BOOM! The first charge hit the door so hard my collarbone almost snapped in half. I saw drywall dust fly and one of the door screws flew across the room.
“I’m gonna kill you, Torchy!” Country yelled. “Embarrassing me like that!” BOOM! The next hit split the door and I heard something in my back pop. I had the wind knocked out of me, but I looked around for a weapon, and I saw Stephanie’s Goofy toothbrush in a plastic cup on the sink.
BOOM! The next hit with such force, two door screws flew into the sink. Lights started popping around my eyes and my ears started ringing. I couldn’t breathe. I dropped down, leapt for the sink and grabbed Steph’s Goofy toothbrush just as Country smashed through the door.
Everything slowed down. As he flew through the door, I used the end of that Goofy toothbrush and shanked Country right in the ribs. He fishtailed in the air and grabbed at his side yelling, “He got me!” just as his head slammed into the toilet bowl.
I was hit with the half of the door and it caught my forehead, slicing me open. Blood immediately shot into my left eye, blinding me, and then I heard the crackle and pop of the fire coming closer. I could smell the carpets and drywall burning, and I knew that although I couldn’t smell it, that urea foam from the couches was burning and cyanide gas was coming for us both.
My ribs. Something was wrong, sharp. It hurt to breathe. I reached around to see if something was inside me as I pushed the rest of the door aside and caught my reflection in the mirror. Blood was flowing pretty good. I had door chunks in my hair. I looked at Country and he was out cold. Fuck, my hand started to throb in the way only bone grinding on bone could. I wasn’t stabbed. I had a broken rib or ribs.
“Son!” I heard a voice yell from outside through the open window in the shower. “Torchy!” It was Jeremiah.
“Son!” He called again. “Torchy – somebody answer me!” I held my breath and pain shot through my rib cage on my left. I wiped the blood away with my sleeve and took a quick look down the hall. There was a wall of fire coming at us. Black smoke started to fill the bathroom. I looked at Country and he was out. On his tummy and in la la land.
“Torchy! Is my son in there?” Jeremiah yelled. I had to think fast.
“Torchy – is my son in there? God! Jesus! Answer me!”
“He’s in here!” I yelled, winced and pressed my good hand against my side. “Knocked out.”
“You sonofabitch!” he yelled. “What’d you do to him? Your fuckin’ trailer’s on fire!” Thank fuck there was a side door. I looked at Country and I looked at the ten grand. There was no way I was going to go back for both. “Your stupid son threw a firebomb in the living room and he’s knocked out!”
“Oh Lord. Torchy, you get him out of there right now. I’m begging you. She’s burnin’ up!” I knelt down so the smoke wouldn’t blind my good eye. Blood started dripping in my mouth. The cyanide would be crawling along the floor, right into Country’s mouth if I wasn’t fast. I spit blood and looked at that gym bag of Sfen’s and shook my head. Shit!
I grabbed Country by his ankles. “He knocked his own self out trying to kill me!”
“Torchy, you get my son out of there and I’ll give you anything you want. You get him out of there, Torchy, and I promise you I’ll give you anything.” I could hear Jeremiah crying. “I swear to God, Torchy. I’ll give you everything I have. I swear. Just give me my son back.”
I took a big breath again and held it. I couldn’t breathe or none of us would make it. I used my hands, despite the agony. And my shoulder was out – I knew it. I knew it. And though it killed me to do it, I pulled Country across the linoleum floor. Jesus Christ, it was like pulling solid cement. I opened the side door with my left hand and kicked open the cheap wooden door that opened onto the lawn. There was no porch so it was about a three-foot drop. When Country’s body hit the carpet, he slowed down fast. I hopped out of the trailer and pulled his ankles again, taking a big breath of what I thought would be fresh air, but it was solid smoke. I started to cough and realized that, with the carpet, there was no give in pulling Country. He was too heavy. Shit! He was going to burn. That fire was racing over him, licking at the furnace.
“Torchy!” Jeremiah yelled and I looked. Jeremiah stood with both of his canes at the back of the trailer, too far away to help. “Where’s my son?”
