sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, the men were no long men they were animals.
Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The cabins were all locked with a padlock, except one. Heidi went inside the unlocked door. The place seemed recently lived in, unlike the view through the windows of the other six. There were dishes in the sink, and the place looked like it had been ransacked a bit. A stack of beer bottles and liquor bottles were in a kitchen trash can. There was a funk to the air that got stronger as she went towards the bedrooms. Back here there as an unmistakable reek of sweat and sex. The bedrooms were filthy. The sheets were grimy and soiled. More bottles were strewn around. It seemed this was the recreation location. Heidi shut off her train of thought once she confirmed the place was clear of people. She exited, leaving the door open.
“Cabins clear. Moving to the other storage shed.” Heidi moved quickly, the fresh air adding to the spring in her step. She went into this last storage building. Inside, she found an old repurposed military flatbed with a water tank, pump and hoses on the back. The hood was up and she could see dust on most of the surfaces. This hadn’t run in quite some time. Other than the truck, it looked like this was the waiting for turn in location. Boxes of old gear and general stuff was stacked haphazardly. There was a box of old computer keyboards and mice, some broken office chairs in a pile, and a bunch of other cast off knick knacks.
“Building clear. All clear it seems. Come on down”
“Cabins clear. Moving to the other storage shed.” Heidi moved quickly, the fresh air adding to the spring in her step. She went into this last storage building. Inside, she found an old repurposed military flatbed with a water tank, pump and hoses on the back. The hood was up and she could see dust on most of the surfaces. This hadn’t run in quite some time. Other than the truck, it looked like this was the waiting for turn in location. Boxes of old gear and general stuff was stacked haphazardly. There was a box of old computer keyboards and mice, some broken office chairs in a pile, and a bunch of other cast off knick knacks.
“Building clear. All clear it seems. Come on down”
steamroller
Contributing Member
Great additions, thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Doug, Emilia and Heidi were standing some distance from the buildings, trying to build the game plan for what was next.
“Heidi, why don’t you and Emilia get the victims together, see what clothes and a decent meal you can scrounge up. I can start stripping bodies, and finding the keys for the van over there.” He pointed at a big fifteen-passenger van with a tour company logo on its side. “Once we get then clothed and outfitted some, we get them the hell out of here. We don’t know when any more of this crew is returning, so speed for this first part is essential, agreed?”
Emilia nodded her head and Heidi spoke.
“I agree. We need to get these girls out of here. Unfortunately, we don’t have a good place for them to go or someone to send them to, but anywhere has to be better than trafficked.” She shuddered at the thoughts jumping in her head at that fate.
“Well, I know a church about a hundred miles east by southeast. The pastor there is a real good guy and will help them find shelter and help.” Doug tried to sound positive. He really did know the Pastor, and he knew he would help if he could, or at least point them in a good direction. “I also figure you and Emilia will be friendlier faces than a guy right about now. I’ll move the bodies and strip them. Zed and I figured we should leave a couple here in the yard for about a week in case some come past the signs we are putting up. If it’s more bad guys, they would leave some sign or indication they came back and found the bodies here. The rest, Zed and Jesse are taking care of.”
Each broke off to take care of their tasks. They needed to get the victims out of here and soon!
“Heidi, why don’t you and Emilia get the victims together, see what clothes and a decent meal you can scrounge up. I can start stripping bodies, and finding the keys for the van over there.” He pointed at a big fifteen-passenger van with a tour company logo on its side. “Once we get then clothed and outfitted some, we get them the hell out of here. We don’t know when any more of this crew is returning, so speed for this first part is essential, agreed?”
Emilia nodded her head and Heidi spoke.
“I agree. We need to get these girls out of here. Unfortunately, we don’t have a good place for them to go or someone to send them to, but anywhere has to be better than trafficked.” She shuddered at the thoughts jumping in her head at that fate.
“Well, I know a church about a hundred miles east by southeast. The pastor there is a real good guy and will help them find shelter and help.” Doug tried to sound positive. He really did know the Pastor, and he knew he would help if he could, or at least point them in a good direction. “I also figure you and Emilia will be friendlier faces than a guy right about now. I’ll move the bodies and strip them. Zed and I figured we should leave a couple here in the yard for about a week in case some come past the signs we are putting up. If it’s more bad guys, they would leave some sign or indication they came back and found the bodies here. The rest, Zed and Jesse are taking care of.”
Each broke off to take care of their tasks. They needed to get the victims out of here and soon!
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
steamroller
Contributing Member
Everyone seems to be working very well together.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Heidi sent Emilia into the unlocked cabin to rummage the drawers and closets to gather any and all clothes, towels, blankets and such that were clean. She didn’t want her necessarily in the rooms with the dead people yet. She was still trying to not overwhelm her too much. Once she got her started, Heidi went to the building with the victims.
When Heidi walked in, several of the people whimpered at her sudden appearance.
“Don’t be afraid. We got all the ones here. No one is going to hurt you now. What we need to do is get some stuff situated and get you girls out of here before any of these assholes” she kicked one of the bodies in the doorway “come back from wherever.”
