Day 6:
Rodent
He frowned, looking at the window. The sheer shade obscured a lot of the view but he could make out the faint shapes of trees passing slowly by before there was a soft jerk forward and the camper stopped.
“There’s no way we’re already there, is there?” Beckett asked, a frown on their face.
He shook his head, getting up. “Not a chance. It’s a thirty minute drive without traffic and if enough people got the notice, we’ll hit traffic.”
He opened the bedroom door and moved to the front seats. Beckett’s footfall was soft behind him. The front curtain was open and he didn’t wait to speak up. “What’s going on? Why’d we stop?” he asked, gaze going out the windshield.
The winding road disappeared around a cliff side but he could make out a portion of it in the distance. The flashing lights were hard to miss.
“Might have been an accident,” Cole offered, “could have been a landslide. Either way, I don’t think we’ll make it to the pass.”
“Do we want to just hunker down at the cabin, then? We had already planned on being there for a week.”
“We could send you lot on ahead. You’d just have to be without whatever’s at the cabin till the pass clears out.”
He caught a glimpse of the little notification on the map about an accident ahead before he closed the app. “Let me call Orlean.” A few quick taps and the sound of the phone ringing filled the small space.
“Yo,” Orlean answered.
“You’re on speaker,” he informed him.
Cole took over the conversation. “There’s an accident up ahead. Even going around will make it near impossible to stop at the cabin AND make it through the pass. We can stop by the store and brave the masses for what little more we need supply wise but if you guys are up to being without whatever’s at the cabin, I’ll send Artemis and Beckett to you now and you guys can take the back route to the pass.”
“The Doppler’s got the storm moving to hit the pass first,” Sam interjected, muffled at first until she got closer. “We’d just as likely get caught in it trying to leave now as we would trying to go around this.”
Beckett presented their screen. “It just updated.” Lora took the phone so that she could show Cole while he kept his eyes on the traffic. “The storm shifted from the predicted enough to be a problem.”
“Then we hunker down at the cabin. We’ve already got enough food to last the week but I want to stop by the store and get a bit more just in case.”
“Best bale now, then.” He pointed at the coming turn. “We can take that to get to the store.”
“Orlean, follow as best you can. Artemis, can you go ride with them and help navigate in case we hit troubles?”
“Traffic’s moving,” Orlean pointed out, “and we’ll be fine. I’ll stay on the line and Beckett’s already texting Sam. We won’t lose you.”
Cole sighed, taking the turn as soon as it was clear. Artemis got a brief glimpse of the other camper’s bumper as it followed close. “Sorry about this, guys. Hadn’t intended to get us all caught in a snowstorm.”
“Hey, some things can’t be helped,” Orlean countered.
Sam added, “The snow wasn’t predicted to come in till tomorrow and only with a few inches. It didn’t ramp up to this severity till a few hours before the alert went out; this is just how rapidly things can change. At least we now have the systems to warn people.”
“Did it really come out of nowhere?” he inquired. “I thought our weather tech was better than that.”
He could practically see her shaking her head as she explained, “They were keeping an eye on it but it’s hard to tell what a storm cell will do until it happens. Even the prediction of heavy snowfall can be inaccurate but I trust what they’re seeing happening to the west that we’ll at least have blizzard conditions for the duration it’s over us.”
“There’s already snowfall?” Cole asked, alarmed.
“Yeah, it’s a big system. If Beckett still has their phone, they can zoom out on the map and show you where the snowfall is at. And it’s a good thing that it’s hitting something other than us right now. Gives meteorologists time to gather more data before ensuing more panic if panic is needed.”
He frowned at that. “So there’s a chance it could be worse than predicted?”
“Only in longevity. It could settle over us for a few days but right now the winds are pushing it through rather quickly, thus the blizzard concern. Even a lack of inches can create blizzard conditions if the winds are right. But if this settles in the valley, we really could see feet worth of snow by the end of the week, let alone this evening.”
“Then let’s hope the winds keep it going,” Cole said. “We’re about a half hour out from the store and, depending on how busy that it, could be another two to three hours before we make it to the cabin. When is the snow supposed to start?”
