by Hunt, Jack
“Nonsense.”
“It’s true.”
“Did your therapist put you up to this?” He stifled a laugh as if it was all one big joke.
“That’s right, dismiss it, make light of it, I’m not sure why I expected any different.”
“Than?”
A pause.
“You shut me out.”
“Shut you out?”
“After mom died.”
He looked genuinely confused. “Was I not there for you?”
“Sure, if you call being there having me spend the first six months after her death living with Frank and Jacqueline, or not speaking out when that truck driver blamed me, or all the days I had to make my own suppers, find my own way home, or peeling you off the driveway because you were drunk and couldn’t make it from the taxi to the door.”
“I was dealing with a lot.”
“As was I. I was only fourteen. Hell, I think if your brother had been alive you would have shipped me off to him.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Of course.” She nodded. “I try to tell you how I feel, and I’m being dramatic. Why is it so hard for you to talk about it? Huh? I mean, we are in the middle of nowhere. If there was a time to talk about it, I’d say it’s now.”
“Frank. I need some water.”
He tried to change the subject, a common tactic, but she wasn’t letting it go.
Frank looked over but didn’t catch what he said. He cupped a hand to his ear.
“You know between the ages of fourteen and eighteen, it was like living with a ghost. I tried to talk to you but you shut me out.” She swallowed hard. “Do you know I even started to believe what some of the people in the community said — that I was to blame for my mother’s death. I wondered if that was why you didn’t want to talk because you blamed me.” She paused, looking him square in the eyes. “But then I… I just accepted it, and stopped trying because I could tell it upset you and that was the last thing I wanted to do.”
“Can we just not talk about this?”
She shook her head and pursed her lips, trying to keep her emotions in check.
“What are you two whispering about over there?” Paul said, glancing at them. “Not conspiring to kill us again, are you?” She got up and walked over to them, her mind thinking about the only thing she wanted to do right then — leave.
“We need to think about hiking out of here,” she said.
“Is that so?” Paul replied.
“Well, it’s been hours since we crashed. We haven’t heard any rescue helicopters flying overhead, no bush planes, not even one of your drones.”
“Yeah, I wonder why.”
“Well, maybe if you hadn’t been such a dick we wouldn’t be here now.”
Paul rose and stabbed a finger at her. “The reason we are here is because of you and your father.”
“All right, Paul, that’s enough,” Callaway said as he stabbed the fire with a stick. “We can’t leave. We have to stay with the plane,” Callaway said.
Paul headed for the woods. “Where are you going?” Frank asked.
“To take a piss, you want to come and hold it?”
He strolled away and Callaway lifted his eyes at Kara. “We wouldn’t have left you. You need to know that.”
“Grown a conscience, or is it because you’re stuck with us now?” she asked.
“Look, I don’t know what your father has told you about me but I’m not the enemy.”
“No? So you want those parcels of land to develop what?”
He smiled and continued probing the ashes. “Did you know I knew your mother?”
Changing the subject, it was always what people did when they were uncomfortable with questions. “I approached your father a long time ago with an offer but he refused. Actually, it was just before your mother passed away. I was new, an up-and-coming sprout in my father’s firm. Out to prove my mettle and all. I figured I needed to do something big, something not even my father had been able to do. You see, he’d been eyeballing the Arctic Refuge for some time because of how much untapped oil and gas is there. But because of laws, and conservationists like your mother, he could never get in there. Then I heard that your father had developed relationships with two villages that are tied to that location. Kaktovik in the north and Arctic Village in the south.”
The Arctic refuge was a protected, pristine wilderness in the northern area of Alaska, an untouched region of over 19 million acres that was home to caribou, polar bear, and waterfowl. It was also the prize jewel for those looking to expand domestic fossil fuel production. For the longest time conservationists had kept the human wolves back from the door but it now looked as if they were going to break through and go on a rampage. It was the beginning of its downfall.
“And you figured you could just sneak in under the radar, use him as a way to get your foot in the door, and then put your oil line down without anyone knowing?”
“You can call it that. It’s not personal, it’s just business. In business, we’re always looking for a new angle. That was mine. It’s still mine despite changes on the horizon.”
“Changes?” She folded her arms and leaned back against a tree.
“Yeah, you see there have been talks about gas and oil drilling licenses in the refuge being sold at the end of this year. Now, I know a number of oil companies can’t wait, and they would like nothing more than to get the go-ahead.”
“So why bother pursuing my father’s company?”
“Because I like to hedge my bets. That’s what makes me different from my counterparts. It’s also what has made me a lot of money.” He looked over at her father. “You see, I’ve seen what people like your mother can do when they rally the troops and blow the horn in the eleventh hour. So talks or not, I’m not holding my breath for what’s to come. I don’t wait for opportunity, I make it.” His lip turned up. “I understand your father’s reluctance to sell but the fact is those parcels of land one way or another will wind up in my hands. I just like to ensure it’s done right and fair. I’m not in the business of convincing people, Kara. I leave that to the lawyers and people like your father. But I do like to hedge my bets, and let’s face it, drilling would create many good-paying jobs, provide new revenue streams for the state and Alaskans.”