She looked at the cluster of women and girls trembling against the wall. In that moment, she knew she only had a few options. It would take some time to talk them out of their shells, win their trust, and get them to work with her. She didn’t have that kind of time. Any moment, they could be fighting a pitched battle for survival right here if more of these guys show up. She couldn’t take the time. She didn’t want to be harsh, but she needed them to move and not shake and sit like a tazered poodle.
“Come on! Get up!” They jumped to their feet. She could see she had an even dozen, ranging from maybe early twenties to under ten, with most on the young side of fifteen. She wanted to throw up again, the rage was so overwhelming.
“Get over to the other building with the boxes. We are going to be getting some clothes for you and some food.” She looked at the woman who seemed to be the oldest. “Start rummaging through the boxes. Set aside the high calorie low density food, like peanut butter and such. we need the most in the smallest size. Also look for things like rice, beans and pasta. We won’t have much room in the van and we need you to have as much food in there with you as we can get.” Take all of them with you. We don’t want anyone lost or missing. Hurry! We don’t have much time!”
When Heidi walked in, several of the people whimpered at her sudden appearance.
“Don’t be afraid. We got all the ones here. No one is going to hurt you now. What we need to do is get some stuff situated and get you girls out of here before any of these assholes” she kicked one of the bodies in the doorway “come back from wherever.”
She looked at the cluster of women and girls trembling against the wall. In that moment, she knew she only had a few options. It would take some time to talk them out of their shells, win their trust, and get them to work with her. She didn’t have that kind of time. Any moment, they could be fighting a pitched battle for survival right here if more of these guys show up. She couldn’t take the time. She didn’t want to be harsh, but she needed them to move and not shake and sit like a tazered poodle.
“Come on! Get up!” They jumped to their feet. She could see she had an even dozen, ranging from maybe early twenties to under ten, with most on the young side of fifteen. She wanted to throw up again, the rage was so overwhelming.
“Get over to the other building with the boxes. We are going to be getting some clothes for you and some food.” She looked at the woman who seemed to be the oldest. “Start rummaging through the boxes. Set aside the high calorie low density food, like peanut butter and such. we need the most in the smallest size. Also look for things like rice, beans and pasta. We won’t have much room in the van and we need you to have as much food in there with you as we can get.” Take all of them with you. We don’t want anyone lost or missing. Hurry! We don’t have much time!”
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ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Doug started stripping the clothes off the bodies out in the open. He was piling up the weapons and gear as he went. His next chores were the guys in the main building. He nearly fell several times with all the brass on the tile. It seemed Heidi really unloaded on these guys. He couldn’t blame her. Alone in the building with at least four she could see and who knows how many more behind those. Doug had to admit to himself she made the right call not letting him come with her. He knew he would have just got in the way and screwed things up.
He dragged them out the front door she had gone in. His first priority was finding the keys for the van. His second was keeping an ear open for the crunching of gravel. He knew from past experience you could tell when someone was coming up to the buildings by hearing the tires on the gravel road. If he heard that sound, they would all have to scatter and get ready to fight.
He dragged them out the front door she had gone in. His first priority was finding the keys for the van. His second was keeping an ear open for the crunching of gravel. He knew from past experience you could tell when someone was coming up to the buildings by hearing the tires on the gravel road. If he heard that sound, they would all have to scatter and get ready to fight.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Emilia wasn’t sure what she would find in the cabin. The place was a wreck and stank. As she went through the place, she opened the windows to air it out some. There were not a lot of clothes, but there were some. Pants, T-shirts, socks, underwear, they all went into a plastic bag she got from under the kitchen sink. Two spare sets of sheets and a couple of large bath towels completed her scrounging. With some safety pins, she could help at least get something on the girls, even if it was a poncho style dress. She took these things over to the storage building where her mother had them sorting boxes.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“Emilia, Great! Can you help them get something on? The T-shirts could work as dresses for some of the younger ones. I’ll go to the other building where Doug is and see if they left any more clothes in there.” Heidi turned to the others. “Listen up. Engel is going to help you guys get some clothes on. I am going to look for more to help. Don’t stop with the food plan, but let’s take care of both. Remember we are in a hurry to get you guys to safety!” She laid a hand on Emilia’s shoulder as she walked past. She paused for a moment.
“Emilia, I am so proud of you, in case I haven’t told you lately. Be on your guard and yell out if anything, ANYTHING seems wrong. I will be right back.”
“Emilia, I am so proud of you, in case I haven’t told you lately. Be on your guard and yell out if anything, ANYTHING seems wrong. I will be right back.”
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Heidi met Doug inside the administration building. He was in the lobby bringing another body to the door when she stepped inside.
“Be careful in here. Somebody dumped a shitload of brass in here. I almost fell a couple of times.” Doug quipped as they saw one another. “How’s it going over there?”
“I have them pulling food to fill up the rest of the van before we send them off. I figure the Pastor would be more able to help if we didn’t dump 12 hungry mouths he would have to feed right away. With a van of food, it should ease the way for a little bit.”
