Isolation , Jones, Nathan [top 20 books to read TXT] 📗

was busy handling things in my area, making sure everyone was away from where the truck was going to hit and then helping with the wounded.”

“Well then you should've had someone else do that so you could coordinate everything for the entire town, like you should be doing.” Lenny spat off to one side. “Serves us right for letting the Mayor's idiot cousin lead our defenses. Talk about nepotism.”

“Nepotism?” Darrel practically shouted. “I stepped up to do the job because you were all too lazy or chicken to do it. And I've worked my tail off ever since, keeping this town safe.” He shoved a finger in Lenny's chest. “What have you done besides sit around pissing and moaning?”

The older man refused to back down. “It doesn't matter how hard you work when you suck at your job. Our lives are in your hands, and you're dropping the ball.”

The leader of Stanberry's defenses scowled. “Well you know what, Lenny? You suck as a doorstop, never mind any more useful jobs. So you're one to ta-”

Lenny finally seemed to have had enough, because even while Darrel was talking he abruptly jerked his fist back, as if winding up for the mother of all roundhouse punches.

Darrel, not seeming surprised by the sudden attack, snapped out his fist and popped the bigger man right on the nose. Lenny stumbled back, punch forgotten, his anger replaced by stunned bafflement.

“Did you just try to sucker punch me with the most telegraphed roundhouse in the world?” Darrel demanded. “You can't even lose your cool right.”

Lenny snarled and started forward again, fists bunched.

Then Darby was there, holding his arms out between the two men to hold them back. “Enough, both of you!” he snapped, snatching his megaphone back from Darrel. “We're in the middle of a crisis here. Darrel, go organize your fighters on the barricade. Lenny, if you want to be useful start helping clear debris and bringing in more stuff to fill in the holes.”

He turned back to the crowd and raised the bullhorn. “Same goes for all of you! The medical staff need supplies, we need to get to work rebuilding the barricades, we need to man the sentry posts keeping an eye out for further threats, and all the volunteers need to eat. There's plenty of things we need to do, and working together to get them done is more useful than standing around here ragging on people who are doing their best.”

Gen thought that was perfectly reasonable, but apparently the crowd disagreed.

Lenny had regained some of his belligerence and stepped forward again. “That's easy to say, but your voters here have things to discuss about how things are being done. If you ask me, Darrel has seriously dropped the ball throughout this entire mess, and you've dropped the ball by playing favorites and keeping him in charge. And now here we are, with people who hate our guts driving bombs into our defenses thanks to his big mouth.”

The crowd roared their agreement, more voices shouting to be heard.

Darrel, who'd strode over to the dozen or so fighters guarding the gaps in the barricade, whirled and started back towards the barrel-chested man, swearing a blue streak. “You want another fist to the face, Lenny? We're under attack and you're here rabble rousing!”

Darby's bullhorn suddenly screeched at max volume. “I said enough, everyone!” he boomed, drowning out the rumble of the crowd. “You want to have a town meeting right now, fine! Gather round, calm down and get yourselves organized, and let's do it.”

He turned and stormed towards the barricade, climbing up onto the walkway. From there he made his way to a sentry position that stuck out from the makeshift wall near the holes Jay's trucks had made; it provided an ideal platform to address the crowd below.

Darrel moved to stand beside him, although at the moment Gen wondered if the surly man's support was a help or a hindrance to his cousin.

Since they were on the platform and she was on the walkway a bit farther down, she had a pretty good view of them, at least in profile, as well as of the gathering crowd. Front row seats for the circus. Which was exactly what she considered this since there were wounded a stone's throw away, the barricade wasn't secure, and there might be another attack at any moment.

Darby seemed to be thinking the same thing, judging by the way he glared down at the crowd as he lifted the bullhorn. “All right, let's call this town meeting to order. Anything to finish up from last meeting's agenda?” There was a tense ripple of laughter at his slightly sarcastic tone. “No? All right then, let's move on to the first topic.”

“Why don't we start off by talking about the quarantine camp?” a woman's voice shouted. Gen tensed, afraid the discussion was going to turn against her friends and all the innocent refugees out there, but to her relief the woman continued. “With all of us staying inside town to protect ourselves from Zolos, Darrel's been pretty much our only spokesman from the town, and he's treated them like dirt!”

Darrel scowled. “Stop pretending this isn't personal, Debbie. Just because I didn't let you bring your friend in from the camps even though she's gone through her 21 days, a policy we all agreed on with the recent outbreak and Jay's war against the town, that doesn't mean I've been-”

“You expect us to believe you've been polite and agreeable with them?” another woman shouted. “You treat all of us like dirt, for no reason! Talking down to us, insulting us, saying the most awful things just because Darby lets you get away with it.”

“We need the camp on our side!” the first woman chimed in. “And not just because they're patrolling outside the barricade and protecting us from Jay. There's a lot of people out there in those tents, people who hate Jay as much as we do, and all they need to