The Long Dark- Descent

by Billy Farmer

  Titouan and I weaved through elbows and knees on our way to the front of the room. I heard some grumbling because of Titouan's re-entrance, but no one did anything stupid. Not all the complaints were Titouan related. People were frustrated and cold, and if they were anything like I was, they were also getting hungry. With no way to cook food, it was only going to get worse. I was hoping I could give a pep talk, but it became pretty clear that nothing I could say, barring flipping a switch to turn the power back on, would make people feel better, so I decided to be honest and direct. I needed to be the one doing the talking. No Titouan allowed.

  I turned to face him and said, “Remember, stay quiet. I’ll handle this.”

  Titouan’s eyes said what his mouth didn’t: fuck you.

  I was relieved when I saw Avery walk in, more so that Jack was with him. He’d shut him down if he started talking too much. The last thing we needed was Avery crying nuke attack while I was trying to calm people. I started thinking about the double whammy of Titouan insulting people in the front of the room, and Avery nuke talking in the back. As cold as it was, I was sweating.

  With as many faces as I could see, I knew there were two times as many I couldn’t. But the ones I could see didn’t look happy. By simple extrapolation, I knew that added up to a bunch of unhappy people. Considering they were sitting in a room lit by a few lamps, heated by fewer heaters, and the air freshened with ass and kerosene, not to mention being essentially stranded in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet without electricity, running water, the ability to cook food, and having all their electric devices fail at the same time, who could blame them? I sure as hell couldn’t. Titouan--as I think everyone should know by this point, but sometimes you have to emphasize and reemphasize the bad bits to make sure it was crystal clear--wasn’t exactly the cherry on top.

  The one wild card was how long it would take Miley to find out that contact was lost with the Patch. He was a micromanager to be sure, but he also had to have his long weekends for hunting. Some people called Miley's headquarters in Barrow Little Africa because it had so many stuffed animals from the African continent. That time of the year, he was gone most weekends on some safari or hunting expedition in some far-flung place we plebes couldn't even imagine affording. Even if he wouldn't find out for a couple days, those two days were longer than I was willing to wait for help. We were going as soon as possible.

  Talking loudly enough I didn’t think I sounded like I was screaming, I said, “I’ve decided that I along with a few other people are going to Barrow for help. There is nothing we can do to get the power back up, and every communication device I’m aware of is down. If anyone has a working satellite phone, please speak now." I paused for a moment, but there was only silence. I continued. "Jack is going to stay and make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible. He’s in charge. Any questions?”

  There was a smattering of questions, most of which were impossible to answer because we simply didn’t know. One person asked about how healthy it was for them to breathe all the smoke and gasses coming from the kerosene heaters. I didn’t know the answer, but if I had to guess, I’d say it wasn’t. I ho hummed around how it wouldn’t hurt them if they didn’t have to breathe it very long. Another person asked if it could’ve been corporate sabotage. I was honestly a bit flabbergasted by that one. Maybe Jack was right, but even if that were the case, it didn’t explain why everything failed at once.

  One man furiously asked what would cause his laptop and watch to die at the same time. Apparently, he was using his tablet when it died for no reason – this wasn’t the guy watching porn, for sake of accuracy. There was a chorus of people yelling similar questions. I told them the honest truth. We didn't know. I made sure to tell them my personal stuff was damaged too. I'm not sure why, but them knowing I was affected too seemed to have a calming effect on some of the angrier ones.

  I wasn't used to dealing with angry employees. Most of these people were my good friends, but even friends weren't immune to being cold, irritated, and afraid. It was a bad deal, but I tried to be as calm and level-headed as possible.

  After the last question was asked, I walked back through the crowd and talked to several people one on one. I felt the hot stare of Titouan behind me. That told me I needed to move him to the back of the room and away from people as quickly as possible. He was going with us to Barrow. It was pretty damn obvious he couldn’t be allowed to stay at the Patch while I was gone.