“For the area?” There was a pause. “They’re still expecting it heaviest around noon but we should start seeing it a few hours prior. Most likely we’ll get the winds first, though I am surprised we haven’t gotten them yet. The temperature difference between yesterday and today is ridiculous. From their expectations, we’ve already reached the high for the day. It’s only going to get colder.”
“So take the winds as the first warning, then.”
“Pretty much.”
Cole sighed. “Alright. We’ll hit the store for food and water.” There was a pause and he watched Cole’s hands flex around the steering wheel. “I know this is probably overkill but when we get back, I’ll need an extra hand to remove the two water tanks from the campers and we’ll take them in to use as backup on the off chance something goes wrong.”
“Nothing should,” Lora added, her voice light and reassuring as she gave Cole’s arm a gentle squeeze. “The cabin’s been made to withstand more than a simple blizzard and the pipes will be fine. But, if it will ease your mind, we’ll pull the tanks.”
“I’ll help with the tanks, Cole,” Orlean put in as Cole shot her an appreciated look that looked a little pinched.
“So will I and Sam, if you need any other help,” Dean added.
“We trust your judgment in this,” Sam finished off. “If you want to be set for a week without running water and electricity, let’s prep for it.”
A look crossed Cole’s face but Artemis was at the wrong angle to understand what it had been. “Thanks, guys. Hopefully it’s just me being paranoid.”
Orlean spoke up again. “Nothing wrong with a healthy dose of caution.”
There wasn’t much conversation after that beyond small talk between Dean and Lora with a random comment here and there from the others. It passed the time and was enough of a distraction that by the time they made it to the store, Artemis realized that the winds had arrived. The entire camper shuddered against the force of one gale as he rummaged through what had been left in the camper looking for a coat or sweater. Lora was on the other side of the bed while he could hear Cole and Beckett talking in the main space waiting for the others.
The air pressure in the camper changed as his hand wrapped around a familiar sleeve. “Found them, Lora,” he announced, pulling out first the sweater he had grabbed before going and pulling out the rest of the pile. It was measly to say the least but there was enough there to keep everyone warm. Lora went through it as she made it a more manageable pile as Sam and Dean’s voices drifted into the room. The pressure settled back to normal. “Hopefully some got left in the other camper as well.”
He followed Lora out. There was a pile on the table that Lora added to. “Oh good. You were able to find some,” Lora commented, pulling out one of the heavier sweaters and passing it and a jacket to Cole. “Here.”
Beckett snuck closer and started digging through the pile. Artemis moved over to Orlean. He could wait till the others were done. “How cold is it out there?”
“Enough that I want a second sweater once there’s room,” Orlean deadpanned with a flat expression. “The wind’s brutal.”
“See if you can’t find something else for me while your in there,” Dean interjected, voice low. “What I picked is too tight.”
Artemis looked over Dean’s choice. “Take it off. Beckett will probably fit that better anyways and we’ll get something that’s looser.”
Dean nodded. There was an attempt to get the sweater off but it really was too small for him to manage it on his own. It took Sam and Orlean to get him out of it without hurting himself or the sweater. Artemis took it, not missing Cole passing Sam a heavy coat for Dean to try. Artemis passed the sweater to Beckett who was already in one sweater. They didn’t hesitate to pull on the one Dean had been wearing.
“Here.” Beckett handed him a rather familiar sweater. It had been old when he had last seen it and to see it now still relatively whole was amazing. What felt remained of the image on the chest was the base and a vague shape of some rodent. He pulled it on even as he asked, “What had been on this? A mouse?”
“Rabbit,” Beckett supplied, passing him a lined wind breaker that was definitely too big. He pulled it on anyways.
“What happened to the rest of it?”
Beckett looked at the chest of the sweater. “Either the hot glue melted or the pieces got torn off.” They met his gaze. “I’m surprised you remember it at all. You saw it, what, once?”
He shrugged.
“Alright,” Cole called out, drawing everyone’s attention. “Everyone bundled?” There was a murmur of affirmations. “Good. Let’s get in and get some supplies.”
