Bad Time For a Blizzard


Ross Pruden

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I was living in Mystery Lake at the two story Camp Office. I'd been sojourning about Mountain Town for 40 nights or so and had only recently migrated to Mystery Lake. I'd been starved for human food and forced to migrate elsewhere or take a life of some innocent animal to survive. Even fish were off limits to me. Mystery Lake was full of treasures, starting with the Trapper's Homestead; a rifle and revolver might be useful one day, but I wanted to be silent in my kills for now.

Mystery Lake was still full of cattails and rabbits. I'd seen a bear walking around the Northeastern side of Mystery Lake, but I'd avoided him while pillaging the eastern lake houses in my first few weeks there. Maybe one day I’d slaughter him, but not today.

After roughing it for a night during a blizzard under an impromptu shelter at the Destroyed Lookout, I made my way to the trailers at Lodging Camp and vowed that if the new sun dawned, I’d make my first kill with a gun, no longer living by a self-imposed restriction of silence. I returned to the Camp Office, readied my hunting rifle and went hunting for my first deer on Mystery Lake. On my first try, I bagged two bucks with two bullets, barely able to quarter and transport them back to the Camp Office before collapsing from exhaustion.

I cooked the meat and nodded quietly in satisfaction. Life was good. But I could see the future. There was still so much to learn: how to start fires, harvest carcasses... I wanted to master every skill possible. I set a goal for myself to learn 10 skills through book learning before I mastered them through the school of hard knocks. I was already on my way, with 6 of 10 books learned, but another 4 were still elusive to me. I needed to find them in other areas of Great Bear. I needed to go to Coastal Highway.

So I cooked and gathered all the deer meat and water I could carry. Should I kill that moose I’d found at River Northern Access and wait for its pelt to cure at Hydro Dam? No, I needed to cover more ground first and explore as many places as possible in Mystery Lake and Coastal Highway to get those last 4 books. I set off on my journey.

Crossing the Ravine was easy, despite going all the way down the mountaineering rope into the Ravine’s bottom. I killed some rabbits, boiled water, and harvested cattails. In the cave, I left some wood, water bottles, and cattails in case I ever passed this way again. Never hurts to have a backup plan, right?

At last, I returned to Coastal Highway. I knew this area well, like an old friend. It started with a simple rest-up at Train Unloading where I found book 7 of 10! After that, I sauntered down to Rabbit Grove where I was lucky enough to find a Wool Ear Wrap buried deep in a steel yellow locker (glad I remembered my prybar!). I knew I'd finally be able to don every piece of clothing in its best condition. I hung out for a day harvesting deer carcasses and stunning rabbits with rocks I’d found on the riverbank. Eventually, I decided to migrate to the cabin just past Bear Creek Campground and zigzag across the area to visit every interior location in the area. I love exploring... but a blizzard hit and I was forced to hole up in the cabin. I tried to go outside a couple of times but visibility was zero. I'd heard of others trying to travel in this weather and they always perished. I holed up in the cabin instead.

I was low on water, but I could probably wait out the blizzard. I snacked on a couple of bars and was going to crack open one of my books before the sun went down, and—

Oh, god. My stomach. I feel like I want to die.

I have food poisoning. Ugh. Do I have any antibiotics? NO? Okay, maybe I can just wait until the blizzard passes. I'll go to sleep and set an alarm every hour until the blizzard passes. Once it passes, I'll just head back to Bear Creak Campground and harvest some mushrooms to make Reishi Tea. Just have to be patient.

Every hour I wake, the blizzard is still going. And I'm vomiting and feeling worse now. Not only do I feel like I'm going to die, I think I actually am dying now. This is serious. It's 3AM and I have maybe 3 more hours before I'm completely out of any energy. Which means, dead.

I have to MOVE.

Yes, it’s a blizzard outside and it’s suicide to go out there, but I am fast running out of options. If I just go out of the cabin and head due West until I hit the river, I should be able to follow the creek north until I run into the campground. From there, I can easily find the mushrooms.

