Letters From the Labyrinth 290

Good morning from the shore of the Susquehanna River in south central Pennsylvania, where at night, it’s cool enough to sleep with the windows open and during the day, the humidity can reduce a paperback book to a sponge in less than thirty seconds.

Good morning. I’m Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for friends, family and fans of my work. Previous issues can be read here. You can also leave comments, which I’ll read and answer as time allows.

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Okay, everyone who previously purchased the signed, limited edition hardcover of THE SEVEN: THE LABYRINTH Book 1 from Thunderstorm Books has had an opportunity to reserve their copy of the signed, limited edition of SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2. If you were one of those people, and you haven’t yet preordered your copy, better do that now. And if you didn’t get the first book from Thunderstorm, but got it from another bookseller or on eBay, or if you didn’t get the first book at all but would like to preorder this one, better do that now.

Basically, regardless of who you are, if you want an autographed hardcover of SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book 2, then you should preorder it this week, because the last day to do so is July 18th.

Click here to reserve your copy.

What’s it about?

The Seven have won the first battle against the Thirteen, but it cost them one of their number. Now Frankie, Teddy, LeHorn, Tony, Bloom, and the Exit they find themselves in the middle of a global superstorm on a flooded Earth, reunited with old friends and facing off against familiar threats, including the terrifying titanic might of Behemoth and Leviathan, and the machinations of Ob, Lord of the Siqqusim. In a fight that spans from a sodden landscape to the very heart of ancient R’lyeh, only one thing is certain. Even if they win, it will be at an unimaginable cost. The storm is here… and the end continues.

SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book Two continues Brian Keene’s magnum opus, featuring characters, locations, and situations from throughout his vast literary universe in a multi-volume epic saga that will thrill both new readers and long-time fans.

SUBMERGED: THE LABYRINTH Book Two — It’s raining again…

Reserve your copy before the 18th!

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I asked Jim Cobb to write the following article for my Patreon, but I’m reprinting it here because it’s good information for everyone to have.

Active Shooter – What to do if you’re caught in the crossfire

By Jim Cobb

It seems to be a daily news item, with a story of some sort of mass shooting event becoming as common as weather reports. We can debate the whys and wherefores endlessly, but I tend to be a pragmatist more than anything else. As such, the causes are less interesting to me than making a plan for how to handle them if/when they occur.

You’re absolutely correct that they shouldn’t be happening at all and it is indeed tragic that we need to even talk about this sort of thing. But the fact is that by talking about these things and making plans for what we can do if they happen, we’re increasing the odds of survival. It is a horrible state of affairs but wishing things were different isn’t going to be of much help.

It can happen at schools and universities, office buildings, movie theaters, just about anywhere you can imagine. As with most other types of disasters and emergencies, understanding ahead of time what you should do can help you to remain reasonably calm and able to take action rather than freezing up.

In her excellent book The Unthinkable, Amanda Ripley posits that there are three phases to how we react to a crisis. First is denial. The sound of gunshots, for example, is mentally dismissed as being a car backfiring or maybe fireworks. It takes time for the brain to sort of catch up with what’s really happening. This can take several seconds or more, depending on a variety of factors.

The second phase is deliberation. Once we’ve realized that we need to take action, it takes time for us to decide exactly what to do. The stress of the situation causes various physiological changes in the body, such as tunnel vision and audio exclusion, and these can impact our reaction time. What can lessen that time is having a plan in place that we can fall back on without having to think about it.

Finally, there’s the decisive moment when we move and, as the saying goes, we get off the X. The quicker we can get to that point, the greater our chances of survival. Knowing what to do helps with that a great deal. There’s a reason why schools perform fire drills, you know.

Situational Awareness

This is one of those catch phrases that’s incredibly popular in some circles. Essentially, it means paying attention to the world around you. Entire books have been written about this subject and there’s no way to do more than just touch upon it here. Suffice it to say that the better your situational awareness is, the quicker you’ll be able to move through those three phases we just talked about and get to a point to where you can act.

Pay attention to people in your area. Be cautious about anyone who appears nervous or anxious. Along the same lines, watch for anomalies, things that don’t seem normal. For example, someone who is moving against the flow of foot traffic or even standing stock still while everyone walks around them. As with interpreting body language cues, just a single anomaly isn’t necessarily a red flag on its own. But, add together a few of them and it should raise an alarm for you that something may be amiss.

In 99 cases out of 100, there will be a logical, and benign, reason for the alert signals that catch your attention. But there’s always the chance that the one time it isn’t innocent, noticing these things could save your life.

What To Do

The generally accepted advice or instruction for active shooter events comes in three parts: Run, Hide, Fight. Let’s take them one by one.

Run

If at all possible, de-ass the area with a quickness. Do not grab your belongings, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Just beat feet and get as far away as possible as fast you can. If you feel you’re in the shooter’s line of sight, don’t move in a straight line. Zig zag or bounce around a bit so as to make yourself a harder target.

Always be aware of exit locations, including fire doors, everywhere you go. If you go to outdoor events, know how you’ll leave the area in a hurry, should the need arise. Stay on the fringes of crowds, so you can get away easier.

Hide

If you can’t get away, find someplace to hunker down fast. Now, there’s a difference between concealment and cover. Concealment keeps you from being seen. Cover keeps you from being shot. For example, hiding behind a door is concealment, but hiding behind a stone pillar is cover. Contrary to what you’ve seen on TV or in the movies, cardboard boxes do not stop bullets, nor do standard framed interior walls. However, if the best you can do is move into the next room and dive under a desk, that’s better than nothing.

