The Winter People

by Bret Tallent

  But he wouldn’t let them. For the first time since this nightmare began, Johnny was in control and he relished it. Johnny peered into their black hearts and sick minds. Johnny knew what they knew, and saw what they saw. He could feel what they felt, and he knew their intent. He knew their location, all of them. He knew where they were and where they were going. And more importantly, he knew how many of them there were left. And for the first time, Johnny heard fear in the wind.

  ***

  Gary had never seen anything like it. It repulsed and captivated him all at the same time. There was a hole cut in Nick’s belly and Tom had his hand inside the man’s stomach. Gary could see it moving underneath the skin and it freaked him out. Tom was holding the incision open and was pouring in warm water as he gently massaged the internal organs. As the water washed in and out the opening it was tainted pink from the blood beginning to flow. It was surreal and Gary couldn’t look away.

  Sarah kept up with CPR all the while. She refused to stop and drove herself beyond her limits. Gary saw it on her face; she would not give up on him no matter what. And he decided, neither would he. He would do whatever Sarah needed him to do, whatever Tom needed him to do, and more importantly whatever Nick needed him to do. So Gary continued to supply the warm water to Tom, and spell Sarah when she would let him. He would not fail them the way he had failed his mother. And with that, Gary became more determined than ever.

  The lavage was working, Nick was warming up and some color was returning. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Gary, Nick coughed. He coughed up frothy pink sputum and his eyes sputtered open, then closed again. He took in several gulps of air then let out a moan. Sarah, Tom and Gary stopped what they were doing and stood expectantly, quiet and tense. Gary’s mouth went slack jawed, waiting for more. Sarah only bit her lip. Tom then saw his chest rise and fall again, and then checked his pulse. It was rapid and thready, but it was there.

  Suddenly, Nick broke out in tremors. Without realizing it, Sarah, Tom and Gary each let out a collective sigh. None of them had even realized they had each been holding their breath. Nick was breathing regularly, albeit somewhat labored. And from what he was seeing, Tom knew that this near drowning had been the best possible circumstances. Nick had not aspirated any water and the cold had slowed his metabolism. Now only time would tell if there was any brain damage. Tom was amazed. Nick must have an incredible desire to live. He should by all rights be dead.

  Tom turned to Sarah, “You are going to need to sew him up for me…can you do that?”

  As tears ran down her cheeks, “Yes, I can do whatever you need me to. Thank you Doctor.” Then she hugged him. Holding on a little longer than Tom felt comfortable with, Sarah hugged him hard. And for the first time in a long time, Tom actually felt like a doctor. And then Tom did what doctors do and took command of the situation.

  ***

  Hayden awoke to uncontrollable shivering. His mind was lethargic and confused. He wasn’t sure where he was or what had happened. His mind was a jumbled mess, images and thoughts out of order and out of context. Hayden struggled to clear his thoughts and was met only with a throbbing at his temples. Water and ice; that was all he could remember. But the more he concentrated, through the pounding headache, his thoughts began to slowly clear. As a dark realization came over him, he suddenly felt defeated. The memories began to fill up the recesses of his mind until he was whole again.

  He cuddled closer to the warm round lump next to him and heard a dog whine. The weight of the blankets on him felt good, comforting. Hayden only barely remembered the trip back here with Johnny. He vaguely recalled blankets and heaters and people hovering. But he remembered the cold. It still had a grip on him. His muscles ached and his hands and feet were throbbing. The tremors began to ebb and his teeth had finally quit chattering, but he was still cold. And as his memories became even stronger he knew that he would be cold for a long time.

  A final rack of tremors coursed through his body and he heard voices in the other room. Tom was barking out orders. Nick he recalled. There was something about Nick, something bad. But he could recall nothing else. Fighting the cold and the ache deep down in his bones, Hayden pulled himself from the cot. His legs were rubbery at first, struggling to hold his weight. But finally he could stand. He found the pot of coffee on the desk next to him and discovered it to still be warm at least. So he poured a cup of the pungent beverage into a used cup that was sitting there and drank deeply of it. It felt good and warm running down his throat, and warmed his insides. He quickly finished that cup and drained the rest of the pot into his cup and drank that down as well. It had revived him somewhat and even taken some of the chill out of him.

