Our asteroid survival: A fictitional history of the ten year survival of a large ELE asteroid impact by a small, pre advised, group

by Lionel Woodhead

  I was unable to help Miguel by staying with him as there was no way for any assistance to be provided. I, in what was definitely an emergency, saw it as my task to get my vehicle as far up the path as rapidly as possible. Whilst doing this I was hoping that Miguel would be able to do the same for his passengers.

  Unfortunately the lorry did not have the power or even the grip to accelerate as quickly up the incline. Looking back I saw those in the rear of the lorry desperately pushing material over the side. Trying to raise the back of the lorry would only have slowed them down but I saw that dropping the side greatly facilitated the removal of their load. We, in the four wheel drive, could remove little except by cutting the rope holding a load of blankets on the roof. This, unfortunately, made little difference but was something for the passengers to do so I allowed it as I did not consider it would impede, in any way, the lorry in its attempt to reach safety.

  The noise level was increasing in volume as the material moved towards us at moderate speed down the valley. I could see it coming in the visible distance and admit to a feeling of relief that we would probably get above its reach. This was coupled with a feeling of dread that Miguel and the others would not.

  I was looking at a wall of dark material about four hundred meters away topping slightly above our then current position and moving at a speed somewhat exceeding what a fit man could run on the flat. Less than a minute later it had passed just below us but the lorry, more than three hundred meters behind disappeared from sight.

  I now believe that although there had been limited rain or snow the material in the river, before the constriction, had, since the last collapse, been slowly pressing against the restriction and this had eventually produced sufficient pressure for the frozen dam to burst. This had, unfortunately, occurred just as we were passing resulting in the loss of our comrades. We would have to arrange for the maintenance of a better watch on that constriction. This would now be performed more conscientiously than in the recent past. Perhaps we had been too lax but we had been taught another tragic lesson and it would not occur again.

  This attitude might sound as if we were unconcerned with our loss. It should be noted, however, that we could not afford, even at this stage, to allow too much sentiment over the loss of even such good friends. Outside of our shelter’s protection we were always at risk and had to accept that such unfortunate losses would probably continue for some time. I, and indeed our companions, could not allow this to directly affect our sensitivities or we would become depressed and such losses were, indeed, very depressing. We had to continue for humanity and especially for our children who would have to build a new world out of what we could leave them.

  Four persons, including my old friend and travelling companion, were gone and we would never find their bodies. On arrival at our shelter we immediately went to the empty quarantine area and after the usual preliminaries of arranging the food and bedding we sat in a huddled group and mourned our friends. The only person to come and welcome us was one of the doctors who came to examine us and stay with our new friends during the quarantine period. This stoic companion would not be allowed to return to the shelter prior to the completion of the quarantine period; except in the case of an emergency.

  We told the doctor and advised those in our shelter about the disaster that had overtaken us and the related loss of both personnel and our lorry. This information caused much concern amongst all those original inmates of the shelter mainly due to the loss of Miguel but some of the concern was due to our lost transport system. The lorry had proved of inestimable benefit during the transfer of so much invaluable material from the caves. For those from the caves it was the greater loss of a group of old friends with whom they had shared so much and from whom they were now permanently parted.

  Some months later the population of the shelter decided to mount a plaque in honour for those persons that were lost to us in the past and those who would undoubtedly be lost in the future. This included A. Ramos, the original members of the group in the rich mans shelter, the cave sniper, whose name I cannot remember, Edmundo and those in the lorry are all noted there. The three murderers we executed at the rich mans shelter are not recorded but their victims are. This omission was not universally agreed but the majority sided with the exclusion. We wanted no memory of such men in our history though I have decided that it is valid to report the incident in this narrative as it is part of our history.

  The murderers caused the loss of original friends and I do not wish to remember them, or my actions against them. Unfortunately clearing ones mind of such incidents is problematical. This, I admit, is probably largely due to my feeling of guilt at the action that I still believe we had to take. It is a bitter memory and I sincerely wish that I had received a little more support from those who did not have to make that terrible decision on a dark night. This wish is probably related to the fact that it might have helped ease my conscience.

  One possible advantage of the avalanche, that relieved many in our society, was the removal of any evidence of our use of transport across the valley. For almost a month we were unable to cross the river having decided not to use the bridge over the restriction as being too dangerous when carrying sufficient stores for a journey. Then three of us crossed the river, after it had sufficiently refrozen, to the rich mans shelter where we spent the night. The following day we walked to the village and then for two more days we continued to the cave; it was fortunate that the weather had improved. Once there we explained the situation to those that remained. As one might expect they were very concerned at the loss of their long term companions.

