The Long Dark by Billy Farmer (best book club books for discussion .txt) 📗

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