Fic: Like Luggage of Some Departed Traveller; Prologue
Master Post
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six
PROLOGUE
The Gold Bar Town Crier, pg 1. August 12th, 2006. Gold Bar, WA.
A second local man is dead today after a brutal bear attack. Gordon Hereford, 37, suffered a fatal slashing early Tuesday morning when an adult black bear emerged from the woods and pulled Hereford from his riding mower. Emergency responders transported Hereford to St. Luke's Regional Medical Center in Hammersville, but Hereford was pronounced dead this afternoon after unsuccessful emergency surgery. The bear, which was shot dead by responding sheriff's deputies, is not the same animal responsible in the July 28th mauling death of beloved Gold Bar Elementary School librarian Janet Gruber. A juvenile black bear was tranquilized and subsequently euthanized in the vicinity of Gruber's home; a necropsy of the animal confirmed that it had partially consumed the victim.
"I want to emphasize that these are shy, non-aggressive bears," said Save the Gentle Giants founder Chris Elling in an interview. "It's absolutely anomalous for a black bear to attack a human. They're not ordinarily a threat and I worry that we're going to see an overreaction in the human response to what's really a freak occurrence." Previous to this year, the Department of Fish and Wildlife had recorded one black bear death in Washington State since 1991.
"It's been a rough year," said Fish and Wildlife spokesman Henry Gillsmith. Gillsmith said that unusual environmental conditions may have contributed to the streak of uncharacteristic aggression in the local bear population. "With the fish die-offs and the like, [the bears] are just plain hungry," Gillsmith said. "They're driven outside their usual territory and it takes them right into our back yards." In a prepared statement this afternoon, wildlife officials urged Gold Bar residents to avoid thickly forested areas, to supervise the outdoor play of children and pets, and to be mindful of leaving strong-smelling food or trash outdoors.
When asked to address reports that bears in Index have been sighted digging up fresh graves for food, Gillsmith declined to comment.
Mission Viejo Herald, pg 3. August 20th, 2006. Mission Viejo, CA.
Retraction:
Last Thursday's issue incorrectly stated that the Sheriff's safety guidelines encouraged residents to drink bottled water until the county's water supply issues are resolved. The Sheriff's guidelines in fact specify that bottled water from sources east of the Mississippi River are considered contaminated and should not be consumed. The Herald would also like to clarify that bathing in tap water is likewise not recommended, after reports of mild rashes in small children and the immunocompromised.
We regret the error.
The Pine Ridge Ledger, pg 2. September 5th, 2006. Pine Ridge, GA.
(cont'd from page one)
said in a phone interview that conditions were calm at city hall and that the police were mobilized and up to the task. "Everything is just fine and by tomorrow, the biggest worry we're going to have is that milk tanker that overturned out on Route Seventy-Two. We'll be griping that we don't have anything to put in our coffee."
The riots, now stretching into their second day, remain isolated to the greater Pine Ridge municipal area. The mayor stated in a morning press conference that if the riots continued for a third day, additional police forces would be brought in from Atlanta.
Poster from street lamp. September 8th, 2006.
MISSING
Name: Louise Del Mar
Age: 56
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 150 lb
Last seen: Atlanta, GA
Louise was last seen during the Atlanta riots. She may have boarded a train leaving the city before the transit shut-down. Louise suffered a traumatic head injury before becoming separated from her family, and she may be disoriented and confused.
With any information please call 555-904-6629.
Public notice, posted on door of Safeway - Atwater, OH branch. September 21st, 2006.
Due to the extremely limited quantities of hemoemesis vaccine available from the manufacturer, the pharmacy regrets that it cannot accommodate all requests for treatment. Eligible parties for vaccination include:
Children under ten years of age.
The elderly over seventy-five years of age.
Women who are currently pregnant or breastfeeding.