It was still early enough in the morning that the store wasn’t as busy as he had somehow expected it to be. There were a number of cars in the parking lot - a good number for almost nine on a weekday - but it was as if it was a normal day and they were the only ones stressing the coming storm. Once inside the store, it was clear they weren’t, but there was still plenty of water to get and plenty of groceries to pick from.
Lora and Sam broke off from the group in the produce department while Cole and Dean went for the meat. It had been agreed that while they were going to prep for a week, they were also going to still eat well. Still, Beckett took one of the carry baskets and started on the soup aisle as he and Orlean were sent to go get water and the few other essentials they would need.
Orlean stopped at the start of the water aisle, eyes already on the paper aisle. “I’ll go get toiletries if you’ve got the water.”
“Go for it,” he encouraged. Orlean walked off, leaving him alone with the cart.
He pulled four of the largest jugs available onto the undercarriage of the cart before wandering down the aisle. He knew if water went out for a week, it wouldn’t be nearly enough, but he trusted that it would only be for a last resort. He grabbed an assortment of sports drinks and juices before grabbing two cases of soda. There were already several at the cabin but it wasn’t like they wouldn’t get consumed at some point if they weren’t trapped there for a week.
Orlean found him as he was putting the soda in the cart and there was a pleased glint in the other’s eye that had him stop second guessing his decision. Orlean tucked the two large packs of toilet paper on top of the neatly packed drinks before tucking in a few boxes of bar soap, a small bottle of dish soap, and a large tube of the toothpaste he knew Beckett and Cole favored. He raised an eyebrow at Orlean. Orlean shrugged. “They’ve got good taste. If anyone runs out, we’ll have a spare and it’ll get used eventually.”
“You don’t think we’re going overboard with this, do you?” he found himself asking, tugging on the cart to start for the others.
“I’d much rather be over prepared and lack the stress than under prepared and stressed the entire time.” Orlean stopped at the frozen chicken breasts and grabbed two of the large bags. “Besides, this way we can camp out in the cabin for the next week and ignore the rest of the world. As much fun as camp sight hopping sounded, after this morning I’m all good for holding up in the cabin and not coming out till we have to leave.”
“There’s no way we’re already there, is there?” Beckett asked, a frown on their face.
He shook his head, getting up. “Not a chance. It’s a thirty minute drive without traffic and if enough people got the notice, we’ll hit traffic.”
He opened the bedroom door and moved to the front seats. Beckett’s footfall was soft behind him. The front curtain was open and he didn’t wait to speak up. “What’s going on? Why’d we stop?” he asked, gaze going out the windshield.
The winding road disappeared around a cliff side but he could make out a portion of it in the distance. The flashing lights were hard to miss.
“Might have been an accident,” Cole offered, “could have been a landslide. Either way, I don’t think we’ll make it to the pass.”
“Do we want to just hunker down at the cabin, then? We had already planned on being there for a week.”
“We could send you lot on ahead. You’d just have to be without whatever’s at the cabin till the pass clears out.”
He caught a glimpse of the little notification on the map about an accident ahead before he closed the app. “Let me call Orlean.” A few quick taps and the sound of the phone ringing filled the small space.
“Yo,” Orlean answered.
“You’re on speaker,” he informed him.
Cole took over the conversation. “There’s an accident up ahead. Even going around will make it near impossible to stop at the cabin AND make it through the pass. We can stop by the store and brave the masses for what little more we need supply wise but if you guys are up to being without whatever’s at the cabin, I’ll send Artemis and Beckett to you now and you guys can take the back route to the pass.”
“The Doppler’s got the storm moving to hit the pass first,” Sam interjected, muffled at first until she got closer. “We’d just as likely get caught in it trying to leave now as we would trying to go around this.”
Beckett presented their screen. “It just updated.” Lora took the phone so that she could show Cole while he kept his eyes on the traffic. “The storm shifted from the predicted enough to be a problem.”
“Then we hunker down at the cabin. We’ve already got enough food to last the week but I want to stop by the store and get a bit more just in case.”
“Best bale now, then.” He pointed at the coming turn. “We can take that to get to the store.”
