Memento Mori

Remember that you will die...

Previously:
Next: ?

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Chloe' stood in the pale hospital hallway, almost crying over what had happened in the past 24 hours. Almost every single young stock horse was bogged down and covered in sores, laying in the infirmary of the hospital. Mud was still plastered to their sides, and they still couldn't get Biscuit to stand. Boon would heal up fine from her horrific barbed wire injuries; but was still young and in so much pain. Drips was in a state of complete disaster. Her already fragile mind was shattered by the storm and traumatic run in with the barbed wire, and when anything or anyone made a noise she jumped and shook. She shivered constantly, and her wound were numerous and deep. A brief check through the pastures revealed Dispy with a broken leg, Audrey almost refusing to leaver her side. Grass was burnt everywhere but the rescuers hadn't time to investigate. Josh and Xan were lying in bed at home after a Jeep flipping on them. What could possibly be worse?
As Chloe' tried to wrap her mind around everything, she felt a buzz in her back pocket. Almost numbing to the feel, she didn't get it right away. After a minute of vibrations, she felt for it numbly in her dirty jeans. Looking at the screen of her iPhone5, she sighed. A call from Josh.
"Yeah?"
"How are you doing Chloe'?"
She sighed, "The question is, how are you and Xan?"
She heard a chuckle on the other line and an Australian accent call out "We're doing peachy!"
"Come on guys, no time for jokes. Have you heard from Kelsea or Kenna yet? I've tried calling them, but they must still be in the mountains." Makenna, Sydney, Carlie, Kelsea, and Honiahaka were all on a trail ride camping trip up north for the weekend. Such a nasty storm had not been heard of on the radio, only light sprinkling so the staff had decided for a weekend getaway.
Josh's voice came back, "No , not yet. I'm sure they're doing just fine."
"They've been gone for 5 days though!"
"Welcome to the real world, love. That's camping. They're fine!"
Chloe' was too frustrated to deal with his slightly lackadaisical attitude right now, so she hung up. Her back against the white, sterilized wall, she slowly slid down and sat. After about an hour of thinking, she walked to the infirmary to check on the young stock. The mud on their coats had yet to be washed off, as most of the hospital staff was tending to Boon and Drips. She walked past the stall holding Mimi, and the bay dun mare limped over to the door; sticking her head over it.
"Hey baby," Chloe' cooed. She stroked the young mare's face and ears, scratching behind her ears like she loved. The mare's eyes closed in complete happiness, then Chloe's phone buzzed again. She sighed and reached for it, "I swear, if it's Josh again, I'm gonna..." she mumbled. But no. The screen showed a number she didn't recognize, but a sense of urgency rushed into her.
"This is Chloe' Davis of Blaine River Ranch."
"Good afternoon Miss Davis. This is the Montana division for the United States National Parks and Forestry."
Her heart sunk and a sense of foreboding came over her.
"If you haven't already heard it on the news, we've called to tell you that a trailer crash near Glacier National Park has involved some people, and horses you may know."
She started crying; she couldn't hold it back any longer. The line went silent as she bowed her head and shook it in disbelief.
"Miss Davis, are you there?"
What was meant to be a yes squeaked into the receiver.
"We've called to tell you that there was only one fatality, a horse. All people aboard the truck and trailer got away with scratches and bruises, but I'm afraid the horses got off much worse. Can I text you a link to our private website so you can see the details?"
Silence again.
"Miss Davis?"
Another squeak passed through the receiver.
"I've sent it. All members of the crash are being transported to your ranch by our ranger trucks and two of our trailers. We hope that everything goes well and we'll be contacting you again."
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She thumbed through the website and tear drops landed on the screen. She was overjoyed that the staff was safe, but she was scared for their horses. Nu Peeking, Final Countdown, Fancy Pants, Golden Bay, and Black Whiskey had all been taken on the trip; and she had to find some pictures to see who had passed. 20 minutes later, she found a photos tab. shaking, she clicked it. The top photo made her drop the phone.
A bleeding and unconscious Bay Boy was being hauled out of a trailer by three firefighters and some ropes. The trailer seemed to have completely tipped over the side of the road, but thankfully into the mountain and not over the edge. She couldn't see shapes of other horses in the trailer, but only made out Finn and Bay Boy. As the stories in the website provided, the trailer fishtailed in the heavy and unexpected rain. It went over the side of the road and tipped over, almost rolling, then tipped back again. The horses inside had been thrown around but the humans were safe.
Now the only thing Chloe' had to look forward to was the return of the survivors.