“Very well,” Glenn said. “Ms Monteque?”
“The prisoners are charged with attempted murder, Your Honor. One count for each resident of the Farm at the time of the attack.”
Christine sat down and Glenn looked at Tabitha. “How do you plead?”
Tabitha only half rose from her chair. “Not Guilty.”
There were murmurs from the crowd.
“Keep it quiet, please,” Glenn said. “Ms. Monteque, you may present your case.”
“A point of procedure, Your Honor,” Tabitha immediately said.
“Yes Tab… er… Ms Sheriton. What is it.”
“A jury, Your Honor. We need to select a jury.”
“A jury. Of course.” Glenn paused for a moment. “The gallery will be the jury. By counted voice vote.”
For a moment Tabitha looked angry and surprised, but suddenly she smiled. “The defense accepts that.” She leaned over and whispered something to River Rat. He smiled.
“Ms Monteque, please proceed,” Glenn said.
Christine only called a few people in turn. First the sentry that had been on duty and sounded the alarm, those of the Farm that had been injured, and then the rest of the armed defenders of the Farm. Each essentially gave the same statement. River Rat’s gang had attacked the Farm and tried to take it over. Tabitha chose not to question any of them.
“That it, Ms Monteque?” Glenn asked.
“The prosecution rests, Your Honor.”
“Ms. Sheriton, present your defense.”
“Thank you, Your Honor. Defense calls Tommy Reid.”
Tommy looked surprised. He was the sentry that had sounded the alarm.
“Mr. Reid. You say you sounded the alarm. Why?”
“Trip flares in the woods. A bunch of them.”
“So you sounded the alarm before the alleged attack?”
“Alleged?” Tommy was incredulous.
“Just answer the question, Mr. Reid.”
“Well, yes. But...”
“The yes is sufficient, Mr. Reid. Now, upon Mr. Rat’s approach, did you call out a greeting?”
“Greeting? No! They were attacking! I shot at them.”
“Before asking what they wanted?”
“It was obvious wh…”
“Please just answer the question. Did you ask them what they wanted, at any time?”
“No.”
“So, even if they were a peaceful group wanting to trade with the Farm, you sounded the alarm and opened fire before they could so state. Is that correct?”
“They didn’t…”
“Your Honor, please instruct the witness to answer the questions as asked.”
“But, Glenn…” Tommy protested, looking over at him.
“Answer the questions as asked. Don’t venture opinions.”
Tommy nodded and looked back at Tabitha, “The way you said it, yes.”
“Very good. Your witness.”
Christine stood and asked, “Did the group give any indication they were coming to make a trade?”
“No.”
“That’s all,” Christine said and sat back down.
Tabitha immediately rose and said, “Defense calls Melissa Johnston.”
Melissa was one of the Farm residents injured in the attack.
“Now, Miss Johnston, tell us in your own words what happened when you heard the alarm sound.”
“I was in one of the greenhouses, picking peas, when I heard the alarm. I grabbed my rifle and ran to the perimeter wall on the roof of the greenhouse support building. I began to fire at…”
“You fired before you were fired upon?”
“Uh… Well… Sure. They were shooting at us, so I shot back.”
“But no one shot at you until you shot at them. Is that correct?”
“Well, technically, yes, but…”
“Just answer the question. Remember the admonishment that Mr. Reid received. No opinions.”
“Then Yes.”
“That’s all,” Tabitha said. “Your witness.”
Christine stood and asked, “Was a battle taking place when you reached your firing point?”
“Yes.”
“That’s all,” Christine said.
It went much the same with the other witnesses that Tabitha called. And then she called River Rat to testify, much to everyone’s amazement.
“Now, Mr. Rat,” Tabitha said. “Please tell the court why you were approaching the Farm yesterday.”
“We was here to try to trade for some of that coal the Farm beat us out off last winter.”
There was a murmur through the crowd.
“What happened when you came through the forest?”
“A bunch of trip flares went off and then we were at the edge of the woods and an alarm was sounding and people were shooting at us. We didn’t have a chance.”
“So you would not have fired if you hadn’t been fired upon?”
“Nope. We just wanted to trade.”
“I see. Why didn’t you speak up and state that when you were approaching?”
“Didn’t have a chance. Your guys were trigger happy and just started shooting. Well, I tell you. Where I’m from you don’t take that lying down. You fight back. That’s what we did. But only because you fired first.”
“That’s all. Thank you Mr. Rat.” Tabitha looked over at Christine. “Your witness.”
Christine stood up. “Mr. Rat. Did you at any time call out that you were just here to trade?”
“Didn’t have a chance.”
“I see. When you were fired upon, did you attempt to retreat and take cover, in order to make your wishes known?”
