Read After The Fires Went Out: Coyote (Book One of the Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Series) Online
Authors: Regan Wolfrom
Gerald Archibald came to talk to us by himself. He seems to have become their spokesman when it comes to us; maybe they think he understands me.
“I want to apologize,” he said. “What some of our young people have been doing is not okay.”
“It’s not just your young people,” Sara said, beating me to it. “Just be honest with us.”
“Why didn’t you ask for our help?” I asked. “Maybe we could have worked out a trade.”
“We’re not allowed to trade with you,” Gerald said.
“What?”
“We’re not allowed. It’s not something I can change.”
“Then who can change it? Who made such an idiotic decision?”
“We have commitments in place,” he said. “It allows us keep our people fed. Now those commitments mean we can’t trade with you.”
“So all that time we’d drop by to help out... you were just leading us on? Or when you talked about trading for our crops?”
“The trade embargo is more recent.”
“Embargo? That sounds pretty targeted. So you can trade with anyone who isn’t us?”
Gerald shook his head. “Baptiste... there’s barely anyone else out here now.”
“Except the Walkers,” I said. “But that’s who you’re working with. That’s why we found them last month... driving back from the rail bridge.”
“We did some work for the Walkers. They would bring us supplies in exchange. But that’s changed now. We’re part of the Nation. Walker works for us. He brings us supplies because that’s a condition of keeping his land.”
“But not enough supplies,” Sara said. “Or else you wouldn’t be stealing from us.”
“They give us the basics... but we need more than that.”
“So how long have you been stealing from us?” I asked.
“Not long. We scavenged quite a bit from the places between here and Iroquois Falls... but that couldn’t last forever.”
“None of that matters,” Sara said. “What does matter is that you guys have been stealing from us.”
“We can’t give anything back,” Gerald said.
“We don’t need anything back. We just need a promise from you.”
“I’m not sure I can make that promise.”
“So wait,” I said. “So you’re actually telling us that you’re going to send your kids back to steal some more?”
“We need those supplies,” Gerald said.
“Then get ‘em from the Walkers, Gerald. Or from your new best friend Ryan Stems.” I shook my head at him. “We’re going to be adding even more security over the next few days. You should tell your people that it won’t be safe to sneak up on us anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It can only mean one thing,” Sara said. “We are going to protect ourselves. Obviously no one wants things to get out of hand.”
“I don’t do well with threats,” Gerald said. “And neither does Ryan Stems.”
“Let’s make this simple,” I said. “If anyone approaches McCartney Lake from anywhere other than the main road, they are putting themselves in harm’s way.”
“It’s not a threat,” Sara said. “It’s just the way it’s going to have to be from now on.”
“We are stronger than you,” Gerald said. “The Mushkegowuk Nation is sovereign and it is powerful. We want peace, but we won’t let our people starve while you hoard supplies.”
“Hoard?” I said. “Are you kidding me? We need those supplies to live.”
“So do we.”
“No you don’t... I’m sure Ryan Stems and your precious Nation have tons of supplies in some warehouse in Kapuskasing. If they aren’t cutting you in on that... well, then you’re a sucker.”
Gerald sighed. “I guess there isn’t anything more to talk about.”
“I guess not.”
Gerald turned and started to make his way back to his pickup truck.
Sara looked at me and frowned. “That didn’t go well,” she said.
“I don’t see how it could have gone any better. At least we know where we stand.”
“Yeah... around six feet underground.”
I heard footsteps behind us. I swung around to see Justin. He was dressed in a riot suit, vest and helmet and holding his hunting rifle.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked him.
Justin ignored me, pushing right by. “Hey! Asshole!” he yelled out.
Gerald turned to look.
“Yeah... I’m talking to you,” Justin said. He pointed the rifle and fired.
Gerald starting running towards his truck.
“Dammit, Justin!” I yelled. “Put the rifle down!”
He fired again.
Gerald fell into the snow.
I ran towards Justin, hoping to tackle him.
“Back off, Baptiste,” he said. “I’m going to teach these shits a lesson.”
“Then you’d better shoot me,” I said.
He pointed the gun at me.
I didn’t slow down. I went for his knees, bringing him down to the snow and gravel. The rifle flew out in front.
Sara walked over to it but she didn’t touch it.
“What the hell?” I said to him. “Are you a fucking lunatic?”
“Maybe,” he said. “Did I get that fucker?”
I couldn’t help myself. I punched him right in the mouth.
I heard the sound of boots; a number of people rushing towards us. Before I could look, my face was in the dirt.
They wrenched my arms behind me and I could feel the plasticuffs tightening around my wrists.
I watched from the mud as they did the same to Justin.
“Fuck, Baptiste,” Justin said. “Who’s side are you on?”
“Baptiste’s the one who stopped him,” Sara said. “This isn’t right.”
Two of the men from New Post grabbed Sara roughly and bound her wrists as well.
“Start shooting, dammit!” Justin screamed. “Shoot these assholes!”
“No one listens to you,” I said. “Just shut up.”
I looked over at Gerald; two of his men were helping him up. One was applying pressure to his shoulder. The other was scanning the trees as he lifted one of Gerald’s arms.
Lisa didn’t show herself.
I saw Sky walking up to me, his rifle drawn.
“I don’t know what just happened,” Sky said. “But it was a huge mistake.” He reached down and picked up Justin’s rifle.
“So that’s it,” I said. “You’ll take us up the road and put bullets in our heads.”
“We’re not the ones who started shooting.”
“It wasn’t me, either.” I nodded my head at Justin. “That idiot doesn’t speak for the rest of us.”
