We had spent weeks traveling north. Luther would scout out ahead, sometimes with another, find a place for us to rest and recuperate, and then we would continue on. The farther we went, the colder it got until we were caught in a snowstorm.
We nearly froze to death.
I see movement at the entrance to the longhouse, and Isaac—the man who found us in the snowstorm and led us back to his village, saving us all—makes his way out. He has Luther with him along with their hunting gear. It will be good to have some fresh meat now that the latest storm has passed.
The people here in the north are not Naughts or Thaves; they’re just people surviving in a harsh landscape. We fit in well, and they have always seemed happy for the additional hands to help feed all the hungry mouths and more able bodies to help out with what needs to be done.
“You’re up early.” Aerin joins me, also shading her eyes from the bright sun. She looks toward Isaac and Luther and then back at me. “Are you going to join them?”
“Not today.” I give her a wide grin. “I’m better at finding stationary things than I am at catching moving targets.”
“You mean you’re a shit hunter and get in their way.”
“Pretty much.”
Luxury items don’t exist here. Even the necessities aren’t plentiful, but everyone pitches in, and we survive. There is plenty of fish for protein if you know where to look, and we manage to collect enough edible plants to last us through the winter.
Isaac and his people are friendly, and they welcomed us without question. It took a while to get used to their trusting nature, but in the end, we’re all just here to live and survive. I’m grateful to him. We all are. Even Keller quieted down once he was built his own ice house.
We all learned how to build our homes the way indigenous people in the arctic used to build them. It took a long time to get used to the constant cold, but we are safe here. We haven’t experienced an earthquake since we arrived. According to Isaac, the ground hasn’t shaken here for more than a decade.
The longhouse in the center of the village serves as a community gathering place, and much of the winter months are spent there, using our body heat to keep warm and using the company to drive away the monotony of the stark, white landscape.
Though I half expected him to return, we never again saw any sign of Will, Samuel’s young apprentice. Keller wanted to search for him, but Milo talked him out of it. I can only assume he perished out in the wilderness. We barely survived as a group, and a young man on his own didn’t stand a chance.
Similarly, we don’t know what happened to any of the survivors of the Rock Mountain complex, including Aerin’s mother, Jennifer Kearny. The only thing I know for sure is that they never followed us north, and I’m content with that. I know Aerin is still hurt by her mother’s words and actions, but she doesn’t talk about it anymore. I hope she’s moved on. One of my biggest fears is that Aerin’s mother will return, and Aerin may be forced into the same, awful choice I had to make with my father.
Even after a year of living here, I’m not sure what my role is. In Plastictown, I provided people with the things they couldn’t get for themselves. Here, there is no need for a lost and found.
“What are you thinking about?” Aerin asks.
“Just trying to figure out how I fit in,” I reply with a shrug. “I still don’t feel like I know my place.”
“You help out with every task around here,” Aerin says, reminding me for at least the tenth time this month. “How many times did you go out during the storm when we were low on fuel? How many times have you kept the fire going at night so others could sleep?”
“Everyone does those things.”
“And everyone has a place here.”
I roll my eyes. We’ve had this discussion before. According to Ava, I need to let go of my savior complex and just live my life. She’s probably right.
Wind whips around the longhouse, catching the fresh snow and sending it flying into the air. The cold burns my cheeks, but at least here the ash isn’t so thick that no one can breathe.
“Damn, it’s cold!” Aerin presses up close to me, and I wrap an arm around her shoulders. “Shouldn’t it start getting warmer soon?”
“You’re the geologist,” I say. “You tell me.”
“That’s a meteorologist. I don’t do that stuff.”
“I guess we’ll both have to wait, then.”
“At least the storm is over. That was a b
ig one.”
“We made good use of the time.” I slide my hand down her back and grip her ass. “And I kept you warm.”
“Hmm, yes you did.” She reaches up and kisses me briefly. “I think I understand why there are so many children here.”