“Orlean, follow as best you can. Artemis, can you go ride with them and help navigate in case we hit troubles?”
“Traffic’s moving,” Orlean pointed out, “and we’ll be fine. I’ll stay on the line and Beckett’s already texting Sam. We won’t lose you.”
Cole sighed, taking the turn as soon as it was clear. Artemis got a brief glimpse of the other camper’s bumper as it followed close. “Sorry about this, guys. Hadn’t intended to get us all caught in a snowstorm.”
“Hey, some things can’t be helped,” Orlean countered.
Sam added, “The snow wasn’t predicted to come in till tomorrow and only with a few inches. It didn’t ramp up to this severity till a few hours before the alert went out; this is just how rapidly things can change. At least we now have the systems to warn people.”
“Did it really come out of nowhere?” he inquired. “I thought our weather tech was better than that.”
He could practically see her shaking her head as she explained, “They were keeping an eye on it but it’s hard to tell what a storm cell will do until it happens. Even the prediction of heavy snowfall can be inaccurate but I trust what they’re seeing happening to the west that we’ll at least have blizzard conditions for the duration it’s over us.”
“There’s already snowfall?” Cole asked, alarmed.
“Yeah, it’s a big system. If Beckett still has their phone, they can zoom out on the map and show you where the snowfall is at. And it’s a good thing that it’s hitting something other than us right now. Gives meteorologists time to gather more data before ensuing more panic if panic is needed.”
He frowned at that. “So there’s a chance it could be worse than predicted?”
“Only in longevity. It could settle over us for a few days but right now the winds are pushing it through rather quickly, thus the blizzard concern. Even a lack of inches can create blizzard conditions if the winds are right. But if this settles in the valley, we really could see feet worth of snow by the end of the week, let alone this evening.”
“Then let’s hope the winds keep it going,” Cole said. “We’re about a half hour out from the store and, depending on how busy that it, could be another two to three hours before we make it to the cabin. When is the snow supposed to start?”
“For the area?” There was a pause. “They’re still expecting it heaviest around noon but we should start seeing it a few hours prior. Most likely we’ll get the winds first, though I am surprised we haven’t gotten them yet. The temperature difference between yesterday and today is ridiculous. From their expectations, we’ve already reached the high for the day. It’s only going to get colder.”
“So take the winds as the first warning, then.”
“Pretty much.”
Cole sighed. “Alright. We’ll hit the store for food and water.” There was a pause and he watched Cole’s hands flex around the steering wheel. “I know this is probably overkill but when we get back, I’ll need an extra hand to remove the two water tanks from the campers and we’ll take them in to use as backup on the off chance something goes wrong.”
“Nothing should,” Lora added, her voice light and reassuring as she gave Cole’s arm a gentle squeeze. “The cabin’s been made to withstand more than a simple blizzard and the pipes will be fine. But, if it will ease your mind, we’ll pull the tanks.”
“I’ll help with the tanks, Cole,” Orlean put in as Cole shot her an appreciated look that looked a little pinched.
“So will I and Sam, if you need any other help,” Dean added.
“We trust your judgment in this,” Sam finished off. “If you want to be set for a week without running water and electricity, let’s prep for it.”
A look crossed Cole’s face but Artemis was at the wrong angle to understand what it had been. “Thanks, guys. Hopefully it’s just me being paranoid.”
Orlean spoke up again. “Nothing wrong with a healthy dose of caution.”
There wasn’t much conversation after that beyond small talk between Dean and Lora with a random comment here and there from the others. It passed the time and was enough of a distraction that by the time they made it to the store, Artemis realized that the winds had arrived. The entire camper shuddered against the force of one gale as he rummaged through what had been left in the camper looking for a coat or sweater. Lora was on the other side of the bed while he could hear Cole and Beckett talking in the main space waiting for the others.
The air pressure in the camper changed as his hand wrapped around a familiar sleeve. “Found them, Lora,” he announced, pulling out first the sweater he had grabbed before going and pulling out the rest of the pile. It was measly to say the least but there was enough there to keep everyone warm. Lora went through it as she made it a more manageable pile as Sam and Dean’s voices drifted into the room. The pressure settled back to normal. “Hopefully some got left in the other camper as well.”