“Good thinking. Where are you headed now?”
“I’m trying to grab any clothes these guys had here, especially T-shirts and stuff. The girls will be better off not running around like a day care at Burning Man West.”
Doug had to shake his head at that one. Heidi’s voice turned serious for a moment.
“When Zed and Jesse get here, we need to do something about the poor girl strung up in the one building. We should bury her. I didn’t want to mention it until after we got rid of the victims. I also didn’t want to talk about around Emilia yet. After we get the place to ourselves, we can work it.”
“Do I even want to know more about what went on in there?”
“I know I don’t.” Heidi spit out quickly. “I wish I didn’t know even as much as I already do. They did some bad shit to some people. She must have either fought or ran is my thinking. Hell, they may have done it just as an example, or because it was Tuesday for all we know. There is no telling with those kind of people. I better get moving. I need to get these girls clothed and out of here.” She pushed past Doug, deeper in the building. Just before she left the room, Doug called out.
“Check in the cabinets in the last room on the left. There might be some of the old T-Shirts from the Gift Shop.”
“Be careful in here. Somebody dumped a shitload of brass in here. I almost fell a couple of times.” Doug quipped as they saw one another. “How’s it going over there?”
“I have them pulling food to fill up the rest of the van before we send them off. I figure the Pastor would be more able to help if we didn’t dump 12 hungry mouths he would have to feed right away. With a van of food, it should ease the way for a little bit.”
“Good thinking. Where are you headed now?”
“I’m trying to grab any clothes these guys had here, especially T-shirts and stuff. The girls will be better off not running around like a day care at Burning Man West.”
Doug had to shake his head at that one. Heidi’s voice turned serious for a moment.
“When Zed and Jesse get here, we need to do something about the poor girl strung up in the one building. We should bury her. I didn’t want to mention it until after we got rid of the victims. I also didn’t want to talk about around Emilia yet. After we get the place to ourselves, we can work it.”
“Do I even want to know more about what went on in there?”
“I know I don’t.” Heidi spit out quickly. “I wish I didn’t know even as much as I already do. They did some bad shit to some people. She must have either fought or ran is my thinking. Hell, they may have done it just as an example, or because it was Tuesday for all we know. There is no telling with those kind of people. I better get moving. I need to get these girls clothed and out of here.” She pushed past Doug, deeper in the building. Just before she left the room, Doug called out.
“Check in the cabinets in the last room on the left. There might be some of the old T-Shirts from the Gift Shop.”
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
In to cool off, thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
They were in luck. Between the clothes left by the now deceased bad guys and the stash of gift shop T-shirts and even a sweatshirt or two, they were able to get some semblance of clothing on all the kids. Doug backed the van up to the storage building to load up the boxes of food. They covered the entire floor of the van with a layer of boxes. Under the seats were filled. The rearmost bench seat was removed and the rear cargo was stacked to the gills. Between the older girls and Heidi, Emilia and Doug, they soon had the van about as packed as they could and still fit all the girls.
When everyone was on board, Doug went to the driver’s window to tell the woman, her name was Dora, the next step.
“Dora, here are the directions, turn by turn, of how to get to St Owen’s. Its up a little side canyon, so it can be hard to find if you don’t pay attention. Its about a hundred miles. This set of directions will keep you off of any main road so they shouldn’t be able to find you. When you get there, tell Father Adrian that you were sent there by the ‘Russian boy’. And explain what has happened. He should be able to help.” He started to turn away, then turned back. “Other than talking to him and telling him that phrase, you have no idea who we are, you can’t describe us, and you don’t know how many of us there are. We did a lot to get you free. All we ask is your silence about us in return. Can you do this?”
Dora was crying as she replied.
“After getting us out of there, we will do whatever you ask. Please be careful, those are horrible creatures and they deserved much worse than you gave them!”
Dora drove down the driveway and out of the park.
Heidi came up to Doug after the van left.
“The Russian boy?” Heidi had a quizzical tone.
“He was a friend of my father’s. Father Adrian is good people. He or his parishioners will take care of them. So, with all this food left, we should take as much as we can back with us.”
“Agreed. Emilia is looking at the boxes to figure what we want to take. I don’t know how much we can put into Jesse’s truck.”
“That ok, we will take a lot more on this first trip. You said the flatbed truck is still in the one shed?”
“That old thing? It’s cover in dust and rust. When was the last time that thing ran?”
“Oh, about six weeks ago. The motor still works fine. The boss had me disable it. The firefighting gear on the sled in the back is all jacked up. The water tank has a split in it, and the guts of the water pump are broken. He’s been trying to get a new firefighting rig for three years now. The regional office won’t do it if that one still works. When the tank and pump quit this summer, they wanted to just replace or repair that part. He told me to make it nonoperational. It just needs a couple wires plugged back together and a battery put back in. It will take about twenty minutes.” Doug smiled like the cat that caught the canary.
