thought.” Stephen said as he swept the room with his red penlight. He mainly used it on the floor, both to make sure of his footing and to prevent shining it out a window for others to see. What he saw wasn’t that impressive. Bed, dresser, nightstand, television, closet, just like the last dozen they were in. The bedroom would get tossed once daylight showed up, but their big targets were the kitchen, bathrooms and pantry.
Stephen looked back. Elsa was in the room now.
“Bathroom or kitchen?” Stephen asked.
“My turn for bathroom.”
“OK, you take the bathroom, and while I do the kitchen, you get to make the bed.”
“Gotcha.”
Elsa was going to scoop up all the meds in the bathroom, along with any other hygiene stuff while Stephen did a quick sweep of the kitchen for their most wanted items like honey. These items would get stuffed in their packs incase something happened and they had to bolt before sweeping the whole house.
In the morning when they had more light they would sweep through everything but until then, after their initial sweep, they would crash out for a good nap. That was what Elsa was making sure of after she cleared the bathroom. She would pick the best bed in the house for them to use, if any of them. She would spread a poncho out and have a poncho liner for them to cover up with. Their packs would be their pillows.
The first couple of times they did this, they were seriously self-conscious. Well, at least Stephen was. He was committed one hundred percent to Barbara and wasn’t sure how she would take him ‘sleeping’ with another woman, even though nothing happened between them. Now, it was so familiar, they even shared Elsa’s bed together back at the house.
Stephen was still committed one hundred percent to Barbara, but he knew if he wasn’t, giving in to Elsa’s silent offer would be a temptation. As it was, Elsa was his friend and he thought Barbara would like her.
Elsa and Stephen tried to stay quiet and move mostly at night. They were checking another small clump of houses. Stephen was hopeful this little group of three or four houses went unnoticed or were too far out of the way from the normal path of travel. They would normally sit and watch a spot for the whole day to see if it was occupied.
Elsa was the one with the keen eye for stuff they could use, and he was the one able to see signs of continued habitation. One of their earlier worries turned out to be a non-player. In over a hundred houses they watched, they only saw one, one dog. They went around that set of houses. They were after unoccupied places. They weren’t raiders.
The houses in front of them weren’t in the best of shape, which they knew was a good sign. The little crease in the land the houses sat in reminded them both of Bill and Dave’s houses’ location. After watching all day and into the evening, they could detect no signs of life. No movement, no lights, nothing. They moved in.
Their first target was the house closest the road. There was a small barn or large shed next to it needing checked as well. The first stumbling block was when they got to the door.
The white security grate on the front door was solid, and the back door had one to match. Either would take too long and be too noisy to go through. This led them to their back-up plan. Looking and looking to pick a good window to go through. They found a smaller sliding one in the back that looked like a likely candidate.
Elsa and Stephen used hand pressure and a lifting motion to bump the window from it’s tracks, giving them the access they needed. Stephen was the first one in.
“Bedroom, just like you thought.” Stephen said as he swept the room with his red penlight. He mainly used it on the floor, both to make sure of his footing and to prevent shining it out a window for others to see. What he saw wasn’t that impressive. Bed, dresser, nightstand, television, closet, just like the last dozen they were in. The bedroom would get tossed once daylight showed up, but their big targets were the kitchen, bathrooms and pantry.
Stephen looked back. Elsa was in the room now.
“Bathroom or kitchen?” Stephen asked.
“My turn for bathroom.”
“OK, you take the bathroom, and while I do the kitchen, you get to make the bed.”
“Gotcha.”
Elsa was going to scoop up all the meds in the bathroom, along with any other hygiene stuff while Stephen did a quick sweep of the kitchen for their most wanted items like honey. These items would get stuffed in their packs incase something happened and they had to bolt before sweeping the whole house.
In the morning when they had more light they would sweep through everything but until then, after their initial sweep, they would crash out for a good nap. That was what Elsa was making sure of after she cleared the bathroom. She would pick the best bed in the house for them to use, if any of them. She would spread a poncho out and have a poncho liner for them to cover up with. Their packs would be their pillows.
The first couple of times they did this, they were seriously self-conscious. Well, at least Stephen was. He was committed one hundred percent to Barbara and wasn’t sure how she would take him ‘sleeping’ with another woman, even though nothing happened between them. Now, it was so familiar, they even shared Elsa’s bed together back at the house.
Stephen was still committed one hundred percent to Barbara, but he knew if he wasn’t, giving in to Elsa’s silent offer would be a temptation. As it was, Elsa was his friend and he thought Barbara would like her.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Later
Elsa and Stephen were laying there in the bed, comparing notes and making plans.
“Yeah, they left the house in a hurry and never came back. Don’t know if it was heading out for a weekend getaway or something else, but not enough drawers pulled or stuff gone for it to be something they didn’t expect to come back.” Elsa said.
