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Authors: R. K. Sidler
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men from our crews and explore the valley. Go as far as you can, and map out as much as you can. I think it would be best if we were to divide this crowd into manageable groups. If it is as good as it looks, we may just be able to make a fresh start here.”
His two junior officers nodded their heads in agreement. At first light, they would gather their necessary supplies, and head out into the valley.
―
People were becoming more restless as time passed. Many were showing signs of sickness, and all were made weak from even the slightest physical effort. It was agreed to establish a semi-permanent camp. The water was safe to drink and the conditions in the valley were virtually free of radiation. Weston was finding himself more and more the authority figure as people deferred to his judgments. It was a natural affect stemming from their behavior since they had first met him. They needed a leader, and by default, he was theirs.
Ten days after they set out, Sasha and Emil returned with their men. They looked exhausted, but better than the ones who had stayed behind. While the rest of the men found themselves a place to rest, the junior officers came to see Weston. “Sir,” Emil started saying before he was interrupted.
“Call me Weston, Emil; you too Sasha. Our Naval service is behind us now.”
They nodded in unison. “Here is a rough outline of the valley,” Emil said handing a sheet of paper to Weston, “The valley floor maintains the same distance from the rim throughout its entirety. There are only two other openings into the valley, one at the opposite end, which is roughly nine miles distant, and one on the north side approximately four miles from here. That is the larger of the two. The one on the end is almost a choke point only manageable by foot.”
“What about natural resources?”
“Trees, grass, water, all through the valley. We saw herds of elk, deer, cattle, and a variety of other stock and wild animals, and fish were jumping in thelakes. We saw a few hot springs as well, although we didn’t test the waters, only saw the steam rising off them. We figured we should get back as soon as we could.”
“What do you think of it Sasha?” Weston asked to ensure he knew he was also included in the decision making process.
“Very good … Better than that,” he said pointing toward the direction from which they had come.
“Okay. We’ll have another meeting tonight. You two go knock off for a few hours, and I’ll spread the word to a few of the others who will be involved with making these decisions.”
―
They sat around the fire as the sky above them finally gave way to the night. The stars were visible as they spoke quietly to one another under their blinking light. The valley itself was filled with noise in comparison to the world around it. The waterfall, and its small river, coursed through the valley floor in an endless cycle. It was a comforting sound, which lent itself to relaxation. Not in an ideal way, but in a manner which none of those present had experienced since the day of the event. Many of the people were suffering from exposure, others were traumatized, but hope remained alive.
Weston, Emil, Sasha, Mr. Bayek, Lt. Lukin, Dr. Ramirez (who was among the first group of survivors found), and Chief Stewartwere present.
“We have a number of things to decide,” Weston started by saying, “The most important thing we have to focus on is survival. You all have expressed your desire to make a go of it here. Since there are only three access points into this valley, I think it is prudent that we divide our numbers to settle at those three points. It will serve as a protection for us to manage whatever else may find its way here, and will act as a point of reception for those who may wonder in as we did. I’d like to have your thoughts on how we go about that.”
Therein followed several hours of discussion leading to what they hoped was a strategy for success. Every possible
His two junior officers nodded their heads in agreement. At first light, they would gather their necessary supplies, and head out into the valley.
―
People were becoming more restless as time passed. Many were showing signs of sickness, and all were made weak from even the slightest physical effort. It was agreed to establish a semi-permanent camp. The water was safe to drink and the conditions in the valley were virtually free of radiation. Weston was finding himself more and more the authority figure as people deferred to his judgments. It was a natural affect stemming from their behavior since they had first met him. They needed a leader, and by default, he was theirs.
Ten days after they set out, Sasha and Emil returned with their men. They looked exhausted, but better than the ones who had stayed behind. While the rest of the men found themselves a place to rest, the junior officers came to see Weston. “Sir,” Emil started saying before he was interrupted.
“Call me Weston, Emil; you too Sasha. Our Naval service is behind us now.”
They nodded in unison. “Here is a rough outline of the valley,” Emil said handing a sheet of paper to Weston, “The valley floor maintains the same distance from the rim throughout its entirety. There are only two other openings into the valley, one at the opposite end, which is roughly nine miles distant, and one on the north side approximately four miles from here. That is the larger of the two. The one on the end is almost a choke point only manageable by foot.”
“What about natural resources?”
“Trees, grass, water, all through the valley. We saw herds of elk, deer, cattle, and a variety of other stock and wild animals, and fish were jumping in thelakes. We saw a few hot springs as well, although we didn’t test the waters, only saw the steam rising off them. We figured we should get back as soon as we could.”
“What do you think of it Sasha?” Weston asked to ensure he knew he was also included in the decision making process.
“Very good … Better than that,” he said pointing toward the direction from which they had come.
“Okay. We’ll have another meeting tonight. You two go knock off for a few hours, and I’ll spread the word to a few of the others who will be involved with making these decisions.”
―
They sat around the fire as the sky above them finally gave way to the night. The stars were visible as they spoke quietly to one another under their blinking light. The valley itself was filled with noise in comparison to the world around it. The waterfall, and its small river, coursed through the valley floor in an endless cycle. It was a comforting sound, which lent itself to relaxation. Not in an ideal way, but in a manner which none of those present had experienced since the day of the event. Many of the people were suffering from exposure, others were traumatized, but hope remained alive.
Weston, Emil, Sasha, Mr. Bayek, Lt. Lukin, Dr. Ramirez (who was among the first group of survivors found), and Chief Stewartwere present.
“We have a number of things to decide,” Weston started by saying, “The most important thing we have to focus on is survival. You all have expressed your desire to make a go of it here. Since there are only three access points into this valley, I think it is prudent that we divide our numbers to settle at those three points. It will serve as a protection for us to manage whatever else may find its way here, and will act as a point of reception for those who may wonder in as we did. I’d like to have your thoughts on how we go about that.”
Therein followed several hours of discussion leading to what they hoped was a strategy for success. Every possible
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