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  "A trial?" Dad asked, a sharp edge on the words as he spit them out. "Against Kern? No, that's out of the question. We're outsiders. I know exactly how this is going to go. Like a kangaroo court."

  "Now hold on, it's not like a criminal trial. It's a trial about the situation."

  "What kind of backwoods garbage is this?"

  "Well, most of the people agree that we can't hold Kern accountable for whatever happened to Lori's friend. We have a rule that we don't ostracize for things that happened in the past, outside of our quaint, little hamlet unless it's serious. Now granted, killing another human being is about as serious as it gets, but Lori did a lot of talking. Mostly nonsense, but she is terrified that she will have to go back out there by herself. While she didn't admit that they were going to try to rob you, she said enough to make people question her side of the story."

  "So what? I don't think after what she did to my son that we should be subjected to some kind of post apocalyptic trial."

  "This isn't a trial against Kern. It's a trial against Lori." Dad was stunned. He tried to speak, but couldn't find the words.

  "Courts and laws as we knew them are gone. We have a very simple setup here. There's a few rules to follow, and a few punishments. We rarely ever have to use them, but the consequence for what Lori did is expulsion from the group."

  "Well what if she had killed him?"

  "I don't know. We've never really talked about a death penalty. I guess it could be a possibility, but it's too touchy of a subject. There is a sort of hierarchy here, seven of us who talk about these things. Most everything is usually unanimous, but not that.

  "That's neither here nor there, though. Most everyone is in agreement that we use the rules as a type of guideline, one that can be deviated from when things aren't as cut and dry. Still, there are some who have their reservations. This place simply won't work if we tolerate stuff like what happened. I agree on both points. All I am asking is for you to give your side of the story, and sit by while she gives her's. You and Kern aren't in any danger, we just want to know what happened so we can decide if Lori stays or if she goes."

  Dad should have been more than ecstatic that they were more worried about her than they were Kern, but it was more of a conundrum. Whether she was kicked out or got to stay was of no concern to Dad. It made his blood boil to think of what she had done to his son, but there had been enough death and turmoil in the world. There was very little doubt in his mind that Lori was a decent person. After all, she hadn't been the one brandishing the knife. The thought of him having some kind of say in her future perplexed him. Aside from the obvious bias, it was a heavy thought to process. Still, if it gave him a safe place for Kern to heal, then he would have to do it.

  "Alright, I guess I can do that," Dad said.

  "I am glad. The meeting is set for tonight." Quinton, his heart heavy with the task before them, bid Dad farewell and let, leaving him the beer.

  Kern was in no shape to go to the meeting. Normally, Kevin would have went, but he made his position explicitly clear. Lori needed to go to preserve to sense of law and order. However, he would abstain from the voting. Kern needed to be protected, he felt, and he wouldn't leave him while Lori's fate was being decided. Dad hated leaving him in someone else's hands, but the fear was in the back of his mind that if he didn't comply, they might see it as Dad and Kern lying, and that was the last thing they needed in this situation.

  The old barn where the meeting was held was on the far side of the property. Entire slats were missing from the side. Pete explained that it had been there since the seventies, and was surprised it had lasted this long. It had fallen into disuse long before Quinton had purchased the property, and his family weren't farmers. There were two other barns on the property, one Quinton had built for his livestock before everything got bad, and a new, rudimentary one for storing farm implements, canned goods, and seeds. Rough benches had been hewn from timber, and there was a spattering of old chairs littering the place. At the back there was an old trailer with some wooden stairs leading onto it. Dad felt more like he was going to one of the revivals in an old black-and-white movie than going to some kind of redneck trial.

  When he got there, escorted by Pete and Kevin's "deputy" Randall, it seemed like most everyone in King's Mill was there. It still made Dad swell with pride in humanity that such a community could exist here. Mankind had gone from the abyss of the dark ages, and history seemed like one dark spot after another until they had reached the pinnacle they had in the twenty-first century. With all modern luxury and advancement essentially gone, it was an exception, he thought, that they should exist. A lot of people were wearing their Sunday's best. Dresses and suits, button up shirts and slacks. Old habit died hard, he guessed. Or maybe they were mimicking the time before, when any kind of formal meeting dictated them to be well dressed.

