Gorge, a novel in progress by Michael Gullo (2026)
“How many cars is that?”
“It’s seventeen so far. We don’t have any room left in the loading bay.”
“What time is it?”
“9:53.”
“That’s nuts. This has been the longest day of my life, and it’s not even ten in the morning yet.”
“Ryan’s right. Break up these cartons, Matthew.”
-Julie, you have to tell me what you are opening so that I can take it into inventory.-
“I have been --- Hand me that one, Ryan.”
“Oh, cool! This is one of those weather stations.”
-Is it the Davis or the Accurite?-
“Says Davis.”
- The Davis Vantage Pro2 is the standard serious home weather station. Weather hobbyists and a lot of farms and schools run them. What's in the box: An integrated sensor suite on a pole. It combines outside temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction, and a rain gauge, and it runs on solar power with battery backup. The WeatherLink Console, a color touchscreen that shows up to 21 readings and over 100 graphs of temperature, rain, rain rate, wind, and barometric pressure, with no computer needed. How it works: It updates every 2.5 seconds. It transmits up to 1,000 feet line of sight, with 200 to 400 feet typical through trees and buildings. The anemometer can mount up to 40 feet from the rest of the suite, so you can get it up above the tree line. The console runs on AC power with a lithium-ion battery that keeps it going through power outages. The Plus model adds UV index and dose, solar radiation, and evapotranspiration, which is how much water the ground and plants are losing. It’s fully local. The station talks to the console by radio with no internet at all.-
“What the hell is an oscilloscope?”
“Oh, good call, Chipshit. That’s for me, Jules.”
“What is it?”
“It charts electricity harmonics.”
“Music sings. Got it.”
-Oscilloscope, check.-
“Hey, Ryan, there’s another car out here.”
“How’d he get up without a ping?”
-He didn’t. I muted it.-
“Why?”
-There are a lot of cars coming, and Terry doesn’t like all of the noise. It’s a force of habit.-
“Terry’s not here, buddy. It’s just me, and I like the pings.”
-I’m sorry, Matthew.-
“Turn it back on, please. Mute Terry’s commands.”
-Executed.-
“Is Terry your boss?”
“No.”
“Guys, you gotta come out here.”
“What’s up?”
“Coming.”
“What’s that security door you were showing me earlier?”
“That’s a lockdown vault door.”
“Do you think we should deploy that, or whatever?”
“I don’t know. I mean.”
“What’s the holdup?”
“It’s like a tomb in here without the light from the normal doors.”
“Oh! That’s a lot of cars.”
“Hey, this is Enrique. Tell them what you just told me.”
“Hi, Enrique. I’m Julie. This is Matthew.”
“Hi Julie.”
“Tell them --- Enrique was just telling me that he got out of the parking lot at Amazon just in time, that a band of flex delivery drivers had taken over the loading dock, and that they were posting guards.”
“For real?”
“Si, ees a rreal sheetshow out there.”
“There’s no police like trying to stop them?”
“Julie, you very locky you here. Thass no place for a lady. I make thees delivery, and I’m go back to my family.”
“Is like everything anarchy?”
“No, note everywhere, boat there ess no open gas station, an thee lines are berry long. There ees no police an people they start to acting like eet.”
“Are you safe?”
“Now?”
“No, I mean, are you safe --- out there?”
“Eet seems safe, boat I need to get weeth my family. Why you order so many laundry soap anyway?”
“What do you mean?”
“This whole car, eet fill weeth laundry soap.”
“That’s hard to explain.”
“Here comes Anthony.”
“Who’s Anthony?”
“He work weeth me.”
“That’s a big van.”
“I was loading up next to heem. He have a lot of theengs for you. Ess whole truck full.”
“We don’t have room for all of this stuff.”
“Where I poot all my boxes?”
“Just stack them inside that fence, and I’ll sort them out.”
“Ees will rain.”
“It’s okay. Just go ahead and stack them and get back to your family --- thank you for this, Enrique.”
“Ess my job, man. I geet paid each package.”
“Is the app still paying?”
“Eet ees, boat the bank, they close, an thee cards no work. They figure eet out, I guess.”
“Well, thank you, Enrique.”
“You too, Julie. Ess nice meet you.”
“Honey, get some of the lighter boxes and start carrying them into the control room, I guess.”
“We’ll have to start figuring out what all of this is soon.”
“Matt, give her a hand.”
“Matthew.”
