7 The Contest
The first thing that I saw was a Blue text box. Kind of reminds me of the blue screen of death. It said the following.
Welcome Contestants
To The First Ever
Karmic Contest
Rules:
Longest survivor wins
Get an additional 1 minutes for each KP gained
Good Luck
The Screen went blank and all I was looking at was black. I couldnt see a damn thing.
Shit my eyes are closed.
I'm in the sleeper of a big rig. It's a bright red with programable accent lights. Has a nice cloth interior with a bit of a sporty look. Each seat has a sport harness with 5 point restraint. Makes me feel like I'm driving a sport car. The center dash has a large touch screen media center with what looks to be every song known to man with several mood play lists cued up. I tap on journey with a sub set of country. First song is country road.
Looking at the dash I see another dial with a count down clock ticking away the minutes. It says at the top that its my drivers log and I have 1 hour and 3 minutes before I can hit the road. Apparently I have a cargo of chicken and beef on its way to a KFC distribution center in Alabama. The trailer I have connected is a 53 foot refrigerator, It has 10000 pounds of cargo. I decided to hop out and do a pre trip inspection, I don't know how I know how to do one as it wasn't part of the requested downloaded knowledge. I'm going to put it up to the fact I picked Random.
Upon doing my safety check I find that this truck's engine is the weirdest thing ever, it just looks abnormal. My instinctive knowledge is telling me that its internals are in a K set up with 4 pistons going to the same cylinder. The walls are 25% thicker, the pistons are only 60% the size of a normal engine. It has about 700 horsepower and 4000 foot pounds of torque at 2000 PRMs, AND It gets about 25 Miles per gallon. This is like a truckers dream machine. Then I have lots of parameters that seem to pop up pointing to every thing. I can't really see them but I know that they are there.
That's the point I realize that this is not a truckers dream unless he likes to work on his tuck for a week every other month. Each piston has 6 pressure rings. There are 4 crank shafts that lead to a primary transmission that groups and combines each crank shaft to the same output leading to the main transmission. Which is the one primarily use when shifting. Then you have the secondary transmission used for terrain setting. It has a setting for hills, mountains, and flat.
It all checks out.
After that was completed I went to the truck stop restroom to wash up. Once inside I realized a startling truth. I haven't taken a shit in over 3 life times, though I still don't have to go. I hope this life lasts longer. Once washed up I head in to the truck stop proper and get a to-go breakfast, several Dr. Peppers, and 12 granola power bars. Once paid I head back to the truck. I have 12 minutes before I can hit the road. Checking the fuel gage says the truck tanks are full and the trailer tank is nearly so. I start the truck and warm it up to operating temperature.
"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!" The alarm finally went off
I put the truck in gear. Navigating my way out of the lot. Once at the turn a transparent Screen pops up.
'BESS' THE COW, HAS PERISHED AND MOVED ON.
NET SCORE
TIME: 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES
KP: 30
FINAL SCORE: 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES
That screen went away to be replaced with another
FIRST PLACE 'BESS' THE COW
That screen went away as well.
So I just got to make it another 30 minutes to beat a cow. I can do this. I pull in to traffic and follow the GPS to my destination. Pulling on to Interstate 65 south.
31 minutes later another Screen pops up.
'BESS' THE COW HAS LOST FIRST PLACE STATUS
The screen goes away
Another screen pops up
MARK ANTHONY, HAS PERISHED AND MOVED ON.
NET SCORE
TIME: 1 HOUR, 45 MINUTES
KP: -3
FINAL SCORE: 1 HOUR 42 MINUTES
That screen goes away to be replaced by another
MARK ANTHONY IS IN LAST PLACE.
Great... I wonder how he got a negative score. Probably walked in to traffic or something.
4 hours later the traffic is begins to get heavy, I stop at a Flying J truck stop just North of the Tennessee border. Fuel is still good. I on the other hand need an oil change. So I stop to use the restroom for the first time in 3 life times.
Man it felt good.
On the way out I hear the clerks talking about a comet that's supposed to be coming in to close earth orbit tomorrow morning. Supposed to be amazing. Only Comet that shines a bright red. It also has a very long elliptical orbit. Scientists say it will not come this close for at least another million years or something.
Back to the truck. Traffic information on the GPS is telling me that there was a wreck right on the border on the interstate causing the traffic to slow to a crawl. I decided to take highway 31W untill it reaches interstate 65 again.
As I pull out I see this lady who looks like she needs a ride. For some reason she reminds me of a character from Knight of the Old Republic. Looking at my travel log I am 39 minutes ahead of schedule. I decided to stop an see if she needs help.
The blue screen of death appears as I pull to a stop.
'SLIPPY' THE FROG, HAS PERISHED AND MOVED ON.
NET SCORE
TIME: 5 HOUR, 5 MINUTES
KP: 3
FINAL SCORE: 5 HOUR 8 MINUTES
The blue screen of death went away to be followed by another
'SLIPPY' THE FROG IS IN 1ST PLACE
IN 2ND PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 3RD PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 4TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 5TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 6TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 7TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 8TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 9TH PLACE 'BESS' THE COW
IN 10TH PLACE MARK ANTHONY
Well that was different. I had the whole list pop up this time. I finally stop and roll down the passenger window and call out to the lady. "You need a lift? Im headed to Alabama followed by Southern Florida."
