Self Apocalypse: The Beginning (2 page)

* * * * *

I must have been having too much fun on the highway, because before I knew it I was at the last big town before the mountains.  I got off on my exit and started my way towards the grocery store.  I had to move quick.  That last coffee was now bearing down on my bladder.  I parked the truck and ran into the store on my newly assigned mission to find the bathroom.  It wasn’t the cleanest of restrooms, but it provided the relief I was searching for.  After washing up I went to get a cart and start my shopping.  I avoided most the junk food this time.  I remembered my last trip with dad didn’t turn out so well with the multiple Twinkies I had consumed.  I couldn’t resist looking for the beans and hot dogs though.  That was just one of those things you had to have just one night.  As I was picturing myself eating beans and dogs by the fire, I realized I had forgotten something, a radio.  There was a department store down the road though, so I would have to make just one more stop.  I guess a flashlight wouldn’t hurt either. 
Wow
, I thought to myself.  I suppose I left in more of a hurry than I had thought.  I did that a lot.  I can’t remember how many times I found myself going back for things in the past, because I was always in such a hurry.  As I was checking out I decided to take one more look at everything to see what else I was missing.  It didn’t take long though to figure out I needed a cooler and ice as well.  I found myself going back into the store after placing the food in the truck, so I could grab two bags of ice.  Then it was off to the next store for a radio, flashlight, cooler, and a few more forgotten items.  I found myself just laughing at my forgetfulness.  I guess I was feeling better, because the laughter was something I had not had in a while.

The department store was pretty well organized, so it didn’t take me long to find the things I needed, (and some things I decided I wanted).  “Never let a good shopping trip go to waste.” my mother would always say.  So I didn’t.  It had been a long time since I had bought things for myself that I didn’t really need.  That felt good too.  At this point in the trip I knew this was what I needed.  I hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.  I just wish it could have lasted forever, but I knew that I would have to return to the world’s problems soon.  As I walked out of the store I noticed the rain had stopped, and the sun was beginning to break through the clouds.  Things were definitely looking up for the better.

I loaded everything in the truck, and made sure it was all strapped down.  “What the heck.” I said.  “One more coffee.  I’m feeling good.”  I bought another cup of coffee and headed towards the mountains.

I had always enjoyed this drive.  The countryside was so peaceful.  There were plenty of cow farms to gaze at along the way.  Soon the terrain turned more rugged, and the forests became denser.  I turned onto the dirt road that led to the camp.  It didn’t look like it was maintained anymore, so the previous logging operations in this area must have ceased some time ago.  I hardly recognized anything along the road.  Most of the fields had grown in, and there were some newer areas that had been cleared from logging after my last stay.  Those clearings were grown in good though, so they must have cleared them that same summer I had been here.  I was surprised to find that they weren’t operating in this area anymore.  You would think that even with the economy the way it was, that wood would still be in high demand.  Then again, new housing construction had almost come to a complete halt last summer.  I also noticed that more and more people were buying used furniture rather than investing in the new.  I guess things were bad for everyone.  Even the town I had shopped in looked horrible.  It had used to be a thriving place of commerce in this area.  Now it just resembled a ghost down, decaying into dust and eventually history.  That’s how things were though.  That’s how they have been for quite a while now.  Again I was reminded why I needed this little get away.  To temporarily forget about the problems we were facing.

It wasn’t long before I found myself driving over that small hill just before the camp.  I could see the camper nestled in the small valley, cradled in overgrown weeds and saplings.  The river flowed softly by just beyond it.  I couldn’t wait to get some fishing in, but I would have to get things straightened out first.  It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set.  I used what daylight I had left to get my sleeping gear into the camper and start a fire.  I would take care of the rest and clean up around the camper tomorrow.  Tonight I was going to relax and enjoy a quiet night in the woods.

Chapter Two

A Plan Is Needed

“Behold, I come as a thief.

Blessed is he that watcheth,

and keepeth his garments, lest

he walk naked, and they see his

shame.”

