flopped down into the chair on my left with an audible “Hurumph.”
“Tough day at the office, dear?” Max asked, laying a hand over Amory’s in mock concern.
Amory pulled his hand away, but a shadow of a grin flitted across his face. He kicked Max under the table so forcefully that I thought he might upend his chair, and it suddenly made sense how somebody as tightly wound as Amory had managed to become friends with Max.
“Well, Haven wasn’t lying about those carriers,” he said, ignoring the spread of food before him as everybody else began heaping their plates. “Four of them — no more than eight weeks infected, so far as I could tell.”
“Those poor things,” said Ida, sipping her tea with a furrowed brow.
“Yeah, and you didn’t want to go after them,” said Roman. He was glaring at Amory.
“They weren’t encroaching on our land,” said Amory. “I’ve never seen carriers moving with such . . . purpose. They weren’t even tempted by the farm. It was like they were on a mission.”
Roman snorted. “Listen to yourself.” His voice was level and cruel. “It’s like you think they’re still in their right minds. That disease eats their brains. Once it’s progressed, they can’t think. They’re not human anymore!”
I felt a flash of anger. Those carriers were about as far along as my mother, and she had still been my mom — even when she wasn’t in her right mind.
“That’s enough,” said Ida. She hadn’t said it sharply or even raised her voice, but Roman fell silent and stared down at his plate, looking abashed.
“They are still people,” she said evenly. “Dangerous, yes, but only because they are afflicted with a deadly disease that destroys their ability to reason and feel empathy for other humans. Until there is a cure, we protect our land and each other. But I did not open my house for it to become a war zone or to shoot carriers indiscriminately. If they don’t stop here, let them move on in peace. Each of them was somebody’s family once.”
I looked up at Ida, feeling a rush of affection I couldn’t quite explain. Roman cleared his throat in a way that sounded like reluctant assent.
“Now enough of that talk,” she said, brightening visibly. “Haven, why don’t you tell us how you came to be here?”
I hadn’t been expecting that. “Well, I left Columbia about five days ago.”
“You’ve come a long way.”
I nodded. “I was with my friend Greyson, who’s undocumented, and we were identified by one of the rovers. The PMC ambushed us, and he was captured.”
Ida shook her head sympathetically. “I am so sorry to hear that.”
“He and I were supposed to leave together to go west. We’d been planning it for weeks.”
“Are you telling me you were flagged by the PMC?” Roman asked.
“Is it true?” Logan interrupted. “What people are saying? Are there illegal settlements and no carriers at all?”
“That’s what we hear,” said Ida. “Although I’m sure they have their outbreaks just like anywhere. The difference is the PMC never really got a strong foothold out west.”
“I don’t see why not,” Amory muttered. “It’s not as if the federal government didn’t turn its back on them, too!”
“The government made a choice that seemed to be for the best at the time,” said Ida. “And they had their supporters. Nobody could have predicted the outbreaks —”
“Oh, you can’t possibly believe that!” Amory snapped, slamming his hand down on the table with enough force to make the silverware jump.
“Amory!” Logan shook her head at him.
“You are all so blind to what’s been going on! The Collapse was no coincidence. It’s such a lie!”
“Stop!” Logan yelled. “Just stop! I can’t hear any more of your crazy conspiracy theories.”
“Will you open your eyes and look around?” Amory brandished his hands around him, his eyes gleaming. “With the food shortages and the oil crisis, the government was
“Tough day at the office, dear?” Max asked, laying a hand over Amory’s in mock concern.
Amory pulled his hand away, but a shadow of a grin flitted across his face. He kicked Max under the table so forcefully that I thought he might upend his chair, and it suddenly made sense how somebody as tightly wound as Amory had managed to become friends with Max.
“Well, Haven wasn’t lying about those carriers,” he said, ignoring the spread of food before him as everybody else began heaping their plates. “Four of them — no more than eight weeks infected, so far as I could tell.”
“Those poor things,” said Ida, sipping her tea with a furrowed brow.
“Yeah, and you didn’t want to go after them,” said Roman. He was glaring at Amory.
“They weren’t encroaching on our land,” said Amory. “I’ve never seen carriers moving with such . . . purpose. They weren’t even tempted by the farm. It was like they were on a mission.”
Roman snorted. “Listen to yourself.” His voice was level and cruel. “It’s like you think they’re still in their right minds. That disease eats their brains. Once it’s progressed, they can’t think. They’re not human anymore!”
I felt a flash of anger. Those carriers were about as far along as my mother, and she had still been my mom — even when she wasn’t in her right mind.
“That’s enough,” said Ida. She hadn’t said it sharply or even raised her voice, but Roman fell silent and stared down at his plate, looking abashed.
“They are still people,” she said evenly. “Dangerous, yes, but only because they are afflicted with a deadly disease that destroys their ability to reason and feel empathy for other humans. Until there is a cure, we protect our land and each other. But I did not open my house for it to become a war zone or to shoot carriers indiscriminately. If they don’t stop here, let them move on in peace. Each of them was somebody’s family once.”
I looked up at Ida, feeling a rush of affection I couldn’t quite explain. Roman cleared his throat in a way that sounded like reluctant assent.
“Now enough of that talk,” she said, brightening visibly. “Haven, why don’t you tell us how you came to be here?”
I hadn’t been expecting that. “Well, I left Columbia about five days ago.”
“You’ve come a long way.”
I nodded. “I was with my friend Greyson, who’s undocumented, and we were identified by one of the rovers. The PMC ambushed us, and he was captured.”
Ida shook her head sympathetically. “I am so sorry to hear that.”
“He and I were supposed to leave together to go west. We’d been planning it for weeks.”
“Are you telling me you were flagged by the PMC?” Roman asked.
“Is it true?” Logan interrupted. “What people are saying? Are there illegal settlements and no carriers at all?”
“That’s what we hear,” said Ida. “Although I’m sure they have their outbreaks just like anywhere. The difference is the PMC never really got a strong foothold out west.”
“I don’t see why not,” Amory muttered. “It’s not as if the federal government didn’t turn its back on them, too!”
“The government made a choice that seemed to be for the best at the time,” said Ida. “And they had their supporters. Nobody could have predicted the outbreaks —”
“Oh, you can’t possibly believe that!” Amory snapped, slamming his hand down on the table with enough force to make the silverware jump.
“Amory!” Logan shook her head at him.
“You are all so blind to what’s been going on! The Collapse was no coincidence. It’s such a lie!”
“Stop!” Logan yelled. “Just stop! I can’t hear any more of your crazy conspiracy theories.”
“Will you open your eyes and look around?” Amory brandished his hands around him, his eyes gleaming. “With the food shortages and the oil crisis, the government was
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