  With his wits a little more revitalized, as well as his body, Hayden sat down at the desk and pulled on a pair of work shoes he always kept at the station. He looked through the desk drawers until he came upon a bottle of aspirin and washed four of the little pills down with the dregs of his coffee. Stretching this way and that, he worked his tired, aching muscles so that he could move a little more freely. Satisfied that he was as good as he was going to get, Hayden pulled his heavy frame up from the chair and stood. Unbalanced at first, he supported himself on the corner of the desk. Eventually he worked up the strength and composure to shuffle into the next room and see if he could do anything.

  ***

  “Gary, keep checking his pulse and keep an eye on his breathing,” Tom directed.

  “Okay”

  “Sarah, clean your hands thoroughly with the alcohol and prepare three needles with silk thread,” he continued. Sarah only nodded and did as he asked.

  Next, Tom made sure all of Nicks internal organs were tucked neatly up inside his abdomen and then directed Sarah in the fine art of surgical closure. He knew they had to move quickly, the more Nick warmed up the more he would bleed. And they simply had no way to deal with significant blood loss. But he also knew that Sarah needed to do it correctly. So Tom explained how to do the proper stitch, and how she should close the wound. So focused were they all on what they were doing, none of them realized that Hayden was standing in the doorway leaning against the door frame.

  As Sarah finished closing the muscle layer with her needle and thread, Hayden finally spoke up. “Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

  “Yes. You can sit down before you fall down!” Tom barked. He did not turn around but remained focused on his current patient. However, inwardly he smiled. And Hayden sat down in the nearest chair. Gary looked over at Hayden and gave him a brief smile; however, Sarah was too focused on her task to pay any attention to him.

  Sarah had begun stitching up the subcutaneous tissue and Nick began to move around on her. He was slowly regaining consciousness and the pain was registering. Tom knew this was a good sign. He then checked with Gary and Gary only nodded. Good pulse, good pain response, good God almighty he might just save this man. Yes, Tom felt like a doctor.

  “Doctor he’s moving too much!” Sarah exclaimed as she was trying to close the skin. “I can’t get the needle where I need it to go.”

  Tom had seen her struggling but hoped they could work through it. There was little else they could do. Finally he said to Gary and Hayden, “The two of you hold him down the best you can.” And to Sarah he continued, “And you just keep stitching. Do the best you can but get it closed. It doesn’t have to be pretty, neat, or anything else but closed.” He chided.

  It hurt her to hurt her brother, but Sarah continued. She struggled with each suture, but she continued. Four, five, six…she continued. Tears were welling up in her eyes, seven, eight, and nine. Her brother began to moan again, ten, eleven, and twelve. Sarah finally finished all eighteen sutures and wiped the blood away with a towel. Nick relaxed but continued to moan for another minute or two, and then fell into a fitful sleep.

  “Now all we can do is wait,” Tom quipped, “let him rest, keep him warm, and wait.”

  They dressed the incision and his other wounds and packed him
in blankets. Hayden fell back into the chair he was earlier sitting in, his energy spent. Tom checked Nick’s vitals, or rather he had Gary check them for him, and satisfied he sat down next to Hayden and checked him over as well. Sarah would not leave Nick’s side and bounced between checking his breathing, his pulse, and talking to him. For a moment there was only silence in the room, and it was then that each of them noticed that the storm seemed to be letting up. The wind was not as ferocious, not as strong.

  ***

  Johnny, Mike and Barbara had made the treacherous trip from Donner to Copper Creek in record time Johnny thought. Fear will do wondrous things to your resolve he mused. Ever since they had left Donner he could feel the storm wane, and he knew it was because he and Mike had decreased their numbers. They were not as strong as they were before, and they were not as confident. Although he also sensed their hatred of him had increased exponentially.