“Alaskans?”
He nodded.
“You mean those who are not part of Alaska Native tribes, like the Gwich’in?”
He smiled and his eyes met hers again. “Oh, I see you have been doing your homework. Your mother would be proud.” He nodded. “Kara, people file lawsuits all the time. They will spout climate change, and the effects on wildlife, yadda, yadda, blah blah, until they are blue in the face but the needs of the many will always outweigh the needs of the few.”
“What a crock of bullshit. This is all about money and you know it is. You can cherry coat it any which way you want, wrap it up, and make excuses but it’s no different than the killing of bears and wolves while they are denning in natural preserves.”
He narrowed his eyes. “So you have taken the stance of your parents.”
“I just call a spade a spade.”
“I admire your spunk.” He shook his finger at her. “I really do. But like I said, it’s all hot air and I like to hedge my bets.” No sooner had he said that than she felt an arm wrap around her throat and a foot to the back of her knee, causing her to buckle, as another hand grabbed her jaw, twisting her head to the side.
Kara let out a cry.
“Don’t even think about it,” Paul said, as Frank bounced up and tried to get close. “I will snap her neck like a twig.”
“Don’t you dare harm her,” her father cried out, rolling onto his side, determined to get at him but unable. He grimaced in pain. Callaway rose casually, stick in hand, and poked the fire again before he reached down and scooped up the envelope. “Like I told you, Mr. Shaw. You will sign the paperwork.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?” He brought over the envelope and crouched down in front of him, unafraid. “Just sign it, Mr. Shaw, and let’s get this ship sailing.”
Her father stared at the paperwork and back at her. Paul tugged a little harder, seemingly enjoying inflicting pain. Her father groaned so Callaway lifted him back into an upright sitting position, then he handed him the pen.
“Who’s to say that when I sign this you don’t kill us all?”
“If I wanted to do that, I would have done that already.”
“Not without my signature.”
“Sign the damn papers.”
“I’ll sign them once we’re out of here.”
Callaway pulled a face and turned his head toward Paul as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I don’t think you understand.”
“No, I don’t think you do,” her father replied. “You’re dependent on us to get you out of here.”
Callaway laughed. “Really? How so?”
“Well you’ve had your ass wiped your whole life with hundred dollar bills, and that pissant over there, wouldn’t know his way out of Anchorage even with a guide,” her father said looking over at Paul. “I should know, he worked for me and I fired his ass.”
Frank looked puzzled. “You told me he left.”
“He did, with my foot up his ass.”
“Fuck you, old man,” Paul bellowed.
Her father laughed. “His sense of direction is worse than a blind man’s. Too reliant on technology, isn’t that right, Paul?”
“Screw you. “
“See, that’s the problem with your future, Callaway. Out here in the wilderness, it doesn’t mean shit. And without all that tech, you aren’t getting out because you don’t know the first thing about how to survive.”
Callaway lashed out, striking her father across the face with the back of his hand. Kara screamed at him but was quickly muffled by Paul. Callaway leaned in and grabbed her father by the throat. “You think you’re smarter than me, Mr. Shaw?”
“No, I’m just a common man, but my daughter is.” He laughed in his face.
Callaway flashed Kara a steely gaze before he took the envelope and shoved it against his chest along with the pen. “Sign the paperwork!”
Her father spat in his face.
Callaway gritted his teeth, nodded and a smile formed. Then as quick as a flash, he grasped her father’s bad leg and squeezed, causing him to cry out in agony. “What’s that, Mr. Shaw? I can’t hear you. You want to sign?” he bellowed loudly as if her father was miles away. He released his grip and repeated, “Now sign it.”
Her father was groaning in agony.
With her face sideways, Kara tried to lessen the pressure of the arm around her throat by sinking her chin, and that’s when she saw the opportunity. She grabbed his wrist and bit down as hard as she could. Then she drove her heel into Paul’s shin. He howled as he released her and as soon as she moved, Frank lunged forward and she went for Callaway. But before she could get close, he took the tip of a branch and brought it up to her father’s throat.
“I wouldn’t if I was you,” he said, making her stop in her tracks.
Frank wasn’t as lucky. Paul kicked him in the stomach, knocked him on his ass and dove on top, and began raining down punches wildly on his face. He might have beaten him to death if it wasn’t for what happened next.
A deep roar, guttural and animalistic, echoed loudly.
17
They all froze. Fear gripped them in a stranglehold that made breathing difficult. It was like every second before was meaningless. In darkness, they couldn’t see the snarling predator but it was out there and they all knew what it was. There was no telling how close or which of the two types of bear attack it would be — either way, time was of the essence. While bear attacks varied widely from coast to coast, one thing they all had in common was how quickly a situation could change from calm to deadly.
Decisive action was needed, and fast.
Her father was the first to snap them out of their almost trance-like state.
“Kara, we need to get up. Kara!” he said in a hushed tone.
