Saturday, September 21, 2013

Time Out

Hey guys, Beckley here again.

So I had to cut off yesterday to check on what was up outside.  You’ve all no doubt heard about it, or seen it yourself.  For those of you that didn’t, here’s what happened: A rogue team of UAS soldiers was found dead.  And not just dead but mutilated and impaled.  A few of them were covered in bites, signifying to me, at least, that they were kept alive to be eaten by zombies.  But not totally eaten.  Just gnawed on a bit.  Just enough to make it hurt.  A lot.  At least, I hope it was the zombies that gnawed on them and not the killers.

So what does this mean?  I don’t know as I’m not really privy to any of the Important People Talk that goes on in Haven unless it directly impacts my job.  But, to me, this doesn’t look like a vigilante killing.  A vigilante out to murder UAS splinter groups would have some malice and sadism in it, but it would be masquerading as execution-style.  Trying to pretend like it’s a legitimate act.  This, this was just nasty.  This was done by people with a taste for violence and domination.  Personally, I think this is the beginning signs of marauders shifting their old territories.

I really don’t want to think about that, because marauders (particularly the really depraved ones) make my stomach start to spasm.  I’ll let you know if I hear anything new about this.  I’m shifting topics back to the behavioral therapy from yesterday.

So I’d mentioned our buddies Jeremy and Kingsley Pappington and how their punishments never seemed to have an effect.  So I thought that maybe, in this harsh world, behavioral therapy might be a bit more fitting.  I drew up a proposal and it was accepted and these two clowns were subjected to some discipline, Beckley-style.

So these two guys wanted to act like children?  Now they are children.  They are on not half-rations, but child rations.  These two have been taken off work detail entirely.  Rather they spend their day sitting in classes with the young kids.  They take part in rudimentary activities.  Their physical exercise consists of the basic defense training that all the Haven kids get.  This has become their world.

Kingsley lasted all of half a day before he stormed out of class.  He seemed pretty shaken, actually.  For the record, it was the little snack time, followed by recess that finally broke him, I think.  He’s been confined to his house and is not allowed to leave.  It’s basically an indefinite imprisonment for the time being.  He’ll be informed when it’s up, once the Council decides how long is appropriate.  There’s also mandatory sessions with a licensed therapist (who I cannot confirm or deny is me, due to confidentiality laws that are enforced by agencies that no longer exist).  Hopefully this punishment sticks because the next response would be banishment, which seems like a pretty severe punishment for just being a dick.  Still, if he can’t acclimate to his new home, what can you do?  If he doesn’t want to be here, go somewhere else.

Jeremy, though, has really surprised me.  At first he was really angry and sullen and disruptive, but the kids put him right back in line before the teacher had the chance to say anything.  It really humbled him.  Now he’s actually thriving.  He’s taken an interest in the kids and is helping to tutor some of them.  Although to tell the truth, I think they’re helping to tutor him just as much.  He hasn’t specifically said anything, but I get the impression Jeremy never finished school.  In fact, I think that if he made it to high school, it’s only because teachers couldn’t be bothered with him and just passed him on.  I’d bet money that he’s actually illiterate.  But he’s learning now and he’s actually really good with the kids.  He’s less in punishment mode now and more an unofficial teacher’s aide.  It’s really refreshing to see.

All of his behaviors have started making sense.  When you’re a kid and not getting the care and attention you need, you act out.  Clearly Jeremy has been in this mode his whole life.  Now he’s getting the attention and one-on-one care he needed as a kid in a childlike environment.  The healing from this second childhood is really incredible to watch.  Between that and the meds he gets from the hospital to make his alcohol detox less dangerous, Jeremy has really improved and is contributing.

So score one for behavioral therapy, I guess.  Yet another harsh reality that seems to work in this harsh world.

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