Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
She wasn’t sure where she was at. Her mind was floating all over the place. She couldn’t remember when this started, and she didn’t know when or if she would ever escape the realm her mind was in. its like a tv with no control of when the channel changes or what it would go to next. Dreams, nightmares, hallucinations, reality, or imagination; she wasn’t sure of anything. Drowning in a rain storm, buried alive, chased by monsters, wandering lost in a field of giant flowers made of Christmas wrapping paper, walking in her bathing suit through three feet of snow, being in a pile of naked oiled writhing bodies reminiscent of a Caligula party. Her images went from horrifying to pornographic to surreal.
Gradually, a reoccurring element seemed to intrude into the events in her mind. She felt someone gently holding her hand. It seemed out of place, so she started focusing on it. It grew more and more in her focus. When she finally opened her eyes, she was still confused. She was looking at a celling with a kayak hanging from it. It seemed familiar but she couldn’t place it. She tried to see more of her surroundings but when she tried to move, she couldn’t seem to move her legs or one of her arms. The one arm she could move was being held. She started to hear a voice in her ear from behind her.
“Just lay still, you’re safe. We have you. You’re safe now.”
She had heard the voice before, but she couldn’t put the right label on it in her brain. It was behind and a little above her. It wasn’t very loud. In face it was almost a whisper. Right into her ear. As she listened a little harder trying to recognize the voice, she could also hear her breathing. And feel it as well. She was evidently leaning against her. She knew who this was, who was it? Her brain was so foggy, she knew she wasn’t making any sense. At least she knew it was real, somehow. It made it a thousand times better than the nightmares.
They had gotten the shoulder and hip stabilized after reducing them. Initially, there wasn’t enough evidence pointing to a tear, so they were optimistic she could recover fairly well. The left arm was in a sling and swathed to her torso, and a splint was used in conjunction with tying the bad leg to her good leg.
There were a few prep items to take care of, then it was rest time. Kara claimed the duty with Angelique. She said it was the least she could do for getting her squished like an ACME test coyote. She piled up some pillows at the head of the bed to lean against. Once she was situated, she pulled Angelique up to where she was leaning against her. Kara was able to wrap her arms around her. This way she could rest, and would feel when Angelique started to wake up
Gradually, a reoccurring element seemed to intrude into the events in her mind. She felt someone gently holding her hand. It seemed out of place, so she started focusing on it. It grew more and more in her focus. When she finally opened her eyes, she was still confused. She was looking at a celling with a kayak hanging from it. It seemed familiar but she couldn’t place it. She tried to see more of her surroundings but when she tried to move, she couldn’t seem to move her legs or one of her arms. The one arm she could move was being held. She started to hear a voice in her ear from behind her.
“Just lay still, you’re safe. We have you. You’re safe now.”
She had heard the voice before, but she couldn’t put the right label on it in her brain. It was behind and a little above her. It wasn’t very loud. In face it was almost a whisper. Right into her ear. As she listened a little harder trying to recognize the voice, she could also hear her breathing. And feel it as well. She was evidently leaning against her. She knew who this was, who was it? Her brain was so foggy, she knew she wasn’t making any sense. At least she knew it was real, somehow. It made it a thousand times better than the nightmares.
They had gotten the shoulder and hip stabilized after reducing them. Initially, there wasn’t enough evidence pointing to a tear, so they were optimistic she could recover fairly well. The left arm was in a sling and swathed to her torso, and a splint was used in conjunction with tying the bad leg to her good leg.
There were a few prep items to take care of, then it was rest time. Kara claimed the duty with Angelique. She said it was the least she could do for getting her squished like an ACME test coyote. She piled up some pillows at the head of the bed to lean against. Once she was situated, she pulled Angelique up to where she was leaning against her. Kara was able to wrap her arms around her. This way she could rest, and would feel when Angelique started to wake up
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Bekka had joined Garen up on the roof. They would do a visual sweep every now and then. The big thing they tried to do was rest for the run that evening. As exhausted as they were, it was hard to really fall asleep, so instead of fighting and fighting trying, they just lay with one another and rested, closed their eyes and enjoyed the sea breeze. The quiet conversation wandered all over the place like a drunk in a hall of mirrors; sometimes serious and sometimes comical.
“OK, Mr remote provider, I hope you have some good psych books squirreled away. I think we are going to need them.”
“Yeah, I think I have some somewhere. That, plus Zoloft, Xanax and valium. We have two fresh from bad deployment kids, without really being back. It was bad enough with Gabe and Kara from their first, but they were part of a big system and had a lot of us to help. Which one do you think is going to be worse?”
