Post Collapse

Michael knew he had been dreaming, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall anything about the dream. He sat up suddenly, already searching for whatever potential threat had awakened him. Light was pouring onto the cramped, oblong patch of rock on which he had placed his sleeping bag and his pack. Blindingly bright twin beams of light were emanating from the mouth of the cave. He heard the whining blare of a car horn coming from the same direction as the light, masking the quieter rumbling of a Duramax diesel engine. They had started the truck; something was wrong. Michael shot a quick glance around the small cave two more sleeping areas were still laid out along the other wall; two sleeping bags, two pillows, a book, a small lantern. No weapons. He felt adrenaline surge into his system. He didn't hear gunfire, and reasoned that they couldn't be under attack yet. Someone certainly seemed to have reason to believe they would be shortly, though.

Michael hurriedly felt around for his own weapon, a Beretta 92 pistol chambered for 9mm rounds. He found it near his pack, and grabbed them both, berating himself for forgetting one of his cardinal rules: never leave anything essential unloaded from the truck unless you're using it. The pack might not be very heavy, but had the situation required him to leave the cave in any more of a hurry, he would have lost most of his wordly belongings. It could also weigh him down if he had to run a long distance, and he knew very well that being too slow or fatigued could mean his death. The horn stopped suddenly, leaving an echo in Michael's ears. The truck's high beams still glared ominously at him. He heard voices speaking loudly and sounding harried. The loud crack of gunfire split the night, drowning out the voices. Michael slung the pack over his left shoulder and made sure the right strap was tucked between his side and his elbow; secure, but free enough to be tossed aside at will. He flicked the Beretta's safety off, took a deep breath, and jogged out into the unknown.

To be continued...

Among the living

OPPD's new Energy Management System arrives early next week. Holy crap. We're gonna be so busy! I smell a few 10-12 hour shifts heading my way.

Oh, by the way, I'm still alive. I tend to just randomly stop updating this blog every so often, but I always come back to it eventually; usually it's because I'm doing something else unrelated on my computer, get bored, and then remember that this page exists. That's definitely what happened this time.

And so, off we go... I've been working on narrowing my interests down since last post. I tend to keep my computer-related endeavors at work. For example, I'm writing a Wordpress plugin for OPPD right now, and the last thing I really want to do when I get home is do more web programming. That's a double-edged sword, though, because I have a computer sitting behind me that's in pieces and needs to be fixed for a friend. I need a digital multimeter to figure out what exactly is wrong with it, though, so I haven't been in a huge rush to fix it thus far.

I guess not much has changed in my life the past month or two, and I'm thrilled about that! I went to Ames for the Iowa/Iowa State game and tailgated with some people. That was a great time. I've also been to a Husker game (I went and watched them play Washington with my dad last weekend), so I can feel like a true fan for another season. Outside of that, same-old same-old. Leigh Ann and I are going to River Riot at Westfair this Friday. I think it's going to be a great show, and we're both really looking forward to it.

I've begun to refine some opinions on some very sensitive and complex issues, such as theism vs. atheism and the state of the United States' democracy. If I'm feeling particularly strongly about anything in the coming weeks, I may share a few of them. I've also got an idea for a new story that I want to write. I think it has the potential to be pretty good, but I'm going to break away from my usual habit of just starting to write with no preparation, and actually lay everything out in my mind before beginning it.

I guess that's all I've got for now, I'll be sure and update sooner this time.