“I’m sorry, bro. Matthew. I think we need to start organizing a little better. Bring some of these in. Make an Amazon pile, and we’ll just start opening them in some kind of order --- there’s two more cars.”
“Hurrying.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I did.”
“Jules, get the other end of this one. It’s heavy.”
“What the hell did this computer order?”
“God only knows, but I’m excited to find out.”
“Do you think Mitch is still trying to get through?”
“We can check when we get this stuff inside. Watch your step.”
“Put it on the loading dock, and we can go around by the stairs.”
“Wow, this is nuts.”
“Do I hear another truck?”
“Your ears are adjusting.”
“It’s a truck though, right?”
“Sounds like it.”
“Maybe it’s the freezer.”
“Get that end, I’ll go backwards.”
“So chivalrous.”
“What the hell’s in here?”
“It feels like the whole Amazon rainforest.”
“I call dibs on this one.”
“You got it, buddy. Feels like boy junk anyway.”
“Chipshit, how many cars is that?”
“It’s twenty-three cars.”
“Eighteen to go.”
-A lot more than that.-
“What? You said forty-one.”
-That’s just the one fulfillment center.-
“How many cars are coming?”
-Dozens.-
“Where are we going to put all of this?”
-Here is a floor plan. You can store many boxes in the hallway, and there is the breakroom and the conference room. Twenty-seven-thousand square feet of space. You will find room.-
“Lookit the camera. What the hell is Saia?”
-Saia is a partial-load nationwide carrier.-
“What’s on it.”
-No telling.-
“Chipshit, hold down the fort. Hey, print that floorplan.”
“Why do we need a floor plan?”
“Chipshit is a pretty thorough dude --- wow, the rain really kicked in.”
“I don’t have dry clothes.”
“The boxes though.”
“I know, but --- cardboard. You go get some boxes. I’m getting a cardboard umbrella.”
“Hi, stranger. Just put that inside the door.”
“Kerry.”
“Hi, Kerry. Just bring that in here.”
“Ryan.”
“---”
“Hey, Ryan just have them bring it inside.”
“---”
“Ryan.”
“Ryan?”
“Come over here guys.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Just come over here.”
“I’m coming.”
“What is it, Ryan? It’s raining out here.”
“Jule, you’re going to want to see this.”
“Is it the freezer?”
“Yes, but that’s not all.”
“What is it?”
“Just come here.”
“I am. What is it?”
“Holy crap.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
“What the hell?”
“I mean, that’s a piano, Ryan.”
“What the hell are we going to do with a piano?”
“Maybe it’s like one of those saloon things that like plays itself.”
“Where’s it going?”
“I’m sorry, man. Just let us clear off that loading dock, and we’ll figure it out.”
“Let’s get these boxes out of the parking lot. I hate to ask this, but could you people help us?”
“I can’t get out anyway with that truck in the road.”
“Thanks, come on guys everyone grab a box and bring it inside so we can get this truck out of the way.”
“Thanks, guys – Julie show them where to put all these – in the hall for now.”
“This way. Let me get one.”
-Is my car in the way?-
“It’s fine for now. Let’s get these inside.”
-This one’s heavy.-
-My car’s full. I’ll pull in and shorten the trip.-
-Is that Tide, like all Tide.-
“Nope. There’s some Arm and Hammer too.”
-Right here?-
“Yes, just stack them along this wall.”
“What is this place?”
“Do you know Open Optics?”
“That chatbot?”
“Yes. This is it.”
“I use that all the time for school.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s way better than my Algebra professor.”
-Thank you.-
“Did it just answer me?”
“He’s a little creepy.”
“Do you like, live here?”
“Sort of. There was a programming error, and it placed a lot of orders, and now we’re stuck sorting them out.”
“Justin – my boyfriend… so this whole order is a programming error?”
“Yup.”
“Do you know what’s up – like down in Seattle?”
“I have some idea.”
“A lot of the drivers are just taking shipments and stuff.”
“Are you joking me?”
“Not at all. There are three cars down at the bottom of the hill. They got stuck behind that big truck, and they’re just turning around with the packages still in their car, and the depot is like cooked. A bunch of people took over, and we get penalized if we don’t finish our deliveries, and if we don’t finish them, we have to bring them back and there’s no way to bring them back and it’s nuts out there.”
“Um, slow down, honey. Tell me slowly what you’re saying.”
“I’m saying the world’s gone nuts.”
“It’s not that bad, Cherry. You’re always so dramatic.”
“They took over the depot, Todd.”
“So what?”
