Andy’s Brave New World: Part 1

Ranger Andy survives, the apocalypse in Yosemite.

Based on a post by the
hospital. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.

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Day 1, Yosemite National Park

The park was busy with spring visitors when the first
reports came in. Tourists coughing in the visitor center, a family requesting
medical assistance at Upper Pines campground. Andy helped coordinate with the
park's small medical team, radioing updates to other rangers. Standard protocol
for illness in the park, nothing too concerning yet. That evening, things took
a turn, with the news reporting an alarming spread of similar outbreaks across
California, and the world. Possibly a new avian flu, they said.

Day 2

Everything accelerated. Half the ranger staff called in
sick. The small park clinic was overwhelmed. Andy helped organize an evacuation
point at the visitor center, trying to get sick tourists to hospitals in Fresno
or Modesto. His training kicked in, calm, professional, reassuring visitors
even as his colleague Declan started coughing blood next to him. The ill began
dying in droves. The park superintendent ordered all non-essential personnel to
evacuate. Andy stayed, helping the remaining medical staff set up an impromptu
care center in the lodge. By the evening, Andy felt a fever rise and was soon
sweating through his clothes and coughing up a lung. He weakly barricaded
himself in his cabin and prepared to die like the others.

Day 3

The next morning, Andy woke to fine himself still alive,
surprised to feel slightly better than the night before. He pulled himself out
of his cabin and began his duties. The radio channels went quiet one by one. No
response from Fresno hospitals. The lodge had become a morgue. He spent the
morning doing rounds, checking campsites, finding mostly bodies or critically
ill visitors who died within hours. By evening, he was the only ranger still
moving around. He did his best to care for the sick and dying. Andy wasn't
entirely sure if this was all just an awful dream.

Day 4, Morning

The cough remained in his chest that morning, but Andy
forced himself to continue his rounds. The ranger truck's tires crunched over
broken glass in the parking lot as he checked North Pines Campground. Most
sites were abandoned, their occupants having fled days ago. Others contained
what he couldn't let himself think about yet.

His fevered brain kept switching between ranger protocol and
survival instinct. Check each site. Document. Radio in-- no, the radio was
silent now. Just static and occasional distant screams that were becoming less
frequent.

That's when he saw it, an expensive ultralight tent in
millennial pink and gray, surrounded by matching gear that looked straight out
of an R E I catalog. Too pristine, barely used. A small solar charger lay
futilely pointed at the clouded sky.

"Hello?" His voice was rough from coughing.
"Ranger service. Anyone alive in there?"

"Define 'alive,'" came a strained but steady
voice, followed by a cough.

Andy approached cautiously, unsnapping his holster out of
habit though he knew he wouldn't need it. Inside, a young woman sat
cross-legged in the tent entrance, her expensive Lululemon sports bra and
high-waisted hiking shorts soaked through with fever sweat. Despite everything,
the death, the horror, his own fever, Andy couldn't help noticing how the wet
fabric clung to her curves. Her figure was exactly the type that dominated outdoor
Instagram, slim waist, toned stomach, curved hips, the sports bra struggling to
contain what was clearly meant to be shown off just enough to stay within
platform guidelines. He tried to push the thoughts away and focus, but his eyes
kept betraying him.

She looked up at him with clear eyes, fever-bright but
alert. Mixed Asian-white features that hit that perfect social media sweet
spot, even through the fever, high cheekbones, full lips, almond-shaped hazel
eyes. Her carefully highlighted hair was plastered to her neck, mascara smudged
but intact, like she'd been maintaining her appearance out of sheer habit until
the fever hit. A few light freckles stood out against her flushed skin.
"I'm guessing the 'shelter in place' order isn't working out great for
everyone else either?"

"I'm Ranger Rhee. Andy," he said, noting how her
hands trembled slightly as she reached for her water bottle. "You're sick,
but; not like the others."

"Sarah Chen-Mitchell," she managed between sips.
"And yeah, I noticed. Been listening to people cough and die all night
while I just sat here with what feels like a really bad flu. Not exactly the
wilderness experience I was going for." Her attempt at humor was undercut
by the raw edge in her voice.