In accordance with CDC triage guidelines, the vaccine is not available to patients showing symptoms of existing hemoemesis infection. Persons who have been in physical contact with Stage 3 or Stage 4 hemoemesis patients should alert the public health personnel stationed at the entrance to the parking lot.
Please note that only the hemoemesis vaccine is available at this time. If your family member is showing symptoms better attributed to the Croatoan virus, please remain in your home and call the CDC helpline at 888-555-2717 to request an immediate dispatch.
Thank you for your business. It's our pleasure to serve you!
Intercepted radio transmission broadcast from the vicinity of Salinas, CA. Responses have been lost. October 25th, 2006.
Hello! Hello, hi. Jesus, it's good to get an actual response on this thing. Where are you?
[Response lost.]
Well how are the goddamn Ozarks anyway?
[Response lost.]
Los Angeles.
[Response lost.]
No no no, I'm not on the ground, I'm - Jesus. I'm up in the air in my two-seater, I was when it hit - I saw it hit, didn't know what I was seeing, the city just buckled, it just crumbled.
[Response lost.]
No, you're not getting me, it's gone. The canyons are still burning and the PCH is washed out. I flew over Orange County and it's bumper-to-bumper Land Rovers for miles, but they're, uh, they're starting to run out of gas. They sputter out right there on the road. Miles of cars behind 'em idling and waiting and they don't know they're never going to move.
[Response lost.]
Your mother-in-law, huh? Koreatown? Uh. You like her much?
[Response lost.]
Well, you're definitely gonna see a drop in the seven a.m. phone calls.
[Response lost.]
Listen, listen, listen. There's nothing to rescue. Listen. There's nothing left. Not unless they got out before the roads jammed up. They had the slides coming down on 'em from the hills and the flooding coming from the other side - it's just bad fucking luck.
[Response lost.]
No, there's nowhere to land a chopper.
[Response lost.]
Or a plane, asshole. You have no fucking idea what it's like flying over that.
[Response lost.]
Yeah. Fine. It's cool. [Pause.] Look, we're not getting any information here, how bad was it, like what was the uh, the number -
[Response lost.]
Eight point six on a scale of what?
[Response lost.]
Fuck.
[Response lost.]
Hey, hold on, I'm descending. I'm seeing a lot of people on the ground, just gonna see what the conditions are like up in these parts. Think I can park my ass on this football field.
[Response lost.]
Yeah, I've just been going north, I want to hit the San Jose airstrip while I've still got visibility.
[Response lost.]
Things are pretty rough out here, they might need help.
[Response lost.]
You're breakin' up a little. Infested?
[Response lost.]
Infected?
[Response lost.]
Whoa, whoa, buddy, slow down, I can't hear a word you're saying. Hold on a tick, I'm touching down.
[Response lost.]
Sorry, think I lost that last part. I'm gonna go talk to these folks, stay on this frequency, okay? I'll be right back.
[Response lost.]
[Transmission is not resumed.]
Voice mailbox of 555-627-9049. October 26th, 2006.
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"It's me. Call me."
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"I'm not kidding, Sam."
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"Pick up your phone, asshole."
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"Hey, look, I don't even have to answer the call, just leave me a message. Text me or something. Hey bro, fuck off. That's fine. Just, uh. I know you don't wanna talk to me. But radio silence is not fucking cutting it. I mean, maybe you're - what do you fuckers even do - maybe you're on fall break in Prague and you're too shitfaced to catch a fucking headline about California. But then you'd know it's, uh, it's a bad situation out there, and - I know you're fine, I know you're somewhere and you're fine and when you sober up you just send me a text, okay? I don't-" [Tone sounds; message cut off.]
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"So you want me to kiss your ass, is that it? That what you want? Please. There. I said it. You happy now? Please. Call. Me. You fucking happy, asshole?" [Pause.] "Sammy?"
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
[Ambient noise.] [Call ended.]
[Triple-tone sounds.] "The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up or try your call again."
[Call ended.]