“And how to we get the pile of gear off the back do we can load up more than a few boxes? You got a plan for that? I didn’t see a crane or overhead hoist in there.” Heidi sounded skeptical.
“That shit is broken. I figure we can tie a rope to it and drive the truck forward, pulling the whole sled right off of the back!”
“Well, since you have all this figured out, I’m going to go over and help Emilia stage the boxes of food and such to put on this truck.” Heidi thought a moment then continued. “Is there anything else you want to look for or grab while we are here? They may not have taken everything since they were not planning on leaving when we got here.”
Doug thought and thought. Suddenly he snapped his fingers in a ‘eureka’ moment. “You said all the other cabins were still locked up, right?”
“Yeah?”
"Well the center cabin of the seven is, or used to be, the main park office before they built these new bigger buildings. It has a basement. That’s where the sensitive and special stuff was stored. Not a lot, but some older radios, the extra med supplies for reloading kits down here and what sufficed as our armory. This was an old vault door into a closet built into the stone walls. There should be maybe three or four more lever guns, an old Martini-Henry line throwing rifle and a couple spare pistols, plus ammo. The boss, the LE chief and I all have the combo. They may not have known or cared to look for it. Most of the workers at the park never even knew it was there.” Doug’s wheels were turning now. He didn’t want to leave any of it behind if it was still there.
“OK, Doug, step one, finish with the bodies. Correction, step one, get the truck running. Once its running, Emilia and I can start loading the truck while you work the bodies and whatever they left behind. Then we can check Al Capone’s vault. Hopefully Zed and Jesse will get here soon. Then we get the no trespassing stuff up and boogie out of here. I don’t like staying around here like this. We need to get gone.” Heidi danced around, fidgety. She then looked up at Doug, her water-filled eyes pleading. “We did a good thing here today. Right?” Before he could answer, she took off towards the storage building.
When everyone was on board, Doug went to the driver’s window to tell the woman, her name was Dora, the next step.
“Dora, here are the directions, turn by turn, of how to get to St Owen’s. Its up a little side canyon, so it can be hard to find if you don’t pay attention. Its about a hundred miles. This set of directions will keep you off of any main road so they shouldn’t be able to find you. When you get there, tell Father Adrian that you were sent there by the ‘Russian boy’. And explain what has happened. He should be able to help.” He started to turn away, then turned back. “Other than talking to him and telling him that phrase, you have no idea who we are, you can’t describe us, and you don’t know how many of us there are. We did a lot to get you free. All we ask is your silence about us in return. Can you do this?”
Dora was crying as she replied.
“After getting us out of there, we will do whatever you ask. Please be careful, those are horrible creatures and they deserved much worse than you gave them!”
Dora drove down the driveway and out of the park.
Heidi came up to Doug after the van left.
“The Russian boy?” Heidi had a quizzical tone.
“He was a friend of my father’s. Father Adrian is good people. He or his parishioners will take care of them. So, with all this food left, we should take as much as we can back with us.”
“Agreed. Emilia is looking at the boxes to figure what we want to take. I don’t know how much we can put into Jesse’s truck.”
“That ok, we will take a lot more on this first trip. You said the flatbed truck is still in the one shed?”
“That old thing? It’s cover in dust and rust. When was the last time that thing ran?”
“Oh, about six weeks ago. The motor still works fine. The boss had me disable it. The firefighting gear on the sled in the back is all jacked up. The water tank has a split in it, and the guts of the water pump are broken. He’s been trying to get a new firefighting rig for three years now. The regional office won’t do it if that one still works. When the tank and pump quit this summer, they wanted to just replace or repair that part. He told me to make it nonoperational. It just needs a couple wires plugged back together and a battery put back in. It will take about twenty minutes.” Doug smiled like the cat that caught the canary.
“And how to we get the pile of gear off the back do we can load up more than a few boxes? You got a plan for that? I didn’t see a crane or overhead hoist in there.” Heidi sounded skeptical.
“That shit is broken. I figure we can tie a rope to it and drive the truck forward, pulling the whole sled right off of the back!”
“Well, since you have all this figured out, I’m going to go over and help Emilia stage the boxes of food and such to put on this truck.” Heidi thought a moment then continued. “Is there anything else you want to look for or grab while we are here? They may not have taken everything since they were not planning on leaving when we got here.”
Doug thought and thought. Suddenly he snapped his fingers in a ‘eureka’ moment. “You said all the other cabins were still locked up, right?”
“Yeah?”
"Well the center cabin of the seven is, or used to be, the main park office before they built these new bigger buildings. It has a basement. That’s where the sensitive and special stuff was stored. Not a lot, but some older radios, the extra med supplies for reloading kits down here and what sufficed as our armory. This was an old vault door into a closet built into the stone walls. There should be maybe three or four more lever guns, an old Martini-Henry line throwing rifle and a couple spare pistols, plus ammo. The boss, the LE chief and I all have the combo. They may not have known or cared to look for it. Most of the workers at the park never even knew it was there.” Doug’s wheels were turning now. He didn’t want to leave any of it behind if it was still there.
