After The Fires Went Out: Coyote (Book One of the Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Series) (6 page)

Today is Thursday, December 6th.

Justin showed up at breakfast time; I’m sure he’d planned it that way for dramatic effect.

Just as he chose to wrap the dead coyote over his shoulders like it was a forty-pound gold medal.

Fiona and Matt were downstairs with me; Sara was upstairs taking a shower, and I had no idea where anyone else was.

Fiona stared at the creature like she expected it to jump onto its feet and attack; they don’t see a lot of fur stoles down in the GTA.

“One down,” Justin said with a wide grin.

“And two to go,” I said as I held open the door. “At the very least.”

He tossed the coyote off onto the floor, barely missing the rug. I’m not sure why he thought we’d want it in the house.

Matt walked over and stared at it; if he’d had a stick I’m sure he would have started poking it.

“Two coyotes doesn’t make a pack,” Justin said. “I doubt they’ll be any trouble.”

“Tell me you didn’t bait them.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I told you not to do it, Justin.”

He sat down on the couch in the living room, throwing his boots up on the wicker coffee table.

Fiona sighed, and of course she rolled her eyes. “You didn’t take your boots off,” she said. “How many times is that?”

“Real men don’t take their boots off, sweetness,” he said.

“Just take off the boots,” I said.

He kicked them off, doing his best to spread more dirt than if he’d kept them on.

“So now we have two coyotes waiting just outside for their next meal,” I said.

“How is that different than yesterday?”

“I don’t understand why you can’t just listen to me?”

“How long have you been up here, Baptiste? A couple of years?”

“Long enough.”

“When I was five years old I used to go out and check the trapline with my uncle. What did you do back home in Toronto? Hunt for the lowest price on tampons? I’d say I’m more qualified than you to catch a few coyotes.”

“That’s not the point,” Fiona said. “Baptiste is in charge.”

“At least Justin gets results,” Matt said.

“Kid’s got a point,” Justin said. “I do get results.”

“The cockiness isn’t helping,” I said. “We’ve given you a chance here, Justin. After what you’ve done...”

“Don’t start.”

I knelt down and picked up the coyote with one hand. It was heavy enough for two, but I’d already committed myself to only using one. I carried it out and threw it onto the porch.

“So now you’re the one baiting,” Matt said. “What will that bring us, anyway? Bears?”

“I don’t know why I bother asking you not to do something, Justin,” I said.

“Don’t bother,” Justin said. “Because I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep us safe.”

“That’s not how it’s looking to me. I see a guy who’s doing his best to undermine me just for the fun of it.”

He stretched back on the couch, wrapping his arms around his head. He was trying to show me just how not-worried he was.

“I’m not trying to undermine you,” he said. “I’m honestly trying to help. Do you remember the conversation we had? I’ve got three guys lined up who are ready to go.”

“Ready to go for what?” Fiona asked.

“For Stems,” Justin said.

“Three guys,” I said. “Not exactly an army. And how are you even getting in touch with Detour Lake anyway? Last time I checked they don’t like using the radio.”

“No,” Fiona said. “You shouldn’t be talking to them. Sara says --”

“You shouldn’t listen to Sara,” Justin said.

“We’re not talking to them,” I said. “At least I’m not.”

I heard footsteps on the stairs. I turned to see Sara and I wondered how much she’d heard.

“Good morning, Justin,” she said with a smile. “Brought your dirty boots in, I see.”

“Uh, sorry,” he said.

“What were you guys talking about?”

“Nothing important.”

“They were talking about Stems,” Fiona said. “I guess Justin doesn’t want you included.”

“And you’re doing this here?” Sara asked. “Are you joking?”

“Kayla isn’t here,” Matt said. “She’s out at the old Williams cottage, cleaning up Ant’s shed or whatever.”

“Alone?” I asked.

“With the dogs.”

“It’s not just Kayla I’m worried about,” Sara said. “Frankly, I don’t want to hear about Stems, either.”

Justin shook his head. “We can’t just stick our heads in the sand,” he said.

“We talked about this,” I said. “And we’re done talking about it.”

Justin laughed. “That’s right. King Baptiste has spoken. No more talking about Ryan Stems. No more talking about what a goddamn joke the Supply Partnership has become. No more talking about how we hand over the best stuff we scavenge and get fucking bupkis back. All hail the great King Baptiste.”

“You need to leave, Justin,” Sara said.

“Don’t worry... I don’t mean to pick a fight. I won’t beat up your old man.”

“She’s more worried about what I’ll do,” I said. “More than half this district would cheer me on if I hanged you from the yard light.”

“More than half this district is dead. All I ever did was save a few lives.”

“Get out,” Sara said. “Now.”

Justin gave another chuckle before getting off the couch and making his way toward the porch.

“I’ll take the coyote, I guess,” he said. “I was kind of hoping Fiona would cook something up for us.”

“Cook it up yourself,” Fiona said.

For some reason that made me laugh.

 

The rain outside was getting heavy after breakfast so we decided to stay in for a few hours in the hope that it would lighten up eventually. All of us except for Kayla, who went back to Ant’s shed despite the rain.

Kayla’s taken Ant’s death the hardest, I think. They’d been friends from before The Fires, back when Ant was a new-in-town metal fab apprentice and Kayla danced at Fleshy’s Inn. I think Ant was the first guy to take her seriously. Maybe that’s why she won’t let go of him.