  Yosniel and Lori's little cheering section were sitting in the back corner. They glared at Dad when he walked in. Most likely, they had been coerced into coming. Otherwise they would have been sitting front and center. The front row was occupied by some of the more socially adept members of the community, like the two old women he had seen his first day. Ruth and Jen had made themselves known to him over the last few days. Mrs. Ruth made an excellent cobbler, and she also liked a little whiskey in her sweet tea. The Hispanic family, the Cruz's, were also sitting toward the front. They seemed like the type to mind their own business, and Mr. Cruz gave Dad a friendly nod while his wife waved.

  Quinton was sitting on the trailer-made-podium. He was the epitome of exhaustion and worry. Dad knew this had the potential to start unraveling the little community he had made. He was wearing a dark suit with a purple tie, looking at a sheet of paper in front on him. He was flanked by four people that Kern didn't know, and Pete joined them once Dad had been seated.

  Next, Lori was brought in. Unlike an old court, she wasn't brought in wearing handcuffs. In times past, the charged would have tried their best to leave. These were different times, and she wanted to stay. She was a miserable sight, with her eyes red from crying and her hair was a matted mess. She sat at in a chair in front of the trailer, with another chair to the side of Quinton. Quinton stood as soon as Lori was seated, Yosniel's sister coming from the back to comfort her as she quietly sobbed.

  "Alright," Quinton said, "No since in dragging this out. You all know why we are here today, but just in case there is any question I will explain. Several days ago, three members of our community went missing, two of them being my sons. After being lost for three days, Jacob was found by Aaron and Kern, who got him back to us safely. After extending our hospitality to them, Lori shot Kern in the leg. I know that is a very basic description of what transpired but I will let the affected parties fill in the gaps.

  "We also realize that the punishment for what Lori did is expulsion from our community. We still live by the rule of law, which is what separates us from the bands of thieves in the cities. With that being said, if we choose to deviate from that rule of law, then we run the risk of becoming no better than they are, if our community continues to grow like it has. If that happens, then I fear for everyone here in this community. We have come too far to let our little experiment here devolve into the anarchy which now engulfs the world.

  "Still, there is something to be said for compassion. This isn't the world we once knew, and the old procedures and processes are dead. We are still small enough that we can look objectively at something and decide whether or not we can offer that compassion. This is also another thing which separates us from most people. We are a generous group of people, but we must not let our generosity compromise what we have built here.

  "The council, if we must have a name for it, has decided that no fault lays with our guests, Aaron and his son Kern, in this matter. From what I can gather, Lori arrived back with the group that had went searching for the people who had went missing, and saw Kern no sooner than she had gotten back. It was at this point that she drew her weap
on and started screaming at Kern. By all accounts, Paul and some of the others tried to restrain her when she shot Kern in the leg. The only thing left now is to get testimony from Lori and Dad, hoping that we can shed some light on whether or not Lori should be allowed to continue to live here.

  "Since this is the first time we have ever had to do anything like this, we have made the beginnings of a procedure to govern the process. Normally we would have invited the entire community, but given the situation and the emotions of all those involved we felt that it would be best to create the template ourselves, to be discussed at the next gathering. First, we have identified the accused and secured them in the cell. The question of what qualifies for means of incarceration is a moot point we will discuss later, since she was caught in the act. Now we will hear the testimony of the accused and the guardian of the affected. We know that Kern can't be here, but we have expedited the process since not only is he wounded, but he is also a minor."

  Quinton's voice had a melancholy tone to it as he spoke, making it hard to tell whether he was exhausted or if the situation was weighing too heavily on him. Dad assumed it was both. Losing a child and another he loved as his own, then having to deal with all of this in his current position; it must have been extremely hard. Dad was still watching him as he sat down and Pete called Dad up to the chair on the trailer.

