Thursday (Gaming)

by Bones , The Last City, Earth, Sol System, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 11:27 (1 day, 19 hours, 11 min. ago) @ Bones

THURSDAY
LOCAL CALENDAR: MAY 21, 2026
MILITARY CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER 20, 2552

I awaken early in the morning with the rising sun and squint to see the clock - 07:00. I’ve already lost sleep and the four-day festivities haven’t even begun… but that’s of little consequence when I’m this excited. I quickly slip out of bed and – being the true boomer that I am – crack open my energy drink of choice. As the first drops of citrus goodness hit my tongue, I feel the rush of God’s most glorious elixir bring life to these old bones. Just a few sips later and I’m in the shower, washing away the sin and guilt of breaking into His chosen nectar so early in the day.

Clean of conscience and spirit, I emerge and immediately resume the work - organizing and prepping the equipment and materials. I’ve been planning this event for months; you’d think I’d have completed packing by now, but these things have a habit of creeping up last minute. I’m checking my manifest and marking off items as I do so, with the quiet whisper of “you’re forgetting this thing” slowly fading into the background noise of my mind.

Suddenly, the time is 11:00 hours and I’m traveling to acquire cargo transport; the nine-foot UHAUL van that I’ve reserved it ready and waiting. I notice a ping from the Discord server we setup for the event –

“Supply transport on the move.”

Excellent. My brother in arms (Revenant) and his wife (Fembot) have begun their great journey south-by-southwestward. I smile and appreciate the terminology as I approach the rental location, my excitement growing more and more. I’m home again and loading by noon; boxes of varying size and shape now fill half the once spacious compartment and I realize that I neglected to purchase securement straps. No matter – I’ve stacked boxes professionally in the past and have mastered the art.

As I continue to load, I’m accosted by a phone call from my father; he wants to wish me well on my travels and impart some last-minute wisdom. What’s promised to be some quick words expands to fill the entirety of my hour-long loading process, with inquiries ranging from the contents I’m bringing to the feelings I’m having about the event. I chuckle internally and carry on the conversation while carrying on the packing; my dad’s excited for me and just wants to share in that. Mid-conversation, I notice another ping –

“Refueled and on the road again.”

A photo of the newly-opened Buc-ee’s location in Ohio rests below the text. A southern treasure, I’d heard the legend of Buc-ee’s but wasn’t aware at the time just how much it would factor into our festivities. That’s a story for later, though. Half an hour later, I’ve finished loading the van, locked the rear and side doors, and prepped for final departure. I smirk and decide to carry on the theme on Discord –

“Pelican Bravo-53 outbound! Somebody order heavy lift gear?”

As I escape the city limits and enter the open road, the sun is high and the sky is bright; an absolutely beautiful day for traveling. The rather uneventful yet peaceful drive sees me pass Indiana University in Bloomington, and the great plains give way to the gentle hills and rock wall outcroppings of southern Indiana. Nearing closer to the lodge we’ve booked, I cruise through a narrow road section between red-brown rock wall – and for just a heartbeat, I’m transported to my own little gulch and ponder why we’re here.

I’m the first to arrive and momentarily hit an impasse; the GPS coordinates state that I’ve arrived, but there’s nothing in sight. I’d reconned the location via Google Maps beforehand, but that was several weeks ago and I remembered the roads orientating slightly differently. I did remember the listing stating the property was on a hill, so I spot the nearest gravel road and decide to let fate take the wheel – passing between stone pillars (eventually marked with a florescent cross for better navigation) and forward unto my destiny.

I am not prepared, however, for the sudden turbulence. The van’s hydraulics sway and rock as I bounce across multiple cracks in the narrow road – perhaps traveling just a tad too fast for comfort – and the engine groans as I floor the accelerator to ascend the sudden steep hill. As I crest the worst of the incline, I let out a gentle sigh as the recognizable red silhouette of the lodge appears in view.

“Bravo-53 on-station; DZ clear. I'm settin' her down!”

