Regan Wolfrom - After The Fires Went Out - Coyote

“Like I should? What would that make me?”

“A supportive partner?”

“I’m not a murderer, Baptiste. And neither are you.”

“They’re getting their supplies.”

“And a helping of what, sleeping pills?”

“It’s better this way. We need to keep our people together.”

“But we won’t be together. We’ll lose Lisa and Graham.”

“We’re going to lose them anyway.”

“Not if we go with them.”

“No,” I said. “We’re not leaving.”

“If that’s the only way we can stay together ―”

“It was their decision, Kayla. They’re splitting us up.”

“No, Baptiste. It was your decision. You lost the vote.”

“That’s on you.”

“Don’t do this.”

“It’s already done.”

“No, it’s not.”

I heard the sound of a vehicle coming up the road. Justin was on his way.

Kayla turned to leave.

I grabbed her arm.

“Let go of me,” she said.

“You can’t tell them.”

“I’m going to tell them. I’m going to tell everyone, Baptiste. You may as well call this off.”

Justin stopped the truck right beside us.

He hopped out of the cab.

“Matt got caught,” he said.

“Matt gave us up,” I said.

“Where the fuck is he?”

More footsteps. Hurrying.

“I’m here,” Matt said as he hustled over to us with a gas can hanging from each hand. “Sorry, guys. She saw me.”

“And you told her,” I said. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“She hasn’t told anyone.”

“She’s planning to.”

“She won’t,” Justin said.

“You know I will,” Kayla said.

Justin reached into the cab. “Hold on,” he said. “I’ve got something.” He pulled out a length of yellow rope.

“We need to tie her up. Keep her out of the way. You need to cover her mouth, Baptiste.”

“We’re not tying her up,” I said.

“You can’t back out.”

I turned back to her. “You need to support me, Kayla.”

“I won’t do it,” she said. “I won’t be responsible for this.”

“Take her boots off,” Justin said. “We need a sock for her mouth.”

“You won’t scream,” I said to her.

“I will scream,” she said. “You’d better do as Justin says. And then you should get used to doing whatever he says, since it won’t be long before he’ll start making all of the decisions.”

“Come on, Kayla. Don’t make me do this.”

“I’m not making you do anything.”

“This isn’t going to work,” Matt said. “Your whole plan is falling apart. It’s not like Kayla’s going to go along with the cover story.”

“Shut up, Matt,” Justin said.

“I won’t,” she said. “I’m going to make sure everyone knows what you did. So unless you’re going to keep a sock shoved in my mouth for the rest of my life ―”

Justin reached out and grabbed her shoulder. “The rest of your life is going to get awful short.”

“Don’t touch her,” I said, shoving his hand away.

“And don’t threaten her, either,” Matt said.

“She’ll come on side,” Justin said. “She’ll get there. Let’s just tie her up and stuff her somewhere until this is done.”

“You’re going to have to kill me,” she said.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked her.

“Sara would be ashamed of you, Baptiste.”

“I don’t care.”

“That makes all of us,” Justin said. “Now shut that bitch up.”

I took a swing at Justin and missed, but only because Matt had thrown out both of his arms and given Justin a shove.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Justin said. “That was out of line.”

“I’m thirty seconds away from kicking your ass,” I said.

“Just get her boots off…”

“I’m not going to do it.”

“She’ll come around…she just needs some time to think on it.”

“I’m not tying her up,. That’s final.”

“Then this whole plan is dead in the water.”

“It is.”

“I won’t accept that.”

“You will.”

He tried to stare me down. It felt like hours.

“Fuck this shit,” he said.

He threw the pink keychain to the ground and then he walked away.

Lisa almost laughed at me. “It’s a terrible deal,” she said as she checked out the supplies in the back of the truck.

“And a breach of trust,” Katie said.

Sky and Graham didn’t add anything, but I could tell they agreed.

“I didn’t know what else to try,” I said. “We’re out of options.”

I looked over to Kayla. She looked down at her feet.

She was keeping her promise.

“Whoever wants to go should be allowed to go,” Lisa said. “Honestly, Kayla, I’m surprised you got involved with this waste of time. You know me better than this.”

Kayla didn’t answer.

“It wouldn’t matter if you offered us both Mossbergs and all three sets of armour,” Graham said. “We’re not leaving anyone behind. Well, anyone who doesn’t want to be left.”

“Anyone who goes with you is signing their life away,” I said. “I don’t feel bad for trying to save lives.”

“So self-righteous,” Lisa said. “It’s not attractive, Baptiste.”

“Just be careful, guys.”

I turned to leave.

“You’re going?” Graham asked.

“You don’t need me to supervise,” I said. “You get one vest, one helmet, and one shotgun. I don’t care about the rest. Just take what you can carry.”

“Wait, Baptiste,” Katie said. She walked up to me and held out her hand. She was holding a small box. “Laneradine, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not much…maybe a month’s worth…but it’s all I could find in our stores.” She handed it to me.

“Thanks,” I managed to say. “I hope I can keep me and my people alive long enough to use these.”

“Thank you, Katie,” Kayla said.

She gave Katie a hug.

And then Sky. And Graham. And finally Lisa.

“I love you,” Kayla said.

“I love you, too,” Lisa said. “That means something.”

“I know it does.”

Kayla walked over to me and reached for my hand.

I hoped it wasn’t just for show.

They left just before sunset. Nineteen people total, seventeen of them from McCartney Lake.

They took Tremblay’s truck and the plow, one of the Mossbergs, and one set of body armour and riot gear. They took some supplies, but on the whole we’re left with more per person now that they’ve gone.

Kayla stayed with me as we’d waited for them to leave, and she’s still with me now.

Every so often I run my fingers along her back and she gently moans.

I’m finding it hard to believe that she’s moved on from what I tried to do.

Maybe she just doesn’t know what to do with me.

Today is Thursday, January 17th.

Justin showed up before sunrise with his phone in his hand.

Kayla and I were in the living room.