The /\mputee

[Mrs. Garrison]

Chief Carlson was a good soldier and a fine pilot, he'd enlisted into the Army directly after high school, and from there he went onto flight school to learn how to become an army aviator. He flew Apache attack helicopters in the gulf war and was highly decorated for courage and valor. In short, he'd come home a hero and was well liked among his peers and in his squadron. His fortunes would all change one day, ten years later in Afghanistan, when he was shot down in a firefight and he was badly wounded. His copilot, Chief Simmons, somehow only received minor wounds and was able to drag him to safety and signal the medevac helicopter to come and rescue them.

Carlson would spend the next several months in and out of the hospital and rehab, while Simmons would leave the military and get a lucrative job with a large defense contractor who designed weapon systems for futuristic wars. Carlson was determined to remain on flight status, but unable to do so due to his wounds, and finally decided the military was no longer for him. He was able to retire early with disability since he could no longer fly. After some persuasion, Simmons finally enticed Carlson to come and visit the board of directors at his new company, most of whom were made up of former high ranking military officers or senators. After meeting with the board, the men made Carlson an offer he could not refuse, and he eventually would accept it. He moved his wife and his young children, twin boys, to the beautiful rocky mountains in Colorado.

He took a position in accounting where he would work his way up to serve on the board as assistant to the CFO. In doing so he uncovered irregularities in the budget, some of which were obvious and some cleverly disguised, all of which amounting in the millions of dollars. He brought it to the attention of his CFO privately, who assured him he would look into the matter, and then assigned him to a different project to keep him occupied. Never the type to turn his back on his duty, Carlson then decided to bring this to the attention of the board, who's motto seemed to be "we've got just enough money to start a war....but never quite enough to finish it" . So he took his moment in the sun, financial whistle blower looking to grab his chip in the big game, and laid out his findings in front of the board one morning as the sun cast beams of light off of the snow capped peaks high above them. At first the men all sat in silence, a few odd glances exchanged, until finally the CEO spoke after some thought and a few sips of his tea. He invited Carlson to attend their private lodge in the mountains, which was a retreat reserved for the board and their families, and private guests. He reckoned this would be a better setting to discuss such matters.

Immediately after the board meeting, Simmons came into Carlson's office and practically drug him out of the office by the shirt collar. He threw him into a vacant supply room and looked around the corridor nervously before going inside and closing the door behind them. "Are you fucking mad? You have no idea what you're doing, or who these people are. You have to let this go...NOW!" Carlson tried to collect himself as Simmons disappeared out of the supply room. He figured his old buddy might be jealous of his good will or sense of duty, or the fact that he had found a way to save the company a lot of money. Simmons had always played second fiddle to Carlson, from the days of flight school to Carlson always getting the girl with Simmons having to play the role of wing man, to actual combat where Carlson was the daring pilot and Simmons was the guy who sat in the second seat. The pilot always got the accolades and the glory, the second man was basically his shadow...

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

The curvy road up the mountains to the retreat provided a breathtaking view of the glorious Colorado Rockies as the large black SUV transported Mr. and Mrs. Carlson to the hidden, private retreat. Their twin sons, now in high school, had stayed back at the suburban home for the night. At the top of one of the peaks, a four story stone and glass castle appeared overlooking the stunning majesty below. A large wrought iron gate opened long enough for the black SUV to disappear up the twisty drive to the cliff-side palace fit for kings of industry, if not kings of the world.

"This is what life is like above the clouds" the CEO greeted them as they stepped out of their company transport, "hello and welcome to our humble home away from home" he said with a smile reserved for diplomats and world leaders. As they walked up the steps towards the large entry to the mansion, they paused to look back at the scene below them, layers of clouds would occasionally give way to stunning views normally reserved for passengers in an aircraft. The air was a bit thinner and much colder up here, so they would take in most of the sights from the panoramic views from inside the giant palace. Inside the retreat it became clear the palace may as well have doubled as a museum, with artifacts from every era and civilization and sculptures and paintings from the world over. Huge beams criss-crossed the tall ceilings and in the study there were big game trophies including elk, grizzly bears, and a large stuffed mountain lion that the CEO touted as his "personal favorite" with a twinkle in his eye.