“OK, Doug, step one, finish with the bodies. Correction, step one, get the truck running. Once its running, Emilia and I can start loading the truck while you work the bodies and whatever they left behind. Then we can check Al Capone’s vault. Hopefully Zed and Jesse will get here soon. Then we get the no trespassing stuff up and boogie out of here. I don’t like staying around here like this. We need to get gone.” Heidi danced around, fidgety. She then looked up at Doug, her water-filled eyes pleading. “We did a good thing here today. Right?” Before he could answer, she took off towards the storage building.
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sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
thank you
steamroller
Contributing Member
Great story, really getting exciting.
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Understatement
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“Crayon to Pencil. Crayon to Pencil.”
Emilia had forgotten all about the two earbuds for the two radios she was monitoring. They had been quite busy since the rush to get the kids out of there. Kids. Shoot, almost a third were her age or older. She didn’t even want to think about what they had gone through. The stack of T-shirts made some decent dresses for the younger ones. She helped work some other things together for the ones more her size. She had ripped up some sheets and made skirts. The one thing they were real short on was socks or shoes. That couldn’t be helped.
Her mom seemed to be everywhere at once. Manic Mom seemed to be back. She was helping sort boxes, stacking the gear they had found, finding something for the three of them to eat and generally looking like a moth on crack. Once Doug got the truck running and pulled over to the storage building, the two of them stacked food boxes. Her mom would sling the boxes from where they had staged them, all the way up to the front of the truck bed where Emilia was stacking as fast as her mom tossed them.
In short order, the flatbed of the truck was mostly full. Doug came back over to the truck about twenty minutes later with several bundles of rope and a bucket of tie down straps. Emilia heard him tell her mom about cleaning up the other mess she found earlier. They were all standing there at the truck when one of her earpieces started speaking to her.
“Crayon to Pencil. Crayon to Pencil.” It was Jesse’s voice, calm as anything.
“Crayon, this is Pencil” Emilia tried to sound just as professional.
“Pencil, this is Crayon. Blue.” Jesse was asking their condition. He talked with her the other day about using code words for things like locations and duress word and phrases. He was talking all kinds of convoluted examples she knew she wouldn’t remember, so she made him make it simple. They had decided to use a color system. If either used a primary color, everything was going as planned. As an artist, she would never mix up her primaries with her secondaries, and tertiary or any other version of color would just be wrong. Jesse said blue. If everything is still ok, she needed to answer yellow or red. If they were captured or under duress of any kind, she would answer green, orange, or violet. Any other colors meant there was trouble but they were not captured.
“Crayon, this is Pencil. Yellow.”
“Copy, Pencil, yellow. Be there in ten.”
Emilia had forgotten all about the two earbuds for the two radios she was monitoring. They had been quite busy since the rush to get the kids out of there. Kids. Shoot, almost a third were her age or older. She didn’t even want to think about what they had gone through. The stack of T-shirts made some decent dresses for the younger ones. She helped work some other things together for the ones more her size. She had ripped up some sheets and made skirts. The one thing they were real short on was socks or shoes. That couldn’t be helped.
Her mom seemed to be everywhere at once. Manic Mom seemed to be back. She was helping sort boxes, stacking the gear they had found, finding something for the three of them to eat and generally looking like a moth on crack. Once Doug got the truck running and pulled over to the storage building, the two of them stacked food boxes. Her mom would sling the boxes from where they had staged them, all the way up to the front of the truck bed where Emilia was stacking as fast as her mom tossed them.
In short order, the flatbed of the truck was mostly full. Doug came back over to the truck about twenty minutes later with several bundles of rope and a bucket of tie down straps. Emilia heard him tell her mom about cleaning up the other mess she found earlier. They were all standing there at the truck when one of her earpieces started speaking to her.
“Crayon to Pencil. Crayon to Pencil.” It was Jesse’s voice, calm as anything.
“Crayon, this is Pencil” Emilia tried to sound just as professional.
“Pencil, this is Crayon. Blue.” Jesse was asking their condition. He talked with her the other day about using code words for things like locations and duress word and phrases. He was talking all kinds of convoluted examples she knew she wouldn’t remember, so she made him make it simple. They had decided to use a color system. If either used a primary color, everything was going as planned. As an artist, she would never mix up her primaries with her secondaries, and tertiary or any other version of color would just be wrong. Jesse said blue. If everything is still ok, she needed to answer yellow or red. If they were captured or under duress of any kind, she would answer green, orange, or violet. Any other colors meant there was trouble but they were not captured.
“Crayon, this is Pencil. Yellow.”
“Copy, Pencil, yellow. Be there in ten.”
Emilia turned to Heidi and Doug. “Jesse and Zed will be here in ten minutes.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Jesse could barely believe his eyes when they drove up. They were loading boxes on the old late seventies crew cab flatbed truck he had rebuilt at least fifteen or twenty years ago. He couldn’t believe it was still here. It should have been retired long ago, but here it was. He also saw many bodies out on the lawn. That sobered him up and forced him to return to the task at hand.