Andy saw her Instagram-ready camp setup, the coordinated
cookware still in its packaging, the expensive camera carefully wrapped in a
rain cover, the rose gold water bottle. "We need to get you somewhere
safer. Can you walk?"

"Yeah, just;" She stood unsteadily, unconsciously
adjusting her sports bra, a reflexive gesture that seemed absurd given the
circumstances. "My car's blocked in. I tried to leave but;" She
gestured at the chaos of abandoned vehicles hemming in her pristine Subaru,
many with now-deceased occupants.

"Look, I've got medicine and supplies back at my ranger
unit," Andy said. "Pack whatever clothes and valuables you need.
Leave the camping gear, we can always come back for it if;" he trailed
off, not sure how to end that sentence.

"Right," Sarah said, still shivering slightly in
her wet athletic wear. "I should probably change too."

"Do you need help?" Andy asked, then immediately
regretted how that might sound. "I mean, with packing. You seem pretty
weak."

"No, I've got it," Sarah said quickly, pulling
herself more upright. "Just; give me a few minutes?" Despite
everything, there was still a hint of self-consciousness in her voice.

Andy nodded and stepped away from the tent. "Take your
time. We're not exactly on a schedule anymore."

He heard the tent zip closed, followed by the sounds of her
moving around inside. The rustle of fabric as she changed. Multiple bags being
opened and closed, more than strictly necessary for just grabbing essentials,
he thought. A few quiet muttered comments to herself about what to take. The
distinct sound of what had to be a hairbrush being used. Even now, even here,
some habits die hard. Or maybe it was just her way of holding onto normalcy for
a few more minutes.

Andy stood guard, trying not to listen too closely to her
movements, scanning the eerily quiet campground. A crow called somewhere
nearby. The mountain air was cool and clean, carrying no hint of the
devastation it had helped deliver.

"Ready," Sarah called softly. The tent zipper
opened and she emerged with a large designer backpack, now dressed in a black
Alo Yoga tube top that showcased her toned shoulders and pushed up her
cleavage, paired with high-waisted leggings that clung to every curve. Her face
was scrubbed clean of makeup, but her dark hair was neatly brushed, falling in
waves around her shoulders. The fever flush in her cheeks only enhanced her
natural beauty, that calculated mix of exotic and approachable that had
probably earned her thousands of followers.

She caught Andy's gaze traveling over her body and gave a small,
knowing shrug, arching her back slightly. "I know, I know. Not exactly
survival wear. But it's what I brought for my Instagram hiking content, so;"
She did a little pose, definitely more displaying than mocking now, the
movement emphasizing her curves. Andy found himself watching much longer than
he should, and her slight smile suggested that was exactly the response she'd
wanted.

"We can probably find you something more practical at
the gear store," he managed, forcing his eyes back to her face. "Heavy
duty pants, boots, proper rain gear."

"Perfect," she smiled, her voice dropping slightly
despite her obvious exhaustion. "Though I did bring some actually useful
stuff." She knelt by her bag, the movement making Andy struggle to keep
his eyes up. "Latest gen military water filter, my dad's company makes
them for the marines. Handles way more volume than those little Life Straws.
Satellite uplink that'll work even if the normal networks are down. And this;"

She pulled out a sleek black device. "GoPro 12 with
infrared. Not even on the market yet, I was supposed to demo it next
month."

Clean water for a larger group. Communications. Night
operations. He tried not to sound too eager. "That; could all come in
really handy."

As they walked to his truck, both carefully kept their eyes
forward, ignoring the abandoned cars and what lay inside them. Andy carried her
bag despite her token protest, noticing how she stayed close to his side.

"So," Sarah said once they were in the truck,
adjusting the AC vent toward her flushed face. "How long have you been a
ranger here?" The question seemed deliberately normal, almost absurdly so
given the circumstances.

"Three years here. Before that, two years at Joshua
Tree."

"Oh, I was just at Joshua Tree! That Hidden Valley trail
at sunset, it was so beautiful." She spoke wistfully, her enthusiasm
fading as the weight of