Below the terraced entry way the circular driveway led to another drive which ended in a sort of parking lot which housed the convoy of large SUV's which had shuttled in all of the guests. Behind that was an outbuilding from which the drivers and security detail could be seen coming and going. Also, there was a notable security presence on the property grounds and some additional patrols on the expansive back deck area, looking out over the mountainside through binoculars. Before dinner was served, the guests were all ushered into a vast lounge area where cocktails were served and some additional guests appeared from elsewhere in the retreat. This included some key members in the senate armed services committee, top pentagon brass, and some foreign dignitaries. After introductions were made and a few pleasantries were exchanged, the guests were all ushered to a giant ballroom where a large table accommodated them underneath a magnificent portrait of the last supper and a barrel ceiling adorned with angles playing harpsichords in the clouds. This was as elegant as anything Mr and Mrs. Carlson had ever been apart of.

After dinner and another round of cocktails, the CEO then pulled Carlson aside and suggested they go for a walk. They went out side on the expansive deck and each lit a cigar to go along with their scotch. The CEO pointed down the mountain towards some trees "two years ago, early in the morning i was down there with my boy at the springs, and we stumbled upon a mother mountain lion and her 4 baby cubs. She was bloody fierce, damn near 200 lbs, magnificent creature. She charged at us and my boy took aim and shot her dead in her tracks, like they always say in the army, one shot - one kill". He took a sip of his scotch and and a puff of his cigar, "the world is full of fierce lions, you can either admire them from afar or you can run through the fucking jungles with them. Either way, its kill or be killed out there. You can't play this game without getting your hands bloody at some point, you should know that by now. You see the guests we have assembled here today, you know who they are. Some of them left the war zone just to have dinner with us tonight, and will be returning there soon. We don't exist without them, and without us, they are dead. Your little discovery is a drop in the bucket, but it is a drop of blood. You may have just discovered the lions den, Carlson. What happens from here on out is entirely up to you. However, i suggest you go quietly and let the lions sleep."

Carlson swallowed his drink and pondered those words, he could still hear them in his ears and in his head. He thought hard about what it all mean, when the CEO gave him a jolly slap on the back and cheerfully said "what say you, we go back inside and join the others?" He started to follow them but paused for a second, "just one question Sir, what happened to the cubs?" The CEO turned back to him almost in disbelief but tried to maintain his half smile "what cubs?" Carlson kept his serious tone and pointed back over the mountain towards the spring, "you killed the mother, what ever did you do about the 4 lion cubs?"

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Early the next morning they awoke for breakfast which was served up in the observatory, which was a large room filled with windows so the guests could see the sunrise over the mountains. Most of the board members were present, though several of the special guests had slipped off during the night. Mr. and Mrs. Carlson said their goodbyes after breakfast and thanked their gracious hosts, and loaded up into one of the designated SUV's for their descent back down the mountain to their home.

The board members waved cordial goodbyes at the departing guests as the big black vehicle left the mountain compound. One of the Directors leaned into the CEO and whispered into his ear "well...what do you think?" Still smiling and waving, the CEO mumbled back "he's still more concerned with the baby than the beast". The CFO then chimed in "then perhaps he'd be more comfortable in a nursery..." "Yes perhaps", replied the CEO, still smiling, as the three men turned and walked back up the steps to the lodge.

It was a long and windy drive back down the mountain as Mrs. Carlson called home to check on their sons while Mr. Carlson couldn't help but thinking of the conversation he had with the CEO and then of the dire warnings from his old friend Simmons. "The boys are fine", she said, startling him as she leaned into him and he put his arm around her. He noticed the driver kept a watchful eye on them as he leaned back into the expansive leather bench seat. Perhaps they would catch a few moments of sleep on the long ride home, he'd had a bit too much to drink the night before and the did rise early.