  The loss of their companions had a considerable effect on those that remained but they were also relieved to find that they had not been forgotten. Before we left we promised we would return for them, with the four wheel drive, when the original route again became passable to vehicle traffic.

  In the event four of the remaining personnel decided to walk with us on our return. This left twelve at the cave being the number that could be comfortably picked up by two trips in the remaining vehicle. Unfortunately, however, that number of persons was insufficient to adequately warm the accommodation. It would therefore be necessary for those remaining to be adequately clothed at all times and to receive sufficient hot food necessitating the use of additional fuel. However, they were available to help load the vehicle with all the remaining stores we decide would be necessary, at that time, for those in the primary shelter.

  After the river had solidified sufficiently the removal of the final essential items took only a further 10 trips, amounting to ten days, with the four wheel drive. We intended to look for another vehicle that could be made serviceable as soon as possible; for many reasons, however, this was not then a primary objective.

  We now had a greatly increased store of food per inhabitant and some additional animals of a new, for us at that time, and potentially useful species. These animals consisted, in total, of twenty five sheep with three rams within that number. These were animals of which we had no previous examples though a considerable desire to obtain for our future. Our return to a mechanically clothed society would, hopefully, eventually be enhanced by the material obtainable from the herds we hoped to create from the husbandry of our animals.

  Our original choice of medium sized animals to be maintained within our shelter had been goats. This animal species had been chosen as, without the blast endangered external buildings, we had inadequate space for sufficient animals to make two herds of two similar species. The two species would now provide similar benefits though the wool from the sheep would be considerably more abundant. We had chosen the goats as they would provide more milk, were easier to feed and would provide better quality, if limited quantities, of wool.

  The new animals were distributed, as was our custom, into two separated herds on the ground floor of the now repaired house. The house had been partitioned for this purpose and was designed for the comfort of the animals. The upper floor was
insulated with fibreglass matting and old carpets removed from the houses of the “original group” arranged to further protect the animals from the external environment.

  The chickens that came from the cave were also separated into two separate units, as with our previous flocks. Their new home was within the house together with the sheep. We made a hen-loft for each flock and were hopeful that we would soon obtain further eggs to support our additional numbers. This wish was granted.

  The human food provided by our new arrivals was considerably greater per person of that group than we had started with in our shelter. The cave people had provided very well for themselves as far as quantity of food but unfortunately the quality and variety was not of the best. Though they had less variation of diet they did provide a greater supply of dried and smoked meats.

  The amount of fuel transported from the caves considerably exceeded twenty five thousand litres of diesel and then there was that remaining in the cave. We did not ask how this quantity had been collected; being approximately seven litres per day for the ten years we had originally planned for. We noted, however, that four of the cave inmates had been tanker drivers; even then the storage of such an amount in their caves must have been difficult even when assisted by a pump.

  There was also a number of gas bottles plus the additional petrol within our received bounty. These items were carefully stored in our new external store and the quantity had opened up the idea of restoring some of the petrol vehicles we had found in the villages. The increase in diesel fuel allowed us to augment the daily standard allowance within the shelter to a maximum of eighteen litres (up to four kilowatts) and very occasionally, for special purposes, even more using a second smaller non standard diesel generator.

  This additional use was partly a necessity as we had to provide additional cooked food, ventilation and showers for our increased numbers. The additional fuel allowed some minor extravagances such as more entertainment times, more hot drinks and a slight increase in lighting on the habitation floor.

  The primary advantage we offered our guests was the quality of our accommodation that we had been able to build into our shelter due to our early knowledge of the event. This knowledge had given us the ability to construct an edifice allowing us to maintain a relative level of comfort that we expected to be able to maintain until we exited the shelter. We considered such comfort necessary to maintain the morale of the inmates.

  The newcomers had not only improved their lives but had allowed us to considerably improve ours. Our acceptance of these paying guests had proven to be a mutually attractive proposition. We would now be in a position to offer accommodation and food to a considerable number of additional survivors. We would have the benefit and indeed the pleasure of receiving them in both our rich mans shelters and, if necessary, in the caves. Things were, for now, considerably improved and our long term survival prospects had been similarly enhanced. An additional benefit was that their remained a considerable amount of additional provisions (hence continuity security) in the caves.

  Chapter 11. Life In A Burrow.

  .

  We rapidly consolidated our new guests into our accommodation and their valuable presents into our stores. Next we rearranged the storage of their wonderful gifts into the shelter and outhouses that we were then restoring for this purpose. We also made arrangements to protect our little vehicle for future use. It had proved itself essential for any moderate distance transport in the current difficult environment. Our new friends had provided us with the ability to make additional future use of this facility. The influx of additional personnel opened a new period in our survival efforts. We now had sufficient personnel and the external atmosphere had sufficiently improved to work on such projects as the reasonable restoration of our buildings.