Okay, here we go. I step outside and it’s cold. As in, bone cold. I’m well dressed, but I can still feel the wind pierce through my ski coat. I run west, keeping my head down to look for the telltale ice of the river. I didn’t collect 7 wilderness  books and come this far just to die out here. I will not die tonight.

Where is this river? I should have crossed it by now. Did I walk right over it? Crap, where am I? I’m completely lost. Well, keep going. Just keep moving... eventually, you’ll find something. Just keep—

What?? Is that a road? Wait... is this the road on the coast? Shit! That means I’ve been traveling south! Damn it. Well, at least I know where I am now. If I travel along this road, I know exactly how to get to Quonset Garage, but it’s far. Can I make it? It’ll be close. Are there any mushrooms along this route? I don’t think so. I’ll have to risk it. One of the houses at the Coastal Townsite has to have antibiotics somewhere.

No way am I heading back north into the wilderness. In this blizzard, I’ll die out there for sure. My only hope at this point is the make the long long trek down the highway. I’m running along the highway but I’m so tired now. I keep eating and drinking what I have but now I’m so sleepy... I might have to drink that Go! drink after all.  Wait, isn’t the Log Sort around here? Yes! Maybe there are some antibiotics in that trailer? Can we have a Hail Mary, please?

This pack is getting too heavy. Must drop some of this gear. What’s heavy? That Old Fashioned Parka. Those ski boots. Whatever! Just drop all of that heavy stuff and come back for it later!!

The Log Sort isn’t that far, but I still can’t shed enough weight. Okay, it’s time to glug that Go! drink. Run, run, run! What’s inside here... a few sodas, some accelerant... no antibiotics. Damn! Back to the highway.

Run, run, run as fast as you can. I’ll come back for everything I drop. Literally shitting my pants now and I can feel the last of my life-force draining out. I have maybe an hour left, at most.

Okay, there’s the Quonset! Sweet! There’s a medkit box in its bathroom. I’m inside the station, I’m in the bathroom... nothing!

Other houses—they have to have something. Too dark now—need light. Have to light something. A flare! I pop it on and hold it up, squinting to see in its flickering red light. I run through the bathrooms, looking next to the beds... run, run! No time to waste! No time to check the kitchen!

The first house: nothing.

The second house: nothing.

I’m too low on energy. I’m holding 66 pounds, but can only carry 44. No time to figure out what to drop. I’m stumbling like a zombie. I’ll never get anywhere at this rate. Time to use my adrenaline stick. Once this runs out, I’ll be worse off than I am now, so the clock really is ticking now!

I pull the Sick Stick out. I drowsily stab it into my leg and my eyes jerk open. I AM ALIVE! I MUST RUN. I MUST GO NOW NOW NOW. I know I’m still exhausted but none of that matters now. I have the power of angels behind me. I fly.

I make it to the Coastal House: No meds. No antibiotics. Nothing.

Damn. I’m really going to die out here. I’ve come so far...

Screw this. I’m not going to die. Where is the nearest mushroom? There has to be—

SILENT CLEARING. Can I make that? Is that too far?

I’m out of options. I have to make it. Go!

I start up the hill. My adrenaline boost stops. I’m a zombie again. I’m staggering... and going uphill, too. I look at my inventory quickly. Shed anything that’s too heavy. Weapons? Drop them. Clothing? Drop them. Pot? It’s 2 pounds—my god, just drop it! My flare is almost out anyway. Toss it!

I’m still too heavy. I am sheer willpower, pushing my legs up the snowy switchback. I can see Silent Clearing. I can make it... Will a wolf ambush me? Does it matter at this point? Do I even care?

Yes, I made it. I can harvest this mushroom, and this one, and that one. I need three, right? It’ll take fifteen minutes to craft these mushrooms. Oh man, this is going to be tight... Yes! Whew. Now to make the Reishi tea.

It’s a little windy, so I need to find a place along the wall sheltered from the wind... I can back up against this rock wall. Great, I can start a fire. Cedar, yes. Accelerant? Definitely. Finally, we have fire. Okay, I need to make the tea—

Wait, where’s my pot??