The large vehicle navigated the mountain road while the driver kept as close an eye on the road ahead as he did the passengers in the backseat. Satisfied that they were asleep, he came upon a hairpin turn to which he had to almost come to a stop to negotiate it. The curve was followed by a long downhill straightaway which ended in another hairpin curve, overlooking the valley hundreds of feet below. The driver took the opportunity of this curve, once he came out and straightened up, to unbuckle his seat belt and open the drivers door. He then jumped out of the vehicle and rolled off of the road into the bushes, watching the big truck rapidly gaining speed down the road and towards the cliff. The sound of the velocity must have awaken Carlson, who was strapped in next to his wife, as he came to he noticed they were careening down the mountain road at what felt like 80 mph. He was about to ask the driver to slow down when he realized there was no driver, and also that they were heading for a big curve.

Furiously he unbuckled his seat-belt and climbed into the drivers seat to try and stop the runaway locomotive. He grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and stood on the brakes with both feet but nothing happened, the vehicle continued to accelerate as if someone else was in control of it. Unable to stop the vehicle or take it out of gear, he yelled for his wife to wake up thinking they would have to jump out. All of the doors were locked as they tried to force them open, they couldn't manually unlock them. As the dangerous curve and the looming cliff approached, their only choice was to try and run the truck into the side of the mountain, which was opposite of running off of the cliff. He steered into the side of the mountain, the impact sending the truck crashing end over end down the road until it came to rest among some large trees, dangerously close to going over the edge. Almost immediately it caught fire and then exploded...

 

[financeguy]

Hmm. Interesting story. I wonder if the Carlson guy is related to the legendary Erik Carlsson, the former rally driver after whom the Saab 900 Carlsson was named.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

A large hawk was keeping an eye on the side of the mountain unfolding below as it glided and circled above the majestic rock, coming to rest atop a tall tree near the drop-off where the road cut a sharp turn. Carlson laid next to a small stream just off the side of and below the mountain road, trickling water running past him must have woke him up as his eyes began to open and he was jolted back to consciousness.

He stood up slowly to gain his balance, and check his surroundings, then he brushed off dirt from his jacket and looked around until he was able to focus on the large vehicle in which he and his wife were passengers. Abruptly he ran towards the big truck, which was heavily damaged and had the windows blown out. He looked inside for his wife and called out to her, but she was nowhere to be found.

His head still a bit foggy, he looked around the area to see if there was any sign of her, maybe she had been thrown from the vehicle in the crash as apparently he had been. Down the side of the mountain amongst tall trees he caught a glimpse of something moving, he would pursue it as best as he could until he lost balance and slid several yards and then tumbled a few more yards before impacting one of the large trees which would stop his momentum.

As he laid there dazed he reached into his pocket to see if he still had his phone, but unfortunately it didn't work. He thought he could hear a helicopter in the distance, but much closer was the sound of something rustling in the woods on the mountain side followed by something much more ominous and guttural. The sun was starting to set as he continued to lay there, unsure if he should stay put and let whatever creature was stirring pass or try to get up and make an escape. He hurt all over and felt weak so he decided to stay put for the moment.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

"Each generation has their very own version of the end of the world" he heard a voice say, perhaps it was real or maybe it was just in his head. Tears streamed down his face as he thought about his wife and his two sons, he missed them, as he laid there in wild territory with the daylight fading fast. He could still hear something moving around in the distance, perhaps even stalking him.

Mr. Carlson decided he wasn't going to go out like this, not today, so he staggered to his feet and tried to walk back up the mountain to the "safety" of the crashed vehicle. That's when he heard it again, this time much closer, and he turned around to see a giant grizzly bear standing on her hind legs in a defensive posture. The magnificent creature was probably 50 yards away and partially obscured by trees and the darkness but there was no mistaking he was a stranger in her territory and he was in deep trouble.