Lock the door and barricade it with heavy furniture, if you can. Silence your phone. If you’re able to do so, call 911. Don’t assume someone else has already done so. Tell the dispatcher where this is taking place, as well as your own location and where you think the shooter is located. For example, “There is a shooting happening at the Walmart on Baker Street. I’m in the storeroom just behind the Toy Department and I think the shooter is near Electronics right now.”

Give the dispatcher as much information about the shooter as possible, including:

· Gender, if able to determine

· Approximate age

· Race or skin color

· Color of hair

· Presence or absence of facial hair

· What they’re wearing

· How they are armed (handgun, rifle, knife, etc.)

If you’re unable to speak, leave the line open as this will allow the dispatcher to listen to what’s happening. Do not respond if you hear someone yelling in the area, as it might be the shooter trying to lure people out of hiding. Once law enforcement is on the scene, let them come to you.

Fight

If you can’t run and can’t hide, that leaves fight. If it comes down to this, there can be no hesitation. Act quickly and decisively, using anything you can as a weapon. Be as aggressive as possible and commit wholeheartedly. Do not stop until the shooter is down. I saw a meme recently that summed this up pretty well – fight like you’re the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s Ark and it is starting to rain.

If you are armed with a firearm, take the shot if you can, but be certain of shot placement as well as what lies beyond the target. The last thing you want is to injure or kill an innocent bystander. If you’re going to carry a firearm for defense, I encourage you to seek out training that goes beyond standing in place and casually shooting at paper targets. Go through some dynamic training that involves movement, low light, and chaotic conditions. Experience what it is like to try to put rounds through a target while your heart is in your throat and your pulse rate is hitting triple digits. You’ll likely find that doing so is a bit different than a fun Saturday afternoon at the range with your buddies.

Law Enforcement Response

It is important to have a basic understanding of how law enforcement will respond to reports of an active shooter. For starters, the first officers on the scene are going to be focused on locating the shooter and eliminating the threat. They will not be stopping along the way to check on injured victims. There will be rescue teams following that will take care of that. If you know where the shooter is, by all means inform the officers. But otherwise, just stay the hell out of their way.

Do not jump up and start running at the officers. Stay down until you are specifically told otherwise by an officer. Remember, this is a high stress situation and you don’t want to do anything that could cause an officer to think you are possibly involved with the shooting. Keep your hands visible and drop any packages or bags you might be carrying. By all means, drop any weapons you might be holding, lest you get mistaken for one of the shooters.

Do not get offended by any rough treatment by an officer, such as them grabbing you and pulling you out of the area. Do what you’re told when you’re told to do it. Don’t stop to ask them questions, just move when they tell you to move and go where you’re directed.

Being involved in an active shooter scenario is nobody’s idea of a good time. It is terrifying for everyone. But, having a plan and knowing what to do will not only increase your reaction time but put you in a better position to survive the situation. Avoid panic, take deep breaths, and act with a clear mind.

Recommended Reading

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes by Amanda Ripley  

Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps' Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life by Patrick Van Horne and Jason A. Riley 

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

About the Author

Jim Cobb is a nationally recognized authority on disaster readiness. His newest book, THE URBAN PREPPER’S GUIDE, will be out on August 30th. You can preorder it here on Amazon. He is also the Editor in Chief for Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide magazine.

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Work Update: This past week was consumed by GWENDY’S BUTTON BOX, PROJECT BROADSWORD, and revisions on INVISIBLE MONSTERS. Only managed a chapter each on ISLAND OF THE DEAD and SPLINTERED: THE LABYRINTH Book 3. Thursday night we had a Scares That Care board meeting. And I worked on a short story for a magazine.

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The best article about our business that you’ll read this week is this one, which deals with what showrunners and television writers are having to deal with as the suits at the streamers figure out how to get out of paying those WGA residuals.

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THINGS LEFT BEHIND is now shipping to every customer who purchased it. Most of you have probably already gotten an email confirmation with your tracking number (so check your spam folder). If you haven’t received that, then you probably will tomorrow.

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Currently Reading: Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Currently Listening: Blackout by Scorpions, True Blue by Madonna, We Can’t Be Stopped by Geto Boys, and A Place In The Sun by Lit

Currently Watching: Nothing (because I’ve been way too busy with work this week to watch anything of substance, and also because Mary is in New Jersey and I promised I wouldn’t watch our shows without her).

My 14-year old starts high school next month. He made it into Honors English, and he has to read Jayne Eyre and one other book before school starts, so we’re doing a buddy read. We both agree that the book isn’t as bad as we feared (I thought we might be reading something like Downton Abbey or one of those British dramas you used to see on PBS, which were about as exciting as watching flies mate). We’ve heard there is a ghost in this book, at some point, and we would like it to show up soon.

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Another of the kittens went to her new, permanent home this past week. Within 24 hours there, she was purring and sitting in her new family’s laps, nd generally being full of happiness and joy. And that’s what they named her — Joy. (Which is much better than the temporary name I’d given her, which was Bubble Jr.)

That means there are only three kittens left — the ones temporarily named Hissy McFurface, Dallas Jr. and Runt. I gave them these temporary names so that I wouldn’t become too emotionally attached to them, but Hissy has broken through that barrier. I mean, look at this dude.

And he’s a little lovebug, too. Loves skritches and scratches and being talked to. He talks back, as well.

Anyway, if you’re in the area and can provide a good home and would like to adopt one of the remaining three, let me know. I’ll sign your books, as well.

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And that does it for this week. Be good to others, but also be good to yourself. I’ll see you back here next Sunday.

— Brian Keene