  Along with Titouan, I decided Sam and Tom would be good to have in case of emergencies. They both were good mechanics, and we'd almost surely need them, assuming we could get the Shining started. Avery would have to come so he could explain the technical details of what had happened. Hopefully, I could get him to omit some of the fruity details. Tish would round out the rest of the crew. While she wasn’t technically a nurse yet, she was interning with our RN. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have her along in case something happened on the way, and it helped she knew Barrow better than any of the rest of us put together.[JF1]

  In a perfect world, I would’ve hopped in a vehicle and quickly driven the ten miles via ice road to Barrow for help – or better, everyone could’ve jumped into a bus and ridden to Barrow and then to a nice, warm hotel room. Between our location and Miley’s penchant for complete control, those two options didn’t exist anywhere except my wildest fantasies.

  We had two vehicles at the Patch. One was a front loader that was used to clear the Patch of snow and other utility work. The other vehicle was a modified 1978 or 1979 Snow-Trac. It had been modified so many times over the years that it was hard to tell. It could’ve been older or newer by several years. I knew it was there because I saw it every time I went to check inventories with Sam at the lean-to.

  All other departures from the Patch were controlled by headquarters in Barrow. The only way someone could leave the Patch was leave time, an emergency, or Miley wanting to see you. Those were the only options. Everyone who signed up to work on the Patch knew what they were getting into, but they were paid handsomely in return. The one perk was the pay. It was arguably the only perk.

  It was time to tell Titouan the good news. That I was making the decisions at that point, and he was around literally for the ride. I asked him to follow me to the supply room, which was about the only place in the Commons where I could talk to him one on one. If all went well, I wouldn’t have to punch him the face.

  I didn’t waste any time. “You’re coming with us to Barrow.”

  “I take it that you’re forcing me to go, then?”

  “Miley has shit on these people, and, since you run this place, you are an extension of Miley. This power outage was the last straw. People hated you before, and now, well, it’s just not safe for you here anymore. Think of it as a favor.”

  “Doing me a favor my ass. You’re going to lead me around like a little puppy until we get to Barrow. Then you can wave hello to Miley, and be out the door, leaving me to take responsibility for this disaster. While Avery might not have sabotaged things, I still believe his incompetence caused the issues here. So, this disaster is on him. Not me. Bravo, though, I’m sure you’ll get your job back. Great play, William.”

  “Did you order the parts Avery asked for, yes or no?”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we had already spent too much money. That’s why. And the damn engineer told me the boards should be good… I told you this already.”

  "Horseshit. In no universe do you shut down a multi-million-dollar-a-week plant over a part that costs a couple grand. If they taught you that at Wharton, they need to give Daddy Warbucks his money back."

  "Fuck you, William."

  I shrugged. “It is what it is, right, Titouan?”

  “What if I decide not to go?”

  “You’ll probably get your ass beaten to within inches of your life. Good enough reason?”

  “You aren’t my boss.”

  “No. I’m not, but
I’m acting in your best interest, whether you like it or not. Besides, no one is going to listen to you until this is all sorted out, and then they still probably won’t. We’re at fucking critical mass here. You staying here will only cause the meltdown. Grow up and accept things as they are.”

  “I’ll fire them if they don’t listen.”

  "That's your fucking takeaway - seriously? Our people are trapped on this cube of gravel, stuck in a cold room filled with noxious gas, with no running water, and no warm food to eat. Are you really so damn obtuse and stubborn that you think they care about being fired? Hell, if that meant them getting a quick ride out of here, I bet almost every damn one of them would take that deal. Shit, sign me up. I’ll go with ‘em."

  “Go to hell.”

  “Tell you what, go in there and tell them they’re fired. I’ll go with you. Let’s go.” He didn’t move.

  I made sure my lamp was set bright enough he could see my face before saying, "You're a grown man. I won't make you go, but I'll be damned if I'll be responsible for you. If you stay, you're on your own. Got it?"

  “Whatever.”