“Help me!” I yelled. “He’s too heavy!”
Jeremiah tried to run on the grass but he fell, spilling both canes in front of him. Shit! I had to hop back in the trailer and push Country out with my feet. There was fire everywhere now. Opening that side door fed the fire and now it roared above Country. I heard him moan. Which was worse because he’d feel everything when the fire got him.
“Torchy, you save my son. Save my son!” Jeremiah yelled. He was crying and crawling towards us. “I’m begging you! I’ll give you anything you want!”
Half blinded by blood, I looked up and saw an arm of fire shoot out of the roof. And the roar of it being fed by air created a wind. I took the biggest breath I could but coughed when it felt like I had a bag of nails in my right lung. I coughed and wiped blood out of my eye and I saw the whole front end of the trailer engulfed in the reddest fire I ever saw. Black smoke filled the sky and the siding was starting to pop.
I took a shallow breath and jumped back into the trailer, through the smoke and cyanide gas and smashed my head hard into the gyproc. Stars. I saw stars but I knew not to breathe. And then I felt it.
The wind.
The same wind I felt around Snowbird that day. It surrounded me. Time slowed. I seen a blue light shimmering above Country’s body. It was in a bright blue I’d never seen before, and blue strings of light braided themselves together like tendrils out of Country’s nose and mouth starting to make their way towards the ceiling. I blinked and looked closer. The strings were getting thicker and whatever it was – his spirit? – was reaching higher. Then I heard hissing. I turned and saw black fingers crawling along the floor from the hallway. It was the cyanide gas and it was coming for his mouth. I blinked and crawled over Country’s body. I dropped fast against the wall and, with all my might, I kicked his body out of the trailer. He barely moved. So I did it again, this time planting my feet against his ribs and I booted with everything I had. He was gone in a second and I saw light reach through the smoke towards me.
Then I felt the full heat of the fire engulf me. I heard a roar of the wind around me and my hair went up with a whoosh! I started slapping the flames away. Sfen’s shirt went up and that’s when I jumped with all I had into the light. I hit hard, jamming my thumb on my broken hand. The agony kept me alert as I knew I was on fire.
“Jesus Christ!” someone yelled.
“He’s on fire!” someone yelled. I was beside Country and could hear sirens and people racing towards me. It was my neighbours. I felt my back starting to burn and I immediately started to roll on the grass over and over. Over and over. Over and over until I was jumped by someone with a blanket. I was told later it was Glen Holmes, manager of the Northern. I was also told I tried choking him out, even when I was unconscious.
All I know is I remember Jeremiah holding Country like a baby. Jeremiah couldn’t stop crying and Country kept calling, “Thank you, Torchy. I’m sorry, Torchy.”
I was on my stomach on a stretcher, breathing into an oxygen tank and coughing tar out something awful. My ribs hurt and my shoulder was killing me. The ambulance guys put an ice pack on my eye and wouldn’t let me look at my hand. Everything hurt: my back, my hand, my eye, my lungs and my scalp, ears and forehead were killing me. I didn’t even feel the gash on my forehead. I had been on fire. Apparently, I flew like the Human Torch out of Sfen’s trailer, onto Sfen’s lawn. A fricken Dogrib Evel Knievel on fire, no less….
The hospital wasn’t too bad. When I woke, it felt like I’d been sucking on a blood popsicle for a month. I’d bit halfway through my tongue somewhere along the w
ay and it was swollen. I could handle my stitches and broken hand easy with my meds, but I had this wicked cough and second degree burns on my shoulders. It turns out Country broke three of my ribs and dislocated my shoulder. He also cracked my collarbone. I could feel all my torn muscles every time I breathed so I learned how to breathe slow. The nurses had given me a pig shave as I guess my hair had gone up in the fire and that was fine with me. Me and Sfen always had pig shaves when we were kids and it was nice to have some air conditioning blowing on my neck and ears.