“Angelique is younger and more resilient. I think she will adapt quicker and put it into perspective better. Besides, she had personal anger and revenge driving her. That’s stronger than an abstract.”
“I can see where you are headed with that, Bekka, but there are some other factors as well. I would agree with you to a point, right up to how she was when I got to her. She was basically buried alive in the dark by an attacker, who hurt her severely and would not let up regardless of her actions or the damage done. She had no contact with us and didn’t even know if there was anyone else alive, much less looking for her. That’s why I snowed the shit out of her so deep for so long. I wanted it to be a slow return so we can guide it a bit better.”
“Yeah, but at least Angelique’s were all trying to kill her specifically. Allyson is having a hard time with the ‘sniper’ thing. She hasn’t ever had to flip the switch to go from peace time to wartime before. She needs to come to accept what she needs to do. If not, it will tear her apart.”
“I was thinking of putting the supplies in one of the conexes when we got back. That spreads food resources between the two buildings and we already have enough at the house for quite a while.”
“That sounds good. And pile the radios and such in the work room?”
“OK, and all the firearms in the garage initially while we sort them out. Then we can move them to shelves in the tunnelway unless we decide to cache some of them elsewhere. Any idea what Odina has for weapons?”
“No idea. We don’t even know if she is going to show up. I’m not counting on it one way or another. If she does, we can outfit her as we see fit. We have enough. I’m not looking to run many more full-fledged combat operations. I just want to get us back to the house, climb in our little hole in the woods and pull it in after us.”
“Speaking of which, we need to figure out who and how many are going south to check the forest camp.”
“I know. Angelique is obviously out.”
“Right, and me, Kara or Allyson needs to be here for med support of that.”
“We don’t have the assets for a full-fledged battle. It has to be primarily reconnaissance.”
“OK, two people? “
“Sounds good, but which two?”
After a moment of thought, Bekka started talking again
“Well, with my rib, running is out. We need at least one long gun and one medic.”
“OK, I got it. You and Allyson. Then if you have to bail in a hurry, I can backstop you like before. How soon after we get back do you think the two of you can head out?”
“If we get back before dawn, we could head out at last light. If you and Kara can handle things during the day, Allyson and I can do a quick reset and crash to stay on night schedule and have some rest before rolling. If we go in the Hyena, you can run to backstop position on the bike. Sound good?”
“Yeah. The sea breeze reminds me of Mogadishu.”
“But at least we have more than a bombed out fire station to sleep in.”
“And no C-5 engine runs at three in the morning. Today’s shower was just as cold as well.”
“Cold felt good there.”
“It’s not a hundred and twenty eight in the shade here. That water today was damn cold.”
“Garen, take a nap and quit whining.”
They both just lay there resting and listening to the wind.
“OK, Mr remote provider, I hope you have some good psych books squirreled away. I think we are going to need them.”
“Yeah, I think I have some somewhere. That, plus Zoloft, Xanax and valium. We have two fresh from bad deployment kids, without really being back. It was bad enough with Gabe and Kara from their first, but they were part of a big system and had a lot of us to help. Which one do you think is going to be worse?”
“Angelique is younger and more resilient. I think she will adapt quicker and put it into perspective better. Besides, she had personal anger and revenge driving her. That’s stronger than an abstract.”
“I can see where you are headed with that, Bekka, but there are some other factors as well. I would agree with you to a point, right up to how she was when I got to her. She was basically buried alive in the dark by an attacker, who hurt her severely and would not let up regardless of her actions or the damage done. She had no contact with us and didn’t even know if there was anyone else alive, much less looking for her. That’s why I snowed the shit out of her so deep for so long. I wanted it to be a slow return so we can guide it a bit better.”
“Yeah, but at least Angelique’s were all trying to kill her specifically. Allyson is having a hard time with the ‘sniper’ thing. She hasn’t ever had to flip the switch to go from peace time to wartime before. She needs to come to accept what she needs to do. If not, it will tear her apart.”
“I was thinking of putting the supplies in one of the conexes when we got back. That spreads food resources between the two buildings and we already have enough at the house for quite a while.”
“That sounds good. And pile the radios and such in the work room?”
“OK, and all the firearms in the garage initially while we sort them out. Then we can move them to shelves in the tunnelway unless we decide to cache some of them elsewhere. Any idea what Odina has for weapons?”