  He slammed the door in my face as he left the supply room. It was only a matter of time before I lost it with him. He was an idiot man-child. There was part of me that didn’t care if he went or not. Maybe he needed an ass beating to set him straight.

  I saw Jack, Sam, and Avery waiting near the exit. Just the people I needed to see.

  “Titouan took outta here pretty quick. He looked like he had a turd cocked sideways, or you done took away his training wheels, one,” Sam said.

  Avery raised his hand like he wasn’t sure about something Sam had said. I playfully slapped his arm down. He looked at me like he wasn’t joking.

  “Jack, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to stay here and take care of everyone. Try to make sure they’re as comfortable as possible, without burning the damn place down or suffocating them. Do me a square, and open the Commons’ doors occasionally, to let some fresh air in.”

  Jack smiled and nodded. “Sucks I’m going to miss that ride over, but I get what you’re saying about the air. Smells like feet and ass in here.”

  “Speaking of making it to Barrow, Jack and Avery, I need one of you to round up Tom, preferably Jack, and get to work on the Shining. Make it as ready as you can.”

  “I’ll get the gun and a few other thangs, then I’ll head on over,” Sam said.

  I nodded at him.

  “You realize it will not start, correct?” Avery interrupted. “Because it is a diesel, a cold engine cylinder will transfer most of the heat created during compression, via the second law of thermodynamics, and--”

  Interrupting Avery’s physics lesson before it really got going, but realizing Avery was right about it not starting, I said, “Didn’t think about the small detail of warming the damn block. How in the hell are we going to do that?”

  “We’ve got a forced air heater that I use to keep the water tanks thawed. We could use that to warm it, I think. It gobbles the kerosene, but we shouldn’t need it that long,” Jack said.

  Avery combed his wild hair with his fingers before saying, “The heater will not work because it needs electricity for ignition.”

  “There’s a battery in the front loader. You should be able to use that as your power source, assuming you know how to convert the twenty-four-volt battery down to the needed voltage of the heater,” Jack said, happy with himself. “You’re not the only smart one here.”

  Avery clucked his tongue and gave Jack a sour look. “Easy.”

  “Good. Let’s do it,” Jack said, slapping Avery on the back.

  ***

  They called it the Shining because, well, it looked sort of like the tracked vehicle in one short shot at the beginning of the movie - not the actual vehicle that the mom and son escaped in at the end. No one for sure could remember who first started calling it that, but it stuck. It’s odd that the vehicle was named after a scary movie, because even as scary as The Shining was, the idea of driving its namesake ten-plus miles in horrible conditions was even scarier, especially since no one had ever seen it run.

  I had just come from asking Tish to come along with us. I had hoped to hear the diesel engine as I neared the lean-to. No dice. Instead, I saw Avery's over-exaggerated hand movements, followed by Jack shouting at him. "Just wire it up. It doesn't have to be perfect, dammit."

  “If I do this incorrectly, we destroy the battery. We do not have another,” Avery said. The electric lamp jutting out from under his hood made him look like a hairy cyborg or something.

  "Stop being a drama queen, Avery," Tom said. He had exactly no patience for Avery.

  I distanced myself from the fight. I didn't want to fuel the fire.

  “There,” Avery said. The heater came to life.

  “I told you that would work, Avery,” Jack said, not smiling. “You’re stubborn as shit. You know that.”

  Ignoring Jack, Avery said, “Whoever wired this engine did a horrendous job.”

  “Well, we don’t have time to fix it, so don’t touch it,” Tom said, fearing Avery’s OCD would compel him to fix what he thought was done poorly.

  “When was the last time this was actually driven – started for that matter?” Jack asked.

  Everyone looked at one another, hoping someone would say yesterday or two weeks ago or even a couple months ago, but no one knew.

  “Not exactly confidence inspiring is it?” Jack said.

  I laughed. “Freeze here, or freeze stranded on the ice. Either way, you’re frozen.”