She replies "Florida Sounds nice."
She gets in. I demonstrate how to buckle and unbuckle the harness. The way it works is a little unusual.
Once buckled up I do the whole captain things " Welcome aboard. My name Is 'Fast' Eddie. Don't know why they call me fast as I only do just over the speed limit. This conveyance came equipped with many safety features, such as Seat belts which I upgrade to these harnesses. air bags, anti lock breaks, and shatter proof glass." I then began pointing to the following "Emergency exits are to the left and right of this conveyance, please allow for the vehicle to come to a complete stop before exiting. Hatch located on the roof in the sleeper compartment in the case of a roll over. Fire extinguishers located underneath the seat on both sides, please don't need them." I made a few other absurd comments that were technically true on the different features in the truck. finally got that laugh I was going for.
The screen came and went. I was able to ignore it.
"Hahaha. Your funny. Well 'Fast' Eddie my Name is Bastille"
"That's a nice name. Sounds like the fortress in France."
"Exactly! Finally someone gets it. I normally get comments like 'that's a weird name.' I think I was given this name as Bastion sounds like a boy"
I get a chuckle at that. Bastille and I talk back and forth. I am enjoying our conversation when I hit a skunk as it dashes across the road.
'FLOWER' THE SKUNK, HAS PERISHED AND MOVED ON.
NET SCORE
TIME: 6 HOUR, 45 MINUTES
KP: 2
FINAL SCORE: 6 HOUR 47 MINUTES
To be followed by
'FLOWER' THE SKUNK IS IN 1ST PLACE
IN 2ND PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 3RD PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 4TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 5TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 6TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 7TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 8TH PLACE 'SLIPPY' THE FROG
IN 9TH PLACE 'BESS' THE COW
IN 10TH PLACE MARK ANTHONY
It had to be a coincidence. I just happened to run over a skunk as 'Flower' died. After a pause in our conversation I inform my companion. "I think I just ran a suicidal skunk over."
Bastille looked at me shocked. Our conversation lapsed for awhile. I decided to put on Star Wars Episode 4 radio broad cast. It was good. Bastille was fascinated. It was like she had never heard of Star Wars. At first she was just absentmindedly listening. But as it went on her interest was steadily increasing. Finally she began to ask question about the series. I answered as best as I could. Eventually we made it to the distribution point in Alabama.
Once unloaded "OK. Now that the Cargo is off loaded we have options. I can take you to a hotel, you can sleep in the sleeper, or you can find other transportation. My next cargo will not be available until the morning."
With a confused expression Bastille "You mean the Cargo area behind us? It looks uncomfortable."
I hop up and show her how the bunk beds fold down and how the privacy curtain doubles as a projector screen. She chooses the top bunk. So I drive us to the Love's truck stop near the Warehouse. As I pull in The blue Screen of Death pops up again.
'SHARK BAIT' THE GOLD FISH, HAS PERISHED AND MOVED ON.
NET SCORE
TIME: 8 HOUR, 18 MINUTES
KP: 0
FINAL SCORE: 8 HOUR 18 MINUTES
Blue Screen blinked, and the contents changed.
'SHARK BAIT' THE GOLD FISH IS IN 1ST PLACE
IN 2ND PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 3RD PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 4TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 5TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 6TH PLACE 'HIDDEN'
IN 7TH PLACE 'FLOWER' THE SKUNK
IN 8TH PLACE 'SLIPPY' THE FROG
IN 9TH PLACE 'BESS' THE COW
IN 10TH PLACE MARK ANTHONY
I really want to watch finding Nemo but its not in the system.
I take Bastille in to the truck stop we each take a shower followed by a meal at subway. Afterwards we hop in to bed and I put on star wars episode 4. Bastille keeps up a running commentary on how things were different from the audio version.
The next day all hell breaks lose.
It started out normal. We got up had breakfast at sub way. Brushed our teeth and off to the warehouse we went.
At 6:42 AM every vehicle and machine that had a circuit board became homicidal. It was Hell on earth. Every where you looked Trucks were running people over. Going through homes. Over all causing destruction.
The blue screen of death began to spam me with messages of people dying. I spent the next 6 hours attempting to turn off the truck, avoid people, and over all do all I could to keep Bastille and I in one piece.
Eventually everyone nearby was either dead, dying, or in a place inaccessible to trucks. It was just Bastille and I left. The truck began to speed up heading down the interstate. The steering column became frozen in place a truck followed on our left another on our right keeping us from jumping out. In front of us I can just see another truck coming right at us. So I turn to Bastille and say. "I wish we could have met sooner, but I'm glad we met when we did. This has been one of the happiest times of my life. Well until that whole 'trucks' are trying to kill every one."
Bastille replied with emotion " I as well. Wish I would have met you much earlier in my life. It probably would have been full of enjoyment and companionship instead of my lonely and miserable existence prior to meeting you."
We hit that on coming truck at 139 miles per hour Bastille and I died near instantly when the other truck invaded the passenger compartment at speed.
YOU HAVE DIED
YOUR SCORE
31 HOURS 18 MINUTES
623 KP
FINAL SCORE
41 HOURS 41 MINUTES