“No idea. We don’t even know if she is going to show up. I’m not counting on it one way or another. If she does, we can outfit her as we see fit. We have enough. I’m not looking to run many more full-fledged combat operations. I just want to get us back to the house, climb in our little hole in the woods and pull it in after us.”
“Speaking of which, we need to figure out who and how many are going south to check the forest camp.”
“I know. Angelique is obviously out.”
“Right, and me, Kara or Allyson needs to be here for med support of that.”
“We don’t have the assets for a full-fledged battle. It has to be primarily reconnaissance.”
“OK, two people? “
“Sounds good, but which two?”
After a moment of thought, Bekka started talking again
“Well, with my rib, running is out. We need at least one long gun and one medic.”
“OK, I got it. You and Allyson. Then if you have to bail in a hurry, I can backstop you like before. How soon after we get back do you think the two of you can head out?”
“If we get back before dawn, we could head out at last light. If you and Kara can handle things during the day, Allyson and I can do a quick reset and crash to stay on night schedule and have some rest before rolling. If we go in the Hyena, you can run to backstop position on the bike. Sound good?”
“Yeah. The sea breeze reminds me of Mogadishu.”
“But at least we have more than a bombed out fire station to sleep in.”
“And no C-5 engine runs at three in the morning. Today’s shower was just as cold as well.”
“Cold felt good there.”
“It’s not a hundred and twenty eight in the shade here. That water today was damn cold.”
“Garen, take a nap and quit whining.”
They both just lay there resting and listening to the wind.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you 
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Allyson wasn’t sure of anything. She was sitting up against the SUV on the parking deck. How had everything gone so sideways. Less than a month ago, she knew who she was and, to some extent, where she fit into the world. She was a former cop teaching other cops and federal workers skills to survive a variety of situations. She was one of the good guys in a fairly decent world.
Now the whole thing has come apart. A whole part of the country has come apart, and if what Bekka has been able find out, the rest of the country was fast on its heels. There was no real job now, in the old sense of the word. All of her stuff was gone. Most of everything she had now was borrowed. She had no money, not that money was worth much right now anyway.
If she left here, where would she go, what would she do, and who for? Did she have anyone else she could trust or even know that was outside the flood zone? Would they be in any better position? They might be scraping and fighting for their lives. Not that she really knew anyone well enough to show up at their door out of nowhere.
At least here with Bekka, Garen and crew, she had food, shelter, employment, and they were trying to do things for the right reasons, she thought. But the things they did. She still had a very hard time reconciling the actions against the traffickers with what had been taught and lived for so many years. Vigilante at best, premeditated murder in all reality.
She had tried to delude herself with the whole ‘undercover’ trick of ‘it’s not me, it’s my undercover guy’ concept which worked for awhile. She had to stop. The detective she did her first undercover for had warned her about the dangers of too much of it for too long. She could still hear his mantra on the subject. He always made his most important lessons dirty, so you would remember them. ‘Justification like that is a lot like masturbation; it feels better when your doing it, but you are only screwing yourself in the long run.’
The people they had killed were trying to do horrendous things to a lot of people. She needed to accept the fact she had planned the killing of evil people. There was no law enforcement they could have used to stop these guys. There were no courts to take these people out of the picture. By knowing this was going on, they had two options; do nothing, or do something. The something was what burned in a part of her. She had to find a way to put it all into some sort of perspective she could live with. What would her father think of what she had been doing?
Now the whole thing has come apart. A whole part of the country has come apart, and if what Bekka has been able find out, the rest of the country was fast on its heels. There was no real job now, in the old sense of the word. All of her stuff was gone. Most of everything she had now was borrowed. She had no money, not that money was worth much right now anyway.
If she left here, where would she go, what would she do, and who for? Did she have anyone else she could trust or even know that was outside the flood zone? Would they be in any better position? They might be scraping and fighting for their lives. Not that she really knew anyone well enough to show up at their door out of nowhere.
At least here with Bekka, Garen and crew, she had food, shelter, employment, and they were trying to do things for the right reasons, she thought. But the things they did. She still had a very hard time reconciling the actions against the traffickers with what had been taught and lived for so many years. Vigilante at best, premeditated murder in all reality.
She had tried to delude herself with the whole ‘undercover’ trick of ‘it’s not me, it’s my undercover guy’ concept which worked for awhile. She had to stop. The detective she did her first undercover for had warned her about the dangers of too much of it for too long. She could still hear his mantra on the subject. He always made his most important lessons dirty, so you would remember them. ‘Justification like that is a lot like masturbation; it feels better when your doing it, but you are only screwing yourself in the long run.’