“OK, Doug, what part are we at?” Jesse asked without getting out of the vehicle.
Doug walked over to the truck. Zed was lounging in the back, his eyes closed, his head resting on the cab. Jesse was leaning on the window.
“We have the victims gone, separated out a truck load of supplies, plus more to put in this truck and the 8-wheeler and trailer. The bodies are stripped and ready for the next step. I think it’s time to put out the closed for business signs. What do you think?”
Jesse was thinking when Zed spoke up without even lifting an eyelid or his head.
“How many bodies?”
“Ten bad guys, plus one good guy we need to bury.” Doug replied. He saw out of the corner of his eye Emilia stopped in her loading when Doug mentioned burying one.
Zed stood up and stretched. He looked around the area for a moment before he spoke.
“Let’s leave five in the yard area as bait like we talked. We can load up the other five in the bed of the truck here. Jesse and I will go put up the signs while you guys finish ransacking this place and loading the 8-wheeler and the truck. It shouldn’t take more than about a half an hour for us to do our part. We can put the one to bury in the truck here when we get back. Where do you want to put them?”
“I was thinking in the churchyard of the old abandoned Mission. No one should bother them there. No one has used that site for even camping since Father Adrian stopped holding church camp out there ten or fifteen years ago.”
At mention of the old Mission, Jesse nodded his head. That sounded like a perfect place. He knew the old stone walls of the church yard and the chapel were still standing, but not much else. It was a small leftover from well over a hundred years ago and been abandoned since shortly before the First World War. The little community that existed around it all died off or faded away until finally the church was abandoned. The area was encompassed by the park when the park was created. The Pastor prior to Father Adrian learned about it and used to hold summer camp there in tents and held services in the ruined chapel. As the number of kids in his parish diminished, even though Father Adrian carried on the tradition when he took over, he didn’t have enough bodies to make it work after a while. Jesse spoke up.
“Zed, I know right where that is. We can go there right after we leave here.”
Doug, Jesse and Zed moved the five bodies Zed selected into the back of the truck. When Jesse drove down the driveway to the front of the park, Doug went to Emilia to have her bring up the 8-wheeler so they could load more in it.
“OK, Doug, what part are we at?” Jesse asked without getting out of the vehicle.
Doug walked over to the truck. Zed was lounging in the back, his eyes closed, his head resting on the cab. Jesse was leaning on the window.
“We have the victims gone, separated out a truck load of supplies, plus more to put in this truck and the 8-wheeler and trailer. The bodies are stripped and ready for the next step. I think it’s time to put out the closed for business signs. What do you think?”
Jesse was thinking when Zed spoke up without even lifting an eyelid or his head.
“How many bodies?”
“Ten bad guys, plus one good guy we need to bury.” Doug replied. He saw out of the corner of his eye Emilia stopped in her loading when Doug mentioned burying one.
Zed stood up and stretched. He looked around the area for a moment before he spoke.
“Let’s leave five in the yard area as bait like we talked. We can load up the other five in the bed of the truck here. Jesse and I will go put up the signs while you guys finish ransacking this place and loading the 8-wheeler and the truck. It shouldn’t take more than about a half an hour for us to do our part. We can put the one to bury in the truck here when we get back. Where do you want to put them?”
“I was thinking in the churchyard of the old abandoned Mission. No one should bother them there. No one has used that site for even camping since Father Adrian stopped holding church camp out there ten or fifteen years ago.”
At mention of the old Mission, Jesse nodded his head. That sounded like a perfect place. He knew the old stone walls of the church yard and the chapel were still standing, but not much else. It was a small leftover from well over a hundred years ago and been abandoned since shortly before the First World War. The little community that existed around it all died off or faded away until finally the church was abandoned. The area was encompassed by the park when the park was created. The Pastor prior to Father Adrian learned about it and used to hold summer camp there in tents and held services in the ruined chapel. As the number of kids in his parish diminished, even though Father Adrian carried on the tradition when he took over, he didn’t have enough bodies to make it work after a while. Jesse spoke up.
“Zed, I know right where that is. We can go there right after we leave here.”
Doug, Jesse and Zed moved the five bodies Zed selected into the back of the truck. When Jesse drove down the driveway to the front of the park, Doug went to Emilia to have her bring up the 8-wheeler so they could load more in it.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Jesse drove all the way down the driveway, past the entrance booth and the pipe crossbars, all the way to the road. Here in classic thirties style were a pair of stone walls on either side of the entrance road. Large wrought iron gates nestled against the inside of the walls. They probably hadn’t been closed since the last time Jesse closed them to paint the gates over ten years ago. They came prepared with bolt cutters for the locks holding them open.
Once the locks were cut, it took both of them and some penetrating oil to move each gate. A 4x8 sheet of plywood from the truck came next. It had a simple message painted on it in Emilia’s best script.
Two large holes in the board, one in the center of each end, made it possible to thread the heavy duty chain Jesse brought through the board and several of the wrought iron uprights and cross pieces. The ends of the chain were positioned in the middle of the backside of the board. This made it hard to access from the outside, adding another level of frustration to a would-be entrant. With the polite sign done, the nasty one was next.
