Author's Note: The majority of this story takes place in the Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness, which is deep in the Santa Monica Mountains. UPDATED 12-26-2012.
Disclaimer: Emergency! and its characters belong to someone else. No profit was made in the writing of this story.
The Storm
1
A long and tiring workday was coming to an end for the men of Station 51 and not too soon for Mike Stoker who had plans for a weekend getaway by himself where he could relax and unwind.
Hanging his work shirt in his locker, Marco glanced over at the station's Engineer. "So where exactly are you going?"
Sitting on the bench tying his shoe, Mike glanced up at his friend's question. "Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness," he replied. "I used to hike there with my dad when I was a kid and have been there a few time since, though not in awhile. I figured now would be a good time to go back."
"Yeah, I've been there with Joanne and the kids," chimed in Roy as he put on his jacket. "It's a nice place and really peaceful. Joanne and I loved it."
Johnny nodded in agreement. "I've been there a few times too. They have some pretty good trails and not only is it peaceful, it's quiet. When I went, there weren't many people."
"Exactly why I'm going," Mike replied as he stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I could use a quiet, peaceful place with not many people around."
Marco shook his head, closing his locker door. "I hear you on that one. After this shift, I think all of us could use a place like that."
"Speak for yourself, Marco," said Johnny as he headed toward the door. "I got a date and after this shift, I'm looking forward to it."
"With who?" Chet asked, squinting at the paramedic in curiosity.
Johnny grinned at the curly haired fireman. "With a girl," he answered jokingly as he walked out of the locker room.
Roy shook his head as he closed the door to his locker and proceeded toward the door. He stopped and turned toward his three crewmates. "He has a date with Joanne's cousin," he informed, walking out of the locker room and bringing a chuckle to the three men he left behind.
Marco sat down on the bench and put on his shoes. Looking up at Mike, he asked, "Would you mind if I came a long?"
"You don't have anything planned?"
Marco shook his head. "Nope. My parents are flying down to San Francisco for a wedding and my sister is going to be house sitting for them. So not much for me to do this weekend. What do you say?"
Mike shrugged his shoulders. "Sure," he answered. "When can you be ready?"
"I can be ready by tonight."
Mike nodded and headed toward the door. "Alright, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning around seven."
EMERGENCY!
The weekend had arrived and with the weather conditions extremely perfect for a hiking trip, Mike and Marco decided to make it a little longer than just a weekend trip and were now on the third day of their hiking expedition which proved to be an ideal one for hiking with clear blue skies, various kinds of birds chirping and not a soul to be seen except for the two hikers making their way steadily down one of the trails of the Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness.
"This is the life," Marco beamed, breathing in the fresh air. "No street noises and no sirens going off. Nothing but clean blue skies and complete solitude. It's too bad that tomorrow is our last day up here."
Mike smiled and nodded in agreement. "I always tell myself that when the time comes for me to retire, this is the kind of place I'm going to move to."
"Nah," Marco replied, waving his friend off. "This is great for getting away, but I could never really move to a place where there weren't many people nearby."
Mike chuckled as he stopped and leaned against a tree. "I guess I'm just tired of living in an apartment building where your neighbors know what time you come home and what time you leave every day."
Marco removed his pack and grabbed his canteen. Taking a sip of the cool water, he nodded. "I know what you mean. I got the same problem, especially with the little old lady that lives across from me. Always has to open her door when I come home and say hello." He shrugged before continuing. "I guess she's just lonely."
Mike was about to answer, when something to the east caught his attention. "We may not have blue skies for long," he observed. "Looks like a storm is heading our way."
Marco squinted, seeing the dark bulgy clouds with flashes of lightening in the distance. "Judging from those clouds, I'd say it will hit in less than an hour."
"If not sooner," Mike said. "It should only take about fifteen or twenty minutes to get back to the car. It would be best if we head back and start again tomorrow morning before we head back home."
Marco nodded in agreement. "I think you're right. There's no telling how bad that storm is going to be and with as dry as it's been, I'd hate to be around any brush that could possibly catch fire."
The two began walking back, both keeping a close eye on the approaching storm. Neither knew for sure if they would make it back to Mike's car before the storm hit, but both did know that if they had any chance of making it out of there safely, heading back to the car was their only option.