Welcome everyone, to this story an epic adventure. My name is Jason and this is my first time trying to write something that not for school or work or whatever. I'm just writing because I can. This story is not about me, I'm not even in it! It's about some other dude and his about as close to real life as I can make it Pokemon adventure. I believe this is what the world might be like if Pokemon were real so read on and review if you feel like it.

The Shortest Straw

January 18, 2000 8:32 pm

I looked up at the clock. The time looked to be about 8:30pm. That's when Tim entered the room from his office located on the other side of the counter.

"What do you have for me tonight Tim?" I asked.

"Well Robert, it's a bulldozer. I was originally going to have you take it all the way up to Circle. But with the storm being as close as it is. I decided that you only need to go as far as Central." Tim said as he pointed to a map on a nearby wall.

"Storm? What storm?" I asked slightly annoyed that I was not told that I would be driving in to a storm when Tim contacted me on the Citizens' Band radio earlier this evening.

"Well, a big snow storm came off the Beaufort Sea and is headed south towards Fairbanks. I received reports that parts of the Dalton Highway are shut down." Tim said as he took a seat behind the counter.

"Well it looks like those Carlile boys won't be making there dough tonight." I said as we both laughed. "Well I better be on my way then, I don't want to get snowed in up there." I said as I made my way towards the door.

"Hey! Master of reality, Take this." Tim gave me a mallet. "You might want to master the reality of that trailer not being moved all season." Tim said as he laughed again. He noticed the shirt I was wearing. It was a black T-shirt with the Master of Reality logo on it from Black Sabbath's 1971 album.

I put on my hat and coat and headed out the door. Looking at the thermometer hanging outside the door it read -37 degrees Fahrenheit. It was getting colder, and fast. It was already night time, making the walk back to my cab difficult.

After almost slipping on ice a few times I make it to the door of company owned 1997 Freightliner Condo. The truck is white with a blue stripe going all the way around it and the Tim's Trucking logo on the door. This is the cab I have been assigned to this season. After all the profit I helped him earn last season he had some left over to purchase two newer cabs at a slightly used price.

I open the door and climbed inside. I went to the back part of the cab also known as the sleeper, where I had been resting and getting ready to turn in for the night after my last run before being assigned this new task. I grabbed my work gloves off the shelf that also had stuff on it like a pack of disposable razors and a can of shaving cream, a roll of paper towels and a few rolls of toilet paper and a shopping bag of snacks because you can never be over prepared for the dangers out here. I sat in the driver seat and closed the door.

With the diesel engine already running I flicked on the lights. Now that I could see where I was going, I pushed in the yellow parking brake knob and shifted the gear out of neutral and pulled out of my spot. Driving around the yard I spotted a drop-deck flatbed trailer and on top of it was a small Caterpillar bulldozer. It was going to be used for snow removal from the main road and isolated towns after the storm.

I shifted in to reverse and looked in my mirrors to make sure I was lined up with the trailer. Slowly backing up I felt the movement of my cab come to a jarring halt from my 5th wheel making contact with the trailer hitch. I put the truck in neutral and pulled the parking knob and the brakes let out a slight hissing noise. I took my work gloves off the dash board and put them on.

After climbing down from the cab I made my way to the hitch, I pushed in the lever making sure my 5th wheel was locked on to the hitch and then I connected the air and electrical lines. Upon inspection of the trailer I found that the lights are working and the chains that are holding the bulldozer to the trailer are secure. But there was ice and snow freezing the brake pads to the drum.

I want back to the cab and grabbed the mallet that Tim gave me and got on my back and worked my way under the trailer. I started whacking away at the drums and after a few hits the snow and ice came falling from the brake pads. After several minutes of hitting the drums I finally got all six of them free.

I climbed out from under the back of the trailer and dusted off the back of my coat. I was starting to feel the cold on my face by now so I wasted no time cranking up the landing gear and getting back to the cab.

I close the door and turn the heater up to full blast. I remove my gloves and my jacket and tossed them on to the small bed behind me. After pushing the parking break and the trailer air supply knobs I looked at the mirrors as I pulled forward to see that the trailers wheels are rolling. I headed towards the exit of the yard.

I notice as another driver, Danny, was pulling in to the yard to seek cover from the approaching storm. I gave a quick honk of the air horn and a wave and then I pulled out on to the road.

Highway to Hell

January 18, 2000 9:07 pm

It was around 9pm when I turned on to Alaska state route 2 north bound AKA Steese Highway. It was nice and smooth and I was going about 55mph and the best part was since the news about the storm was going around I had both lanes to myself. Going south bound in to Fairbanks there was a steady flow of traffic trying to escape the north and seek cover in the city.

