by David Haynes
Olin nodded, smiling. “Can’t you tell?”
“What about your hand?”
“Improving.”
Jonesy nodded. “Can I take a look?”
Olin shook his head. “It’s fine. Lauren’s a regular little nurse, aren’t you, honey?”
Lauren appeared to be in a daze. She stared into her coffee.
“Honey?” He nudged her arm and then turned back to Jonesy. “She’s not sleeping well, keeps having these nightmares. Must be the thought of the grizzly that attacked me. Shook her up, some.”
“It didn’t attack you, Olin. If it had you’d be in its belly by now,” Lisa said. “Lauren? Want some more oatmeal?”
Her bowl was largely untouched but she lifted her head and smiled. “No, no thank you.”
“Sure? There’s plenty more in the pot.”
Lauren shook her head again and picked up her spoon. Everyone watched as she pushed three large spoonfuls into her mouth.
“It’s good,” Olin said, scraping his bowl. “I wouldn’t say no to another helping.”
Jonesy bit his lip. Lisa had asked Lauren knowing she didn’t want or need any more. She’d asked just to get her to speak, to make sure she was still alive. Now Olin was lifting his bowl for seconds. Lisa eyed his bowl for a moment before standing up and refilling it.
There was a conversation that needed to be had and just thinking about it gave Jonesy a nasty bellyache. The sight of empty meat hooks and half-empty sacks in the cache this morning had been a reminder of how quickly their food supplies were being depleted. With two extra mouths to feed, there would need to be strict portion control before very much longer.
“Jonesy?” she asked, holding the serving spoon.
He shook his head. “We’re going to need to look at it, Olin,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“Your hand. The smell? Maybe gangrene, I don’t know but if we don’t...”
Olin dropped his spoon into the bowl, making Lauren jump. “Man, I’m eating my breakfast.” His tone had an edge to it. A sharp edge. He stared back at Jonesy, his jaw muscles working hard for a second. “There’s nothing wrong with my hand. I don’t need anyone looking at it. Okay?”
Jonesy shrugged. “Okay.”
The two men looked at each other for a moment more. Finally, Olin picked up his spoon. Just for a second or two, the atmosphere had been tense.
Jonesy stood up. “I’m going to chop some wood.”
Keeping two fires lit was eating through the wood supply too. There would be another trip into the forest before the winter was out. For now there was still a trunk that needed chopping up.
“Maybe Olin can help with that?” Lisa asked.
She was determined, he had to give her that. Anything to get him out of the way for a while.
Olin swallowed his last mouthful. “Sure, why not.” He looked up, smiling at Lisa, before turning to Lauren. He stood up. “Come on, honey.”
“I thought Lauren could help me fetch water,” Lisa said. “Give you two a break from each other for a while. Can’t be healthy being together all that time.”
“I’m not allowed out of her sight,” Olin said. “Not now. Got me on a tight leash ever since that bear.”
“Only for an hour or two,” Lisa replied. She leaned down, into Lauren’s eyesight. “That’d be okay, wouldn’t it?”
Olin put his hand on Lauren’s shoulder. “She’s fine with me.”
Jonesy shook his head. He didn’t want to get involved in this discussion. There was nothing to be gained by it. “I’m going out to chop wood.” He patted his leg. “Lad, come on.”
“Lauren?” Lisa asked again, ignoring Olin. “Wouldn’t you like to come and...”
“I said, she’s fine with me.” Olin’s voice grew in volume, just a touch but enough to be noticeable.
Jonesy stopped by the door and turned. Lad hadn’t followed him, he was by the table standing beside Lisa.
Lisa reached out and touched Lauren’s hand. She jerked it away. “Lauren, what’s wrong?”
Olin banged his fist down on the table, making the crockery jump. “Listen, I don’t know what you think’s going on here, but I know you don’t like me. Why don’t you keep your ideas to yourself and we’ll...”
“Hey!” Jonesy walked back over. “You don’t need to raise your voice like that, Olin. That’s not how things work around here. Lisa was just asking Lauren if she wanted a change of scenery. That’s all.”