“Not likely! You wanna fight the Rat, you get a fight in return.”
“Did you come here to take over the Farm, Mr. Rat?”
“Nope. Just to trade. Just like the lady said.” River Rat pointed to Tabitha.
“I see. No more questions.”
“I don’t think there is any need to cloister the jury,” Glenn said. “Form a line and state your opinion of innocent or guilty of the charges.”
There was a bit of a ruckus as people formed the line. The prisoners’ guards were careful to make sure the prisoners knew they couldn’t do anything.
And then the voting began. The very first vote was from one of Tabitha’s friends. “Innocent.”
Many in the crowd couldn’t believe it. About half. For it seemed that for every ‘Guilty’, there came an ‘Innocent’.
Glenn, Christine, and Tabitha were all keeping a tally, as was Fredrick. When the last person voted, each of the four quickly totaled their lists. All the numbers agreed. The guilty count had it by four votes.
“Your Honor,” Tabitha said, “The vote must be unanimous, therefore…”
“No, Ms Sheriton. Simple majority rules in this case.”
Much to Glenn’s surprise, Tabitha didn’t ask for a revote. She actually looked satisfied and sat there with her arms crossed. River Rat was talking quietly, but urgently to her, but she ignored him.
“Okay people! People! Settle down,” Glenn called. Fredrick began to move forward help get everyone back to a seat or standing area.
“The defendants are hereby found guilty,” Glenn said firmly. “The sentence is…”
“Point of order, Your Honor!” Tabitha said loudly, rising from her seat.
“What is it Ms Sheriton?”
“We should have a sentencing hearing to choose the sentence the same way we decided guilt. I think a week…”
Glenn cut her off. “No, Ms Sheriton. Right now.”
Tabitha looked surprised and River Rat began to look scared. And desperate.
“Make your suggestion for sentence, Ms Monteque.” Glenn voice was firm.
“Death. By hanging or firing squad, defendant’s choice.”
“Ms Sheriton?”
“We can rehabilitate these people,” Tabitha stood and said. “Despite the guilty verdict, there is still doubt as to intention. There sh
ould be leniency. The sentence should be two years of probation while working on the Farm.”
There was an outcry from the crowd as Tabitha continued. “I ask for another voice vote for the sentence.”
“Very well,” Glenn said. “Line up again.” He looked at Tabitha. “Simple majority vote. If there is a tie, I will break it.”
The vote went almost identically to the guilty verdict, except it was even closer. A tie. “All agreed?” Glenn said, as he, Christine, Tabitha, and Fredrick compared their counts. Again the counts agreed.
Everyone went back to their seat or standing point, looking intently at Glenn. Before he could speak, River Rat, and the members of his gang made their move. River Rat had Tabitha in a choke hold before anyone could move. The other four tipped their chairs back into the guards’ laps and wrestled them for their handguns.
The guards were simply students that had been willing to take firearms training. None were professional law enforcement or had any real hand to hand combat training. The prisoners quickly had their guns from them.
The prisoners began to back toward the nearest entrance, with River Rat still holding Tabitha up before him. The choke hold had her unconscious. No one could state later who shot first, but gunshots rang out, including the three prisoners with their liberated handguns. Glenn, Christine, Fredrick, and at least six others were firing at the prisoners. The prisoners with the handguns dropped quickly, the unarmed gang member was also killed.
Only River Rat, with Tabitha as his shield, remained alive. “I’ll kill her! I swear I will! Snap her neck like a stick, I will!”
There were nine guns on the pair. No one seemed ready to fire, for fear of hitting Tabitha. Not even Christine would take the shot. River Rat began to move closer to the door. Glenn saw his chance and fired. The .45 ACP hollow point bullet entered River Rat’s right eye. He dropped immediately, Tabitha on top of him.
“Harry!” called Glenn. “See about Tabitha.” He was holding his gun on the now fully exposed head of River Rat. River Rat wasn’t going anywhere, nor was he going to hurt anyone again. He was dead. Glenn holstered his gun and looked around.
“Oh no!” he cried, half under his breath. Brittany, along with six other people were down, blood flowing from the wounds inflicted by the gang in their escape attempt. The two nurses from the rustlers’ compound were seeing to the injured, though one of them looked to be sporting a crease on one arm.
It was an hour before everything was calm again. The clinic was quiet now. Tabitha was sitting by Brittany’s bed, quietly crying. Glenn wondered if the tears were for Brittany or herself. She had been chastised and condemned for her actions by many of the other students.
Besides River Rat and his four gang members, who had died in the brief gun battle, three Farm members had also died. Five others sported minor to moderate wounds. Harry walked over to where Glenn was watching Brittany. She was asleep. Glenn was afraid of what he might say to Tabitha if he went over, so he was standing where he was.
