THE END [[#Wattys2020]]

WEEK 3

Chapter 132: Rock Bottom

Bohdan and Sim Lu (Alcatraz)

"So I ate maggots today. Yup, 'that' happened. They're not half bad, actually.

Chapter 133: Fire Alarm

Jason Livingston (St. Nicolas Island, California Coast)

The sound of what could only be described as a fog horn for five thousand foot giants, let out several ear piercingly loud chirps, jolting me right out of bed, and almost blasting out every window of the barracks in the process!

Egressing my room, I almost, literally, ran right into Chris, and seconds later, Henry, half asleep and without a shirt or shoes.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!!" I yelled, over the ringing in my ears.

"SOME TYPE OF FIRE ALARM?" Chris yelled back.

Chapter 134: Thanks, Dad

Bohdan and Sim Lu (Alcatraz)

"Ok, ready!" I yelled up at Sim, who was now hanging out the top floor window of the apartment building instead of being inside turning the faucet, despite me instructing her to do so as soon as she heard me yell: "Ok, ready!"

"...Ok, ready!!"

We'd finally run completely out of water, which got me thinking again about the spigots and faucets... It was weird that, with the exception of the newer bathrooms built for the tourists, even though we had power, none of the other buildings had water or water pressure. Then I thought... of course, that's exactly why they build those water towers that high in the first place... gravity.

"...Did you turn it on Sim? Do you understand me??"

"Yes!" she yelled back, 'still' hanging out the window. Which meant she really hadn't and didn't, or, she'd turned it on before I said "ok, ready," which meant it was now actually off now.

Most likely the pipes connecting the buildings to the tower were disconnected or had rotted out years ago. Still, we had to try, and there had to be water still trapped in those pipes. Can water trapped hermetically for 50 years go bad? Probably. Have to boil it first, I guess. But I'd rather take my chances with bacteria than radioactive puddles.

"Ok, it was probably already open and you closed it then!" I yelled up.

"What?" Sim yelled back, STILL hanging out the window!

There 'is' a small chance that usage of the water tank and pipes was discontinued because they were lead lined. 'That', on the other hand, would be bad.

"Ok, try another faucet! That one may just not be in the circuit!"

"Ok!" she yelled back, 'still' not moving from the window.

Lead poisoning came on slowly though... after months. Terminal dehydration on the other hand happens within days.

"I go in now, K?"

"Sure, if that's what you want, Sim! Whatever you want babe!!"

...

"What?" Sim replied.

If there was actually water in those pipes, though, even with 1/2in. pipes, with hundreds and hundreds of feet of building, well, that would resolve our issues for quite some time. At least until I could figure something else out... at least another couple weeks. Amazing how much water a person uses... even when conserving!