Olin didn’t turn, kept his eyes on Lisa. “Was she? Is that all she was asking?” He took his hand away from Lauren’s shoulder. “I know you don’t like me, Lisa.”
He gave Lisa time to argue. She didn’t.
“And I don’t know why. I’ve done nothing wrong, not stepped out of line. I know you think something’s going on with Lauren and me but let me just remind you of something.” He turned to Jonesy. “She left me to die out there. You think either of us feel good about that? So if it all seems a bit too fucking weird for you, then that’s too bad because it all feels a bit fucking weird to me too.”
Lisa kept her eyes on Lauren. “We can help, Lauren. We can...”
Jonesy saw the look on Olin’s face. The man looked ready to explode. He took another step forward.
“Lisa...” he said.
But he never got the opportunity to say anything else. Lauren stood up.
“He’s right,” she said. “I wish it was me that had been left. I wish I was the one left to die.” She put her hand on Olin’s arm. “I’ll help you and Jonesy chop wood.” She turned to Lisa. “Thank you, I appreciate your offer but I’d rather stay with Olin.”
It was a well-timed speech. It had taken them back from the brink of conflict.
“Unless you want us to leave?” Lauren added.
Lisa stared at her. The expression was the same one she’d displayed when Jonesy first mentioned moving to Alaska. She was silent.
“No, of course not,” Jonesy said after a couple of thorny seconds. He did want them to leave. More than anything, he wanted things to go back to how they were before Lauren decided to come calling. But how could he send them away? However much food and wood he gave them, they would need a sled, a dog and a tent to even have a chance of survival. There could be no other answer.
He looked at Lisa. “Right?”
She finally looked away from Lauren, looking instead at Olin. Lisa had never backed down from anyone or anything in all the time he’d known her. Their time in Alaska had only made her stronger.
“Right,” she repeated.
Olin narrowed his eyes. He looked unsure of himself for a change. That was the effect Lisa had on some people, those she had no time for.
He smiled back at her. “Good because we wouldn’t last very long without our mommy and daddy.” He turned to Jonesy. “That’s you two, in case you were wondering.”
“We should go and chop some wood,” Lauren said. “If you show us what to do, I’m sure we can manage.” She had an aptitude for knowing when to jump in.
“No, I’ll come,” Jonesy replied. He didn’t care for the thought of leaving Olin unsupervised with an ax.
17
Jonesy hefted the ax, allowing it to fall under its own weight. It cut through the wood like butter and split the log in half.
“Let the ax do the work,” he said, picking the two pieces off the floor. “This is spruce, good for a slow burn. The birch is good for getting the fire going and the bark works well as a lighter.”
“Okay,” Olin replied. He’d taken up his position by the fire, huddled under the fur. He didn’t seem interested.
“And by the time you’ve chopped it, you won’t need a fire anyway.” Jonesy thought the comment might spur the man into action. Instead he dropped another log onto his fire. It was wood Jonesy had cut a few seconds ago and it filled the shed with smoke.
“You want to help?” Jonesy asked. “Olin?”
“Huh?” He looked up.
“I said,
do you want to try it yourself?”
“Think I’ll leave it to the experts,” he replied.
“I’ll take a go.” Lauren walked forward from her place at the fire. “I’d like to try, at least.”
Olin shook his head. “You won’t even be able to lift the ax, honey.”
She paused, mid-stride. “All the same, I’d like to try.”
Jonesy smiled at her. He leaned his ax against the wall and reached under the tarp that protected the wood from the worst of the weather.
“I’ve got a smaller one, more lightweight. Lisa sometimes uses it.” He passed it to her. She took it with a grimace on her face.
“Too heavy?” he asked.
“I’ll manage.”
Jonesy placed a log on the chopping block. “Let gravity work for you,” he said.
Lauren lined it up, lifted the ax and let it fall. She shaved an edge off the side; good for kindling but not much else.
“Told you,” Olin shouted.
