| General Fiction posted February 28, 2014 | Chapters: |
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The group speculates as to the cause of the disaster.
A chapter in the book Yosemite
Speculation & Strategy
by michaelcahill
| Background Following a catastrophic event, a group of vacationers is faced with survival in Yosemite National Park. |
We discovered in the last installment that a catastrophe of unknown origin had struck and killed a number of people vacationing in Yosemite National Park. The scope of the disaster is unknown to the people there, but appears massive. There are pockets of survivors and we are focused on one group that are settling in and setting up camp. In an attempt to achieve some kind of normalcy one of the people is telling a campfire story that has been interrupted by an amusing remark. We continue on with the story as the group reacts.
The group, in spite of the dire circumstances of our existence, fell to the ground laughing. Rhonda was an older schizophrenic lady with a penchant for non-stop chatter. She had the intellectual capacity of a seven or eight year old. She did me a favor actually; I had no idea where my story was going. I had a greed metaphor in mind, but I didn't see it developing on the stories horizon in the near future. Of course, I had a lot of time.
"What do you think happened?"
Jennifer voiced the question that everyone had on their mind, but no one spoke out loud. I knew that there wasn't an answer. I knew at the same time that discussion had to occur and that maybe it was a good idea to get the feelings out in the open. I began with my usual detached view of things.
"We don't know and we are not going to know. We can blather on about it all night coming up with theories, but that doesn't help us survive a minute out here. Survival is going to be an issue and I expect it will be sooner and not later. We have a few bags of marsh mellows for a nice campfire get together, yes. But, they will run out and then what? That should be our focus."
Apparently, they weren't ready to discuss that yet. Carlos, who was used to a position of authority as the owner of our board and care facility spoke first.
"This was no act of God that is for sure. At least no God that I know. This was clearly an act of a terrorist. It's chemical warfare. You saw it yourself, clouds of gas, birds falling from the sky, who the hell knows what it is. I know this; we seem to be out of danger right here. I strongly suggest we don't move. There is no telling what we might run into or what deadly cloud we might walk through."
I could see his point. Terrorism had been in the news and instances had been increasing to the point where they weren't even reported unless the body count was high. But, this had Mother Nature written all over it as far as I was concerned.
"I see your thinking, Carlos, and I think it is sound. I might even go along that terrorists might have played a part, but this looks like the earth itself to me. It looks like one too many chemicals was put into the air and it just blew up. You ever seen a star born or one die. It's pretty from a distance. But, you sure as hell don't want to be in the middle of it."
"How am I going to see the doctor when I am way out here? Is he going to come out here to visit me? What about my medicines? Is my medicine going to be sent out here. When are you going to drive me home? I'm tired of these trees. I'm tired of these 'asquitos' too." Rhonda had her own concerns.
"Rhonda, for Christ's sake. Have you looked around lately? There's dead bodies lying all over the place and we're lucky to be alive. Drive you home? What makes you think there is a home to be driven to? Yeah, where are the meds? I think I need some." Carlos was definitely on edge.
I could see the dynamic of the group beginning to unfold. The clients or residents would remain with their mentality of needing to be cared for. I suppose that made sense. Carlos still had the mentality of leader as his mindset. That appeared to be shifting already. Jennifer and I already had demonstrated a more commanding presence and more natural leadership skills.
There was no battle for control looming, but I could see a shift in decision making in the near future. With that in mind, I motioned to Jennifer to come with me. I thought the two of us should take a short walk and survey the immediate surroundings. I also wanted to get her thinking on what we should do next and what we might adopt as a long-term plan.
"Not wise to confront someone mentally ill under the circumstances. There isn't any emergency response team to call that I am aware of."
Jennifer, or Jen as we all called her, was on the money. Carlos was a decent businessman, but there was a reason that he hired caregivers. We knew how to deal with the residents and frankly, as he just demonstrated, he didn't.
"You're right, Jen. I wanted to get your input on some things because I have the feeling that most of the decisions are going to fall on us. I realize this isn't what you envisioned as a world to bring a baby into. It is the world though and we have to deal with it."
