“I haven’t forgotten them. The fact remains, even with their limited numbers these people have survived without stone walls or guard towers, without anyone else to back them up since the infection first broke out. They are a formidable force of fighters and survivors and they would be a valuable asset to us.”
“Or they could be a formidable foe.”
“Only if we cause them to be,” Phil retorted. “I’ve told Jake that our conditions for inclusion are not onerous or stifling; we should at least listen to their concerns and requirements before making this a black-and-white issue of ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”
Wyckoff looked around to the other members.
“I’m willing to listen to them present arguments,” Olivia Rogan, the only woman on the Committee said.
“I agree,” Barry Gruber supported her. “Nothing’s to be lost by hearing them out and nothing’s to be gained by needlessly antagonizing them. Their own conditions may be quite reasonable and acceptable. I vote we give them a chance to be heard.”
“All in favor?” Wyckoff looked around and saw five of the six other members had raised their hands. “Very well, we’ll listen to their concerns and see if we can’t come to an arrangement.”
Relief evident on his face, Phil thanked the members and exited the room.
“Are we actually going to allow a group of outsiders to dictate terms to us?” Richard Morris, the sole dissenter was disturbed at the notion.
“No one dictates terms to us,” Wyckoff countered angrily. “The majority has voted to hear them out; not to give in to demands, but to see if there is some common ground we can agree on. We will still be the deciding body and will enforce our rules. If they are, indeed interested in restoring this land to its former greatness, they’ll be willing to concede there has to be a central authority.”
“And if they don’t, if their demands are not reasonable?”
“If that’s the case, if no compromise can be reached, they will be put on notice to relocate.”
“Somehow I get the feeling they won’t be willing to just pack up and move simply because we ask them to.”
“We have other measures we can employ.”
“Only on a majority vote,” Olivia emphasized.
“Of course.”
. . .
The new arrivals at the farmhouse elected to remain with the group until the question of membership in the Hollington community was decided. Space was limited but, since it was only expected to be a matter of a few days, adjustments were made. Jerry was regaining his strength under Dr. Vargas’ care and Chloe’s constant devotion and had met with Garth, Alan and Larissa as well as several of Jake’s group. His opinion was that, since he was out of the loop so to speak, he would go along with the majority vote.
“Tomorrow it will be a week,” Jake addressed the assembled group. “I’m meeting with Phil in the morning to discuss our terms for joining Hollington. If there are any last-minute changes or additions, now would be the time to mention them.”
“We haven’t had your input, Jake,” Kim reminded him.
“I know. I’ve purposely avoided talking about it. I think you rely too heavily on my opinion; this is something that has to be decided with the good of the whole in mind. My opinion shouldn’t count any more than any one of you.”
“I think you’re wrong about that,” Pete argued, “but I know how stubborn you can be.”
“I think we’ve covered just about everything,” Kim said. “Who are you taking along tomorrow?”
“Not you, I’m afraid,” he told her. “You’re too hot-headed. This is a negotiation, not a confrontation. I’d like to take Pete and Hannah and I’d like Garth to come to represent the new arrivals.”
“Interesting choices,” Hannah responded. “I get why you’re taking Pete and Garth, but why do you want me along?”
“You’ve been a solid member of our family from the day you joined us. I think you know each of us better than anyone does; you know our needs as a group and how any of us might react in any given circumstance. It would be too much to ask to believe they’re simply going to accept whatever we put on the table. You’d be a big help in figuring out what compromises the others would accept.”
“Well. I hope I can live up to your expectations, Jake.”
“I have no doubt. Dr. Vargas said Jerry should be able to come back with us. We haven’t really had a chance to introduce him and, of course Chloe to the rest of the group. Now, if there’s nothing else to discuss, I’m going to turn in. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
. . .
“Why Jake, don’t tell me you’re nervous,” Hannah chuckled as they waited outside the conference room at Hollington.
“No, I’m not nervous. I sure wish I had a cigarette though.”
At that moment, Phil came out of the conference room and waved them in. The room was unremarkable, being about fourteen feet by twenty with oak wainscoting and neutral colored walls. The committee members sat behind two long desks and there was a table with six empty chairs facing them. Pitchers of water and a tray of glasses were on the table and on each desk along with notepads and pencils. In front of each committee member was a small plaque with their names embossed in gold lettering.
“Mr. Harper,” Wyckoff began, “Mrs. Carlton, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Brooks.”
“Ah, that’s Moyler,” Garth interrupted.
“Yes, my mistake, Mr. Moyler. You’ve all, I believe, had a chance to look over our charter and discuss it amongst yourselves. Are there issues you’d like to discuss?”
“For the most part,” Jake replied, “we have really no problem with it. There are a few things, though, that we’d like to have clarified. The first one is the clause about all community members being assigned to communal areas within the walls.”
“The charter was written when our membership was still quite small,” Wyckoff interjected. “There are, I’m told, eighteen of you in this group. There’s not enough room to accommodate you all so that clause may be considered voided. We have no issue with you remaining where you are or expanding to other housing in the general area. We only require that we be kept up to date on where, exactly, you’re setting up and have a voice in deciding whether your choice of locations is appropriate.”