  From our recent experience we believed that further survivors could exist within our area. Some survivors might, even at that time, be nearing the end of their resources and requiring support that we were now able to offer; if only we could find them. It was, unanimously, agreed that we should look for them when the weather improved and, if found and they were prepared to accept us, embrace them into our fold; either internally or externally to our group.

  Because we did not intend to use the vehicle for some time we removed, from the radiator and cylinders, the coolant (stored as it had antifreeze of which we had only a limited supply) to reduce the possibility of ice damage related to the severe cold that still plagued the external environment at night. We supported the chassis on bricks so that the wheels were not supporting the vehicle. For further protection we arranged for repairs to an outbuilding that had included a large, potentially four vehicle or three vehicles if one was a small lorry, garage. This work was performed as rapidly as possible so that we would be able to store further vehicles when they became available. This repaired building was insulated, as far as it was possible, using fibreglass and where available padded cloth insulation. These materials being those we had brought from the builders yard and, where available in acceptable condition, from our “original group’s” houses. We also took some of the remaining unused old carpets from our stores. As the amount of this material proved insufficient some of the insulation was removed from the repaired animal house. This removal only took place where we considered the use of this resource had been excessive for any realistically beneficial effect. We took great care to ensure that our valuable animals were not endangered by this slight decrease in their insulation.

  We assigned one of our gas space heaters to the vehicle and thought that by using this facility when required a vehicle could be made ready within twenty four hours. We proposed using a vehicle to visit the rich mans shelter and the caves so that we could support any visitors that these habitable areas might have attracted and, if none, pick up any stores we required.

  Within the next few months, which would be in August, we intended to walk to the top of the hill above our shelter. A return journey, we estimated, could be completed, on foot, in a few hours. Here we would investigate the region towards the south and use an electronic detector to look for any signs of other survival groups. With this effort we hoped to extend the reach of our support to any living persons requiring it in that area.

  I looked forward to this adventure with considerable interest as I wished to see the effect of the impact on the blast side of the hill. This would be of interest to us as it was the direction from which the blast had come and we would be able to obtain a better idea of the overall situation in that direction. We would be able to see if there was any reasonable prospect of finding some surviving groups there.

  In addition looking towards the south, from the top of the hill, we would have a much better view over a much greater distance of high, though occasionally level, ground. We considered that higher ground would result in a better chance of finding survivors. This would be especially true if the area had been protected from the original blast, as we had been, by more distant higher ground.

  Low level ground, being that land near sea level or at the bottom of valleys, would probably not be a good place to look. We considered that these areas would be too inundated by the uplifted water and the short term massive increase in precipitation we had experienced. In such areas there would be little chance of survivors unless they had managed to get underground with sufficient survival material on relatively high ground where their accommodation would not have been damaged by the blast or swamped by the inundation. In addition to being well protected survivors would have to have accumulated sufficient resources, fuel, food and warmth, to be able to survive. Given the time-frame between the appropriate information being made available to the general public and the impact itself most people, to achieve such a happy combination of resources, would have required early access to previously set up stores of resources. These would be those connected to store owners or farmers who, though of great importance to our future, would not be trained in those requirements necessary to redevelop our technological
society. For them we hoped to be able to provide facilities as an adjunct to their capabilities to the benefit of all.

  The animal house, where we stored the sheep, was looked after by the two shepherds who came to us from the cave. These professionals, who now became an important group within our society, had been assigned two volunteer assistants; also from the cave and apparently friends of those professionals. These persons slept in the shelter, as the cellar and outbuildings were, without using our energy resources, too cold for single sleeping humans to be comfortable.

  The expense of keeping those particular accommodations comfortably habitable for so few persons would have been excessive. One of their number, however, very warmly dressed would remain awake with the animals throughout the night. This arrangement was made by them and would never have been requested or enforced by us as it must have been both an uncomfortable and boring assignment. It was unlikely that these persons would have voluntarily accepted a life of exclusion for any extended period. For this reason they were given access to our shelter which was now, though closed when not required in order to maintain the interior environment, made permanently accessible from the outside. The shepherds were provided with hot food, drink and lighting from our shelter. This luxury was made available to them using thermos flasks in order to limit the number of openings of the shelter access; again to maintain the almost comfortable environment within our shelter.

  On the upper floor of the extension area there were several rooms for the different projects. The steam engine project was a particular interest of mine being, in my opinion, the basis of our medium term future. We definitely required a means of sustainable energy production and steam was, initially, the most likely practical solution. This project was given the largest project room though the electrical generating and battery rooms were, in fact, a little larger.