- Revelation 16:15

The tremble startled me from my sleep.  The camper’s windows displayed the early dawn outside.  Again the trembling came, and I sat up alarmed to the threat of an earthquake.  The tremors were brief in their passing, but enough to warn me of a possible quake.  The camper shook yet again then fell silent.  I then heard something fall outside, and what sounded like something moving through the tall grass outside.  I stood up and looked through the windows until I found the source of my natural disaster.  He was pretty big for a black bear, and obviously looking for an easy meal inside my camper.  He stood by the window, pushing his mighty paws against the camper shaking my dwelling as he did.  I banged two pots together and yelled, which seemed to startle him greatly as he turned and ran for the tree line.  No one has been here for quite sometime now, so the prospect of a new inhabitant must have shaken him up.  We had bears come through our camp a lot in the past, but they never shook the camper before.

Now that I was awake, I decided I should make coffee.  I now wished I had brought a propane tank so I could make it inside.  I wasn’t exactly sure if the coffee would attract the bear back or not.  He seemed to be long gone though.  It didn’t take long to re-kindle the fire with the embers that were still burning from last night.  After I got some hot coals started, I placed the metal percolator by the fire.  Before long I was enjoying that first cup of coffee, and watching the sun rise over the surrounding hills.  It was so peaceful here.  I wished I had done this much sooner.  As I enjoyed my coffee, I decided that I would spend more time at the camp.  Even if I just came up for the weekend it would make a difference.  I started to realize it wouldn’t hurt to have someone around to share it with either, but I always had problems finding a woman in my city that didn’t mind spending weekends in the mountains.  They didn’t exactly have strip malls in these hills, and the only day spa was the slow moving river by the camper.  That reminded me, I had been itching to get some fishing in.  I drank another cup of coffee, gathered my fishing gear, and headed over to the river’s edge. 

I could see some rises on the other side of the river.  Isn’t that how it always goes?  Just out of reach, you know?  I fished for a while before I finally reeled in an eight inch brookie.  Not bad for a slow morning I thought.  I didn’t waste time cleaning him out, and pan frying him on the red coals left in the fire pit.  It had been a long time since I had trout for breakfast, or at all for that matter.  The bear was obviously gone, as he didn’t come back to savor the aroma of my fresh catch slowly cooking.  I turned on the radio and found a station that came in pretty clear.  There weren’t too many of those here.  A little music and another cup of coffee after breakfast would see my early morning come to an end.  It was amazing how time seemed to just float by while you were out here.  It was as though you couldn’t get as much done as you would back home.  I’m sure I was moving slower than normal though, now that I was relaxed. 

I didn’t waste any more time.  I began cleaning up around the camp, and got the rest of my gear into the camper.  I chopped some of the wood that was stacked, and started to sharpen the blade on the scythe.  I only managed to cut down half the tall grass I wanted to before I needed to jump in the river to cool off.  It was extremely hot out today, and the humidity was almost too much to withstand.  A quick dunk in the river was all it took to refresh myself.  I was actually ready to cut some more grass just to warm up again.  I had completely forgotten how cold the river could be.  I cut the rest of the grass down, and tried cutting back some of the bushes.  That didn’t work out so well, so I took out the shears and used those.  By late afternoon the area was looking more like a homestead than an abandoned camp.  I started feeling good about the whole ordeal and decided to take another dunk in the river.  Once I was cooled off I rummaged through the cooler to see what I could fix up for a late lunch.  Peanut butter and jelly was on today’s menu.  While I was eating I looked proudly on today’s accomplishments.  That’s when I saw that the camper windows were still shut.  Just the screen door was letting in air.  I walked into the camper, (which now was acting like an oven), and opened the windows.  There was a slight breeze starting to kick up outside, so it would cool off by the time I went to bed.  At least that was theory. 