The people they had killed were trying to do horrendous things to a lot of people. She needed to accept the fact she had planned the killing of evil people. There was no law enforcement they could have used to stop these guys. There were no courts to take these people out of the picture. By knowing this was going on, they had two options; do nothing, or do something. The something was what burned in a part of her. She had to find a way to put it all into some sort of perspective she could live with. What would her father think of what she had been doing?
MASSIVE METAPHOR HERE: "Less than a month ago, she knew who she was and, to some extent, where she fit into the world."
Does CCG intend all these "encapsulated tidbits of profound observation/wisdom" or are they just "intuitive"? [Twain denied his works were anything more than simple adventure stories...but we know better.]
Does CCG intend all these "encapsulated tidbits of profound observation/wisdom" or are they just "intuitive"? [Twain denied his works were anything more than simple adventure stories...but we know better.]
Lone_Hawk
Resident Spook
She would not be able to do it with out God guiding her hand.
"Preparedness" sites and their philosophy do MORE than attempt to predict how many "beans, bullets and band-aids" we might need in diverse "crisis scenarios". THIS SITE, THESE PEOPLE ["our people"] ASK "WHAT IF" and "HOW MIGHT WE COPE WITH...'X'" so that we are emotionally, socially, and yes, even spiritually prepared for troubled times.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
They all had some food around midnight. They were even able to get some food into Angelique; Chili Mac, one of her favorites. This was preceded by some Phenergan IV to make sure she didn’t get nauseous. They all knew she needed calories to heal and protein would be good. They also made sure the fluid kept flowing into her to keep her hydrated. The Foley cath took care of the far end of that pipeline, as well as provided a good gauge of quantity needed.
The load up went rather smooth, considering they didn’t unpack much. The seating for the drive was shuffled around some. It was to be Bekka and Allyson in the SUV. Bekka would be driving, with Allyson in the back seat behind her. Angelique would be loaded into the right side, taking up the right front and second row passenger seat. This would let Allyson monitor Angelique’s vitals during the trip. The down side of this in line configuration was Bekka’s head masked Allyson’s view to the front. The view to the front half was all Bekka.
Garen and Kara were in the HMMWV, Garen in the driver’s seat. Kara was positioned so she could stand up through one of the gunner’s positions. From there she could get a good 360 view. She wished she had something heavier to use for firepower up there, but she would have to make do with what they brought. She had considered one of the semi-auto 7.62s they had picked up from the refugees, but they had not been tested so were not to be trusted. Depending on the situation, they would switch off lead as they felt necessary. The whole goal was to get out of town without attracting too much attention to their passing by.
They had about six hours to make it in the dark. They wanted to be long out of sight by then, preferably back in their own beds. Garen took the lead as they rolled out, Kara standing upright like a scene from Patton.
The load up went rather smooth, considering they didn’t unpack much. The seating for the drive was shuffled around some. It was to be Bekka and Allyson in the SUV. Bekka would be driving, with Allyson in the back seat behind her. Angelique would be loaded into the right side, taking up the right front and second row passenger seat. This would let Allyson monitor Angelique’s vitals during the trip. The down side of this in line configuration was Bekka’s head masked Allyson’s view to the front. The view to the front half was all Bekka.
Garen and Kara were in the HMMWV, Garen in the driver’s seat. Kara was positioned so she could stand up through one of the gunner’s positions. From there she could get a good 360 view. She wished she had something heavier to use for firepower up there, but she would have to make do with what they brought. She had considered one of the semi-auto 7.62s they had picked up from the refugees, but they had not been tested so were not to be trusted. Depending on the situation, they would switch off lead as they felt necessary. The whole goal was to get out of town without attracting too much attention to their passing by.
They had about six hours to make it in the dark. They wanted to be long out of sight by then, preferably back in their own beds. Garen took the lead as they rolled out, Kara standing upright like a scene from Patton.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
My goal in the end is publish as a book. It seems you guys think it worthy to do so. You guys are getting the first draft as it comes out of my head onto paper the first time.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
THank you.
Printing is desired by your fans. However, it would have to be a labor of love. Pitfalls and frustrations abound in transferring a white hot serial story on a survivalist fiction board into a complete and somewhat polished product offered to the public. The colossus known by many as "Big River" may appear "user friendly", but other PAW authors have "hinted" at horror stories they have lived in attempting publication which they cannot reveal due to "binding contracts".