The scene was grim on the perimeter of our campsite. There were several dead bodies mostly unknown to us. Jason, a resident, was lying face up near a small redwood tree looking peaceful. We exchanged a glance as we noted a crow siting on his chest. We took that as our green light to cautiously approach his body.
"There is no physical damage at all, Johnny. It had to be the gas. But, it seems to have either evaporated or moved completely on. The crow that was here and some other wildlife and insects all are unfazed in this area. Us to, of course."
"I guess that is good news, Jen. But, it still doesn't give me the confidence to go running in the daisies. The clouds may have just drifted on. I'd still be wary. But, living creatures make for a good indicator of safety, so we'll have to remember that. As I see it, Jen, we are the only group with access to the mercantile store. That puts us in great shape in the short term. But, I worry about other survivors out there. They may not be sitting in our position. We need to be ready for them. Carlos has military experience. We need to draw on that I think. We need a defense against whatever is out there."
"God, Johnny. I hadn't even thought about it. Hell. You're right. If they run out of food that will change the game totally for them. Gas or no gas, hunger is a great motivator."
We headed back towards the group. They were still having there discussion. I approached Carlos.
"I know you have already thought about this considering your military background, but we are going to need some kind of defense against whatever is out there in case it wants what we have here."
"Yes, you're right, I've been considering that. I'll have a plan by eight hundred hours. We don't have much of a unit here, but we'll make do, improvise and adapt. I'm gonna' hit it Johnny. Sleep tight."
The evening came to a conclusion and we huddled close to the safety of the campfire. At least it felt safe for the most part. My eyes kept looking into the darkness. I knew something was out there. That’s what darkness is for, hiding something.
The morning came and with it, a little more reality then I wish to deal with. I see Jennifer returning from the direction of the stream. She looks disheveled and strangely unhappy. It is not the usual detached melancholy I normally associate with her. It is more specific and I dread what I think is its origin.
“Are you okay?”
“No” her one word response.
The group, in spite of the dire circumstances of our existence, fell to the ground laughing. Rhonda was an older schizophrenic lady with a penchant for non-stop chatter. She had the intellectual capacity of a seven or eight year old. She did me a favor actually; I had no idea where my story was going. I had a greed metaphor in mind, but I didn't see it developing on the stories horizon in the near future. Of course, I had a lot of time.
"What do you think happened?"
Jennifer voiced the question that everyone had on their mind, but no one spoke out loud. I knew that there wasn't an answer. I knew at the same time that discussion had to occur and that maybe it was a good idea to get the feelings out in the open. I began with my usual detached view of things.
"We don't know and we are not going to know. We can blather on about it all night coming up with theories, but that doesn't help us survive a minute out here. Survival is going to be an issue and I expect it will be sooner and not later. We have a few bags of marsh mellows for a nice campfire get together, yes. But, they will run out and then what? That should be our focus."
Apparently, they weren't ready to discuss that yet. Carlos, who was used to a position of authority as the owner of our board and care facility spoke first.
"This was no act of God that is for sure. At least no God that I know. This was clearly an act of a terrorist. It's chemical warfare. You saw it yourself, clouds of gas, birds falling from the sky, who the hell knows what it is. I know this; we seem to be out of danger right here. I strongly suggest we don't move. There is no telling what we might run into or what deadly cloud we might walk through."
I could see his point. Terrorism had been in the news and instances had been increasing to the point where they weren't even reported unless the body count was high. But, this had Mother Nature written all over it as far as I was concerned.
"I see your thinking, Carlos, and I think it is sound. I might even go along that terrorists might have played a part, but this looks like the earth itself to me. It looks like one too many chemicals was put into the air and it just blew up. You ever seen a star born or one die. It's pretty from a distance. But, you sure as hell don't want to be in the middle of it."
"How am I going to see the doctor when I am way out here? Is he going to come out here to visit me? What about my medicines? Is my medicine going to be sent out here. When are you going to drive me home? I'm tired of these trees. I'm tired of these 'asquitos' too." Rhonda had her own concerns.