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Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six
PROLOGUE
The Gold Bar Town Crier, pg 1. August 12th, 2006. Gold Bar, WA.
A second local man is dead today after a brutal bear attack. Gordon Hereford, 37, suffered a fatal slashing early Tuesday morning when an adult black bear emerged from the woods and pulled Hereford from his riding mower. Emergency responders transported Hereford to St. Luke's Regional Medical Center in Hammersville, but Hereford was pronounced dead this afternoon after unsuccessful emergency surgery. The bear, which was shot dead by responding sheriff's deputies, is not the same animal responsible in the July 28th mauling death of beloved Gold Bar Elementary School librarian Janet Gruber. A juvenile black bear was tranquilized and subsequently euthanized in the vicinity of Gruber's home; a necropsy of the animal confirmed that it had partially consumed the victim.
"I want to emphasize that these are shy, non-aggressive bears," said Save the Gentle Giants founder Chris Elling in an interview. "It's absolutely anomalous for a black bear to attack a human. They're not ordinarily a threat and I worry that we're going to see an overreaction in the human response to what's really a freak occurrence." Previous to this year, the Department of Fish and Wildlife had recorded one black bear death in Washington State since 1991.
"It's been a rough year," said Fish and Wildlife spokesman Henry Gillsmith. Gillsmith said that unusual environmental conditions may have contributed to the streak of uncharacteristic aggression in the local bear population. "With the fish die-offs and the like, [the bears] are just plain hungry," Gillsmith said. "They're driven outside their usual territory and it takes them right into our back yards." In a prepared statement this afternoon, wildlife officials urged Gold Bar residents to avoid thickly forested areas, to supervise the outdoor play of children and pets, and to be mindful of leaving strong-smelling food or trash outdoors.
When asked to address reports that bears in Index have been sighted digging up fresh graves for food, Gillsmith declined to comment.
Mission Viejo Herald, pg 3. August 20th, 2006. Mission Viejo, CA.
Retraction:
Last Thursday's issue incorrectly stated that the Sheriff's safety guidelines encouraged residents to drink bottled water until the county's water supply issues are resolved. The Sheriff's guidelines in fact specify that bottled water from sources east of the Mississippi River are considered contaminated and should not be consumed. The Herald would also like to clarify that bathing in tap water is likewise not recommended, after reports of mild rashes in small children and the immunocompromised.
We regret the error.
The Pine Ridge Ledger, pg 2. September 5th, 2006. Pine Ridge, GA.
(cont'd from page one)
said in a phone interview that conditions were calm at city hall and that the police were mobilized and up to the task. "Everything is just fine and by tomorrow, the biggest worry we're going to have is that milk tanker that overturned out on Route Seventy-Two. We'll be griping that we don't have anything to put in our coffee."
The riots, now stretching into their second day, remain isolated to the greater Pine Ridge municipal area. The mayor stated in a morning press conference that if the riots continued for a third day, additional police forces would be brought in from Atlanta.
Poster from street lamp. September 8th, 2006.
MISSING
Name: Louise Del Mar
Age: 56
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 150 lb
Last seen: Atlanta, GA
Louise was last seen during the Atlanta riots. She may have boarded a train leaving the city before the transit shut-down. Louise suffered a traumatic head injury before becoming separated from her family, and she may be disoriented and confused.
With any information please call 555-904-6629.
Public notice, posted on door of Safeway - Atwater, OH branch. September 21st, 2006.
Due to the extremely limited quantities of hemoemesis vaccine available from the manufacturer, the pharmacy regrets that it cannot accommodate all requests for treatment. Eligible parties for vaccination include:
Children under ten years of age.
The elderly over seventy-five years of age.
Women who are currently pregnant or breastfeeding.
In accordance with CDC triage guidelines, the vaccine is not available to patients showing symptoms of existing hemoemesis infection. Persons who have been in physical contact with Stage 3 or Stage 4 hemoemesis patients should alert the public health personnel stationed at the entrance to the parking lot.