And yet, our current "unpleasantness" supports the argument that there should be more room in what must be deemed "an expanding market" for survival fiction. Let's consider a few points I deem critical. YMMV:
* Complex characters, and notable, intricate character development. Check! The "ensemble cast" is likable, fully fleshed, faithfully consistent in their attitudes and actions. [This is, to me, "numero uno" in PAW fiction.]
* "Kick Ass" plot with enough "run and gun" to satisfy demanding violence junkies. Check!
* Absolutely fascinating, and [apparently] technically sound integration of medical aspects of PAW conflict and survival--OH SO RARE. Check!
* Unusually HIGH, even riveting, tension levels. Check!
* "Fiction as education"--"woven into the fabric of the fiction is "lore/trade craft/logistics/strategy/etc.". We could analogize to the genius of parables in scripture--tightly focused "object lessons" which serve to illustrate crucial truths better than any mere lesson might. Check!
* Necessary, but often ignored, consideration of the social, psych, and, yes, even spiritual dimensions of PAW survival.
To me, this story transcends most of the (often) disappointing entries in the PAW genre. I get hooked by the action, but the characters keep me coming back for more and the things I learn compel me to take notes. This is a winning story.
And yet, our current "unpleasantness" supports the argument that there should be more room in what must be deemed "an expanding market" for survival fiction. Let's consider a few points I deem critical. YMMV:
* Complex characters, and notable, intricate character development. Check! The "ensemble cast" is likable, fully fleshed, faithfully consistent in their attitudes and actions. [This is, to me, "numero uno" in PAW fiction.]
* "Kick Ass" plot with enough "run and gun" to satisfy demanding violence junkies. Check!
* Absolutely fascinating, and [apparently] technically sound integration of medical aspects of PAW conflict and survival--OH SO RARE. Check!
* Unusually HIGH, even riveting, tension levels. Check!
* "Fiction as education"--"woven into the fabric of the fiction is "lore/trade craft/logistics/strategy/etc.". We could analogize to the genius of parables in scripture--tightly focused "object lessons" which serve to illustrate crucial truths better than any mere lesson might. Check!
* Necessary, but often ignored, consideration of the social, psych, and, yes, even spiritual dimensions of PAW survival.
To me, this story transcends most of the (often) disappointing entries in the PAW genre. I get hooked by the action, but the characters keep me coming back for more and the things I learn compel me to take notes. This is a winning story.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The crew was beyond paranoid. They had scrubbed the vehicles and their gear from top to bottom looking for anything that emitted any light whatsoever. They were looking themselves over with the NVGs trying to catch any glimmer or twinkle. As they rolled down the road, Bekka had to laugh. Allyson wasn’t sure how anything could be funny at a time like this and called her on it.
“I can’t help it Allyson. Look at Kara in the top of the HMMWV. She keeps spinning around like some kids toy a friend ‘s kid had. You pull the little car on a string and the wheels make the duck in the top spin round and round.”
Allyson watched for a few, then started to giggle uncontrollably in spite of herself. Here she was, all wound up with killers hunting them, and she acting like a five-year-old. She didn’t know what was worse, Bekka starting the laughing, or her joining in.
Kara was spinning round and round, sweeping the horizon. She was able to see over the trailers and the SUV. Lights, movement, anything suspicious, all were on her list. Sitting up there with her was a 12-gauge full of marine flares. The thought was if they ran into trouble, a stream of big balls of flame would both discourage the recipient and point out the direction of trouble for the rest of the crew. While that was underway, the SUV would either leapfrog forward or break contact and escape.
The route they were trying to use went through a bunch of strip malls and other businesses. They were trying to avoid too many residential areas until as late as possible. They didn’t want to drag trouble to the people.
“I can’t help it Allyson. Look at Kara in the top of the HMMWV. She keeps spinning around like some kids toy a friend ‘s kid had. You pull the little car on a string and the wheels make the duck in the top spin round and round.”
Allyson watched for a few, then started to giggle uncontrollably in spite of herself. Here she was, all wound up with killers hunting them, and she acting like a five-year-old. She didn’t know what was worse, Bekka starting the laughing, or her joining in.
Kara was spinning round and round, sweeping the horizon. She was able to see over the trailers and the SUV. Lights, movement, anything suspicious, all were on her list. Sitting up there with her was a 12-gauge full of marine flares. The thought was if they ran into trouble, a stream of big balls of flame would both discourage the recipient and point out the direction of trouble for the rest of the crew. While that was underway, the SUV would either leapfrog forward or break contact and escape.
The route they were trying to use went through a bunch of strip malls and other businesses. They were trying to avoid too many residential areas until as late as possible. They didn’t want to drag trouble to the people.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.