Chapter 33 - Voting
July 1
The last few weeks had not been good for scavenging, with little food being found. Likewise, the hunt for wild game, fruits and berries was poor. However, much wood was chopped and stacked and the garden was carefully tended with all the life-sucking weeds pulled each day. It was dinnertime and Marceau had again served a great, but small, feast.
"OK, folks, quiet down. This is serious. You've just heard the report from George that our inventory of food has dwindled to dangerous levels. It's not the first such report. The last weeks have been difficult. We have been trying hard. Those of us on our foraging runs have been doing our best. Our spotters have been finding what they can on motorcycles and the Dark Detector and even bringing back most of it the same way. If we find more than the cycles can carry, we send out the SUV or the van. But it's been weeks since we've had need for any of that. Most days, we've brought back only a handful of cans. Not enough to last us one more day. The food most days wouldn't have been worth the cost of the gasoline, if you could buy gasoline. We keep hoping we'll find a major cache, but we don't."
"It's not your fault, John," said Masako. "We just have to keep trying."
"Each day our inventory is less. The garden is still six weeks from coming in and foraging for nuts and berries hasn't been worthwhile. Hunting has slowed down because we've killed everything that moves for miles around. Two weeks ago, we cut back our meals from three a day to two so that we could stretch our supplies. And as you know, we had to slaughter the horses. They were my ace in the hole, but now they're gone. In the end, it just takes a lot of food to fill so many mouths."
"I resent that," said Carla, standing up and looking mean. "When you said 'so many' you were looking at me and Isaac. And, you've told me too many times that our family is not contributing enough. I've given up my daytime classes and I spend the daytime in the kitchen and have to spend all evening teaching my boys. I get no rest and you are still complaining. Now, my children are starving. They are always asking for food and I don't have it to give them. I'm sick of it. I want you all to stop complaining and I want to go back to three meals a day. We're hungry." She sat back down with a thump, squirmed in her seat and folded her arms in a defiant and defensive posture.
"Thank you, Carla. We're all hungry. The point remains that we don't have enough food …"
Carla interrupted, again. "The basement is full of food. You just won't give it to us. You've even put a lock on the door." She gestured toward the basement and waved her hands in the air. "We're hungry."
"We had some food missing, so we locked the door with two locks. George and Marceau have one key each to different locks. That way, both have to be present to unlock the storerooms. I have a copy of both keys, just in case."
"So you can go in and take what you want, while the rest of us starve! John, nobody stole anything. The only people here are us. Nobody's here who's not supposed to be here. You're paranoid," Carla huffed.
"George inventories the food every day and reports what we have and how long it will last. If we keep eating as we have been, we don't have enough to last until the garden produces. That's a fact. Like I said, sixteen people consume quite a bit of food. We need at least two months of food and we only have six weeks at our current ration level. Less than five weeks if we went back to three meals a day. It looks like enough, but it's not. We run this operation as a democracy and the question before the group is what do we do, now? The most obvious choice is that we drop down to one meal a day. A second choice is that we reduce portion sizes and stay with two meals. Marceau has done that twice, but she can do it again."
"No, that's going the wrong direction," Carla complained. "And it's not fair. Those of you who go out foraging can find food while you're out. Those of us who stay here don't have a choice. We can only eat what little you serve us."
"Carla, sweetheart," said George. "There ain't no McDonald's no more. I wish there was. I miss my Big Macs. I know John does, too. There's no fast food. No restaurants of any kind. No grocery stores. No gas stations full of potato chips. Nothing. A day after the panic started, all those things went away. Disappeared. Vamoosed. We're on our own, child. What we got is all there is. There just ain't no more."
"I still don't believe you. Isaac went on one of your little trips and he found half a dozen jars of peaches. He brought us three and gave you three."
"All food has to be turned in,". John, said, quickly pouncing on her last statement. "We don't keep half of what we each find. That's why Isaac doesn't go on any more trips. He wasn't being honest. He stole from the group."
"Stole? He didn't steal from the group. He found it outside." Her face was red, the blood vessels in her face and neck were pulsing, and her fingers were clinched into a tight fist.
"If nobody else has any other proposals, we'll take a vote. First on one meal a day and second on reduced portions."
"You're not listening to me, John," Carla yelled, standing up and flailing her arms in the air. "I'm sick of all this complaining. Tired of you accusing us of stealing. Tired of you accusing us of not doing our share. We work. We do what we can. We can't do any more. Why don't you just say what you mean? You want rid of us. You've been wanting that for weeks now. You said we could join the group, but now you want us to go. You want us out of here," she said, screaming and pounding her fists on the table, tears running down her cheeks. She sat back down, put her head down on the table and sobbed.
Cho looked at Masako and nodded. Masako looked at Fred and smiled. Fred looked at George and winked.
George stood up and said, "Yer honor, I second that motion. Complaining Carla and her do-nothing husband, Isaac, should leave, for the good of the group. For the survival of the group."
"I'm not sure Carla was actually making that motion," said John.
Cho stood up and said, "Cho make motion. Carla and family leave -- now. For good of group, as George say."
