"As you all are very much aware of, Elisabeth...died." Duke said, standing in the middle of the room. "There was a casualty, but it could have been much worse. If it wasn't for Sawyer understanding what the rest of us could not, we might not have been back in time to...put her down." There was silence. The room was full of tension. Some people were trying not to cry, others were visibly upset, and the rest looked lost; one thing they all had in common was staring down Duke. "I was hoping she could explain it to you." He said taking the escape route.
I just stared, wide eyed. Jesse nudged me with his elbow. I got up and reached to flatten my, no doubt, crazy hair. For the longest time I just stood there, staring at the tired faces. I caught a glimpse of myself in a set of small mirrors on the wall. My eyes were as wide as plates and my dark hair was falling from its braid. I cleared my throat. "I don't remember anything from the attack-- I woke up this morning vaguely remembering police sirens and screaming-- but I went to the fence today to see one of them. From what Jesse and Duke told me I figured out at least one of the ways this spreads. Bites. I think it's an infection-- some kind of disease and like any disease it spreads from one person to the next." Again there was an intense silence.
"How did it start?" Asked the small boy that came in with his parents. I could see tear streaks on his dark face.
"What's your name?"
"Tommy."
"Well, Tommy," I said at a loss for words, "I don't know."
"What are you going to do with the man upstairs?" He asked, "Is he sick?"
"Yes." I said choosing to ignore the first question.
"He helped us. Can you help him?"
"I don't think so." I said and the look on his face nearly made my heart break.
"So what are we going to do?" Caleb asked. His mahogany eyes searched mine and I felt like he was staring right into my soul. There was murmuring and I looked to my brother for help.
Jesse stood up. "I think we should give him an option. We can try to release him just before he turns, or we can," He paused, "Put him down and save him from that end." A few people nodded in agreement.
"We don't know anything about this. There has to be a better solution. He could be fine!" Garret retorted sanding up and facing the others. "Are we really going to let a child decide this for us?"
"That child is twenty and has already proven himself to be a capable and intuitive leader." Chance argued calmly.
"Maybe we should vote on it." Tommy's mom suggested.
"Is there an opposing argument?" Duke asked of the group.
"Wait it out. We don't know what this is. Maybe it isn't the bites at all that change someone. I mean are you all seriously going to take what a girl who's still a child herself has to say as fact? She doesn't even remember the attack!" Garret told the room.
"I'm seventeen." I mumbled and he shot me a look of disgust.
"The only problem with that is we've all seen it. Think back over what you saw. It makes sense. The man in my front year was bitten, killed and came back. My...And then Elisabeth. Nothing was wrong with her except that bite. Are we really willing to risk it. At the very least he needs to be secured to something. I know it sounds barbaric, but this isn't the same world you woke up in a couple of days ago. Are we going to give him the opportunity to attack any of us? One of the children?" Jesse addressed the voters.
"I agree with Jess." Chase said raising his hand. Others followed suit.
"Congratulations. You've got the teenagers on your side, but I hate to break it to you, the world may be in chaos, but it's not so bad we take orders from you." He said gesturing to a few of the grown men beside him.
"Fine. But then when the time comes, we will be the 'kids' you say we are and let you fight to protect us." Jess said staring at him.
"Opposing votes?" Duke asked and some people raised there hands. Most of the adults, Caleb and a few others. Some people didn't vote. "There's a two vote favor for Jesse's plan. Anyone else want to vote either way?"
"Why should we? You people do what you want to do, but leave my family out of it." Said Tommy's dad, a tall African American man who was about my height sitting.
"We have to stick together as a group. There is strength in numbers." Duke answered.
"I know I haven't seen much," I added, "But from what I have, I don't think anyone can make it on their own. Not right now."
"I want him away from our son." His wife said.
"Have you all gone completely mad? We are talking about a mans life." Garret yelled, "What if it was one of yours?" No one answered.
"Where is he?" Jesse asked.
"Upstairs. Second room on the right." Caleb replied and was rewarded with a glare from his father. "Who's going to talk to him."
"I will." Jess volunteered. "Everyone else should get some more rest." As people headed back upstairs I watched my older brother. The way he could calm the seas was amazing. People wanted to listen to him. The G-team and military guys stayed down here with us. Caleb sat down in a stiff-back chair. Garret stared him down, and while Caleb looked a bit shaken by it, he didn't move. When Garret left the room relaxed a little more.
"Good job. I think you handled it well." Duke commented.