  The trip to Copper Creek and eventually the Courthouse had been uneventful, if not outright cold. The others had set upon Donner in an attempt to stop him, and had left Copper Creek empty. Empty except for the ghosts, that is. The streets contained the ghosts of those he’d released back in Donner. They were the ghosts of friends and acquaintances, of unknowns and even some enemies. It was in fact the ghost of the town. It had died this day and even now was just an empty husk. A vessel that had once been alive and vibrant now reduced to a decaying corpse. It was an empty shell that would never know laughter, or joy, or sorrow again. Deep down Johnny felt this was the end of Copper Creek.

  It saddened Johnny to think of his home shriveling up and rotting into nothingness. To think of the lives that had been lost and the futures that would never be. And lost in his melancholy he had allowed despair to creep in. How could he not? And again the self doubt tried to fill him. It attacked him as a living thing, determined to drive him down. It tried to tarnish his resolve and betray his courage. Despair was his enemy as much as any of the others. Then Johnny realized that it was the others. They were fighting back, and they were on their way.

  ***

  Gary heard it first, then Hayden and then Tom. The growl of the snowmobiles was a welcome sound, as was that of the large bay door opening. Only Gary moved down the corridor to the garage bay, Tom and Hayden remained behind. He pushed through the double doors just as Johnny and Mike dropped from the drift to the hard concrete floor, their snowmobiles protesting the transition with metallic screeches. Gary could see right away that both men appeared okay, and immediately noticed the bundle tied to the back of Mike’s machine. He tried to look away at the reverence of what he knew must be within that bundle, but he could not contain his relief and genuine happiness to see the two.

  “Thank God you two made it,” he shouted to be heard above the sound of their engines.

  No sooner had he finished his statement when the two men shut off their machines and the big door finished closing. Both sat motionless for a moment, relishing the comparative safety and warmth of the garage. Only then did Mike realize he had been clenching his teeth the whole ride back. “Where is everyone?” he asked.

  Gary explained the situation as both men dismounted and removed outer garments. Mike wasted no time. He removed his snow gear and ran down the corridor to where Sarah and Nick were. Johnny moved a little more gingerly and took some time to stretch his bum leg. It was protesting at every movement. And then so was his side, his back, and his shoulders. Johnny hadn’t realized how much he had put himself through in the last several hours until just then. He finally took a furtive step toward Gary and only then noticed his gaze.

  “That’s Hayden’s wife, Barbara,” he said flatly.

  Gary only mouthed a silent “oh” and let his eyes fall away. He then turned to join Johnny who had just pushed past him through the double doors.

  “C’mon Gary,” Johnny prodded as he limped down the long corridor, “we have a lot to do and precious little time to do it.”

  ***

  In the large central Sheriff’s office of Copper Creek, sitting on and around several large oak desks, were the last remaining residents and visitors of Copper Creek. Johnny and Mike sat next to each other sipping on the precious juice from a fresh pot of coffee that Tom had made. It was too strong and extremely hot, but neither one cared. Gary sat on top of a desk that Tom had just pulled a chair up to and even he was drinking coffee, something he had never liked. Sarah remained on her vigil over Nick, though less concerned now that he would stop breathing on her. From the rear office near the kitchen Johnny heard an occasional whimper from Roscoe at the sound of his voice.

  Hayden had been morose and sullen since they had told him about Barbara. He had cried for the only time that Johnny could remember and it affected Johnny deeply. In fact it had dampened all of their spirits, to see such a strong man brought to tears. Each of them wondered inwardly if this would be the end for Hayden, if he would be any help at all against what was coming. Everyone here had lost someone close, someone dear. And Hayden was just the last member of their little group to experience that loss this personally. Yet it still affected them all. It brought home to each of them their own losses anew.

