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Witnessed a industrial-type disaster hit this summertime city, where it was exposed to a whole lot of 'glutaraldehyde'. Saw a couple of people, including a man and a woman in a garage; one man had something stored in there he knew he shouldn't. Something he'd hidden, something he'd lied about. Something about it being related to that Exon 'Valdez' ship from years back. And of course, inevitably, there was a crack and a leak on the wall behind which this industrial thingie was hidden. The people fled the garage. I (apparent fly-on-the-wall observer) did also.
I feared there was about to be a humongous, massive explosion or something (in the best tradition of Disaster movie of-the-week). Not as such, though soon I knew the whole area was being exposed to 'glutaradehyde'. A couple of cars skidded; one had some of its wheels fall off. A purple 'flash' would be seen in the sky every so often. As I fled across suburban countryside, though people's back yards, people also started to instinctively flee, families urging their children together and indoors. I worried, wondering how much I was being exposed to, how long I'd last before presumably dropping dead or whatever. Wondering if travelling under trees would shield me some. Wondered if I breathed shallowly or less, if that'd (somehow) help.
Passed along the verge of a roadway with cars; wished I had wheels. Saw a largeish patch of 'snow' and, wanting relief from the heat, unthinkingly picked some up...only to realize a second later that it wasn't snow - it was a bunch of that 'glutaraldehyde'* all gathered there. I dropped the handful, horrified. Now it was all over my skin, getting absoarbed...
(* Turns out the chemical is actually a liquid, a component of hospital instrument sterilizing solutions. Is toxic - can cause breathing difficulties/asthma type reactions, but there was no warning about it being able to just kill a person outright. *shrug*)
I feared there was about to be a humongous, massive explosion or something (in the best tradition of Disaster movie of-the-week). Not as such, though soon I knew the whole area was being exposed to 'glutaradehyde'. A couple of cars skidded; one had some of its wheels fall off. A purple 'flash' would be seen in the sky every so often. As I fled across suburban countryside, though people's back yards, people also started to instinctively flee, families urging their children together and indoors. I worried, wondering how much I was being exposed to, how long I'd last before presumably dropping dead or whatever. Wondering if travelling under trees would shield me some. Wondered if I breathed shallowly or less, if that'd (somehow) help.
Passed along the verge of a roadway with cars; wished I had wheels. Saw a largeish patch of 'snow' and, wanting relief from the heat, unthinkingly picked some up...only to realize a second later that it wasn't snow - it was a bunch of that 'glutaraldehyde'* all gathered there. I dropped the handful, horrified. Now it was all over my skin, getting absoarbed...
(* Turns out the chemical is actually a liquid, a component of hospital instrument sterilizing solutions. Is toxic - can cause breathing difficulties/asthma type reactions, but there was no warning about it being able to just kill a person outright. *shrug*)