There were a couple bends in the road between the front gates at the road and the ticket booth entrance. This kept the second sign away from the general public. The road could be blocked by a pair of swinging arm pipes and locked to the poles. These poles served as mounting points for two more huge signs.
Several street lamp poles lined the area near the gate. Jesse backed up to the base of one closest to the booth on one side of the road. Now he and Zed really got to work.
Jesse had a slingshot and a chunk of cord he normally used to pull wire antennas up into trees. Today he would use it to snake ropes over the lamp arms of two streetlamps. While Jesse was getting the ropes up and over, Zed was working on what was going on the ropes.
Zed moved one of the bodies to the tailgate. He stretched the arms up towards the head like the body was trying to dive off the truck. This got the upper arm out of his way. Between his knife and brute force, zed shoved a T-rail fence post into the torso in one armpit and out the other side. Measuring to keep it even, he adjusted it until he was satisfied.
With the crossbar in place, Zed secured the arms alongside the T-post. This would hold and support the body in cruciform shape and position even after the flesh rots away.
Jesse handed him the free end of the rope. Zed tied a knot Jesse hadn’t seen before, with two loops over each arm. Between the two of them, they were able to hoist the body up to about eighteen or twenty feet up. Jesse wanted to make sure the feet were too high for most animals in the park to reach. Once the rope was tied off, they drove over to the pole across the entranceway and repeated their handiwork.
With their two main ornaments flanking the closed gates at the ticket booth, they proceeded to unload the rest of the cargo brought down from the high camp. The stack of T-posts and the slide hammer were Jesse’s job. He put a line of eight evenly spaced T-posts down each side of the entrance road. As Jesse finished each one, Zed would open one of the kitchen trash bag bundles. Each post got a severed human head firmly planted on it, complete with the corresponding body’s genitalia stuffed in their mouths. Zed had to harvest the last three from the three bodies in the back of the truck collected at the lower camp.
While Zed had his saw out, he broke down the rest of the three bodies for disposal as well. Even though he was able to do such things, that didn’t mean he had to like having to do them.
When Jesse and Zed finished, they stepped back to look at the overall scene. It looked like something out of an old war movie or a pirate movie. That meant they got it right. It all stemmed from Emilia’s comment about pirates. How do you keep out the pirate? Show them the consequences are much worse than any gain. This display should do that.
All through their work, neither said an unnecessary word. This didn’t seem to be the time for chit chat or banter. Truth be told, it was a very gruesome task that neither enjoyed. The forest on either side was quiet as well. This made Jesse nervous, but Zed felt it as a calm. To him, it was almost like the forest was respecting what they did.
Once the locks were cut, it took both of them and some penetrating oil to move each gate. A 4x8 sheet of plywood from the truck came next. It had a simple message painted on it in Emilia’s best script.
The Park Is Temporarily Closed
Thanks, NPS Staff
Thanks, NPS Staff
Two large holes in the board, one in the center of each end, made it possible to thread the heavy duty chain Jesse brought through the board and several of the wrought iron uprights and cross pieces. The ends of the chain were positioned in the middle of the backside of the board. This made it hard to access from the outside, adding another level of frustration to a would-be entrant. With the polite sign done, the nasty one was next.
There were a couple bends in the road between the front gates at the road and the ticket booth entrance. This kept the second sign away from the general public. The road could be blocked by a pair of swinging arm pipes and locked to the poles. These poles served as mounting points for two more huge signs.
Park Closed, No Trespassing
Signed, NPS Staff
Signed, NPS Staff
Several street lamp poles lined the area near the gate. Jesse backed up to the base of one closest to the booth on one side of the road. Now he and Zed really got to work.
Jesse had a slingshot and a chunk of cord he normally used to pull wire antennas up into trees. Today he would use it to snake ropes over the lamp arms of two streetlamps. While Jesse was getting the ropes up and over, Zed was working on what was going on the ropes.
Zed moved one of the bodies to the tailgate. He stretched the arms up towards the head like the body was trying to dive off the truck. This got the upper arm out of his way. Between his knife and brute force, zed shoved a T-rail fence post into the torso in one armpit and out the other side. Measuring to keep it even, he adjusted it until he was satisfied.
With the crossbar in place, Zed secured the arms alongside the T-post. This would hold and support the body in cruciform shape and position even after the flesh rots away.
Jesse handed him the free end of the rope. Zed tied a knot Jesse hadn’t seen before, with two loops over each arm. Between the two of them, they were able to hoist the body up to about eighteen or twenty feet up. Jesse wanted to make sure the feet were too high for most animals in the park to reach. Once the rope was tied off, they drove over to the pole across the entranceway and repeated their handiwork.
