Chapter 24
“Ican’t have people running around with knives stabbing people! The citizens here are terrified!” Marcus yelled over the top of his desk. Josh’s sister, Morgan, sat outside on a bench, handcuffed and awaiting her fate.
“I get that, Marcus, but if you were there, you would understand. He locked her out of that building and left her to die!” Nick replied. “If I had done that to you, I guarantee you’d end me the first chance you got.”
Marcus sighed and swiped a hand down his face in frustration. “I’m not saying I wouldn’t, but almost the entire community just watched that woman jam a blade into someone’s eye. How do you expect them to be comfortable with her walking around freely?”
“Marcus is right. This has to be addressed, and she should be punished.” Yara stood beside Marcus, training her firm stare on Nick.
While Marcus was calm and agreeable, Yara did not back down when making decisions.
Nick understood why they made a great pair in leading the community.
Yara was often the strict and final voice Marcus needed when there was dissent.
“Okay, then what happens in situations like this? When someone in the fort does something wrong, what’s the process? Is there a trial? A board of leaders make a decision?” Nick asked. Yara and Marcus only looked at each other with blank stares.
“Other than the group of soldiers who killed incoming survivors, we haven’t had any crime here,” Marcus revealed. There was silence in the room as the cogs turned in everyone’s brains. This was a pivotal moment for Fort Vanguard that would set the standards for future situations.
“A trial…” Marcus repeated, letting the words trail off.
“We could let her speak in front of the community. Tell her story,” Kate, who had remained in uncomfortable silence until that point, chimed in. While Kate was no stranger to vengeance, she understood that Morgan’s predicament posed a threat to the stability of Fort Vanguard.
Kate’s suggestion sparked a productive conversation, one which led to a solution and ended with bringing Morgan in to explain the circumstances.
Morgan stated that she was not interested in a trial.
She was satisfied with what she had done and did not feel the need to explain her actions before a crowd.
This was understandable. However, the alternative option was sending her away from the military installation.
Marcus and Yara were not keen on sending people away, even if the decision was amicable. Fort Vanguard was meant to be a safe haven for all. More than that, Nick and Kate had shared what life was like solo and nomadic. No moment was ever secure, and peace was a far-off dream.
After much discussion, Morgan agreed to stand before the community and explain what she had done.
The next day, Yara, Marcus and the other administrators of Fort Vanguard crafted a platform in the sizable meal room.
Nick and Kate stood at the side of the stage.
They were not integral participants of this event, but they were witnesses and would come to the center to speak if necessary.
Marcus stood at a podium with Yara at his right side.
Members of the community were ushered in and seated.
Upon seeing Morgan sitting on stage, some were visibly fearful.
Others were angry, while the rest looked curious or bored.
Once everyone was seated and settled in, the room was alive with low murmuring as the residents of the fort gossiped and shared what information they thought they had about what was happening.
“Welcome, everyone. Thank you for being here. We’re gathered to address a situation that occurred yesterday.
As we grow and evolve as a community, we are going to encounter unprecedented events that will require us to form solutions together.
I want things to be transparent. I want everyone to have a voice.
And I want us to come together in agreement as we deal with obstacles and conflicts.
” Marcus cleared his throat and turned to Yara, who nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“Recently, we have had several newcomers. One of which was stabbed to death by another yesterday. We immediately detained the person responsible and questioned her. After speaking with her in depth, it has been discovered that her actions may have been justified. We will hear her side of the story along with witnesses and decide the next course of action. Morgan, whenever you’re ready. ”
Marcus stepped back from the podium and faced Morgan. As the attention settled on her, she shifted in her seat, took a deep breath, and lifted her chin high as she prepared her words.
“Umm, hello. Thank you for hearing what I have to say. I’ll try not to bore you with my whole life story, but I feel a bit of context is relevant to painting the full picture for you all.
” Morgan cleared her throat. “My brother and I grew up in your typical shitty family. My mother was a drunken cheat, and my father worked too much to care what we did. I’m the oldest, so I spent my childhood playing parent to a brother who got into more trouble than I can remember.
When our father finally got tired of the life he had, he split, and our mom moved in with some guy.
One day, we just came home from school, and the house was empty.
Weeks passed before we stopped listening for our parents’ cars in the driveway or expecting them to walk through the door. ”
Morgan’s face reddened as she retold her past. While she spoke, she lifted her head intermittently to look out at the crowd, but most of the time, she stared at the floor.
“I dropped out three months before graduation to pick up another job to pay the bills.
And just when I thought I was going to lose the house, the world went crazy.
It was scary at first. Then, it was just staying inside the house.
There were no more bills. No more phone calls. No more work. Just survival.
“We were running out of food, and the neighborhood wasn’t safe.
So, my brother and I packed what we could into bookbags and headed out.
We met a man who said we could stay with him.
He said he had food and weapons. He invited us inside, and we thought we had hit the jackpot.
But the moment we walked into his house, everything felt wrong.
There was a nauseating smell.” Morgan shuddered as if recalling the odor.
She breathed in, preparing to continue her story.
When she looked up at the mosaic of faces, each one was focused on her, desperately waiting for her next words.
“The first few days were fine. He kept us fed and took out any of the creatures that came near the house.
But he spent a lot of time in the shed, and my brother said it was weird.
One morning, my brother woke me up. He told me I needed to come with him right away.
He led me to the shed and showed me that the man had forgotten to padlock the door.
“My brother opened the door just an inch, but it was all we needed to see inside. One of those monsters was chained to a metal pole. It wasn’t really moving, but it was breathing and making these breathy growling sounds.