"Rhonda, for Christ's sake. Have you looked around lately? There's dead bodies lying all over the place and we're lucky to be alive. Drive you home? What makes you think there is a home to be driven to? Yeah, where are the meds? I think I need some." Carlos was definitely on edge.
I could see the dynamic of the group beginning to unfold. The clients or residents would remain with their mentality of needing to be cared for. I suppose that made sense. Carlos still had the mentality of leader as his mindset. That appeared to be shifting already. Jennifer and I already had demonstrated a more commanding presence and more natural leadership skills.
There was no battle for control looming, but I could see a shift in decision making in the near future. With that in mind, I motioned to Jennifer to come with me. I thought the two of us should take a short walk and survey the immediate surroundings. I also wanted to get her thinking on what we should do next and what we might adopt as a long-term plan.
"Not wise to confront someone mentally ill under the circumstances. There isn't any emergency response team to call that I am aware of."
Jennifer, or Jen as we all called her, was on the money. Carlos was a decent businessman, but there was a reason that he hired caregivers. We knew how to deal with the residents and frankly, as he just demonstrated, he didn't.
"You're right, Jen. I wanted to get your input on some things because I have the feeling that most of the decisions are going to fall on us. I realize this isn't what you envisioned as a world to bring a baby into. It is the world though and we have to deal with it."
The scene was grim on the perimeter of our campsite. There were several dead bodies mostly unknown to us. Jason, a resident, was lying face up near a small redwood tree looking peaceful. We exchanged a glance as we noted a crow siting on his chest. We took that as our green light to cautiously approach his body.
"There is no physical damage at all, Johnny. It had to be the gas. But, it seems to have either evaporated or moved completely on. The crow that was here and some other wildlife and insects all are unfazed in this area. Us to, of course."
"I guess that is good news, Jen. But, it still doesn't give me the confidence to go running in the daisies. The clouds may have just drifted on. I'd still be wary. But, living creatures make for a good indicator of safety, so we'll have to remember that. As I see it, Jen, we are the only group with access to the mercantile store. That puts us in great shape in the short term. But, I worry about other survivors out there. They may not be sitting in our position. We need to be ready for them. Carlos has military experience. We need to draw on that I think. We need a defense against whatever is out there."
"God, Johnny. I hadn't even thought about it. Hell. You're right. If they run out of food that will change the game totally for them. Gas or no gas, hunger is a great motivator."
We headed back towards the group. They were still having there discussion. I approached Carlos.
"I know you have already thought about this considering your military background, but we are going to need some kind of defense against whatever is out there in case it wants what we have here."
"Yes, you're right, I've been considering that. I'll have a plan by eight hundred hours. We don't have much of a unit here, but we'll make do, improvise and adapt. I'm gonna' hit it Johnny. Sleep tight."
The evening came to a conclusion and we huddled close to the safety of the campfire. At least it felt safe for the most part. My eyes kept looking into the darkness. I knew something was out there. That’s what darkness is for, hiding something.
The morning came and with it, a little more reality then I wish to deal with. I see Jennifer returning from the direction of the stream. She looks disheveled and strangely unhappy. It is not the usual detached melancholy I normally associate with her. It is more specific and I dread what I think is its origin.
“Are you okay?”
“No” her one word response.
 Recognized |
The input and suggestions have been wonderful. What was once a complete story I now realize has some additions that need to be made. Please continue to point out anything that you think needs to be addressed or have questions about.
A board and care facility in the United States is simply a household regulated by the State that cares, in this case, for mentally ill clients providing housing and meals as well as all medical attention such as giving them their medicine and taking them to doctors appointments etc.: Full time care essentially. That is for those not familiar with the term.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. A board and care facility in the United States is simply a household regulated by the State that cares, in this case, for mentally ill clients providing housing and meals as well as all medical attention such as giving them their medicine and taking them to doctors appointments etc.: Full time care essentially. That is for those not familiar with the term.
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