After 7 minutes of travel the road narrows down to two lanes and there is no more passing lane and no longer a concrete barrier between me and oncoming traffic it is now just a solid double yellow line. Sometimes in some places a single dashed yellow line indicating that you can move over to pass someone if you are sure there is no oncoming traffic. Tonight was not one of those nights, I had to stay on my side of the road.

Slowing down to 45mph I turned on my CB radio to try and get some news on the storm. It sounded like three truckers from Carlile were talking as they were convoying back to Fairbanks.

("-" Indicates intrusive radio static.)

Trucker Y: "I couldn't see anything but the road markers and your tail lights."

Trucker X: "Well that's how it is out here, one minute you see the road and the next-"

Trucker Z: "Ya, I almost went in to the ditch for a second."

Trucker X: "I heard that a lot of people are stuck up in Coldfoot for - night."

Trucker Y: "Is that one of Tim's boys headed north bound?"

Trucker Z: "Looks like it."

Trucker X: "Hey, Timmy, you got your radio on?"

Rob: "Tim's boy" Said with the maximum amount of sarcasm legally allowable. "Rob here, go ahead."

Trucker X: "I see you are making a last minute delivery, where are you going?"

Rob: "I'm going to Central."

Trucker Y: "That's route 6."

Trucker X: "I don't know - conditions up that way."

Trucker Z: "He's going to get caught in the storm and be stranded up there."

Trucker X: "Well Rob - stuck - off the road."

Rob: "Repeat, I didn't copy."

Trucker X: "D-d-ae-e- "

Trucker Z: "He said don't - yourself killed"

Rob: "Copy that."

I was now out of there CB range because we were going in opposite directions. It didn't take long to reach the small town of Fox. I saw the sign for AK route 6 north and I slowed down and got in the turn lane. Now on route 6 I saw a sign that read Chatanika 17 mi, Central 118mi, and Circle 152mi. well I got 118 miles to go.

Now that I was off the main trucking route my CB fell silent with the occasional static here and there. I turned it off as it was of no use to me now, I was on my own. The road was still clear with a few oncoming cars and pickups but for the most part the drive was nice and smooth, a calm before the storm I guess.

About an hour later I passed mile marker 59. I was still driving on paved road and I could see the center line in my headlights but it was faded and the asphalt was getting rough from years of being beaten on by trucks like mine.

By this time the cloud accumulation was to the point to where there was no longer moon light and all I could see was what my headlights wanted me to see. I flicked in my high beams to see that the road ahead of me dipped down and back up again so I pushed down on the clutch and adjusted my gear accordingly.

Once I rounded the top of the hill the road went down and back up again but this time jogging to the left then back to the right. Shortly after seeing the sign for mile 60 reflecting in my lights that's when it happened.

A single snow flake hit my windshield. It was soon accompanied by many others. With a light snow fall I could still see where I was going. A few miles later I passed a yellow diamond sign that said PAVEMENT ENDS and shortly after I passed it I felt a bump and heard the sound of my tires hitting compacted snow and I slowed down to 35 mph.

I wanted to keep my speed up so I may have a chance at beating the storm before it got any worse. The clock on my radio read 10:43pm and by this time the snow was making it difficult to see more then 10ft in front of me.

On the Dalton Highway they had reflector poles on the side of the road to help motorists see the road, all I had were tire tracks and the difference between compacted snow and the high snow bank that lay along both sides of the road from being pushed aside by bulldozers like the one I was hauling.

Looking Back

January 18, 2000 11:05 pm

It seems like driving in intense conditions like this gives you a change to think about things. Like who you are and why you're here.

Well my full name is Robert Hennery Laine (its pronounced Lane). I am 25 years old and weigh around 130lbs and stand at a height of 5ft 8in. I have blue eyes and short brown hair and pale white skin, except for my arms and face, a trucker tan is just part of the job. I don't regular work out but my job, among other things keep me in fairly good physical shape.

I am a high school dropout. I dropped out my senior year to become a mechanic, my dad noticed that I was really good at working on engines and what not after I helped him fix his vehicles often, that's why my dad passed his van down to me. I soon after found a job working for Conrail up in Erie Pennsylvania.

When the railroad was bought out by a larger company I was laid off, now out of work I decided to follow in my father's footsteps and get my CDL so I could become a cross country truck driver. And while the money was enough to get by, I was told "If you want to make real money than go to Alaska" and so did, and I got last year's pay to show it.

I applied for Carlile, but they said that I was inexperienced as an extreme conditions trucker. So that's why I don't drive the haul road all the way up to Deadhorse. But I was employed by a smaller company named Tim's Trucking. The company is owned by Tim Bandar. He has been in business since 1983. With a staff of about 10 people. We move cargo to small local towns near Fairbanks. This will be my second year working there.