"RUN" she screamed as she appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him by the arm, leading him down the mountain. He followed his wife down the hill as fast as the two of them could move to escape the giant creature which was chasing them on its own land. Mrs. Carlson led him towards a distant light and breathlessly exclaimed "if we can make it to that light.......we....willl......be fine".

They say you cannot outrun a bear in the wild, but that is exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Carlson did. As soon as they got close to the strange light the bear would suddenly give up chase and stop to watch them getaway. The closer they got to the light the warmer they felt in the cold mountain air. Through the last layer of trees they entered a valley which was surrounded on the opposite side by rocky canyons. In the middle of the valley there was a campfire providing the illumination, and a crystal clear pond which began to reflect the moonlight of a beautiful and eerie full harvest moon.

Around the campfire were several people, mostly younger, definitely not gypsies as they were oddly beautiful even as they were dressed in strange robes and flowing gowns, adorned with beads and jewels. They were drinking a royal nectar of some sorts, which was passed around freely and had mysterious relaxing and healing powers. Most of them would not speak to Mr. Carlson, only smile at him with glowing eyes as he passed among them.

His wife led him to the edge of the water where steam rising from the top would hide reflections of the moon and hint at the warmth inside. He hugged her and looked her over and oddly enough to his eyes she had never looked better. Several of the campfire people were disrobing and descending into the water, their perfect naked bodies swallowed up by ripples in the underworld of warmth and mystery. They would disappear into the water, one by one and two by two, until they were all gone.

His wife kissed him gently and lovingly and she held his hands tight as she explained to him she must join the campfire people, "this is my home now. Tell our kids how much i love them. You must not try and follow me because now is not your time." She hugged him one last time before she turned and stepped into the water, "you were the only one for me, i will wait for you as long as it takes"

Tears streamed down his face as he watched his wife disappear into the rippling water which reflected a brilliant campfire and a moon hung high over the mountaintop. He could hear the helicopters again, this time much closer than before.....

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

"Chief! Hang on Chief - HANG ON!" he heard the familiar voice loudly over the sound of white noise and heavy machinery as he felt his soul being sucked through some strange vacuum. Helpless but unafraid Carlson opened his eyes to see what looked like a war zone. Men in green and brown uniforms were strapping him into something and the next moment he felt as though he were going to throw up, only blood would trickle out of his mouth. "Hang in there Chief" came the familiar voice once again, he looked up to see someone staring down at him through a helmet and goggles. Wind buffeted through the bay of the craft as they appeared to be floating in a loud transport of some kind.

Occasional small arms fire pelted the side of the medevac chopper as the pilots would make evasive maneuvers to try and avoid it. Chief Carlson winced in pain but occasionally he could feel his old wing-man Simmons squeezing his hand tightly, he watched his lips move and tried to read what they were saying because he could no longer hear anything. For a few moments he couldn't feel anything either.

Chief Carlson began to float outside of the helicopter and looked down on the fucking destruction of a country decimated by extreme weather and a few decades of war. He felt sudden empathy for those people down there still fighting, living, yet to die their own horrible death. He looked up towards the sun and for once he would not feel blinded or feel the hurt of the glare.

He could feel the voice speaking through him once again "the only light you should follow is the one which keeps you safe in the day and the night, beware the light which needs your addiction to keep itself lit"

He smiled at his wife again, she was up there with him, floating around in the perfect fragrant breeze with her hair blowing into the blue and beyond...she smiled back at him but just as quickly she would drift away from him as he tried desperately to reach out towards her.


"MR CARLSON!" a different voice called out to him as the medevac helicopter flew from the crash site and over the mountains towards the nearest hospital. His eyes opened briefly to see flashes of someone working furiously on his wounds, next to him laid the lifeless body of his wife. He tried to call out to her but he couldn't speak. The paramedic put the oxygen mask back on his face and then injected him with some type of needle. For a few moments he felt absolutely nothing, and then his entire world faded into complete darkness....