Oh no. No no no no no no. I dropped the pot. That’s it—I’m dead. No way can I go get the pot and come back.

Unless... I still have a can of tomato soup! Drink it up fast. Yes, now make the tea. Boiling, boiling. Boil faster!! Ahhhh, yes, so so yummy. Mere minutes from death.

But now I need to rest.

The trailer down the way—I can make it there! I’m so so sleepy, just want to lie down... No! I’m not dying today!

The hardest part is over, just need... to get... over there... trudge... trudge... yes, it’s right around this bend... it’s right there...

I’m in.

As I drink a soda, gobble down food, and plop onto the bunk bed, my last waking thought is, I will never go anywhere without antibiotics or prepared Reishi mushrooms again.

=====================
This story happened to me last night while on a trek to complete my first 500 day achievement. Maybe you could spot the other achievements I was aiming for: Pacifist, Silent Hunter, Penitent Scholar, Exploration Game, and Resolute Outfitter. 

By the time I'd finished this playthrough, my hands were shaking from a real-life adrenaline rush. And honestly, I love intense playthroughs like this where the stakes are so high; one of the seven books I'd found (and read) was the 25-hour read, Guns! Guns! Guns!). I walked away from this exhausted and jittery, but instead of being put off, I thought it was the best game night I've ever played.
=====================
EPILOGUE:

I rested up at the Quonset Garage until I felt better. While wandering around inside, I found a copy of Field Dressing Your Kill, Vol. 1, the one book I'd been searching for! In the past, I'd always gotten too good at harvesting carcasses and by the time I'd found this book, it was useless. Now I had 8 of 10 books! Wow! Best I'd ever done so far. Now I really can't die!

I reorganized my clothing and other supplies and WHAM—I get Cabin Fever. Great. Well, no biggie. I'll just head out to the closest Ice Fishing Hut and sleep there for a night. On my way outside, a wolf barks and starts tracking me. Whatever, wolf. I'm higher on the food chain—I have a revolver. You wanna come out with me to the fishing hut? Okay, doggie... follow me like a zombie, that's fine.

Oh, hey, there's a bear just coming out of his cave. Too bad I left my hunting rifle behind in Mystery Lake. Don't really care. He's still far away and not coming my direction. As long as I can make it to that hut and pop inside, I'll be fine. As for this wolf, if I can lure it close enough to the hut, I can even kill it and not have to worry about lugging the meat somewhere to cook it.

Come closer, wolfie... closer... closer... he's charging... aim... steady...

BOOM! 

Drop dead, wolfie. Now play dead. Good boy. Before you freeze, I should carve off your meat. Wow, 4.6 pounds! Nice.

Suddenly, I hear a growling behind me. I'm finishing up my harvesting when I turn around to see the bear rearing up on his legs! He must have been drawn by all the wolf meat I'm carrying! Crap!

He starts to charge. I scramble behind the hut, slipping a little on all the wolf's blood as I get on my feet. The bear doubles back to get me at the front of the hut and rears up again, howling at his victory of a new kill. I quickly retreat around the back side of the hut, past the wolf corpse with the bear following me. Feeling his breath on my neck, I dart inside the hut and fall to my knees with a scream of relief.

I'm safe. He grunts in disappointment. Staying away from the open door frame, I listen intently for him, waiting for him to walk off. He tracks around the front of the hut, his watermelon head plodding mere feet away from me. I aim my revolver at his head and shoot. It only angers him. He keeps sniffing around the side of the hut, comes around the front again. I shoot him in the head once more and—finally—he turns and flees. I see his furry backside bobbling west over the frozen water. He'll bleed out and hopefully it'll be close enough for me to skin his hide and make a bear roll. But for now, I'm finally safe. I did it. All I have to do now is fish, cook my catches, and feast on my fresh wolf's flank...

Day 68. Only 432 more days to go.

worn wool cap.png

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