Corn, Cows, and the Apocalypse

The Mayor's Agenda

It's strange; even when no one is technically in charge, someone always steps up to take the job. The world had essentially been cut in half. Chaos had ensued, and yet, a civility formed within it.

The Lord of the Flies theory presumed that without leaders and direction, we would turn into animals, worshiping false gods and taking on savagery as second nature. Golding didn't put much faith in the human species, or perhaps he just had a statement to make about parents who didn't watch over their children.

Either way, the idea that civilization would simply collapse, turn in on itself, or start resembling the golden ox scene from the bible, was preposterous. The truth was, nothing changed except our perceptions. Before the apocalypse, we all perceived the people around us as being relatively honest and good willed. Post-apocalypse no one cared what anyone thought, so they didn't disguise what they really wanted.

The only taboo left fully intact was murdering a human, and even then, if you could prove you were in the right, no one would care. It wasn't that we had slipped back into a world where sacrifices and multiple gods were normal. We had just slipped back into the old west—when people demanded a system of law, but there weren't enough sheriffs to actually enforce it.

It was early morning by the time we got home. Haden and Devin went straight upstairs to finish what they had started at the barn dance. August was reluctantly saying goodbye to her man, but not doing a good job of it since they were both inching their way inside with each kiss.

I went into the kitchen and turned on the radio. Jimmy the Card was finishing up his late-night doting for his fans. I couldn't help but laugh at all the women out there in love with his voice. After seeing him in person, the disappointment was enough to keep me away from radio sex for life.

"Will you two just go upstairs?" I chided August.

"You know the rules, Lenore," she said with wide eyes. I did know what the yours were. They were the rules that Haden and Devin broke on a regular basis. The only reason August was quoting them now was because she was usually the one standing vigil to make sure overnight guests behaved themselves.

I moved around the island to get a better view and looked over Mr. Fine. When I touched him after my contact with the old rapist, I felt a relief there. If I was in supercharged psychic mode, I imagined that I would have felt if he had dishonorable intentions.

"He's okay, August. Go have some fun. Besides, he knows he has four people to contend with if he doesn't behave himself, right?" I looked to him for an answer.

"Yes, ma'am," Mr. Fine said and went so far as to salute me, but he meant it with the greatest respect, especially since I was giving him permission to go upstairs and get laid.

August ran upstairs with Mr. Fine fast on her tail. I laughed as I went back to my radio and turned it up just enough to give everyone privacy, but not so much that I wouldn't hear a scream or an impermissible struggle. I couldn't help but wonder when, over the last two months, I had turned into the one that gave the permission for guests to sleep over.

I made myself some instant coffee and sat at the table to listen to Jimmy.

"Now that my fans are settled in for the night, vacant of their raging desires, I will bring my broadcast to a close." Jimmy's voice was deep, but smooth, a hard combination to pull off. "But before I do, it looks like we have an announcement straight down from our very own Mayor Thompson. Starting tomorrow, that's today for all you early roosters, he will be sending his military group west to collect your unwanted, inactive grim.

"The mayor has explained in his press release that the tournaments are a resounding success and he wants to collect more grim for the upcoming events, thereby returning our state to its former glory of the good life. Wow, way to go Mayor Thompson. That man can make a dangerous, unorthodox, extermination plan, sound like a civic duty."

I nearly spat my coffee out at Jimmy's joke. He was right, of course. The mayor had a way of talking people into anything. I wasn't sure how I felt about exterminating the grim, but I did know that I didn't want to have my soul sucked. With that in mind I couldn't help but agree with the plan.

And yet my instincts still flared, trying to tell me something. Until I knew for sure, though, there was nothing to do except save the world the only way I knew how: with after-sex breakfast. I pulled out the pans and got to work.