“Still a bunch of food in the kitchen so no one else has been in here either. I think the cart is going to be full headed back. How were the bathrooms?”
“Bunch of standard stuff, but not a lot of prescription stuff. Big score was girl stuff. Tampons and birth control pills. How about the kitchen?”
“Two jars of honey, an unopened bottle of olive oil, some sugar, flour and salt. A bunch of the microwave shelf-stable meals is the big bonus score other than the staples.”
The room was quiet as they both sat with their thoughts. It was Elsa who broke the silence.
“Lacy isn’t sure what’s going to happen when we go north. She’s been talking with Gabriel about coming all the way to Montana with us instead of splitting off when we get to the junction.”
“I know. Gabriel told me. I told him that’s some of those ‘big boy’ adult decisions he would have to make. I told our mother I would make sure they are taken care of. If they are there with you guys, I would count that as mission accomplished.”
She turned and looked at him. “You know you and Samantha could come too. We could just keep right on driving, right on up to the ranch.”
Stephen looked back at her, his eyes filled with sadness. “Would I be as welcome bringing along Barbara and my two friends along with Sam and Gabe?”
After too long of a pause, Elsa answered him. “Of course.”
“I couldn’t, I wouldn’t, do that to Barbara or you. You are a hell of a person. I love spending time with you. But I’m in love with Barbara. I can’t split my heart two ways and still be me, and I’m the wrong religion for that anyway.”
“Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“True. But you can’t be mad I won’t lie and make you think I could. As much as I love you, it’s not the same type of love as you want or deserve.”
They both just lay there in the dark, hand in hand as they fell asleep.
Morning
The morning was filled with activity as they went through the house from end to end, quickly and efficiently gathering everything they were considering taking. The topic from last night wasn’t discussed again. The next step was the barn.
In there was mostly junk. Stephen found a few hand tools but other than that, the barn was a waste. The other two houses weren’t much better. If the group had nothing, then there might be plenty of tidbits they could use but one house was an empty shell in the midst of a renovation, the walls stripped bare down to the lathe and plaster, while the other was a wreck waiting for the same treatment.
The biggest items they took from the other houses were the painters tarps and a box of tools.
Back to the first house they went. Almost all the stuff they pulled fit into the cart they brought with them. Once they were done, all they had to do was wait for dark to make their escape.
Elsa and Stephen were laying there in the bed, comparing notes and making plans.
“Yeah, they left the house in a hurry and never came back. Don’t know if it was heading out for a weekend getaway or something else, but not enough drawers pulled or stuff gone for it to be something they didn’t expect to come back.” Elsa said.
“Still a bunch of food in the kitchen so no one else has been in here either. I think the cart is going to be full headed back. How were the bathrooms?”
“Bunch of standard stuff, but not a lot of prescription stuff. Big score was girl stuff. Tampons and birth control pills. How about the kitchen?”
“Two jars of honey, an unopened bottle of olive oil, some sugar, flour and salt. A bunch of the microwave shelf-stable meals is the big bonus score other than the staples.”
The room was quiet as they both sat with their thoughts. It was Elsa who broke the silence.
“Lacy isn’t sure what’s going to happen when we go north. She’s been talking with Gabriel about coming all the way to Montana with us instead of splitting off when we get to the junction.”
“I know. Gabriel told me. I told him that’s some of those ‘big boy’ adult decisions he would have to make. I told our mother I would make sure they are taken care of. If they are there with you guys, I would count that as mission accomplished.”
She turned and looked at him. “You know you and Samantha could come too. We could just keep right on driving, right on up to the ranch.”
Stephen looked back at her, his eyes filled with sadness. “Would I be as welcome bringing along Barbara and my two friends along with Sam and Gabe?”
After too long of a pause, Elsa answered him. “Of course.”
“I couldn’t, I wouldn’t, do that to Barbara or you. You are a hell of a person. I love spending time with you. But I’m in love with Barbara. I can’t split my heart two ways and still be me, and I’m the wrong religion for that anyway.”
“Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“True. But you can’t be mad I won’t lie and make you think I could. As much as I love you, it’s not the same type of love as you want or deserve.”
They both just lay there in the dark, hand in hand as they fell asleep.
Morning
The morning was filled with activity as they went through the house from end to end, quickly and efficiently gathering everything they were considering taking. The topic from last night wasn’t discussed again. The next step was the barn.
In there was mostly junk. Stephen found a few hand tools but other than that, the barn was a waste. The other two houses weren’t much better. If the group had nothing, then there might be plenty of tidbits they could use but one house was an empty shell in the midst of a renovation, the walls stripped bare down to the lathe and plaster, while the other was a wreck waiting for the same treatment.
The biggest items they took from the other houses were the painters tarps and a box of tools.
Back to the first house they went. Almost all the stuff they pulled fit into the cart they brought with them. Once they were done, all they had to do was wait for dark to make their escape.
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!