Matt and Fiona went down to the basement to sort through a few so-far-unchecked boxes that we’d pulled from a shed up Kennedy Road, while Sara and Lisa decided to sort through Ant’s stuff.

I’ve heard that parents who suddenly lose a child often leave their child’s room untouched afterwards, sometimes for years. Now it’s true that what I’ve heard may just be a pile of crap, and obviously Ant’s not my kid, but it doesn’t feel right to me for Sara and Lisa to be pulling out his clothes and stacking them on the bed in piles.

And it certainly doesn’t feel right to have Graham standing by the door, licking his lips and hoping for a chance to take his old room back.

We need more time. The world needs to hold on for a little longer before things are allowed to start up again.

“Most of the shirts can work,” Lisa said, “but the pants would be too short for Matt.”

“They might fit Fiona,” Sara said.

“I think we all have enough clothes,” I said as I sat in Ant’s old desk chair, flipping through some of his half-drawn comics; I know he had folders of finished work somewhere, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Kayla or Fiona had already swept in to grab them.

“We’ll show them to her, at least,” Sara said to Lisa, not paying any notice to me.

Lisa held up a red hoodie with a long-fanged cobra. “Someone’s going to want this,” she said. She tossed it over to Sara.

It looked just like the hoodie Ant was wearing when he was shot. The one we’d buried him in.

“I want it,” Sara said as she started to fold it. “But I don’t really get first dibs, do I?”

“Kayla will want it,” Lisa said.

“I think Fiona might want it, too,” I said.

She’d always looked up to Ant. It wasn’t just that both of them like to think of themselves as artists; Ant had a way of making everyone feel wanted, and that’s something Fiona always needs a little more of.

“Good thing those two share a room,” Sara said. “That’ll postpone the decision for a few months at least.”

“It’ll work itself out,” Lisa said. “One of them will shoot the other soon enough.” She seemed to catch herself right after she spoke, looking over at Sara and then to me.

I’m sure Sara caught it; I saw a little ripple of pain wash over her.

“I wonder if Matt will be okay without a roommate,” Sara said.

“He’ll get used to it,” I said. “We’ll all get used to it.”

“He asked me to move his stuff out,” Graham said from his corner. “I don’t think he wants to stay in here by himself.”

“That’s convenient,” I said, not really thinking about what I was saying.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It doesn’t mean anything. I just don’t get all of the rushing around.”

“He doesn’t want to stay in this room,” Lisa said. “Seems like a simple concept to me.”

I shook my head. “Whatever... just pack Matt’s shit up, then.”

“That’s what I’m planning on doing,” Graham said. He sounded like a whiny little bitch.

“Then just fucking do it.”

I looked over to Sara, expecting one of her glares of disapproval, but she hadn’t been listening. She was standing by Ant’s bed, still gripping the red hoodie; she’d long stopped trying to fold it.

I started to sigh, but stopped once I realized it. I’d known this cleanup operation was a bad idea. Now Sara was falling back into it again. I heard her sniff a little before she started crying.

I wanted to pull her over to me. I wanted to comfort her. But she can’t keep doing this in front of everyone. She needs to be stronger than that.

“I’m going to check for some more boxes,” I said.

I left the room as quickly as I could. I didn’t want to risk getting sucked into that mood.

Someone has to hold us together. Someone has to move us along.

For some reason it always has to be me.

 

I found Matt and Lisa arguing by the wiring trench behind the cottage.

Well, there was no trench yet, actually, since they hadn’t started digging it. They’d been out there for over an hour, and it looked clear to me that nothing had been done.

There was little worry we’d have the solar plant set up anytime soon.

“You’ll settle this, Baptiste,” Lisa said as I came over. “Matt wants to dig the whole trench by hand.”

“By shovel,” Matt said. “I’m not an idiot.”

“I have trouble believing that you’re in favour of more work,” I told him.

“Well, we can’t afford the fuel for the bobcat.”

“But we’re doing this to get more power,” Lisa said. “That’s the big priority, isn’t it?”

I wanted to take her side. I really, really want to. But I couldn’t.

“I think Matt’s right,” I said. “We’re almost out of diesel, and Detour Lake won’t be making their shipment until the spring.”

“Assuming we get any of it,” Matt said. “Which I doubt.”

“Just shut up,” I told him. He was right about our chances. “I’m sorry, Lisa, but we need to conserve what we have. We have way more wood and propane than diesel, so if the plant takes a little longer we can manage.”

Lisa was staring at me, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. For some reason it’s impossible to know what Lisa is thinking until she opens her mouth or starts kicking your ass.

I waited a little longer.

“We’re going to need more help,” Lisa said. “I can’t dig this trench by myself.”

“I’m here,” Matt said.

“Like I said... I can’t do it by myself.”

“What about Graham?” I asked. “Where’s he? Out fluffing the goats?”

“Who gives a crap where he is?” she said. “He’s almost as useless as this idiot.”

“Hey,” Matt said.

“I’ll help,” I said. “I mean, I can’t every day... Graham and I are going into town tomorrow to find batteries for this thing... but I’ll do what I can.”

“I guess that’s the best we can do,” Lisa said.

“Uh... thanks.”

She nodded.

Sometimes I wonder what it is about Lisa that makes me trust her the most.

 

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