  Finally, Johnny spoke up, “They’re coming,” he said quietly. And the others only looked contemplatively at him. “They will descend upon this building and tear it apart,” he continued, “and us right along with it. We have hurt them. We’ve destroyed their food supply and killed many of them, and they are not forgiving. If for no other reason than to exact revenge, they’re coming.” He sipped again from his coffee cup but no one said a word in the long pause. They only watched Johnny.

  Johnny continued, “What we’ve done here will slow them down, but it won’t stop them. There are just too many openings for them to get in. Too many weak spots they can breach. We need a place that is more secure, more defensible,” he finished.

  “What about the cell?” Gary offered, nodding his head in that direction.

  Hayden spoke up, “It’s not much of a cell, and certainly not up to keeping them out for long.” He thought for a moment then continued, “There is the coal cellar,” he remarked. “It has not been used in a very, very long time…except for storage. It has a steel reinforced fire door and stone walls. One entrance…and the old boarded up coal chute.”

  A smile eased onto Johnny’s face, “That’s not too bad,” he said. “In fact that’s not bad at all. We might just be able to make a stand from there. But we need to move quickly.” Johnny looked around at the group then stood up suddenly and began issuing orders. Without a word of protest or a question each of them began doing as Johnny asked. It was not in his nature to be a leader; he was usually quiet and shy. But these were not ordinary circumstances, and the others were looking to him to lead them. Even Hayden acquiesced without word one.

  Sarah, Tom, Gary, and Hayden began moving things they would need into the cellar. Food, flashlights, flares and flares guns, blankets, water, matches, and various other items that Johnny had requested. After the majority of items had been relocated, they moved Nick and Roscoe, and Sarah and Tom stayed with them. While keeping an eye on their two patients, they began to organize the cellar. Gary and Hayden returned for two final items, the acetylene torch, and Barbara. Hayden could not bear to leave her up stairs where she might be violated yet again. He fought back the tears and carried her lifeless form down into the cellar and gently placed her in a corner. No one said a word to him.

  Mike, on the other hand, was following Johnny around with the tasks he had set for them to do. Working as fast as they could, the pair began to tear apart the desks and chairs. Mike and Johnny then piled the debris up against the walls wherever there was nothing flammable. They placed it all around the building, not just in the Sheriff’s office. They were laying kindling for a grand bonfire. Everywhere they could and on every floor. While Mike continued with prepping the bonfire, Johnny went to the garage and gathered up all the gas he could find. He even drained it from the snowmobiles. If his plan worked, there
would be nothing left of this place let alone snowmobiles.

  Johnny then took his bounty to the top furthermost office, and from there he laid trails of gasoline from the offices out into the hallways and down the stairs. He also took the few remaining sticks of dynamite he had and placed them within several offices on the upper floors of the old converted hotel. Then with whatever precious juice he had left he doused the piles of kindling along the outer walls. He even used whatever spirits he could find in desk drawers and office shelves. Before long the fumes were almost overpowering and Mike and Johnny retreated to the relative safety of the coal cellar.

  Once inside he and Mike gathered what few arrows they had left. There were two with sticks of dynamite still attached to them and half a dozen with kerosene soaked rags. Then there were another half a dozen with only the standard hunting tips on them. And of course they had the ten or so bolts for Gary’s crossbow. Johnny glanced over his shoulder at the coal chute; Lord he hoped that opening was too small for them to get through. Even so, he placed Hayden at that area with a handful of flares. The others were fearful of fire Johnny knew, but in their rage he did not know if it really mattered to them that much.

  ***

  Johnny had barely finished stationing Hayden to watch the coal chute when the first of the Winter People came knocking. Gary was in the process of loading his crossbow when something slammed hard into one of the huge bay doors, and he’d nearly dropped the bolt he was placing in it. Sarah held her flare gun before her, trembling, and Roscoe whimpered. Tom stood near Hayden with the other flare gun and looked about nervously, then did something he had not done in a very long time. Tom prayed. Johnny and mike loaded their bows as well and finally Johnny spoke.