“It’s anarchy.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“If you like it so much, why don’t you go back with them?”
“Maybe I will.”
“Alright, guys. Let’s, um. Let’s get these boxes --- Todd, you can go.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ryan! Come in here.”
“Lady, I don’t know what you’re about, but…”
“Ryan!”
“Yes, honey. I’m right here.”
“Escort Todd outside. Make sure you get everything out of his car and watch him until he is gone.”
“Executed.”
“What the fuck?”
“Come on, Todd. It’s Todd, right?”
“What the hell, man?”
“Let’s go, Todd.”
“You didn’t even tell…”
“Todd, if Julie says it like that that you go, then you go, like that.”
“I’m not…”
“Todd. Listen to me. I don’t ask questions. I’m not a curious man. I’m a get the thing fixed man, and Julie’s voice tells me this needs fixing.”
“Buddy. I don’t know what’s wrong with this lady.”
“Todd. Listen. I’ve been the mechanic on this dam for the last five years, and you will not be the first thing I fixed by hitting it with a wrench.”
“I’m going, man. Get your hands off me.”
“You’re not going soft and easy, and that encourages me.”
“Dude, put me down.”
“I tried to warn you.”
“Put me down.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t.”
“Do you understand now?”
“Okay, man. I’m sorry. I don’t even know what I did, but I’m sorry.”
“So, you’re going to behave?”
“Yes. Put me down.”
“Not this again.”
“I’m sorry. Please put me down.”
“Are all of the packages out of your car?”
“Yes.”
“Show me.”
“Put me down. Look. See?”
“Okay. Get in your car and don’t get out of it. Are we simpatico.”
“What’s simpatico?”
“Get in the car, Todd.”
“I’m in. Jesus!”
“Now drive over there and park next to the car with the donut spare and do not move until I tell you to.”
“I have to get back.”
“Todd.”
“Ryan. Help Matthew with those last two boxes there. I’ll tell the driver to start backing in.”
“I got these. You get the loader.”
“We’ll need more room for that.”
“Come on – a little left. Straight…”
“I don’t need help, buddy. I back this thing into loading docks all day long.”
“Jeez, sorry for helping.”
“Just get out of the way, man. I wanna get home.”
“Everybody’s so grouchy.”
“Matthew, just keep an eye on that Amazon car parked next to your car.”
“What’s up?”
“Julie kicked him out.”
“She didn’t hurt him, did she?”
“Close, but I protected him.”
“She’s a menace.”
“Look out. He’s coming in. Go ahead and make sure all the cars are empty.”
“Rain stopped at least.”
“There’s two more cars.”
“Three.”
“This is nuts. Julie, come here for a sec.”
“Hey, Ryan, can Cherry stay with us?”
“What? Who?”
“Cherry is scared, and I invited her to go back home and get some clothes. I think I’ll go with her, and we’ll come back.”
“You’re not going anywhere without me.”
“Is that how you imagine this turning out?”
“Julie. This isn’t up for discussion.”
“Oh --- well, okay.”
“How many drivers do you have carrying boxes?”
“I didn’t take a head count, Ryan.”
“Where are they putting all the stuff?”
“In the hallway for now.”
“Try and keep them out of the control room.”
“I closed the door.”
“Wait. Did you just say you closed the door?”
“Yes, Matthew. Are you planning to take that tone with me too?”
“I’m sorry. But did you close the Control Room door?”
“Yes.”
“Did it lock?”
“I didn’t check.”
“Don’t close the other one though, just in case, okay?”
“Good idea. Yes --- just put those right here. This is a lot of boxes, guys.”
“Start with the conference room if you have to.”
“Buddy, I don’t know how you’re getting the legs on this. It’s almost too heavy for the furniture dolly.”
“No clue.”
“Over here good?”
“Yeah, tuck it in so there’s room for the freezer – it goes next to that plug over there.”
“Freezer, outlet. Got it.”
“Jules, maybe – Jules? – guys, can you get some of these boxes too? They’ll be out of the way in just a minute, but it would really help.”
“Ryan.”
“Yes, Matthew?”
“This guy says he can squeeze past the truck. Can he leave?”
“Yeah, get him out of here.”
“These are the legs, I think. Where do you want them?”
“Put those on top.”
“This freezer is huge, and it weighs a ton.”
“I’ll drop the piano, and you can use both carts.”
“Matthew, is he out?”
“He’s out. Two more cars coming in.”
“Julie.”
“She went over there with that girl.”