It was blindfolded. There was an empty plate next to it and flies buzzing all around.
The smell of rotten meat started to waft out, and I almost threw up.
We decided to grab our packs and quietly slip out while the man slept.
Except when we turned around, he was standing right behind us.
“We took off before he could grab us. I thought my lungs were going to explode with how fast and far we ran. I don’t know if that guy was a lunatic or if he was just keeping a family member alive, but we couldn’t risk it.
We were back where we started, scrounging for supplies and food.
I was horrified when my brother showed me the gun he’d swiped from the man.
He didn’t know anything about guns, but I figured it might keep us safe if we found ourselves backed into a corner by the monsters.
When your people came and looted the hardware store we had holed up in, he just started shooting.
I told him he was shooting at people and not monsters, but he just kept firing.
Then, we took off… but we attracted the creatures, and we found ourselves right in the middle of them when we ran out the back of that building.
Josh turned back around and slipped into the store.
The horde was right on my heels, but when I tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge.
I could hear that guy screaming at Josh to move, to open the door for me, but nothing happened.
“I gave up so much to try and keep us alive, even before the virus. It only took him a second to decide it meant nothing to him. That my life meant nothing to him. What I did, it wasn’t the right thing.
But when I saw him standing there after leaving me to die, I saw red.
I’m sorry that it happened right there in front of everyone.
I just—” Morgan lowered her head and sobbed.
Other than a few whispers, the room stayed silent. Marcus stepped back up to the podium.
“Thank you, Morgan. Nick, could you please step up and describe what you saw that day?”
The moment his name was spoken, trepidation surged through him. He strode toward the center of the stage and stood beside Marcus. After clearing his throat, Nick began his retelling of what was meant to be a simple loot run. The crowd of people clung to every syllable.
Once finished, Marcus thanked him and took center stage again.
“Now that we have all the information, we must decide how to move forward. I’d like to open up the floor to any suggestions.
So that we maintain order, let’s raise our hands to ensure only one person is speaking.
Also, let’s remember that we are dealing with human beings, people with feelings, so let’s keep it respectful. ”
Yara, ever-diligent, produced a notebook and pen, ready to write down suggestions or concerns. Several hands shot up, and Marcus called on each one individually.
“It sounds like this was a one-off. Unlikely to happen again.”
“I’d have done the same thing if my brother pulled some shit like that.”
“We can’t just leave her to roam free with so many weapons around.”
“Do we even have a jail set up here?”
“Jail? That seems extreme.”
“My daughter saw everything. She’s really scared!”
“This is how the world is now. We don’t get to sit in our cozy homes and watch our TVs and pretend the blood and gore don’t exist.”
The heads of the members on stage bounced around from person to person as opinions and ideas were shared. Yara jotted furiously in her notebook each time something of importance was mentioned.
“It seems we have a couple of options as for how we handle this. We could completely exonerate Morgan and allow her to be a member of the community. We could banish her. We could kill her. Or we could bring her into the community under supervision for a time. Give her a job that is in a high-traffic area with plenty of guards nearby, ensure that no weapons are near, and allow time for this situation to pass before we feel comfortable allowing her full freedom here,” Marcus said.
Nick nearly chuckled as Marcus explained the last option.
It was the only one he went over in depth, and it was clearly his top choice.
Nick wondered if the fort’s constituents would see it that way as well, or if they would choose it subliminally.
Marcus allowed those present to talk among themselves for a time. Meanwhile, he conferred with Yara who was pointing in her notebook and seemed to be going over key points of the discussion.
“We should let her stay under close supervision!” a man in the crowd shouted. A hum of approval rippled through those seated, along with the occasional grumble of disagreement. Yara whispered something into Marcus’s ear, and he cleared his throat to gain the attention back from the audience.
“Everyone, let’s take it to a vote,” Marcus shouted. “All those in favor of complete exoneration raise your hands.”
A few hands raised in the air, mostly older women. Some that seemed ready to end this session and move on to other things. Yara wrote in her notebook between glances at the crowd.
“All those in favor of banishing Morgan from the community raise your hands.”
Two hands lifted.
“All those in favor of killing Morgan raise your hands.”
Maybe twenty hands extended upward. The majority of them belonged to men and younger members of the community who were unable to fathom the ultimate consequences of this option.
“And those in favor of allowing Morgan to stay under supervision raise your hands.”
The number of hands that raised was more than Yara could count, deeming her attempts at keeping track unnecessary. Marcus nodded as he acknowledged the people’s decision.
“Then, it seems we have a final answer. If there is anyone who vehemently disagrees with this choice, please speak up now,” Marcus said, looking over the crowd for any dissonance.
The faces of survivors remained static. Even if there were those who were not comfortable with Morgan living among them, even under watch, they stayed silent.
Marcus and Yara thanked the community for their time and retreated with Morgan to work out the details of her new life at Fort Vanguard. Nick led Kate through the mass of people, all speaking with excitement about the events that had transpired.
Kate fell into bed, hugging the stuffed bat, and watched as Nick prepared their packs for travel.
The ballistics vest was laid out atop neatly folded black pants and a light gray long-sleeve shirt, all of which stretched across his dresser.
The stack of clothing rested beside the M4 rifle.
Tactical boots faced the dresser, a pair of clean socks peeking out from one of the openings and ready to be worn the next day.
Kate admired Nick as he performed each action with care, as if the day would crumble if one thing was out of place.
After each item was set out with scrupulous intent, Nick tucked himself under the bedcovers, wrapped an arm around Kate’s middle, and tried to drown out the anxious thoughts that never failed to pester him just before a journey.