I finished my lunch then went swimming one more time before picking up the tools.  I spent the remainder of the day fishing until the sun began to fade.  I couldn’t resist jumping into the river one more time.  I would be cool the rest of the night now.  All in all it wasn’t a bad day.  Tomorrow I would have to remember to open up the camper in the morning.  It was already beginning to get a little chilly out.  It’s funny how the mountains vary so widely in temperature.  I sat by a small fire for time planning out tomorrow.  I would go for a hike, and most likely do a little more fishing. 
Man, is it great to be on vacation,
even if it was mandatory.

It was a little after sunrise when I got out of bed.  I didn’t wake to any tremors, but I did hear something snooping around outside.  I opened the camper door, and sure enough that big bruin was sniffing around the camp again.  “Go on now.” The bear just looked up at me, then understanding my soft words returned back to the woods.  He was obviously curious about his new neighbor.  I just hoped he wouldn’t do anything to the camper after I left to return home.  I went straight to my new morning routine of starting a fire and brewing the morning’s coffee.  I turned on the radio for some music and enjoyed another peaceful start to a new day with a fresh cup of coffee.  I made a small lunch and day pack for the afternoon, and began to plan where I would go hiking.  I chose the rocky peak overlooking the camp.  I had climbed it a few times before with my father.  It offered a demanding view of the camp and valley below.  The other surrounding peaks where heavily wooded, and had always proved to be a tough climb with the thick undergrowth.  I sipped the last of my first coffee and deciding to finish the rest later, I slung on my pack and set out for my afternoon destination.

It was already proving to be another hot day.  The weather had changed fast.  Not two days ago we were still getting raw and cold patterns.  It seemed someone had just flipped a switch and presto!  Summer is here.  The hike up wasn’t so bad, though it was a little tougher than I had remembered it to be.  I watched the camp slowly shrink in size over the next couple hours as I ascended the rocky mountain side.  It was only late morning when I reached the summit, but I was definitely hungry enough to have lunch.  I sat on a large boulder that lay near the top of the peak, and broke out my food and water.  The view was great.  I always liked having lunch on mountain tops.  There was something about having a meal while overlooking other mountains and the valleys below that seemed to just stop time.  Almost like nothing else matters, there is only then and there and nothing else exists beyond that point.

The camp seemed so small below me.  It looked very clean and well groomed from this vantage point too.  I hadn’t done much behind the camper, but after seeing the potential from this point of view I would probably try and clear some more later on.  It was actually a good size piece of property.  The yard anyway, the property itself was much bigger, but I wasn’t about to start clearing trees.  I just needed a good size yard.  I stayed on that boulder staring across the surrounding expanse until just after noontime.  I figured it was time to dunk myself in the river again then do some more fishing.  If I could catch a couple more trout I’d have that for dinner and save the dogs and beans for tomorrow.  I started down the mountain side keeping my eyes on what appeared to be an approaching storm in the distance.  After an hour I picked up my pace, now realizing that the distant clouds were now racing in fast.  I could see flashes of lightning a long ways off, and the long rumble of thunder soon met with my ears.  I was across the river from the camp in under an hour.  The whole descent took me about only two thirds the time it did going up.  At this point sweat was pouring from me like I had a natural spring flowing from my pores.  I didn’t take the time to slowly cross as I had done this morning, but rather jumped in to cool my body temp.  Even with the approaching storm I couldn’t resist.  The heat was just too much.

Shortly after dropping my gear and changing, the wind began to blow harder.  I turned the radio back on, and the first thing I heard wasn’t music.  It was the local emergency broadcast.  Apparently this was a severe storm, and it was coming right over my camp!  I took whatever loose items were hanging around and put them in the truck and camper, then warmed the pot of coffee I had this morning as best I could before the rain began falling.  There wasn’t even a sprinkle.  It just started pouring.  Just as I was entering the camper with the coffee pot, something hard hit me from behind.  I fell to my knees on the camper floor and set down the coffee pot.  Whatever it was, it felt like I had been pegged by a rock.  I could feel the welt starting to form.  Then I heard more hitting the camper.  Hail.  Thankfully it was only nickel size.  I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if it had been the size of a golf ball.