"If you say so. We are a democracy. I've said it many times and I have to do what I said. All in favor of Carla and her family leaving, raise your hands."
"Now, leave now. Tired of complaining, stealing. She leave now. For good of group."
"OK, OK. All in favor of Carla and her family leaving now, raise your hands."
Cho, Masako, Fred, and George raised their hands.
"Sorry, Carla," said Tom. "But, if we stay on current rations, the twelve of us might be able to make it to harvest."
"Yes, I agree," said Elspeth, raising her hand.
"Me too," said Harry, raising his hand.
"That's seven in favor. Seven to seven. It's a tie. Ha! We stay," said Carla. "You can't get do away with us that easily."
"Seven to three, said Harry. You can't vote if you're affected by the vote. You have to recuse yourself. Parliamentary rules. We Brits invented them. We are the experts."
"John, that's just not right. We have a say in this. It's our lives."
"Yes, and we heard everything you said and none of it made any sense. You're being nothing but selfish."
"John, those boys did nothing wrong," said Iris. "You can't send them out into the world alone."
"No, we wouldn't do that, but we have no right to separate them from their parents, either. The parents have the responsibility to raise their children and we can't interfere with that."
"We've been working, John," said Isaac. "We haven't done anything wrong. We don't bother anybody. We keep to ourselves."
"Isaac, we're not a collection of individuals. We are a team. We work together. It's not like football where you have stars who are paid millions and peasants who are paid next to nothing. We have no stars here. We're all in this together. And it not like selling used cars, where you are only paid for what you do. We all work together so we all can survive. And we all do everything we can. We stop when we have to stop, not when somebody blows a whistle."
Carla stopped sobbing and yelled out, "You should recuse yourself, too, John. You're just jealous of Isa
ac. You wanted me. You know you did. Don't you remember those summers out in the barn?"
"Nobody will be recused. We all get a vote."
"Children not vote. American law. Under twenty-one not vote. Now two to seven. They go."
Marceau and Pierre raised their hands as John and Charles raised theirs. Marceau said, "I am sorry, Carla, but John is right. It is now eleven to two. You will go now and good riddance. We are tired of your complaining and your lazy ways."
John looked at Iris, "You're not voting?"
"I don't think I have a right to. I haven't been here long. I really feel bad about all of this. Especially, the boys."
"We all feel bad about this. It has been coming for weeks and now it's here. Just like the plague. We can't walk away from it. We just have to deal with it. And, apparently, we have to deal with it now. I've put it off as long as possible."
"I'm still not sure I should have a say in this. They are your friends. You knew them."
"That's true, but tell me something. If the compound is attacked tomorrow, will you defend it with your life?"
"Of course. This is my home now."
"Then, if it's your home, you have a vote."
"I'm sorry Carla. Make it twelve to two."
"One more vote, folks. I move that we give Carla and her family their original car. George did some work on it and it runs. We give them ten gallons of gasoline and one week of food. Any discussion?"
"Five gallons. Three days," said Cho.
"I agree," said Masako.
"Sure," said Fred. "Five gallons will take them one hundred miles. That prepper place we ran across is no more than twenty miles away. Just go south after they hit town. Look for the greenhouses and then take the next right. If that doesn't work, just watch for signs of smoke. They'll find another group. Or they can forage, like we're doing now. Maybe Isaac has a talent for foraging and he'll find some more peaches. Although, he hasn't had a talent for anything so far." Fred's voice trailed off as if he didn't want to be saying what he already had said.
"OK, we vote. First vote is five gallons and three days, second vote is ten gallons and seven days. How many for five and three?"
Everyone raised their hands. "It looks unanimous. Marceau, please put together the food, using our current ration. Fred, please bring the car around with the gasoline in it. Carla, you can go to your cabin with Cho and pack up what you brought with you and any clothes you've been wearing. Be out front in twenty minutes."
* * *
Fred brought out the car and helped Isaac load the luggage while Carla put her sleepy boys into the back and then eased into the passenger seat. Isaac gave Fred a dirty look, got in and peeled the wheels on the gravel driveway.
"How did you like that, my very good friend, Fred?" said Pierre, setting the butt of his rifle down on the ground and watching the taillights moving slowly down the driveway.
"I don't know. I really don't, Pierre. At the time, it all made sense. It was even a little bit funny. Humorous. Now, I'm beginning to question that. We sent them out to an uncertain future. Maybe not so uncertain. Probably death. You can claim that Carla and Isaac deserved it, but what about the two boys?" Fred's voice, filled with anguish, became barely audible as he thought about the young boys. "Did they deserve it? What did they do to deserve it? Have the wrong parents? That shouldn't be a death sentences, but I suppose it often is."
Pierre hit Fred on the shoulder. "Mon amie, we are not to blame for the death of everyone in the world. They will be no worse off than when they first came here. She said then that we were her last chance. She had tried everything else. We gave them the chance they asked for and they failed. It is simple. We were benevolent and kind and they were not. She could have helped, but she didn't. Isaac could have done more, but didn't. They stole from the food stores. John had to constantly badger her to make her to do anything. They took and took and took and gave nothing back."
They walked over to the porch and climbed the steps in silence. Fred collapsed into one of the paint-chipped rockers.