“She should be okay in a few weeks,” Harry told Glenn. “We got the bullet out with no complications, and we have antibiotics and pain killers. Baring something totally unexpected she’ll be back to her old self in just a few weeks.”
Glenn nodded. He left Harry to his duties and went to find Fredrick. He’d already started the students digging a mass grave for the gang, beside the other trench they’d dug for the gang members killed in the initial battle. There would be individual graves for the Farm dead. The rest of the living had been put back to work to keep their minds off things for the moment.
Glenn felt the same way. He climbed back into the Unimog with the combine and went back to work. He worked until dark, and then parked his machine and went to the farm house to get supper. He really wasn’t hungry, but he’d skipped lunch, so he made himself eat something. After debating for some time, Glenn went over to the clinic. Thankfully Tabitha was gone. In her place was Captain Monteque.
“How is she doing?” Glenn softly asked.
“Resting peacefully. I just stopped for a moment to see how she was doing.” Christine got up and Glenn sat down. Christine quietly left the room as Glenn sat and watched Brittany sleep. She stirred once, and groaned. Glenn carefully adjusted the blanket back over her shoulders and under her chin, and then sat back down.
Harry came in a few minutes later and put his hand on Glenn’s shoulder. After a few moments he squeezed the shoulder, and then left.
It was near midnight when Glenn finally got up and left. He slept fitfully, but was up at his normal time the next morning. He checked on Brittany. She was awake. Glenn thought she was very pale.
“Hi,” he said, taking the chair by her bed.
“Hi.”
“How are you doing? Harry said you were going to be all right.”
“Some pain, but they’re giving me something for it.” She was silent for a long moment. “Glenn… What are you going to do about Tabitha?”
“I don’t want to talk about Tabitha,” Glenn replied softly.
“But someone has to. She wouldn’t say anything to me. And the others… They were saying terrible things about her. I know what she did probably wasn’t a good idea, but she has such strong convictions… She thought she was doing the right thing.”
Glenn sighed and leaned back in the chair. “Oh, I guess there was an element of her beliefs involved. But I also think there was a strong element of simply being against something I am for. We just don’t have the resources to handle this kind of criminal activity. Any criminal activity.”
“That’s for another discussion,” Brittany replied. “Right now I’m worried about Tabitha.”
“I’ll see that she’s okay,” Glenn said.
One of the nurses came in with a tray of food for Brittany. “I’ll let you have your breakfast. And I will take care of that other matter, too,” Glenn said, standing.
Brittany smiled a weak smile at him and tried to scoot back in the bed so she could take the tray in her lap. But it hurt and she cried out a little. Glenn hurried away. He couldn’t stand to hear her in pain and not be able to help. The nurse would tend to Brittany. Glenn went looking for Harry.
He was in the office of the clinic, going over some paperwork. “Harry?”
“Sure, Glenn. What is it?” Harry turned his chair around to face Glenn.
“I want you to check on Tabitha and…”
Harry made a face.
“I need you to do this, Harry. You have a good bedside manner and I doubt she would even talk to me. Brittany wants to know she is doing okay. Apparently some of the others are giving her a hard time about yesterday.”
“With good reason,” Harry said. “But it will affect Brittany’s recuperation if she doesn’t know Tabitha is all right. And I must say that choke hold really put a strain on her system, on top of the lingering effects of the radiation sickness. I’ll check on her and let you know.”
“Thanks, Harry.”
Glenn went next to Fredrick, Alison, and Christine to ask them to help minimize the pressure on Tabitha for her actions. All three had similar sour looks on their faces, but knew enough about group dynamics to know that they needed to get Tabitha back into the group.
It took nearly a month before the harsh words and looks faded away and Tabitha began to feel comfortable enough to resume her already limited activities. Glenn had to give her one thing. She was doting on Brittany while Brittany was in the clinic.
The summer and fall had been cooperative. The field crop harvests were excellent, and the constant production from the greenhouses allowed those on the Farm to continue to trade food out and still put up more than enough for their own use during the winter and next season.
It was well that they did. It was a brutal winter for them, though it started rather late.
EPILOGUE
That winter flu went through the Farm with a vengeance. Almost everyone got sick. The few that didn’t tended to those that did, and kept up on the daily require
d farm work. Only five people died, despite the severity of the illness. That included Tabitha. Her radiation damaged immune system was not up to throwing off the illness.
The Farm picked up a few addition people however. Several families that had been making it on their own fought through the storms and asked for residency at the Farm. All brought reasonable skills, but it was just too hard to survive on their own.
Simpler Times Page 11