I'm originally from Erie, Pennsylvania but due to one of my ex-girlfriends trying to kill me while at the same threating to take her own life was a good enough reason for me to move out of my parents' house a get a place of my own far away from there. And far away from the crazy she-beast. I think she is locked up in a mental hospital now.

I now live in Raleigh, North Carolina. When I'm not working I like to hang out with my friends and drink beer. But when it comes to earning my pay I will do whatever it takes to get the job done. I guess I inherited my passion for work from my father, who like me is a truck driver himself. But unlike him I am not dedicated to a single company.

I take whatever work I can find and if I like it I will return for more. That's why I'm in Alaska, the pay is great but the risk is high. Unlike the lower states most of the towns in Alaska only have about 100 people or so living in them and most of the roads up here are made of dirt and gravel and are snow covered in the winter, just like the one I am driving on right now.

Beyond Hell

January 18, 2000 11:37 pm

"Fuck." I said out loud as I looked at the engine temperature gauge. The temperature was dropping and if the engine gets to cold it will stall out. I had to pull over and find the source of the problem.

Luckily for me the snow fall had slowed down greatly. And I could see the full range of my headlights. I found a nice flat area on the road at the bottom of a slight grade. I put on my 4-way flashers and pulled as far right as I could without getting stuck in the snow bank. Putting the truck in neutral and pulling the yellow parking brake knob sticking out of the middle of my dashboard, I reached for my coat and gloves and opened the door.

It was nasty outside. It was dark and cold and the wind was blowing through the valley. It felt to be around -50 degrees Fahrenheit. I pulled out my flashlight and walked to the front of the hood, the source of my problem was quickly spotted.

A hook holding a yellow insulated tarp over the grill of the truck came loose and the tarp was dangling down by the bumper letting high amounts of cold air under the hood. I grabbed the hook and remounted the tarp over the grill. Simple solution to a simple problem.

I also took this opportunity to check on my load. I made my way back to the trailer to notice some snow had accumulated on the bottom of the bulldozers plow and on the bottom of the front window on the hood.

I put my hand on each of the chains that were securing the bulldozer to the trailer to make sure they were all still tight. The chains were extremely cold but were holding on tight. Looked at the taillights, all of them were working.

I made my way swiftly back to the cab and climbed back inside to be greeted by the warmth. Closing the door I unzipped my jacket and took off my gloves and threw them on the passenger seat.

I pushed the parking brake knob in and shifted back in the driving gears. As I started getting back towards the center of the road I took off the 4-way hazard lights.

Hell is often depicted as a world filled with fire and flames. By now I would welcome a world of fire, anything to escape this frozen wasteland. Imagine that you went to hell and instead of fire you were greeted with a frozen nothingness. No one around to hear your screams for help, all you have around you is endless miles of forest. No shelter from the cold.

If my truck stops working I will lose the heater that is keeping me warm. They will find me wrapped up in a blanket frozen to death. Or I could wander in to the forest to be hunted down by some wild animals. Those are my only options out here.

Having cross the bridge over Willow Creek not too far back I knew that I had to drive about 30 more miles. I pressed on keeping my speed around 35mph.

Pressing On

January 19, 2000 12:24 am

Only 5 more miles I keep telling myself. By now there was a dense ice fog in the air accompanied by the rapidly falling snow. The wind was blowing strong, sending blowing snow across the road surface and catching the bulldozer and the top of the cab and throwing my truck all over the road. With this and the fog it was hard to see past my hood.

I flicked on the high beams and all it did was make the wall of fog in front of me brighter, almost blinding me so I flicked them off. My wipers were going at full speed to keep the snow from accumulating on the windshield. About a mile later I hit a strong bump that sent snow flying up over my hood. I jerked the wheel and moved the truck back to the center of the narrow road.

I keep hitting these mounds of snow that had blown on the road ever couple hundred feet or so. I passed a school zone sign so I know that this nightmare was almost over. I would need to find a place to stay for a few days as the road was cleared using the bulldozer I was bringing. I exited the school zone and to my left I could see the lights of houses between the trees.

I passed the post office on my right and then I hit another bump this one a lot stronger than the other ones. The truck pulled sharply to the right and the tires went off the road and in to small ditch. I couldn't get the wheel to go to the left, it quickly pulled the trailer in to the ditch. There was a sharp upwards bump that sent the front of the truck a few feet off the ground along with the sound of wood cracking. I was thrown in to the air from my seat. And at that instant I put my arms over my head and closed my eyes. Before I could make my way down to my seat the truck impacted a large object in its path. The last thing I remember was being sent forward and the sounds of shattering glass and the crunching of metal. I should have been wearing my seat belt.