"What about the boys? I feel bad about them."
Pierre eased into the rocker facing Fred. "They are better off than billions of others who are now dead. At least now they have a chance. The virus has probably died off. They can do what we are doing. Foraging. Many houses are available for shelter. It is summer. The weather is nice. If they had stayed here, they would have died from starvation, only maybe a little later. The best that would have happened is that we all would be hungry for five weeks before we ran out of food and then all starved to death together for the three weeks that starvation takes."
"Yes. All that's right. But, I still feel bad about it."
"Of course. I feel badly too. I am not made of stone. If we didn't have to do it, we wouldn't. It was necessary. But what about us? If the weather is bad and the harvest is delayed or bad, then what? We will die. As George said, it was for the survival of the group."
"Probably."
Silence hung between them, as each was lost in his own thoughts. Pierre broke that silence.
"It also brings up one quite large concern."
"Yes."
"What happens next? Am I voted out? Or you? Or any of us? This is my last chance. I cannot make it here alone, in this country. And I cannot go back to France. I do not believe Carla and Isaac can make it alone. If they do not find another group or learn to forage, they will die. They have a better chance than I do of finding a group. They are Americans. No American is going to share their last crust of bread with a Frenchman. They would say, 'Go back where you came from, little Froggie.' "
"You voted to throw them out. No time to be sentimental, now."
"I am not sentimental. I am practical and I am worried. It was them or me. That was easy. Next time, it might be everybody else or me. Mon Dieu. That might be easy, also. For everybody else. Hard for me."
"No, of course not. You're valuable. You are the best marksman, a good hunter and you're a doctor. You contribute and you don't complain. Well, not too much anyway." Fred half-laughed. "Nobody would ever want to throw you out. Plus, your girlfriend makes the best food anybody here has ever eaten. I've never eaten woodchuck or squirrel that tasted that good."
"And you, mon amie. You are a good mechanic. You ride like the wind. You can operate the tractor and the other machines. You know military tactics. If Carla had three more friends, then they would still be here. To be safe, it takes a majority. At least seven then, six now. Carla had four votes."
"Then, who's next? They mulled it over for a while before Fred continued, "You know the four Brits will stick together."
"Oui, and John will keep his girlfriend close. What about your friend George?"
"He's not a long-time friend. He's a good guy, but I've only known him a day longer than you."
Pierre leaned closer to Fred and lowered his voice. "Can you persuade him to join our alliance? And his friend Iris?"
"Probably. That would give us five. We would have to get one more to be sure of not being forced out. I'll talk to Masako. I'm certain she'll join us. She's upset with John anyway. She thinks it was his fault we had to vote. If he didn't agree to take them in, we wouldn't have to throw them out. She voted against them in the beginning. He wouldn't make the tough decision then and forced us to do it for him now. You talk to Harry and Charles. Take your time and be subtle. You might be able to turn Harry. We have several weeks before any more votes would come up. This vote wouldn't have happened if Carla weren't trying to play on everybody's sympathy once too many times."
"Oui, but something else could happen. The lodge building could burn down. Marceau complains about the old cookstove every day. We could have another thief. The future is uncertain, mon amie. And we must be prepared -- for anything and everything."
Chapter 34 - The Lone Rider
The fourth of July dawned clear and bright. The group had decided to declare the day a day of rest and relaxation. Iris, Cho and Masako took over cooking duties to make
sure that Marceau would finally have a day of vacation. Elspeth broke out a case of bourbon from under her bed and everybody's mood improved. Fred brought out several bows and two boxes of arrows and they had an archery tournament on the front lawn. However, the bourbon interfered and the tournament turned into a game of 'chase the arrow.' Marceau mentioned she had seen an old football in the attic and the game was on. Two teams were formed and goal positions on the lawn were marked with arrows. After an hour of everybody grabbing and throwing everybody else around, they finally called it a draw and had dinner. Elspeth enjoyed the game so much that she contributed a box of wine and everyone decided that they had celebrated enough.
John had gone to bed just after dinner and was sleeping soundly when Cho nudged him with the butt of her shotgun. He woke up slowly, but upon seeing the shotgun, he leaped out of bed.
"Don't point that gun so close to me. It might go off." He shoved the gun away from him and rubbed his eyes, shaking the cobwebs of sleep from his brain. "What time is it?"
"Eight. You miss nice sunset. Everybody say best since come here."
"If I already missed it, why are you waking me?"
"Man at gate. Have little motorcycle with light."
"Again? Did you put an ad in the paper?"
"No paper. No ad. What to do?"
"Same as last time. Find Pierre."
"Pierre ready. You go? Be careful."
John again grabbed his Kevlar body armor, thinking that this was becoming tiresome. They had already turned away several people who wanted food and those who wanted to bribe their way into the compound by selling worthless items. One had a large diamond necklace. Another had a handful of gold coins. He wondered what it was this time. After crawling through the tunnel to the garage, he turned the key in the tractor and drove to the front gate. A scrawny weasel-like little man stood beside a small motorcycle, still running.
The Weak Shall Die: Complete Collection (Four Volume Set) Page 35