Jonesy ignored him, moving the log back into the center. “Don’t lift it so high this time.”
Lauren nodded, planted her feet and lifted the ax again. It came down straight, square, and split the log neatly in two.
She grinned.
Jonesy held his hand up for a high-five. She gave his hand a hard slap.
“When do I get the Glock back?” Olin asked. “Seems like we’re pretty vulnerable out here.” His lack of encouragement was dismissive.
Jonesy placed another log on the block. “Anytime,” he said. “I’ll bring it later.”
Lauren split the next log on the first attempt.
Olin lay on his side like a Roman emperor waiting for his peeled grape. “So, Jonesy, I’m trying to get my head around why anyone would want to come and live out here?”
“And I’m trying to get my head around why anyone wouldn’t,” he replied.
“The cold, the bears, the wolves, the lack of food. And again, the cold.” Olin dropped another log in the fire pit.
“It’s not so bad when you get used to it. As long as you’ve got the right clothes, it’s not a problem,” Jonesy said. He changed the subject. “You might just be a natural at this, Lauren.”
She gave him a half-smile, placing her own log on the block for splitting.
“That’s where we went wrong, honey. We didn’t have the right clothes.”
“Not many people do,” Jonesy replied.
“You do though.”
“I do now. I didn’t.”
Lauren split the next log and put another down. Despite her size, she was really going at it. Jonesy moved the subject on again. “Will anyone be looking for you?” he asked.
Jonesy looked at Lauren but Olin answered, “No. Kept our little holiday a secret, didn’t we?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Wanted to get away from everyone.”
“What about your jobs? Surely they’ll be wondering where you are?”
“Self-employed,” Olin replied, sitting up. “I’m my own boss in a company of one.”
“Yeah? Doing what?”
Olin licked his lips and stood up. He walked over to the wood pile. “You name it, man, I’ve done it.” He shrugged. “I’m having some downtime at the moment. Just waiting for the next opportunity.”
Jonesy nodded. It was about as vague an answer as he could imagine. “What about you, Lauren?” he asked.
Olin put his arm around her shoulder. “Oh, she’s never had to work. I’ve looked after her since we met. Haven’t I?”
Lauren nodded. He had his arm wrapped around her so tightly that her arm was pinned to her shoulder, the ax by her leg.
“What about you?” Olin asked. “How long you been up here?”
“Year and a half.”
“And before that?”
“All over,” he replied. He didn’t feel inclined to go into detail, especially since Olin had offered so little. “Moved around with my job.”
“And that was what? I’m going to guess you were...” He squeezed Lauren hard enough to make her grimace. “What do you reckon, honey? I’m saying...teacher.” He looked very pleased with himself. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
Jonesy shook his head. “Sorry, no. Lisa was but I worked in computers.”
“Damn! So close. Strong woman you got yourself there.”
Jonesy nodded.
“I don’t mean to pry or anything but is it because we’re here, she’s like that?”
Jonesy frowned. “Like what?”
Olin sucked air in through his teeth. “Snappy. She seems a little...tense. Did you have an argument or something?”
He hadn’t noticed any changes in Lisa’s behavior toward him. “She’s not tense with me.” He knew his tone was defensive, he didn’t care. It was none of Olin’s business.
Olin shrugged. “Sorry I brought it up.” He let go of Lauren, took the ax away from her and picked up a few of the logs she’d chopped. “Think you’ve chopped enough now, baby. Don’t want you getting any blisters, do we?” He walked back to the corner and pulled the furs around his shoulders. He patted the space beside him for Lauren to come and sit.
He looked to Lauren but she was collecting the split wood. He turned away, taking a step before Olin spoke. “The Glock?”
Jonesy half-turned. “I’ll bring it out.”
He shuffled through the snow back to the cabin. What the hell was Olin talking about? Lisa had been fine. The issue about trust and about the cache had been forgotten. He’d apologized and she accepted it. She harbored no bad feelings, he was sure. But maybe if Olin had noticed something was amiss then perhaps he was missing something?
Inside, Lisa was upstairs. He could hear her moving about.
