Page 5 of Kings of Decay
Ainsley laughed. “Won’t that be fun!” He shoved my shoulder playfully as we approached town. “Maybe a belated birthday gift?”
“Nah, I want to save it for an important occasion.”
My brother rolled his eyes. “Love you too, man.”
I smiled to myself and clutched my hunting knife that was temporarily stashed under the seat.
I wondered what he’d be like before he died. I wonder if he would beg and cry like most people did. Or maybe he’d fight back. Either way, one day, I would find out, and I was looking forward to that moment.
Chapter four
Willow
“No further leads have been discovered in the mysterious death of local trapper Jim Reese, who was found mauled by wolves last week,” the man on the radio’s voice crackles.
I suppressed a shudder. The wolves I heard that night – were they the ones who killed him?
The local news seemed to think so. Even though there was no reason he should have been out there in the middle of the night. He didn’t even have traps out with him. I wasn't really a crime buff or anything. I’d been following the story out of boredom more than anything.
Dad walked by and turned off the radio. “Don’t listen to the AM channel news. You’ll get depressed.”
I forced back a bitter laugh. Like we weren’t both the textbook definition of depression every day, anyway?
I sipped my coffee and checked my phone for any new notifications. Nothing. The texts from Poppy slowed since thebeginning of the semester. She must be busy with actual in-person classes.
I sighed and flipped my phone over so the empty screen would stop taunting me.
Dad slurped back a long drink of black coffee, leaning against the counter before speaking. “Willow, why don’t you come into town with me?”
I looked up. “What?”
“You haven’t left the property since we moved in,” he continued. “Town is just a few miles from here, and I have to do some stuff. Why don’t you come with me?”
The strain in his smile struck me in the heart. He’s trying. He’s trying so fucking hard for things to be normal.
“Sure, Dad,” I said, snapping my laptop shut and leaving the homework for another time.
***
The town of Grayling Pass was really stretching the definition of what could be considered a main street. Everything was clustered: a general store, a pharmacy, two bars, and a hardware store. The general store sold basic groceries, which would be easy to get to because our nearest Safeway was in Fairbanks.
The two bars caught my eye. One looked like a classic dive bar, all dark wood and neon signs. The other was more modern, with seasonal outdoor seating for the five days per year that it'd be warm enough here to enjoy the patio. It was closed, apparently only open for tourist season, whenever that was.
I followed Dad to the general store, trailing behind like a puppy.
Stepping into the general store felt like stepping back in time. The wooden floorboards creaked underfoot, and the air smelled faintly of dust and coffee beans. The shelves were packed witha surprisingly diverse array of goods – canned foods, boxes of pasta, bags of flour and sugar, cleaning supplies, and toiletries. A glass-fronted cooler hummed quietly in the corner, stocked with milk, eggs, and a few pre-made sandwiches.
The few customers inside glanced at Dad momentarily and then stared at me. Typical. They had probably never seen a darker-skinned girl in their life. Hell, people around here probably still used the word “mulatto”.
I ignored it the best I could, filling our basket with the essentials as Dad chatted with the lady at the counter, who seemed to be knitting between customers. She’s about my grandmother’s age. She’s Inupiaq, marked proudly with tattoos on her chin.
“Willow,” my dad said as he waved me over. “Come meet Mrs. Rose.”
“Hi,” I did a little awkward wave as I set down the basket.
I waited while my father talked this poor lady’s ear off. I was looking around and pretending to be interested in the candy by the cash register when something outside caught my eye.
Well, everyone’s eye.