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

What sounded like a chainsaw buzzing in the distance woke Carlson up from wherever he had been, he sat upright in his bed and looked around his bedroom as though he was a stranger in his own home. He walked through the country log house looking for the source of the noise, checking in on each of his sons to find them asleep in their bedrooms. He walked out into the living area of their secluded home and turned on the outdoor light. The sound had stopped, but out in the backyard he saw someone standing in the middle of his yard, looking back at him.

Carlson grabbed a shotgun from his bedroom closet and went out after the person standing in his yard. He pointed the rifle at the man and cautiously approached him to see if he recognized him. The man did not move and said nothing, just continued to stare back at him with his pale complexion and colorless eyes. Carlson had been looking at the man through the sight post on his rifle, but as he got close enough he lowered his weapon partially at first, and then he lowered it completely. He said nothing to the man but he was visibly spooked by his appearance.

After a few moments of locked eyes, the albino man turned slowly and walked away from the house, pausing only to see if Carlson was following him. He walked into the woods with his pale features white clothing lighting up the darkness around him. Carlson, who had set his gun down in the back yard, continued to follow the strange man as if he were in a trance.

Through complete darkness he followed the man a few paces back, running into every tree limb or branch he could find, hitting him in the face, eyes, etc. The absence of moonlight on this particular night was not helping him. The albino man seemed to glide through the woods without any issue. Carlson would continue to follow him as they cleared the trees and began wading through water. Apparently they had reached the pond on the other side of his property...

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Fog was rising over the pond waters as a glimmer of light on the horizon signaled sunrise. Deer were lining the side of the pond, casually getting a drink while observing the two figures walking through the cold and foggy water.

The red-orange sky in the distant horizon grew bigger as they walked towards it, with blue and purple clouds passing through and the occasional flickering golden star would drop from the sky with it's light fizzling out on its departure. The rising fog would give way to occasional figures lying in the wet grass. As the fog gave way, Carlson became aware that these figures were people lying in the grass, every few meters. he let out a surprised shriek, as he almost stepped on a little girl who was lying beneath his path.

The albino man stopped and turned to him, his pale features marked with intense reddish eyes, piercing his soul and causing a wave of fear to spread through him. He turned back and continue to walk forward, almost gliding over the lifeless figures laid out above the ground in uniform rows of graves for the recently deceased.

As they continued on their journey the land became remarkably more barren, perhaps even abandoned by all plant life and greenery. The sun was now higher up in the sky which carried a greenish tint with smoky orange clouds and dark purplish shadows. The uniform rows of bodies were no longer recently deceased and peaceful looking, instead they were in various states of decay to include everything from rotting flesh to bare bones skeletons in their dusty sunday best.

The temperature soared and Carlson was sweating profusely. He had no idea how long they had been walking or where they were, he merely followed his guide. The albino man stopped abruptly in front of some rock formations that appeared to tower up into purple and green atmosphere.

They began to climb these brutal rugged rocky towers and ascend them until the red sun began to set into the desolate distance, like an ember falling from one fire to the next. Once atop the cataclysmic structures the albino man halted his course and gestured towards Carlson to continue without him. Ahead of them were some very bizarre landscapes the likes of which he'd never seen or even imagined in his time on earth, like a grand canyon from outer space with rocky tentacles growing up towards the heavens, atop of an already brutal and distinguished formation.

Carlson paused before proceeding towards this new world, to watch the albino man who was looking over the edge of the rocky towers they had climbed. A wall of fire and destruction reflected in his pale features as he smiled for the first time. The albino man lept off of the rocky towers and floated down into the inferno below...

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Fierce winds blew through the canyons and through the rocky formations, making sure that every scent Carlson smelled was full of sulphur and horrible death. Blowing dust turned into smoke as he climbed higher and higher, he looked below to see flames growing and climbing up behind him. It was all he could do to stay far enough ahead of the sinister orange glow so as not to become a permanent fixture in this bizarre place he was trying to navigate through.