With their two main ornaments flanking the closed gates at the ticket booth, they proceeded to unload the rest of the cargo brought down from the high camp. The stack of T-posts and the slide hammer were Jesse’s job. He put a line of eight evenly spaced T-posts down each side of the entrance road. As Jesse finished each one, Zed would open one of the kitchen trash bag bundles. Each post got a severed human head firmly planted on it, complete with the corresponding body’s genitalia stuffed in their mouths. Zed had to harvest the last three from the three bodies in the back of the truck collected at the lower camp.
While Zed had his saw out, he broke down the rest of the three bodies for disposal as well. Even though he was able to do such things, that didn’t mean he had to like having to do them.
When Jesse and Zed finished, they stepped back to look at the overall scene. It looked like something out of an old war movie or a pirate movie. That meant they got it right. It all stemmed from Emilia’s comment about pirates. How do you keep out the pirate? Show them the consequences are much worse than any gain. This display should do that.
All through their work, neither said an unnecessary word. This didn’t seem to be the time for chit chat or banter. Truth be told, it was a very gruesome task that neither enjoyed. The forest on either side was quiet as well. This made Jesse nervous, but Zed felt it as a calm. To him, it was almost like the forest was respecting what they did.
Grouchy Granny
Deceased
Just wow! Those two "old farts" have cojones! And, I approve whole heartedly of the display.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Doug, Heidi and Emilia finished loading everything they thought they wanted from the camp, or at least what they thought they could fit. In a week or two they would come back down and check for signs. If all was good, they could load up the truck with more supplies. Each of them went through all the buildings looking for last minute odds and ends. The one with the biggest find was Emilia.
Emilia was going through the makeshift quarters of the bad guys when she spotted some small flat boxes crammed under a couch. She pulled them out and immediately started shouting in glee. This attracted Heidi.
“What’s up? What did you find that we missed?” Heidi said as she came into the room.
“Look! Look! Look!” Emilia kept pulling boxes out from under the couch. They were small white boxes. They must have stashed them there to keep from kicking them or something. There were at least half a dozen Apple Laptops and IPads. They were still new in the wrapper, obviously the product of some wholesale looting, but Emilia didn’t care! She could draw and write and shoot pictures! She was ecstatic. She looked over at her mom. “And you guys didn’t see these or were going to leave them?”
Heidi hadn’t seen them and wouldn’t have recognized them at a glance like Emilia did, so would have missed the significance even if she saw them.
“I didn’t see them, and you know Doug probably wouldn’t know a laptop from a sewing machine. If it’s not forest knowledge or medicine, he probably regards it like voodoo.” Heidi cracked a smile, her first of the long brutal day. She loved to see her kid smile and finding this put a great big one on her face.
Emilia was going through the makeshift quarters of the bad guys when she spotted some small flat boxes crammed under a couch. She pulled them out and immediately started shouting in glee. This attracted Heidi.
“What’s up? What did you find that we missed?” Heidi said as she came into the room.
“Look! Look! Look!” Emilia kept pulling boxes out from under the couch. They were small white boxes. They must have stashed them there to keep from kicking them or something. There were at least half a dozen Apple Laptops and IPads. They were still new in the wrapper, obviously the product of some wholesale looting, but Emilia didn’t care! She could draw and write and shoot pictures! She was ecstatic. She looked over at her mom. “And you guys didn’t see these or were going to leave them?”
Heidi hadn’t seen them and wouldn’t have recognized them at a glance like Emilia did, so would have missed the significance even if she saw them.
“I didn’t see them, and you know Doug probably wouldn’t know a laptop from a sewing machine. If it’s not forest knowledge or medicine, he probably regards it like voodoo.” Heidi cracked a smile, her first of the long brutal day. She loved to see her kid smile and finding this put a great big one on her face.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Heidi realized she hadn’t seen Doug in a while and went looking for him. She found him standing in one of the offices, just staring at an empty desk. She looked at the door to the office. The title on the door was ‘Park Superintendent’.
“What’s up, Doug?” She asked tentatively.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was standing here, talking with him about Tracy coming out of the backcountry, about the new hire, about fixing some stuff over the winter. We were laughing and joking. I was looking forward to spending time with my daughter now that the busy season was behind us. Now look at it. Hell! All of them dead! My co-workers, most my friends, my father, almost me and my daughter! Your friends! What are we going to do?”
Heidi wasn’t sure what the right answer would be so she told the truth.
“I don’t know, Doug. We go back up to the cabin, regroup, plan, survive, and get stronger. Until you fire me, you have me and Emilia, Zed and Jesse too. I wish they would get back soon, we need to get out of here."
“What’s up, Doug?” She asked tentatively.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was standing here, talking with him about Tracy coming out of the backcountry, about the new hire, about fixing some stuff over the winter. We were laughing and joking. I was looking forward to spending time with my daughter now that the busy season was behind us. Now look at it. Hell! All of them dead! My co-workers, most my friends, my father, almost me and my daughter! Your friends! What are we going to do?”
Heidi wasn’t sure what the right answer would be so she told the truth.
“I don’t know, Doug. We go back up to the cabin, regroup, plan, survive, and get stronger. Until you fire me, you have me and Emilia, Zed and Jesse too. I wish they would get back soon, we need to get out of here."