Please note that only the hemoemesis vaccine is available at this time. If your family member is showing symptoms better attributed to the Croatoan virus, please remain in your home and call the CDC helpline at 888-555-2717 to request an immediate dispatch.
Thank you for your business. It's our pleasure to serve you!
Intercepted radio transmission broadcast from the vicinity of Salinas, CA. Responses have been lost. October 25th, 2006.
Hello! Hello, hi. Jesus, it's good to get an actual response on this thing. Where are you?
[Response lost.]
Well how are the goddamn Ozarks anyway?
[Response lost.]
Los Angeles.
[Response lost.]
No no no, I'm not on the ground, I'm - Jesus. I'm up in the air in my two-seater, I was when it hit - I saw it hit, didn't know what I was seeing, the city just buckled, it just crumbled.
[Response lost.]
No, you're not getting me, it's gone. The canyons are still burning and the PCH is washed out. I flew over Orange County and it's bumper-to-bumper Land Rovers for miles, but they're, uh, they're starting to run out of gas. They sputter out right there on the road. Miles of cars behind 'em idling and waiting and they don't know they're never going to move.
[Response lost.]
Your mother-in-law, huh? Koreatown? Uh. You like her much?
[Response lost.]
Well, you're definitely gonna see a drop in the seven a.m. phone calls.
[Response lost.]
Listen, listen, listen. There's nothing to rescue. Listen. There's nothing left. Not unless they got out before the roads jammed up. They had the slides coming down on 'em from the hills and the flooding coming from the other side - it's just bad fucking luck.
[Response lost.]
No, there's nowhere to land a chopper.
[Response lost.]
Or a plane, asshole. You have no fucking idea what it's like flying over that.
[Response lost.]
Yeah. Fine. It's cool. [Pause.] Look, we're not getting any information here, how bad was it, like what was the uh, the number -
[Response lost.]
Eight point six on a scale of what?
[Response lost.]
Fuck.
[Response lost.]
Hey, hold on, I'm descending. I'm seeing a lot of people on the ground, just gonna see what the conditions are like up in these parts. Think I can park my ass on this football field.
[Response lost.]
Yeah, I've just been going north, I want to hit the San Jose airstrip while I've still got visibility.
[Response lost.]
Things are pretty rough out here, they might need help.
[Response lost.]
You're breakin' up a little. Infested?
[Response lost.]
Infected?
[Response lost.]
Whoa, whoa, buddy, slow down, I can't hear a word you're saying. Hold on a tick, I'm touching down.
[Response lost.]
Sorry, think I lost that last part. I'm gonna go talk to these folks, stay on this frequency, okay? I'll be right back.
[Response lost.]
[Transmission is not resumed.]
Voice mailbox of 555-627-9049. October 26th, 2006.
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"It's me. Call me."
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"I'm not kidding, Sam."
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"Pick up your phone, asshole."
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"Hey, look, I don't even have to answer the call, just leave me a message. Text me or something. Hey bro, fuck off. That's fine. Just, uh. I know you don't wanna talk to me. But radio silence is not fucking cutting it. I mean, maybe you're - what do you fuckers even do - maybe you're on fall break in Prague and you're too shitfaced to catch a fucking headline about California. But then you'd know it's, uh, it's a bad situation out there, and - I know you're fine, I know you're somewhere and you're fine and when you sober up you just send me a text, okay? I don't-" [Tone sounds; message cut off.]
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
"So you want me to kiss your ass, is that it? That what you want? Please. There. I said it. You happy now? Please. Call. Me. You fucking happy, asshole?" [Pause.] "Sammy?"
"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, I can't get to the phone right now, give me your name and number and I'll get right back to you." [Tone sounds.]
[Ambient noise.] [Call ended.]
[Triple-tone sounds.] "The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up or try your call again."
[Call ended.]
next