  “Very poetic, William. Wish Sam was here to regale us with some of his stuff. You know, like the dick slapper poem? Remember that one?” Jack said, letting go of a hardy laugh.

  “Yeah, I remember. He had a bit too much to drink that night…”

  “Sam is a Neanderthal,” Avery said.

  “He hears you say that, he’ll give you the ol’ dick slapper,” Jack said, now chortling.

  Avery rolled his eyes.

  “Alright, let’s fire this thing up,” I said, looking at Jack and shaking my head. Dick slapper.

  The good news was the battery in the Shining was charged because it turned over. The bad news was it didn’t start. We waited a few minutes and tried it again, but still nothing. Avery decided the heater needed to be closer to the engine block. I feared that it would melt the rubber tracks, but it really didn’t matter if they were melted or not if it wouldn’t start.

  Thirty minutes or so had passed before we tried starting it again. It turned over, but nothing happened. The fear was the battery would die. Because of the conditions on the patch, any battery installed outside was supposed to be checked every two weeks. Being that the Shining tended to be forgotten, its preventative maintenance might’ve gotten skipped. Compounding that issue was the guy who changed the batteries tended to be, well, damn lazy.

  “Can I offer a suggestion?” Avery asked.

  We pretty much sighed in unison. Tom finally broke the silence. “As long as you can say it in under a minute.”

  Tom stole my line.

  “I will just show you rather than telling you, then.”

  "Dammit, Avery," Tom said. I grabbed his arm and motioned for him to let him do it. Tom clenched his fist and jaws. He cursed loudly but conceded that Avery might’ve been their best chance at getting it started.

  Avery proceeded to climb into the engine box of the Shining. I couldn’t exactly see what he was doing because Avery’s lamp hid his hands from view. All I could do at that point was hope he knew what he was doing. Part of me wanted to grab him out of there, but the other part that had seen him do wicked clever things in the past won out. Tom chimed in a few times but decided to save his sanity by walking far enough away that he couldn’t see inside the engine bay.

  Avery finished whatever it was he did and quickly put his mittens back on. With a wry smile, he said, “Try it now.”

  Jack climbed onto the tracks and then into the dr
iver's seat. I climbed onto the tracks and around to the engine bay. I took one of my gloves off and gave the engine block a feel. It was warm to the touch at that point. I gave Jack the thumbs up. Time seemed to slow down for those few moments. He cranked it a couple times before it knocked and sputtered for a few seconds before dying. On the next try, however, with a huge plume of black smoke belching from the exhaust, it came to life.

  Avery walked to the driver side and smugly said, "I told you that would work." He was extremely proud of himself, not to mention remembering how smug Jack was with him about the heater. He was less willing to run the victory lap around Tom. Good thing. Sam told me later that Tom had been the one who wired it up incorrectly. The important part was, it was running. Now we just had to hope the damn thing would continue running for the ten or so miles to Barrow.

  Chapter 4

  We had expended a great deal of time making the Shining operational, but it was out of the lean-to and Tom was driving it around the small open area in the center of the Patch. The positives were it was still running, and it seemed to operate more or less as it was supposed to. The negatives, well, it was the Shining, and no one knew if it would run for ten minutes or ten hours. We would hope for the best but expect the worst.

  We were nearly finished putting the few items we decided to take with us in the back when Titouan showed up. He didn’t say a single word to anyone. Instead, he climbed the passenger-side track, put his bag on the rear bench seat, and sat beside it. His pouty face and bag in the seat told everyone he didn’t want a traveling companion. As if anyone was going to cry because he hogged the seat. By that point he would’ve had to pay someone to sit by him.

  Everyone was loaded in and as ready as you would expect given the circumstances. Tom was tasked with driving, well, because, he just was. None of us had ever driven on the ice road before, so it didn’t matter who drove. I mean it wasn’t rocket science. If we looked for blowouts, which were essentially holes in the ice, and kept our speed under seven miles an hour, we wouldn’t fall through the ice and drown in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean. No pressure.