“I think we can live with that. The second issue we have is the requirement to keep all firearms and ammunition within the community’s arsenal, to be issued on an as-needed basis.”
“This is another clause which was written early in our history. You may consider it to apply only to those living within our walls. Obviously, you can’t be expected to be unarmed in a satellite settlement.”
“So far this is going quite well,” Jake was pleased. “There’s also the matter of the committee itself; I see no provision in your charter for the election or replacement of board members.”
“Only one of us is not an original board member, Mr. Harper,” Olivia spoke for the first time. “I was selected to replace an officer who died over the winter.”
“Selected by whom, may I ask?”
“She was selected by a majority vote of the committee,” Wyckoff answered.
“I see. So we would have no voice in any decisions made by the committee in the future?”
“You could certainly voice your concerns to Mr. Carpenter, who would forward them to the committee for consideration,” Gruber responded.
“But, we’d have no vote on who sits on this committee?”
“The committee is a self-policing unit. The members decide who gets a chair.”
“There’s where we have our first serious issue. Are we rebuilding a representative democracy or is this to be an absolutist regime?”
“We’ve had to make decisions based on the greater good,” Wyckoff seemed a bit impatient, “and to be able to do that, we’ve needed complete freedom of action without the threat of removal for political motives by disgruntled individuals.”
“So, you’re more akin to a Politburo
than a House of Representatives?” asked Garth.
“Exactly what is your proposal here? I assume you have an alternative suggestion?”
“As you’ve noted,” Jake picked up, “there are eighteen of us. We’ll make up a sizeable percentage of your total population so we believe the makeup of the committee should reflect that.”
“I’d like to remind you that you are all newcomers here,” Wyckoff’s voice increased in intensity, if not volume. “We founded this community. We rebuilt the facilities for permanent occupation. We’ve led these people since the beginning, when order, defense and survival were of primary importance.”
“And I’ll concede that you’ve done a remarkable job,” Jake allowed, “but we’re not interested in living under the thumb of a dictatorship.”
Wyckoff looked as though he was about to explode but Olivia touched his arm.
“There are those of us on the committee who’ve voiced concerns along those same lines,” she admitted. “For the time being, may we move on to the other issues you have?”
“I’m afraid that it would be pointless to discuss any other issues until this one is resolved,” Jake sighed. “Until and unless we can have some say in the governance, we’re unwilling to subject ourselves to your authority.”
“You demand a seat on the committee?”
“What we want is an elected committee, one that is accountable to the people it represents, not one that is a law unto itself.”
“You have the gall to dictate terms to”-Wyckoff began to rise out of his chair when Olivia again put a restraining hand on his arm.
“Ron, we have brought this up in the past. Times are different now. The problems we face today are not the same as the dangers we faced in the first year. Instead of hundreds of infected, we’ve seen only a few dozen. Other than that one attack, we’ve seen no bandits or outlaws at all this year.”
“That one attack which you so casually dismiss cost our community the lives of four men! Four good men are gone thanks to the presence of outsiders!”
“Take it easy, Ron,” Gruber was the only other member inclined to speak. “That gang was operating in this area anyway; it was only a matter of time until they tried our defenses.”
“I disagree! They were intimidated by our walls and guard towers, the amount of firepower we could bring to bear against any attack. We only suffered casualties when we left the safety of our walls to go to the aid of strangers. Are we expected to be the cavalry that rides to the rescue any time there’s a threat to outsiders, without any concessions on their part?”
“We’ve managed our own defense for a year and a half,” Jake said, trying to control his temper. “We’re thankful for the assistance your people gave us and we deeply regret your losses, but we didn’t send up a red flare and beg for your help. Your people took down only two of the attackers and half a dozen infected and we handled the rest. The truth is, we didn’t need you then and we don’t need you now. I think cooperation would be to our mutual benefit but we would have to be citizens not subjects.”
“Mr. Harper, your group’s continued presence at this farmhouse of yours as a completely separate society is intolerable! You have been and would continue to be a disruption to our community and we cannot permit it!”
“Are you speaking for the entire committee?” Hannah asked quietly.
Wyckoff looked at his fellow board members and all but Morris refused to meet his gaze.
“You gave us a week to decide,” Hannah said when the silence became obvious. “Suppose we meet again in another week, after tempers have cooled and both sides have had a chance to digest and discuss all this, and see if we can come to some kind of arrangement. We’re not a threat to you,” she empathized. “We don’t have any desire to take over. All we’ve wanted, all we’ve worked for is to rebuild the civilization we lost. Hollington could be the cornerstone of that new beginning.”
Olivia looked to the other members who all, save Wyckoff and Morris, made some gesture of agreement.
“One week from today,” she announced, “we’ll meet here again for another round of discussion. Perhaps the next one will be more fruitful.”
. . .
“I think that went rather well, don’t you?” Pete quipped as they walked to the infirmary to collect Jerry and Chloe.
