Becker and Jess's Big Romantic Camping Weekend - Primeval Drabble set
“It’ll be fun,” Becker had said. “A romantic weekend away together.”
“He’ll probably want to go hiking,” Abby had warned. “Take sensible shoes.” Abby was a good friend.
“Becker’s a trained soldier,” Lester had said. “What could possibly go wrong?”
Lester was a sarcastic git and just for once she’d missed it. She was completely going to get him back for it just as soon as they got back to work.
They were in such a remote location that she didn’t even have a phone signal.
“Becker!” she called again. The wind just carried her voice away into the night.
5. Moonlight and Forgotten
Their tent was back through those trees.
Except, all the trees looked the same. Bloody trees.
There was a compass on her phone… but it was tied into her location and with no signal it wouldn’t work. And it wouldn’t be much use anyway because she didn’t know whether the tent was north, south or wherever.
So, she chose two trees and headed between them… and promptly tripped over and lost her phone.
Jess looked around at… well, nothing really because it was pitch black and she was surrounded by trees that completely obliterated the supposedly romantic moonlight. Bloody moonlight.
13. Camping
Becker glanced at his watch again. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since Jess had gone to the campsite toilets. He knew she could take ages in the bathroom (which delayed his well-timed hair routine) but really the washroom on that site was tiny and only had a cold-water sink and a loo. She should have been back by now.
Jess wouldn’t be happy at the thought he was checking up on her.
He soon saw that the path to the toilet block was a bit overgrown. But it was the sign, bent the wrong way, that was the problem.
8. The Forest of Dean
Jess kept going in as straight a line as she could. She knew that she had to find a road or marked trail eventually. There had been plenty on the maps when Becker had been telling her where they were going to walk as if she wasn’t a trained field co-ordinator who was perfectly capable of reading a map for herself.
Her eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat and anyway she could see a light in the distance.
Bloody stupid place to go on holiday. She hoped the light wasn’t an anomaly. That really would be the last straw.
112. Captain Becker
Becker was starting to panic.
There was no sign of Jess anywhere. Worse, he’d found her phone abandoned in the grass. What if she’d been kidnapped? Or taken by wolves? Or swallowed up by a random anomaly? Or eaten by a stray future predator? Or fallen and was lying at the bottom of a cliff… no, there were no cliffs in the Forest of Dean… well, not that he could think of anyway. But there were on the other side of any number of anomalies!
“Jess!” he called again. There was no response.
Time to call emergency services.
“Abby? Matt?”
195. James Lester
“What do you mean, you’ve lost Jess? Aren’t you SAS trained? Surely you can find someone without a field co-ordinator telling you where to go? Oh, wait! It appears ours is missing!”
Becker would have liked to tell Lester where to go. He wondered if he could turn off the signal booster on his phone for a moment and pretend to have been cut off.
“Someone sabotaged the campsite signs,” Becker explained. “She’s never been here before, I told her to follow the signs. She’s gone the wrong way. Can the team just get down here and help me look?”
100. Celebration
Jess was having a great time.
The light had turned out to be over a road sign. The road had led to a country pub. The country pub was hosting a party for the landlord’s daughter. She’d secured a lift back to the campsite from a couple who were staying in a B&B nearby. There was free food and drink, and someone had set up a karaoke machine.
She couldn’t remember Becker’s mobile number, but borrowed a phone to call the ARC instead.
It wasn’t that funny. She couldn’t understand why they were all laughing.
Still, she’d found a party!
146. There’s no I in Team
Becker was not happy.
Lester and Matt had told him that Jess was quite capable of taking care of herself, and that she hadn’t been missing long enough to worry. They’d refused to send a rescue vehicle. He’d had to go searching on his own. Matt had actually suggested he go to the local pub and wait, she’d probably find her way there. As if!
Luckily Becker was a trained soldier. He had search and rescue gear stashed away in his truck. He would find Jess and all would be well. Plus he’d tell her how little the others cared.
62. Sleepy
The party had gone on for hours. It had been great.
Jess was tired and fairly drunk when her new friends dropped her off at the campsite, and ready for bed. Becker was nowhere in sight, but he’d probably gone to the bathroom or something. Nothing to worry about. After all, the others would have told him she was safe hours ago.
She snuggled down in the sleeping bag. It took her almost a whole minute to fall into a lovely deep sleep. Probably all that fresh air and exercise.
And the delicious mix of brightly-coloured alcohol too of course.
225. Sleepless Nights
Becker was never going to admit it, but he was lost.
He’d been searching for Jess for hours, but when he’d tried to find his way back to the campsite just in case she’d turned up, he must have taken a wrong turn.
It was embarrassing. Worse, his phone wasn’t working even with the booster.
He kept walking. Eventually the sun would come up. He blamed everyone at the ARC, especially Lester and Matt. If only he’d managed to reach Abby instead.
As the sky finally started to lighten, he saw the campsite through the trees and started to run.
52. Breakfast
“I love camping!” Jess enthused as the truck headed rapidly down the M4. “You were right, these holidays are fun!”
Becker scowled. There might have been a grunt.
He’d been grumpy all morning. Said they needed to get back, he had important business at the ARC. Jess shrugged, because that was Becker for you. Always busy. He’d woken her up that morning when he’d come back from his run or whatever he’d been doing, and she’d told him about the party. Even fresh eggs for breakfast hadn’t lightened his mood.