As night fell on this forsaken land, all morality and humanity had apparently became lost. Blood curdling screams rang out from nowhere and echoed off of canyon walls for what seemed like infinity. Flames roared out of every crack and crevice in the landscape. From the awful inferno appeared flying dragon-like creatures of mammoth proportions. These flying creatures spit fire on unseen creatures in the rock formations above, who fell to their doom in a symphony of horrible shrieks during their descent. Giant insect type creatures were climbing out of the sea of fire below, shooting flames up at Carlson as he hurried up his pace. He was physically and emotionally worn out, but the pursuit of the giant bugs of death was enough to give him some added inspiration to make it to the top of the desolate peak.

Once he'd cleared this latest conquest, he rolled over and rested on his back, trying to catch his breath amongst the smoke and the atomic atmosphere. His lungs were burning, his chest hurt, his eyes no longer had any tears. He laid there for a few moments, aware that he probably didn't even have that to spare. Then her heard a low pitched roar of a voice coming from nowhere. An incredibly large beast with the body of a cat and the head of a monster hovered over him, its tail spiked and its flaming mane adorned horns. It looked at him with red eyes and a spoke with a thunderous voice that pounded in his chest "Only he who holds the key to victory when the worlds collide shall be granted a free pass".

With that, the giant beast roared and walked away, to assume a stony posture guarding an entrance into a hidden cave. Carlson crawled through the entrance into the cave, large insects and reptiles slithering overhead as he crawled the narrow space. Eventually he made it through the tunnel at the end of which he could see the glow of neon lights and hear the distant sound of music.

He entered through a long and rocky tunnel what could only be described as a combination of an ancient tomb and an otherworldly cantina. The walls of the dark room were filled with trinkets and treasures from seemingly every civilization and every known era. A sort of stage was occupied by a band of blue skinned gypsies who played music which rang of apocalyptic sounds sprinkled with poetry and occasional scripture between the shards of hellish riffs and explosive rhythm.

At one table a group of demonesque figures sat playing cards and drinking out of tarnished cups while casually watching Carlson, who was dumbfounded by what he saw. Another table was home to a man and woman, both burned to a crisp, who were taking turns pouring drops of water over each other, which sizzled upon contact. He approached the bar and took a seat, when a strikingly handsome man approached him from behind the bar and asked him what he wanted to eat or drink. "Water" was all Carlson replied, to which the man smiled and said they were out of water, but he had something else he might like even better for his visit. The man offered Carlson a very satisfying concoction which he drank and promptly ordered another one, and then another after that. Soon he felt very relaxed and comfortable, unaware of his present state but not really concerned either.

A very beautiful naked woman with long flowing hair approached Carlson and sat down next to him, offering him a bite of fruit that she was eating. He stared into her eyes and was immediately seduced by her, taking a bite of her fruit and sipping on the drink the handsome man behind the bar had made for him. He was oblivious to the gathering crowd around him and intoxicated by his new found guest and the elixir in which he had partaken. "I believe it is time for you to pay your tab" the handsome man said with a smile. Carlson came upon the realization that he had no money to offer, and he apologetically explained his circumstance to them. "We don't want your money" the man said with hysterical laugh. He looked at the beautiful woman and was horrified when he saw her skin was falling off of her face giving way to a monstrous creature with large fangs and horns, and her long beautiful legs had turned into reptilian appendages with open sores and cloven hooves.

He jumped off of the bar stool to be surrounded by Demons who were poking and prodding him and torturing him in ways he could not even imagine. Their laughter was drowned out by the squealing of pigs; men in white coats with pig faces who threw him down on a table and shined bright lights into his eyes, ears, and mouth. They strapped him down with some kind of bondage, stuck needles into him and held him down while the demons watched over their shoulders. "You must pay!" they howled. He tried to scream but no sound would come out of his mouth, so he laid there motionless as he began to lose consciousness he could hear the sound of a buzzing saw operated by the pig faces. Pain was oddly absent as they began cutting off his appendages, snorting and laughing at him as he drifted away...

 

[Cactus Annie]

/\ = This is clever