“Wyckoff’s going to be trouble,” Jake said. “He and this Morris are dead-set against any compromises. Olivia sounds like she’s none too happy with the status quo and is open to make some changes.”
“Ron was opposed to her selection for the committee,” Phil commented. “She made it on a four-to-two vote though, so he was stuck with her. She and Gruber have more than once raised the issue of electing representatives rather than appointing them but, so far, Wyckoff has been able to quash the notion.”
“I think our presence in such numbers is making the others think twice about a closed membership,” Hannah said. “I’d like to be a fly on the wall while they’re talking it over.”
“So, what happens if they agree to open elections?” Phil wondered.
“That was really our major point of contention,” Jake shrugged. “When he was so agreeable to the other issues we put to them, I thought things were really going to go over smoothly. If they agree to elections, all the other concerns our people have voiced are relatively minor and I think we could hash them out in under an hour.”
“And if they don’t agree to allow elections?”
Jake stopped and considered his answer.
“We don’t want to fight you, Phil. The last thing in the world we want is a war with Hollington; not because we think we couldn’t win but because what human lives remain, are too precious to waste. Can I have your word that this conversation is just between us here in the hallway for the time being?” When Phil agreed, Jake continued. “If we can’t come to a compromise, if we absolutely can’t live next door to each other, we’ll move on. It won’t be right away, it probably won’t be before next spring, maybe longer; we’ll have to look far and wide to find a place that equals the one we have now. If a compromise can’t be reached, I’ll announce our decision to the committee and we’ll end this peacefully.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Jake, even though I hate the thought of losing your group. At any rate, I think it would be a hard sell to convince any appreciable number of our people to go to war with you.”
“It certainly won’t be easy, packing up and moving yet again,” Hannah murmured, “but it’s definitely preferable to starting a war. The only one we really have to convince, I think, is Kim.”
Jake looked at her, but simply shook his head and continued down the corridor.
. . .
Jerry was sitting on the edge of his bed, fully dressed, with Chloe in a chair nearby.
“You look good,” Garth said, shaking his hand. “You know Jake and Pete, but I don’t think you’ve met Hannah Carlton.”
“Glad to know you, Hannah.”
“I’m so happy to meet you,” she replied, giving him a friendly hug. “My husband and I caught your act in the Poconos; you have a remarkable voice.”
“Well, thank you, but that’s really not worth much these days, is it?”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Hannah told him. “Even today there’s need for entertainment. I don’t suppose you’ll ever make a living solely off your voice again, but we still need people who can brighten up our lives the way you can.”
“Wow! We’d better get going before my head swells up too big to fit through the doorway,” Jerry laughed. “Oh, this is Chloe Carter.”
“Hello, Chloe,” Hannah took her hands in her own. “You’ll be very welcome in our home.”
“Thank you,” Chloe responded shyly, but her eyes reflected her happiness.
“Well, let’s get going,” Jake said. “I’ve got to let everyone else know what’s happening and think of a way to keep Kim placated for a week.”
“Jessie told me what you said about her making a dreadful
enemy,” Garth mentioned.
“You can believe every word of it,” Jake solemnly declared. Garth looked at Pete and Hannah and they both nodded gravely.
Chapter 23: Ethan’s Struggle
Ethan moved back into the house when the weather turned too cold to make the garage bearable though he set his cot up in a corner of the living room rather than moving back in with Karen. He remained rather subdued and distant for the most part that winter, generally preferring to be outside scouting the area surrounding the house. Sometimes he’d be gone before any of the others were awake in the morning and wouldn’t return until twilight, usually bringing some useful tool or a small cache of food or, on occasion, weapons or ammunition. Often he was gone overnight and once for three days while Karen worried, agonizing over what might have happened to him in the desolate, white-blanketed landscape. He returned from that trek without a word of explanation, pulling a sled made of branches and cord. Atop it were a deer carcass, a rifle and a heavy winter coat stained with blood around a bullet hole in the front. At other times, he almost seemed like his old self; joining in activities, laughing and joking around, but there was always that sense that he really wasn’t a part of them anymore, that he was an outsider looking in on the group.
The snows fell, winds howled and piled drifts up to six feet tall and the temperature dipped well below zero many nights, still Ethan spent almost as much time away from the house as there. Weeks passed into months, the snow melted and the sun climbed higher into the sky each day. They dug up most of the back yard, planting a large vegetable garden, expanding it into the neighboring properties. Though the cold weather had passed, they still chopped wood for cooking fires and for heating water as well as building up a store for the next winter. Scavenging had become a way of life for them, searching every home, every building within miles and ranging ever farther in the search for others like themselves.
It was early July before the infected made their first appearance. Eric and Bailey spotted a group of three while returning from an abandoned farmer’s exchange with a load of lumber and hardware. Trees and brush grew up almost to the edge of the road on either side and they didn’t want to risk tackling them with close in weapons on the chance more might be hidden there. Instead, they drove past them and turned off onto the road leading back to their home. Unnoticed, the infected followed at their clumsy but steady pace, joined by a larger group who’d gone into the brush after a pair of does.
The Complete Lethal Infection Trilogy Page 65