“Lisa?” He looked up to the mezzanine. Lad poked his head through the railings, and a second later Lisa’s face appeared.
“Okay?” she asked.
“Fine, Olin’s...well, Olin’s reclining but Lauren’s taken to chopping wood like a duck to water. She seems to have a lot of anger.”
Lisa smiled. “You would too if you were married to that asshole.”
Jonesy forced a smile. Olin’s comment was still going around his head. He hadn’t thought about what had happened between them since Lauren arrived. Things had changed so quickly in such a short space of time. Their isolated-island existence had gone and in its place a weird and uneasy state of four had somehow taken over. It could have been a coup d’état for the impact it had on them. Yet in all the turmoil, he had given only passing thought to how Lisa was coping.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She frowned at him. “He’s a controlling son of a bitch but he doesn’t worry me. I’ve met men like that before and...”
“No,” Jonesy interrupted. “I mean...you and me. We’re okay, right?”
Her frown dug deeper into her brow. “You and me? Of course we are. Why?”
He shook his head. He was being stupid. “You know, with all that’s going on at the moment, I didn’t want you thinking I was...”
Her head disappeared for a moment as she came down the stairs. She walked toward him.
“Listen, I think you’re right. We just need to leave them to it. I’ve given her the opportunity to talk to me, the chance to tell me if anything’s wrong. And I’ve got diddly in return. So we just treat it as having guests to stay. No more questions or prying into whatever they’ve got going on. As long as he pulls his weight, we won’t have any problems. Okay?”
“Fine by me. Although I did just ask him about what he did and whether anyone would be searching for them.”
“What did he say?”
“Some vague bullshit. He answered me without answering me.”
“Evasive like a politician, huh?”
He smiled. “Exactly. Or a criminal.” As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Lisa’s eyes widened. He jumped in before she could say anything. “No, you said no more questions.”
She took his hand. “And I meant it. I just want to go back to ho
w things were a couple of months ago. Just you, me, Lad and a cache full of food.”
“Yeah, all of a sudden it seems noisy around here.”
“Like a city full of people.”
He laughed. “Like New York. Makes me wonder how we coped with it.”
“Me too.”
“You mean that?”
She kissed him. “Jonesy, I could never go back. I never want to be anywhere else but here with you and Lad.” She released him. “Now we’ve got that cleared up, what’re you doing now?”
He grimaced. “Giving him the gun back.”
She closed her eyes. “I don’t suppose there’s much choice?”
He shook his head. “About giving it him back? Not really, it is his. And I guess they need some protection if they’re going to stay out there.”
He walked around her and dug into the locker. The Glock was wrapped in a dirty old cloth. He’d never had his own firearm until they came to Alaska. Neither of them had owned one. Their rifles were tools, just like the ax, the shovel and the sled. Their reason for being, at least to Jonesy and Lisa, was survival. Plain and simple.
He lifted it out. It felt very different to their rifles, and not just because of the size, shape and weight. It felt like something designed not for survival but for a different purpose altogether. He checked the magazine. Seven rounds remaining. He was pretty sure he’d only heard five shots ring out before he’d found Olin. What had he used the rest of the clip on, he wondered? The number ‘22’ was etched into the side.
It was smokier than ever in the shed and it made his eyes water. The open doorway provided some ventilation but the smoke hung in thick gray ribbons. The fire was roaring in the corner.
“You need to be careful with that,” Jonesy said. “You’ll burn the place down.”
Lauren had dug a pit into the shed’s earth floor and the fires she made were small, providing only meager heat. Olin was not so circumspect with his use of the wood and it was piled high. Burning embers spilled out of the pit. It would only take a couple of good-sized sparks to land in the wrong place and the wood supply would go up in a matter of seconds.
Jonesy walked over and kicked the errant embers back into the pit. The heat was intense back here. How Olin could sit so close was beyond him. The man had beads of sweat on his glowing face. Maybe it was a fever? He thought about the rotting smell coming from the man and what was happening under that glove. Fever seemed likely.