“We should do this again!”
Becker glowered. “I hate camping.”
“He’ll probably want to go hiking,” Abby had warned. “Take sensible shoes.” Abby was a good friend.
“Becker’s a trained soldier,” Lester had said. “What could possibly go wrong?”
Lester was a sarcastic git and just for once she’d missed it. She was completely going to get him back for it just as soon as they got back to work.
They were in such a remote location that she didn’t even have a phone signal.
“Becker!” she called again. The wind just carried her voice away into the night.
5. Moonlight and Forgotten
Their tent was back through those trees.
Except, all the trees looked the same. Bloody trees.
There was a compass on her phone… but it was tied into her location and with no signal it wouldn’t work. And it wouldn’t be much use anyway because she didn’t know whether the tent was north, south or wherever.
So, she chose two trees and headed between them… and promptly tripped over and lost her phone.
Jess looked around at… well, nothing really because it was pitch black and she was surrounded by trees that completely obliterated the supposedly romantic moonlight. Bloody moonlight.
13. Camping
Becker glanced at his watch again. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since Jess had gone to the campsite toilets. He knew she could take ages in the bathroom (which delayed his well-timed hair routine) but really the washroom on that site was tiny and only had a cold-water sink and a loo. She should have been back by now.
Jess wouldn’t be happy at the thought he was checking up on her.
He soon saw that the path to the toilet block was a bit overgrown. But it was the sign, bent the wrong way, that was the problem.
8. The Forest of Dean
Jess kept going in as straight a line as she could. She knew that she had to find a road or marked trail eventually. There had been plenty on the maps when Becker had been telling her where they were going to walk as if she wasn’t a trained field co-ordinator who was perfectly capable of reading a map for herself.
Her eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat and anyway she could see a light in the distance.
Bloody stupid place to go on holiday. She hoped the light wasn’t an anomaly. That really would be the last straw.
112. Captain Becker
Becker was starting to panic.
There was no sign of Jess anywhere. Worse, he’d found her phone abandoned in the grass. What if she’d been kidnapped? Or taken by wolves? Or swallowed up by a random anomaly? Or eaten by a stray future predator? Or fallen and was lying at the bottom of a cliff… no, there were no cliffs in the Forest of Dean… well, not that he could think of anyway. But there were on the other side of any number of anomalies!
“Jess!” he called again. There was no response.
Time to call emergency services.
“Abby? Matt?”
195. James Lester
“What do you mean, you’ve lost Jess? Aren’t you SAS trained? Surely you can find someone without a field co-ordinator telling you where to go? Oh, wait! It appears ours is missing!”
Becker would have liked to tell Lester where to go. He wondered if he could turn off the signal booster on his phone for a moment and pretend to have been cut off.
“Someone sabotaged the campsite signs,” Becker explained. “She’s never been here before, I told her to follow the signs. She’s gone the wrong way. Can the team just get down here and help me look?”
100. Celebration
Jess was having a great time.
The light had turned out to be over a road sign. The road had led to a country pub. The country pub was hosting a party for the landlord’s daughter. She’d secured a lift back to the campsite from a couple who were staying in a B&B nearby. There was free food and drink, and someone had set up a karaoke machine.
She couldn’t remember Becker’s mobile number, but borrowed a phone to call the ARC instead.
It wasn’t that funny. She couldn’t understand why they were all laughing.
Still, she’d found a party!
146. There’s no I in Team
Becker was not happy.
Lester and Matt had told him that Jess was quite capable of taking care of herself, and that she hadn’t been missing long enough to worry. They’d refused to send a rescue vehicle. He’d had to go searching on his own. Matt had actually suggested he go to the local pub and wait, she’d probably find her way there. As if!
Luckily Becker was a trained soldier. He had search and rescue gear stashed away in his truck. He would find Jess and all would be well. Plus he’d tell her how little the others cared.
62. Sleepy
The party had gone on for hours. It had been great.
Jess was tired and fairly drunk when her new friends dropped her off at the campsite, and ready for bed. Becker was nowhere in sight, but he’d probably gone to the bathroom or something. Nothing to worry about. After all, the others would have told him she was safe hours ago.
She snuggled down in the sleeping bag. It took her almost a whole minute to fall into a lovely deep sleep. Probably all that fresh air and exercise.
And the delicious mix of brightly-coloured alcohol too of course.
225. Sleepless Nights
Becker was never going to admit it, but he was lost.
He’d been searching for Jess for hours, but when he’d tried to find his way back to the campsite just in case she’d turned up, he must have taken a wrong turn.
It was embarrassing. Worse, his phone wasn’t working even with the booster.
He kept walking. Eventually the sun would come up. He blamed everyone at the ARC, especially Lester and Matt. If only he’d managed to reach Abby instead.
As the sky finally started to lighten, he saw the campsite through the trees and started to run.
52. Breakfast
“I love camping!” Jess enthused as the truck headed rapidly down the M4. “You were right, these holidays are fun!”
Becker scowled. There might have been a grunt.
He’d been grumpy all morning. Said they needed to get back, he had important business at the ARC. Jess shrugged, because that was Becker for you. Always busy. He’d woken her up that morning when he’d come back from his run or whatever he’d been doing, and she’d told him about the party. Even fresh eggs for breakfast hadn’t lightened his mood.
“We should do this again!”
Becker glowered. “I hate camping.”