“He’s wearing your equipment, isn’t he?” Sky said. “We’re taking all three of you back with us. The council will conduct an investigation, and they’ll decide what actions need to be taken. You’ll have due process.”
“You have no right to take us,” Sara said. “This is kidnapping.”
They shoved me into the first truck box, and Justin into the second. He and I both got two men by our side. Sky handed Justin’s rifle to one of the men beside me, and the one on his shoulder to the men watching Justin. He then loaded Sara into the second truck, while Gerald was helped into the passenger seat of the first by one of this other men.
And that’s when Lisa started shooting.
Two shots rang out, and then I heard Gerald’s man start the engine. Two more shots and he reversed too quickly, slamming into the front of the truck behind him. Two final shots made him ditch the truck completely, running towards the other one and climbing into the box.
Gerald opened the passenger door, but I could tell he wouldn’t make it on his own.
I wondered if Lisa was going to take him out. I wasn’t about to tell her not to.
The two guards who were with me jumped out, leaving me in the box. They grabbed Gerald and pulled him into the box of the second truck as Sky started it up and slammed into reverse.
Lisa came running by, with Graham not far behind, both with helmets on.
“Don’t shoot,” I called out to her. “Sara’s in there. It’s too risky.”
“
Takay,
” she said. “They’re too far out. Let’s go.”
She and Graham helped me out of the box and into the cab of Gerald’s truck. As Lisa drove, Graham cut my cuffs with his pocket knife.
I wondered if any of her shots had done enough damage to the engine block that we’d be left stranded halfway to New Post.
“I didn’t see many weapons,” I said.
Graham pointed behind us at a couple of rifles mounted on a gun rack at the back of the cab.
“So a gun each, maybe?” I said.
“More than we have,” Lisa said. “But since we’ve got the body armour, we can take them. As long as we catch them before they get to their gate.” With that, she sped up some more, even though I already couldn’t believe how fast she was driving.
Sky didn’t seem willing to go as quickly as Lisa; we were gaining on them quickly.
“We’ll catch up to them,” Lisa said. “I can run these assholes right into a snowbank.”
“Don’t forget about Sara,” I said.
I could see Sky slowing down as they reached New Post Road. As the truck turned the corner, I saw someone get thrown from the side of the box.
“Shit,” I said.
“What?” Lisa asked.
“They just threw Justin out of the truck.” I took a breath. “We’ll have to come back for him.”
“We’ve got to check him over.”
“Sara’s more important.”
“Sara’s okay right now... I’m not sure Justin is.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about Justin Porter.”
“Well, his kids do.”
I knew she was right. “Dammit.”
She stopped at the corner and Graham and I hopped out. Justin was lying in the snow. He was unconscious, but I could see his breath in the cold air.
I wanted him to stop breathing.
“We’ll have to get him back home,” I said. “God-fucking-dammit.”
I turned to look at the truck that was speeding away. It was already past Brower Road, almost at the front gate of New Post. They had Sara now, and I didn’t know how we were going to get her back.
Lisa took charge of Justin Porter, having us carry him up to her bedroom so she could treat him.
I told the Marchands to hold a line at the gate.
I wanted to find out who gave Justin access to my armour. But that would have to wait.
While Lisa and Fiona looked into making sure that Justin didn’t die, I went back downstairs, to put on my riot suit, vest and helmet and tell Graham just what to expect.
“I don’t plan on hurting anyone,” I said. “They’ve got a fence along the river but they don’t keep an eye on it. Hopefully I can find Sara.”
“There’s no way you’ll get her out without shooting people,” Graham said. “Assuming they don’t just take you out first. It’s not that hard to aim for your exposed parts.”
“Are you volunteering to come with me?”
He looked surprised. “No... sorry, Baptiste... I think this is a bad idea.”
“So you’ll just opt out, eh?”
“It’s a stupid idea,” Kayla said.
I hadn’t even noticed her standing by the door. I wasn’t paying enough attention to what was happening around me; that was a bad sign.
“You have a better idea?” I asked her, trying to not sound too harsh.
“We go and talk to them,” she said. “You know... sissy stuff.”
“That won’t work.”
“You don’t know that.”
“You’re right, I don’t know.” But that didn’t mean I could stand the idea of going to New Post and dropping to my knees.
“Think of it this way. They know you’re coming either way. So you can sneak around just like they’d expect, or you can walk up to the gate and talk to them. And when that doesn’t work, you can always go berserker on them afterwards.”
I sighed. “At this point, Kayla, I think if I showed up at the gate they’d just shoot me.”
“I know I would,” she said. “I mean, if I were them. But they won’t shoot me.”
“No... not a fucking chance,” I said. “You’re not going.”
“I’ll go,” Graham said.
“They won’t trust either of you,” Kayla said.
“You’re right,” I said. “Normally it would make sense to send Lisa, but since she’s already shot at them once today... but I don’t think I can allow this, Kayla.”
“Do you think they’ve hurt Sara?” she asked.
“No.” I just couldn’t see it. They didn’t want Sara dead.
“They won’t hurt me, either.”
“But what if they try to take you into custody?” Graham asked.
“For what?” Kayla asked.
“Conspiracy, maybe...”
“They’re not going to touch me. No one wants a war.”
Graham shook his head. “They threw Justin Porter out of a moving truck.”
“They dumped him because they knew we were coming... they knew Lisa would catch up and that people would get hurt... their people as well as ours.”
“They could have stopped their truck.”
“They could have shot Justin first.”
“This has gotten so messed up,” Graham said.
“It has,” I said.
“Then let me try to fix it,” Kayla said. “You have to let me try.”