After introducing myself to the oddly curt groundskeeper/brother-in-law of the property owners (whom is working at the nearby shed for reasons unknown) and performing a preliminary inspection of the property, I resume the work – pulling the van around to the rear door and unloading the delicate goods within. All the while, I can feel the prying eye of my groundskeeper guest, probably wondering what type of tomfoolery these damn city folk went to the trouble of renting a UHAUL van for.

It's not long before Discord pings again –

“Supply transport has landed.”

Through the rectangular windows of the event room, I catch streaks of orange and white flash by as Revenant and Fembot rumble past in their own UHAUL van. I immediately drop what I’m doing and move for the rear door to greet them. I’m met outside by two sunglass-sporting figures – Revenant in the driver seat with one midwestern elbow hanging out of the window and Fembot in the co-pilot seat. We exchange great hugs and great tales of the land of Buc-ee, then open up the large garage door at the rear of the event room. As we team-lift numerous boxes, large televisions, and even larger plastic totes into the event space, the groundskeeper’s car idles at the far end of the parking area. We can’t see his face through the shadowed windshield, but we all instinctively feel his leering eye upon us again. We eventually finish lugging everything inside and secure the garage door closed; the groundskeeper’s vehicle roars to life and speeds off down the gravel road, kicking up plumes of heavy dust as it grows smaller in the distance.

As we unpack and plot out the intended setup, the Discord pings chime off and on for an hour or so –

“The curved arrow will leave the ancient bow tomorrow at approximately 06:00.”
“Albatross Sierra November 058 inbound. ETA 120 mikes. Coming in heavy - need a clear LZ.”
“Unloaded troop transport STBM01 en route to temporary holding area Bloomington. Picking up stragglers on second leg.”

– until I receive an incoming call; it’s my friend and old-school Halo teammate, KG. Facing the same directional dilemma while trying to find the property, he’s continued down the wrong road and run smack-dab into a very creepy-looking, chained-closed cemetery gate – with seemingly no path forward or out. Eventually, after some navigational discussion, he’s found his way back to the stone pillars and braves the deathly ascent of the steep hill.

I welcome KG with a massive hug, as he is a massively tall man and deserving of a hug befitting his stature. As I begin to inquire about unloading his bags, I catch a glimpse of the shimmering equipment in the rear of his hatchback and pause; the mad lad has brought an entire mobile kitchen including a car-battery-powered cooler, a mobile cooking range, and his own freakin’ propane tank. He questions my incredulousness and declines my offer to help haul equipment inside, so I return to the lodge and at least identify the nearby bedroom as his personal staging ground and accommodations.

Within an hour or so, the remaining members of the pre-event crew arrive – our resident shutterbug Korny Munky and our local giggle-factory Syndrome. We put a pause on our activities to exchange welcomes, hugs, and tales of their great expedition north. Syndrome reveals that she’s woven friendship bracelets sporting each person’s gamertag for the event, and hands out those of the early arrivals.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, we continue again the work – we outline the gameplan for the final setup, we stand and align tables, we station televisions and Xboxes, we wire ethernet cables and tape power cords to the floor, we erect frames and lights, we unfurl and hang signage, and slowly... the vision we’ve dreamed and collaborated on for months becomes reality. But for now, only a taste –

As the sun begins to wane and clouds roll over our heads, we break – our resident master chef begins dinner preparations while the rest of us take in the scenery (and mostly get out of the way to let the man cook).

We sit down in the rather spacious dining room, tired and slightly sweaty after hours of lifting and building, and are greeted with the heavenly aroma of delicious Korean Fried Chicken. What becomes a reoccurring theme and unanimously-held opinion throughout the weekend, chef KG presents us an immaculate meal with all the fixings and explains each dish. I do my best to pronounce Korean words. Revenant laments Korny filming everything. Syndrome explains her excitement with guttural cave-woman grunting. I’m content just being in the presence of family.

After dinner, there’s still much to do and we resume the work… albeit at a slightly more relaxed pace. Eventually, as the night grows darker and longer, and our eyelids become heavier, we say our ‘good nights’. I wander back to my room and, after grabbing a hot shower, collapse into bed. I drift off to sleep with a smirk on my face, dreaming of the secret event I still have planned for Saturday… one of which I’ve disclosed to very few persons.