The Disbanders

Chapter 12: A Step Backwards

October 2018

Summer has slowly disappeared, leading us into mid October, which has been followed by a burst of colour through our trees, indicating autumn is in full bloom. The air has grown cooler, which has me wondering about winter. However, I have always loved the fall in all its beauty.

Hayden has spent the past six or seven weeks in recovery, slowly regaining his ability to walk. It's forced me to monitor him closely, diverting my mental attention to him. As a result, my mind has sometimes been distracted from Will. Only sometimes.

Hayden has a slight limp now, which is understandable. However, given his circumstances and lack of proper medical help, his recovery is a tremendous relief. While it was a tough journey for him, and he's lost some of his physical strength, he never lost his bright spirit. He even talks about the bear with pride, like it's something he's achieved by "having fought one", as he would say.

The one good thing about the mother bear and cub showing up was utilizing them for their resources. Now, Hayden has a coat made from the mother bears' fur. We have plenty of fur and skin leftover, which we'll use more as the weather gets colder. We've also had enough meat to last us for weeks.

I'm finding that over the past few months, I'm much happier than ever before. When my past comes to mind, I can easily push it aside, leaving it behind me where it belongs. For nearly my whole life, I've been used to keeping everything, including my thoughts and emotions, to myself. Now, I'm able to be more open with the people around me, which in return, allows me to learn more about them.

I also moved into Will's room after Chuck could move back in with Hayden, as discussed, and he is now on the couch. Sleeping in a normal bed felt strange at first, but it's far more comfortable than the couch. I now feel bad for Will, though. I might suggest that we switch at some point.

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This afternoon, we're going to play a game of catch around the fire with Hayden's football. We've brought the chairs from the kitchen table outside. Will is sitting next to me and we're sharing a blanket over our laps. The front door opens, with Hayden walking through it. His limp is noticeable, but nobody says anything.

He sits down after a moment, tired. After catching his breath, he throws the ball to Alexa who catches it. We start passing it around, as we begin to talk.

"I still can't believe that you tried to fight the bear in the way you did," says Alexa.

"I had to defend myself! What do you mean?", laughs Hayden.

"You literally screamed: Fight me, coward!", mimics Alexa, imitating Hayden's voice. Everyone laughs as Hayden smiles.

"Well, what can I say? It all worked out in the end," he smirks.

"I was the one who shot the bears!", says Will.

"Let's not forget that Candice was the one who stitched him up!", Chuck laughs.

"Will and I donated blood, too," says Evie. "A lot of it."

"I know, you all saved my life. Thank you," smiles Hayden.

"You know what this proves though, right?", asks Alexa.

"What?"

"We can survive anything out here!", she says proudly.

"Because we didn't die from a bear attack?", laughs Chuck.

"No, I'm serious!", replies Alexa. "Think about it––we would know how to defend ourselves now. A bear is likely one of the biggest, if not the biggest threat that we'd have to face in nature."