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

her chair again, appraising him. “Maybe you could answer some questions about what happened during this fight with Jay. Help me understand your perspective.”

Nick hesitated, then nodded warily.

For a few seconds of uncomfortable silence Gorstrom seemed to be gathering her thoughts. “All the witnesses I've spoken to agree on one point,” she began in a careful voice. “After Jay spent weeks prosecuting this war against you with ever increasing brutality, and the one thing you'd been certain of the entire time was that he was never going to stop unless he was stopped, at the last second he conveniently decided to off himself. Is that what happened?”

He tensed. “It is. What are you suggesting, that we killed him and lied about it?”

Gorstrom stared at him keenly. “It seems to make more sense that way.”

He could admit he lost his temper a bit, her sitting behind her desk in this tent, judging him and his friends. “And what if we had killed him?” he snapped. “Jay caused massive death and suffering. He murdered the leader of our town's defenses in cold blood, and nearly killed our mayor. He tried to burn down the town, twice, and deliberately spread Zolos to hundreds of people.”

She opened her mouth, but he kept going firmly. “He'd just shot his own best friend three feet from me while I was holding my daughter. He kept shooting at me and my friends as we pursued him. Why would we lie about how he died, when nobody would bat an eye at us shooting him in the middle of a fight?”

The relief administrator subsided and settled back in her chair, waiting patiently for him to continue. Although it was anyone's guess whether his words were having any impact.

Nick took a deep breath, forcing calm. “I think shooting his friend jostled some sanity back into his skull. Then when he tripped and fell in that clearing, he must've realized he was caught at that point. He chose to go out like a coward instead of facing justice for what he'd done.”

“Perhaps you're telling the truth,” Gorstrom said. “But that was just one event in what sounds like a brutal protracted conflict, and everyone responsible for that tragedy must face justice . . . like I said, law and order will be upheld.”

Nick lost his temper again. “So that's it? We spent weeks under siege, asking for help from anyone out there. Not a peep from you during all that time. But after we acted to protect ourselves and finally found peace, you waltz in and suddenly decide that law and order matters?”

He waved towards the wall of the tent. “Are you out scouring the countryside for Jay's people, who repeatedly attacked us and killed innocent people? Or do you just want to lock away the people who've cooperated with you ever since you arrived, because we defended themselves when law and order were nowhere to be found? You weren't here, you have no idea what happened.”

Gorstrom stared at him with eyes like granite. “No idea,” she repeated quietly. “Mr. Statton, I've personally witnessed conflict like this half a dozen times. I've seen the aftermath so many times I can't count. There are close to a thousand towns and cities in Missouri and I've been through dozens of them, even before we got the vaccine and began actively trying to pick up the pieces. You think you're the only ones who've seen turmoil?”

She fell silent, waiting for a response to her rhetorical question, and held that silence for what seemed like an uncomfortable eternity. Then she leaned forward, steepling her fingers on the desk. “We've seen unimaginable violence during the Zolos pandemic. Part of putting it behind us is making sure that those who took advantage of the chaos to harm innocents are publicly brought to justice.”

Nick opened his mouth, but she held up a hand and continued sharply. “That said, I'm not blind to the extenuating circumstances. If we arrested everyone who defended themselves in the chaos, we'd have prisons full to bursting with good people and we'd never be able to rebuild this country.”

That eased his worry somewhat, although he was still angry at her after the fact judgment of him and his friends.

Gorstrom must've seen him relax, because she nodded in satisfaction. “That is our priority, Mr. Statton. Rebuilding our country. Criminals like your two arsonist friends, and many others we've confirmed have committed crimes in Stanberry and the quarantine camp since this crisis started, will be working to repair the damage they caused, with their crimes pardoned after they've served their time.”

“And I'm one of those criminals too? Because I defended my family and the town?”

She blew out her breath irritably, some of her stress and weariness briefly breaking through her professional exterior. “Like I said, we can't go after everyone who defended themselves, nor would it be just. But you're not exactly blameless in this war. In fact, you're probably the most guilty of creating the circumstances that caused this conflict.”

Nick's heart sank as he suddenly realized where this was going. And that he couldn't exactly argue it.

The administrator continued relentlessly. “Which is why I've got my eye on you, your scavengers, and all the town leaders who authorized your scavenging. Whatever altruism motivated your actions, you still robbed hundreds of houses and caused a great deal of suffering for dozens of people.”

Even guessing what she was going to say, he still felt a surge of outrage. “Wensbrook was abandoned, and with that food we kept an entire town and a quarantine camp fed while we couldn't get you guys to answer us on the radio.”

“Even so,” Gorstrom said placidly. “A lot of grief was caused by your actions.”

Nick closed his eyes. Part of him couldn't feel resentment for her blaming him for his part in things, since he'd certainly blamed himself plenty. He could even admit that he should probably face consequences for what he'd done, assuming Jay's insane war wasn't consequence enough.

But at