I had visitors, believe it or not. The old man and Stephanie were by my side for the full three days I was there, only leaving when guests came. I kept waiting for Arnie to be admitted, but, strangely, there was no sign of him. Lester’s mother came to visit. I was still on my stomach, unable to sit up fully or lie on my side. She brought me a patch quilt blanket she’d made herself.
“Thank you for spending time with Lester before he passed.” I nodded, taking shallow breaths. “I was able to speak to Lester before he died,” she said, “and he told me he’d asked you to do a few things before he passed.”
I was tired but wanted to do this right. “I did everything he asked,” I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back in time.”
“He knows,” she said and smiled. She looked tired.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “that I was such a bully to him.”
She nodded. “He said you became his biggest protector.”
I nodded. “I looked out for him as best I could.”
She smiled. “Someone wants to thank you, too.” I looked. She motioned towards the door and Charity walked into the room.
“Hi, Torchy,” she said.
“Hi,” I nodded.
“Everyone’s saying you’re a hero.” That’s when I saw Lester’s cross around her neck.
I took a big breath and winced. “I sure don’t feel like one.”
Charity looked at Lester’s mom and looked at me. “You’re going to be an uncle.”
“What?”
“I’m going to be a grandmother,” Lester’s mom said. There were tears in her eyes. “And you’re going to be an uncle.”
I looked at Charity and she had the biggest smile on her face. “We’re going to raise Lester’s son and we’d like you to help – as family.”
I nodded. “Holy fuck. Deal.” I started to cough and faded into sleep.
After that, Jeremiah and Country came to visit. They walked in with their caps in their hands and the biggest puppy dog eyes I ever seen.
“I’m sorry for busting you up and burning your brother’s trailer,” Country said. I saw Jeremiah wipe his eyes. “Thank you for saving my life. Are you okay?”
“I will be,” I said. I then started to cough and they looked at each other with panic. I’m sure it hurt worse than I put on, but my meds were kicking in just fine.
“Can I get you anything?” Country asked.
“No,” I said. “They say I gotta cough it all up. It’s okay.”
Jeremiah caned his way towards me, with Country helping him out. “Listen, Torchy. The RCMP are asking questions. They have a fire expert in from Yellowknife and they’re waiting to talk to you.”
“So?” I asked.
“Maybe we can work out a little deal.” Sfen’s trailer was gone. All our stuff was gone. Stephanie’s Goofy toothbrush was gone. The ten grand was gone. My brother’s Bible.
“I want you to know, Torchy – and I swear to God on this – that when we moved your brother’s body we used respect. We did rebury him next to your mother’s resting place. And we feel bad you lost your brother’s trailer.”
I thought of him and Jeremiah taking Sfen’s body out of the earth and moving it, disturbing his peace. I didn’t have the strength to get angry or tell them off so I just listened. “Go on.”
“I built a new house near the highway. It’s my best design yet. Four rooms, big yard, picture windows. You name it. It was supposed to be for the new doctor but I told the hospital I’d build them another one. Torchy,” he said and held out the keys, “it’s all yours.” I looked at it. I knew which one he was talking about. It was a beauty all right. No expense had been spared. I couldn’t believe it.
“But,” Jeremiah said, “I want your word that you’ll clear my son’s name when you speak to the police.”
“I lost that ten grand,” I said.
“What?” they asked.
“After the fight, I went to my brother’s to clean up when Country firebombed the trailer. It was either you, Country, or the ten grand. It all went up in the flames.”
“No way,” Jeremiah said. “I think that house more than covers –”
“You promised me,” I said, “that if I saved your son’s life, you’d give me anything I wanted. His biggest claim to fame is he’s never been put down, right? Well, you cut me a cheque for ten grand and I won’t tell UFC if you don’t.”
Country looked at his father and his father looked at his son. Jeremiah teared up and hugged his son again. “Done,” he said and he asked his son to go to the truck and get his chequebook.
When Country left, Jeremiah stood over me, looking at the gauze on my back and checking out my cast. “Is our war over?”
I looked at him and my back began to sting. “You dug up my brother’s body.”
