“What’s that you got there, boys?” Scott asked.
“Nothing, just an update we gotta deliver,” replied Isaiah.
“What are you telling them?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
They stood in awkward silence, awaiting the return of Tyler’s pickup. Evan kept his eyes fixed on Scott, but grew increasingly uncomfortable as the seconds dragged on. Isaiah nervously shuffled his feet and darted his gaze from his friend, to the stranger, to the ground, and back again. Scott eased his stare between them with a smirk on his face. When the truck arrived, Terry and Walter were squeezed into the cab with Tyler. He stopped in the middle of the road, and the two older men got out while Tyler remained behind the steering wheel with the engine running.
Terry looked at his two young staffers, trying to find clues in their expressions. Then he turned to the strange man before them. Walter walked calmly behind him. “So what do we have here?” Terry asked.
Scott turned his attention to Terry and Walter as they approached. He took a few easy steps in their direction, hand outstretched.
“Good afternoon, my name is Justin Scott, and I’m from Gibson.” He directed his greeting at Terry first, as if sensing he was the more important of the two. The arrogance that had been in his voice when he’d been talking to Isaiah and Evan gave way to respect, though Evan questioned its sincerity.
“I’m Terry Meegis, and I’m the chief here.” Terry shook Scott’s hand and waved in Walter’s direction. “This is Walter Meegis. He’s one of our councillors.”
“It’s an honour to meet you, Chief, and Councillor Meegis,” Scott replied as he shook Walter’s hand. Scott put his hands on his hips, while Walter put his own in the pockets of his jacket.
“So what can we do for you, Mr. Scott?” asked Terry.
“Well, sir, I humbly come before you asking for refuge in your community. I’m sure you’re aware of the situation in the city. It’s getting worse, and I feared for my safety. So I escaped in the darkness early this morning.”
Evan watched Walter eye the large man. He guessed Walter was coming to the same conclusion he did after scrutinizing Scott’s figure — that he was somewhere in his late thirties or early forties. Clearly able-bodied.
“I followed two lines of snowmobile tracks to the power lines, which led me all the way here. I understand two of your young ones made their way back here, escaping the city like I did. I didn’t know where the trail would lead me. But here I am. And now, I’m begging you to allow me to stay here for the time being. I saw some pretty horrific things in the last few days.”
His voice cracked and he looked down at the hard-packed icy snow at his feet. The sudden vulnerability shocked Evan. He didn’t seem like the same cocky person who had prodded them moments earlier. Evan wasn’t sure what to make of this about-face, but it didn’t make him trust Scott any more. He didn’t believe everything about this stranger’s story, either.
“I’m sorry to hear of your hardships,” Terry responded. “We’re just starting to understand what’s going on here. It sounds pretty messed up. But why should we take you in?”
Scott stood straighter. “Well, Chief Meegis, I’m a hunter, much like you are, I assume. I can help provide for your community. I’m a survivalist. I know how to live on this land without the comforts and luxuries people in the South have become too dependent on. I know all about emergency management. I can help your people adapt to this situation.”
“Why should we trust you?” Terry asked.
“Because what you see is what you get,” he said. “I come to you with only the intention of survival and the hope of being part of a community. We’re only going to get through this with each other.”
“What’s in the boxes?”
“Supplies. Hunting gear. Food. Clothes. A tent. The essentials.”
“How do we know you’re alone, like you say?”
“You just have to believe me.”
“How can we be sure no one followed you?”
Scott shrugged. “I guess you can’t. But as your boys probably told you, no one down there was ready for this. They’re lucky they made it out.”
Terry pursed his lips. “Well, as I’m sure you can appreciate, Mr. Scott, we’re gonna have to discuss this. Please excuse us.” He turned his back on Scott and motioned for the others to follow him behind the biggest plough. “Take your time,” Scott said, flashing a toothy smile as they disappeared. Tyler remained in the truck, watching the newcomer.
They huddled behind the plough. Terry scratched his beard, and Walter tugged again at his ponytail.
“So what are we gonna do with him?” Walter asked.
“We can’t just send him back,” answered Terry.
Walter gritted his teeth. “The fuck we can’t!”
“What’s gonna happen to him if he goes back down there? Or if he has to find somewhere else to go?”
“Who the fuck cares! I don’t trust him.”
Evan piped up. “I don’t trust him either, Terry.” It was unusual for him to speak out, especially in a circle with his elders.
Terry sighed. “We may be able to use him, though,” he protested. “He could pull more weight than a lot of the deadbeats in this goddamn rez.”
Evan thought of his brother Cam and his friends who passed their days playing video games and smoking dope. Evan realized he hadn’t visited Cam lately and decided he would go over and check on him later.
“We can’t just turn him away,” Terry continued. “It’s not our way. We can’t just send him off to die.”
“Alright, we let him stay,” Walter conceded. “But he has to contribute. He has to hunt. He has to gather wood. Where are we gonna put him, though?”
“We can put him in the health station,” Terry suggested. The community nurses rotated in two weeks at a time and the crisis had hit the week before another one was to come in from Gibson. The health station was empty. This wasn’t the first time the rez had been left without a nurse, and when it happened, the few with first-aid training — like Nicole or Walter — stepped up for basic care.
“There are beds in there,” Terry went on. “There’s a kitchen. That means we’ll have to put the heat on in there, though. But eventually we’ll put him in someone’s house. As soon as he proves he can be a part of this community and that he can be trusted.”
“So what then,” Evan asked. “Do we make him get one moose a week or what?” He was only half-joking.
Walter chuckled. “That’s actually not a bad idea.”
“No, it’s not,” Terry said. “But we’ll worry about that later. For now, let’s just tell him the deal.”
“What about the rest of council? Shouldn’t we talk to them first?” asked Walter.
“I don’t think we have time. People are gonna eventually see us down here with him and they’ll come see what’s going on. We should get him out of the way.”
“Okay, make him promise to keep a low profile until after the meeting. People are gonna shit themselves if they see this big fuckin’ white guy out and about.”
Scott accepted their offer, saying he was humbled and honoured to join them. The late afternoon sun stretched their shadows as they got into the trucks to convoy to the community complex. Walter got behind the wheel of Isaiah’s truck with Terry in the cab and Justin Scott lying flat in the back. Isaiah drove Scott’s snowmobile. They rolled out of the parking lot, veiled by the encroaching twilight.
Seventeen
The sage smoke billowed high and dissipated. As it smouldered into ash, the scent weakened, giving way to the strong smell of woodsmoke now woven into the jackets and sweaters of the men and women in the crowd.
Nearly every seat was taken. There were more than twice the people gathered than the last time, and there was a more subdued hum about the room. There were fewer children in the crowd. People had quiet, serious conversations with their neighbours. And those who were silent gazed straight ahead, lips pinched with worry.