Running was off the books.
Hiding, not an option.
The only way they might stand a chance was to go up.
Her eyes broke away from the blackness, shifting to him, still locked in the moment. None of them made any sudden moves. Paul slowly rolled off Frank and backed up while Callaway lowered the branch in his hand, allowing Kara to move in and begin to wrap the reel of rope around her father like they had when they lowered him from the plane. Most bears could climb but it was rare to see large adult brown bears do it because of their size and weight. And, her father had always said if there was enough time, and the bear hadn’t charged, climbing a tree, specifically one that had limbs small enough to support you but not a thrashing bear, was always best if there was no other form of shelter nearby.
Right now climbing was common sense.
Her father couldn’t remain on the ground, and until they knew what they were dealing with, action was key. “Callaway. Give me a hand,” Kara asked. He was petrified. Although under the glow of the fire she couldn’t see the color drain out of his face, she knew it had. “Callaway!”
Before he responded, Frank had, and he was inching over to assist.
While they were doing that, Paul had reached for the flare gun box, and had taken it out and loaded one of the two remaining flares. “Don’t fire that,” her father said. “Get up the tree.” But he wasn’t hearing Henry. His eyes were fixed on the darkness as he listened to the rustling of branches, and the huffs and snorts of the approaching animal.
As soon as they had her father securely tied, she glanced out into the darkness at the sound of thunderous steps moving toward them at an alarming speed.
“Quickly,” she said, turning to Callaway who was already gone.
He was halfway up that tree, scrambling for the safety of the plane. Frank took one end of the rope and she took the other. Just as they began to climb, a huge, dark beast with powerful jaws burst out of the inky black. It must have weighed seven hundred pounds. Paul fired the flare, lighting it up and revealing its protruding fangs before it turned and bounded away and vanished into the darkness. Bears were known to bluff charge multiple times before they really attacked, and some never did, often it was just their way of making it known they wanted space, food, or to protect their young.
“Paul!” Callaway bellowed.
He didn’t have to say his name twice. Taking the last flare, he inserted it into the gun just in case the beast charged again, and then he began to climb. Frank began pulling even before Kara made it to the top. She tossed her end to Callaway and whether in an act of humanity or wanting to protect his investment, he began to haul her father up to safety.
They could still hear the bear prowling around them, letting out loud growls and snorts. None of them said a word to each other, fear, shock ran rampant.
Breathing hard, they crawled into the confined space of the cabin.
“Oh shit,” Callaway said, stumbling back, glancing at the dead woman in the rear. The whole plane shifted and groaned, and for a second none of them moved. A moment later, Paul gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and the two huddled together while Kara assisted Frank in pulling her father into the belly of the fuselage. There was little to no room with the tail off, and the huge branch still impaled through the cabin, but the alternative was the roof. That small space inside the plane, the one she’d been so desperately glad to escape, had now become a haven, a thin line of protection against the elements and being mauled to death.
For close to twenty minutes they sat in silence, not daring to make a sound.
No conversation. Just blank stares. Each listening, praying, hoping to survive. Eventually, Callaway spoke in a whisper. “You think it will attack again?”
Her father shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“Don’t you know about this stuff?”
“On what?”
“What kind of attack that was. Defensive or predatory.”
“Aren’t they all predators?”
Her father scoffed before he grimaced in pain. Kara was about to ask him when he said, “I’m okay. Just trying to get comfortable.” He wasn’t okay, he just didn’t like being dependent on people. He looked back at Callaway. “Oh, the bear’s a predator and to be respected but that’s not what I’m referring to. More often than not encounters with bears — black, brown, grizzly or even a polar — don’t lead to injury. We only tend to hear about the ones that do, so we assume every interaction is aggressive but they’re usually just curious. They turn and flee or flat out ignore people. When they do attack, it’s more common to be defensive than predatory.” He groaned again and shifted. “What I mean is they are trying to protect their cubs, a food source, or simply their personal space. Nine times out of ten, I’d say when hikers stumble across one, they didn’t even know the bear was there until they were within fifty yards. What do you expect the bear to do?”
Her father cocked his head from side to side, and Frank offered him some more ibuprofen but her father swatted his hand away.
“And the other?” Callaway asked.
“What?”
“You said that’s if it’s a defensive attack. What about the other?”
“Predatory is rare but they happen. Black bears, grizzlies, polar.”
“And by that you mean?”
“It sees you as prey. Something to be stalked, hunted, and eaten.”
Kara could barely make out Callaway’s face in the darkness.
“It can’t get up here…” he said. “Can it?”
“Oh, bears can climb, hell, some stand up to eight feet high.”
“Then why the hell did we climb up here?”
“Because you damn well can’t outrun one, that’s for sure. Those things can run faster than an Olympic sprinter, we’re talking thirty miles per hour, forty-four feet per second. Best of luck escaping that. And that’s also the last thing you want to do. If the predatory side of them wasn’t triggered already, you running like a jackrabbit will switch it on so fast you won’t have time to cry for your momma.”