He nodded. “True, but you have to believe me that we moved him with respect and dignity. I buried him the way every Dogrib should be buried. And I got him away from the wolves, Torchy. They’d been trying. Believe me. I swear it on my son’s life. That was no way for anyone to be buried.” I could hear that he was telling the truth.
“I think we’ve done enough to each other, don’t you?” he asked.
“You promise me on your son’s life you buried him beside our mother?” I asked.
He nodded. “I swear. I swear on everything, Torchy. Your brother is buried right beside your mother. Where he should be. And we can even help make a crib to surround it. We can wait a year to do it. Dogrib style.”
I thought about it. I thought about my beautiful brother. His strong hands. The way he’d touch my back when he walked by. “Our war is over,” I said and started to cough.
Jeremiah caned his way over to me and gently put his hand on my left wrist. “Thank you for saving my son’s life.”
I nodded. His big hand trembled and I could tell he was choking up. “I have something for you,” he said. He placed something in my hands and closed my fingers around it. “Get well, Torchy.”
I looked at what he gave me and it was a rosary. The rosary we stole from the warden. The rosary Sfen held as he pulled the trigger. The rosary he’d been buried and dug up with.
“Jesus,” I said. I started to tear up. I missed my brother terribly and even my mom. Whenever they’d let me out of here, we’d have to have a ceremony.
After Country came back, Jeremiah signed his cheque to me.
“Thank you,” I said.
“No,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Should I ask about Arnie?” I asked.
“Oh,” Jeremiah said, “he’s been taken care of.” I frowned but knew not to ask another word. I then asked them for a favour.
Talking to the cops was a cinch. I told them Country had come over asking me for help. His dad had run out of gas and he didn’t want to walk out to the highway himself. I said we’d gone outside to look for a funnel and when we came back it was my cigarette that did the trailer in. They just shook their heads and left it at that.
What nobody knows, and what I’ll never tell, is after Jeremiah and Country came to see me, and after the cops left, my brother’s ex – Andy the fire chief – paid me a visit. He brought with him what looked like a dirty oil rag in a baggy. “You’re lucky you made it out of that fire alive,” he said.
“How’s that?” I asked.
“We figure she went up in about three minutes.”
“It felt shorter than that.”
“I bet.” He nodded. “Is this your shirt?”
I looked at it. It was hard to believe but it was. “It was Sfen’s.”
He looked at it and I could tell he wanted to touch it. “What I don’t understand,” he said, “is the shirt went up like this and you only got burnt on your shoulders. You’re one lucky man.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“Tell your brother when you see him,” he said, “that I said –”
“He’s dead,” I said.
Andy took in a big breath as if gut punched. “What?” he asked.
“He’s gone,” I said and I told Andy everything. Oh, how he cried. Andy cried and cried. Snowbird would check on us but he knew to stand by and send other visitors away. When we were done, I told Andy what we intended to do with Sfen’s remains and he told me he’d be there. He then pulled something out from where he’d put his jacket. Because I was on my stomach, I couldn’t see it.
“A gym bag,” he said. “Filled with a pile of money. And a Bible.”
I smiled. “No way.”
He nodded. “It was in the tub. I’m amazed it didn’t burn. We put that fire out and that’s the only thing that made it.” He put it beside me.
“In the tub?” I asked. “Last time I saw it she was by the sink.”
He shrugged. “All I know is you earned it,” he said. “Every penny. We watched you fight and man, that was something. Nobody on my crew knows about this, and your secret’s safe with me.”
I looked at him. “And your secret’s safe with me.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Torchy. Thank you.” One stair closer to heaven, I thought. But how did that bag get in the tub? Sfen? Snowbird? I know I felt Snowbird’s wind before my hair went up, but I couldn’t believe it. Maybe the good Lord above was finally taking a shine to me.
Last but not least was Snowbird. Stephanie went to get a juice in the pop machine and the old man stood by my bed. “Sorry Lester didn’t make it,” he said.
Godless But Loyal To Heaven Page 17