He followed Lora out. There was a pile on the table that Lora added to. “Oh good. You were able to find some,” Lora commented, pulling out one of the heavier sweaters and passing it and a jacket to Cole. “Here.”
Beckett snuck closer and started digging through the pile. Artemis moved over to Orlean. He could wait till the others were done. “How cold is it out there?”
“Enough that I want a second sweater once there’s room,” Orlean deadpanned with a flat expression. “The wind’s brutal.”
“See if you can’t find something else for me while your in there,” Dean interjected, voice low. “What I picked is too tight.”
Artemis looked over Dean’s choice. “Take it off. Beckett will probably fit that better anyways and we’ll get something that’s looser.”
Dean nodded. There was an attempt to get the sweater off but it really was too small for him to manage it on his own. It took Sam and Orlean to get him out of it without hurting himself or the sweater. Artemis took it, not missing Cole passing Sam a heavy coat for Dean to try. Artemis passed the sweater to Beckett who was already in one sweater. They didn’t hesitate to pull on the one Dean had been wearing.
“Here.” Beckett handed him a rather familiar sweater. It had been old when he had last seen it and to see it now still relatively whole was amazing. What felt remained of the image on the chest was the base and a vague shape of some rodent. He pulled it on even as he asked, “What had been on this? A mouse?”
“Rabbit,” Beckett supplied, passing him a lined wind breaker that was definitely too big. He pulled it on anyways.
“What happened to the rest of it?”
Beckett looked at the chest of the sweater. “Either the hot glue melted or the pieces got torn off.” They met his gaze. “I’m surprised you remember it at all. You saw it, what, once?”
He shrugged.
“Alright,” Cole called out, drawing everyone’s attention. “Everyone bundled?” There was a murmur of affirmations. “Good. Let’s get in and get some supplies.”
It was still early enough in the morning that the store wasn’t as busy as he had somehow expected it to be. There were a number of cars in the parking lot - a good number for almost nine on a weekday - but it was as if it was a normal day and they were the only ones stressing the coming storm. Once inside the store, it was clear they weren’t, but there was still plenty of water to get and plenty of groceries to pick from.
Lora and Sam broke off from the group in the produce department while Cole and Dean went for the meat. It had been agreed that while they were going to prep for a week, they were also going to still eat well. Still, Beckett took one of the carry baskets and started on the soup aisle as he and Orlean were sent to go get water and the few other essentials they would need.
Orlean stopped at the start of the water aisle, eyes already on the paper aisle. “I’ll go get toiletries if you’ve got the water.”
“Go for it,” he encouraged. Orlean walked off, leaving him alone with the cart.
He pulled four of the largest jugs available onto the undercarriage of the cart before wandering down the aisle. He knew if water went out for a week, it wouldn’t be nearly enough, but he trusted that it would only be for a last resort. He grabbed an assortment of sports drinks and juices before grabbing two cases of soda. There were already several at the cabin but it wasn’t like they wouldn’t get consumed at some point if they weren’t trapped there for a week.
Orlean found him as he was putting the soda in the cart and there was a pleased glint in the other’s eye that had him stop second guessing his decision. Orlean tucked the two large packs of toilet paper on top of the neatly packed drinks before tucking in a few boxes of bar soap, a small bottle of dish soap, and a large tube of the toothpaste he knew Beckett and Cole favored. He raised an eyebrow at Orlean. Orlean shrugged. “They’ve got good taste. If anyone runs out, we’ll have a spare and it’ll get used eventually.”
“You don’t think we’re going overboard with this, do you?” he found himself asking, tugging on the cart to start for the others.
“I’d much rather be over prepared and lack the stress than under prepared and stressed the entire time.” Orlean stopped at the frozen chicken breasts and grabbed two of the large bags. “Besides, this way we can camp out in the cabin for the next week and ignore the rest of the world. As much fun as camp sight hopping sounded, after this morning I’m all good for holding up in the cabin and not coming out till we have to leave.”