  Dad stood slowly and moved up to the chair. He could feel all the people's eyes on him, boring holes as he went up the over-sized stairs and sat down. He then looked out to the people assembled. Sure, they were all looking at him, but he saw little condemnation except for the little group in the back. Everyone else was looking at him intently. Ruth and Jen smiled when he looked over them. Mrs. Cruz gave a polite wave. This was unlike any court he had ever been in in his life.

  Quinton and the others took turns asking their questions. Where did you come from? How did you get here? Finally, Quinton asked him to tell them what happened on the day Julie got shot. Dad answered truthfully, addressing not only the council, but also those watching. When he got to the part where Julie brandished the knife, he heard a few gasps from what he could only describe as a joint audience and jury. Lori began sobbing when he got to that part of the story. After he was done, Quinton cleared his throat.

  "Thank you, Aaron. You may be seated. Lori, you're up."

  Dad got out of the chair as quickly as he could and not look desperate to be done with the entire ordeal. Dad was in his chair when Lori, disheveled but not crying, slowly went up the stairs sat down. As she sat down, she gave her friends in the back a wave and a tear streamed down her cheek.

  "Lori, could you please tell us your version of what happened on the day Julie was killed?" Pete asked.

  Tears began streaming down her cheeks in earnest again. Heavy sobs escaped her, and she did her best to steady herself in front of everyone. Everyone patiently waited while she got herself together. Dad felt sorry for her. Even though she had shot his son and would have most likely killed him, he liked to think that most people were inherently good, and he wanted so bad to think of Lori that way. He was stirred from his thoughts when she started to speak.

  "Julie had been with me since the beginning. We were both in a grocery store shopping when it was overrun. A group of us got away, and the rest of them died or left us one by one. She was all I had. For months, we had lived out in the woods once we got away from the cities. We were starving, and neither one of us were good at catching animals or knew anything about plants. We had been watching them for a week or so, watching them go into the houses and find things. They had food, so much food. So we decided we would ask them to help us." Quinton raised his hand.

  "Why didn't you and Julie find some food yourselves? From what I understand from both you and Aaron, there were several houses."

  "Some of them had those things in them. You don't know what the two of us had seen. We were terrified to go inside one of the houses, and get trapped. We just thought we could ask them for some food."

  "So, where does the knife come into all of this?" An overweight, older man in suspenders and a bowling hat asked, looking at a sheet of paper undoubtedly copied from the one Quinton had.

  "We never even got the chance to ask," Lori said through her sobs. "They told us that we had to leave. That's when Julie stepped inside with a knife, telling them to get back. She was just a little thing, she couldn't hurt anybody. That's when that boy shot her! He didn't have to! She couldn't have hurt them!" She was almost screaming now, and then began to cry. It took a minute or so, but she when she was finally able to speak, she spoke calmly.

  "After Julie had been shot, I helped her as far as I could. There were a lot of the dead around, and they came looking. We went off into the woods as they went towards the house. Julie lost a lot of blood, and we didn't get very far before she collapsed. I couldn't carry her, so I sat with her. Then the dead came. Three of them. I couldn't fight them off, so I ran. I can still hear Julie's screams at night sometimes."

  "So how do you justify shooting Kern?" Quinton asked sternly. "You have just told that Julie initiated the confrontation with a knife."

  "Because they didn't have to kill her!" Lori screamed. "She was just a scared girl! They had guns, she had a knife! What harm could she have done them?"

  "Besides stabbing one of them? Stealing their food, for one thing. I will admit, they could have shared their food with you. That, however, is not the purpose of this trial. What they had was theirs', and you had no right to try and take it from them. That also happened well before they ever made it here. What you have done has rattled our community. Do you have anything else you would like to say?"

  "Please don't make me leave," she cried. "Please don't make me go back out there by myself. I'll be good, I won't bother this man or his son anymore!"

  "I think it's time we vote," Quinton said, and they did. It was a quick matter.Five guilty verdicts, and one not guilty. She screamed when the vote was finalized, Yosniels sister cradling her head as she cried.

  "It's done, Lori. As much as I hate to say this, you have been found guilty of attempted murder within the community. You knew the risks when you shot Kern. Luckily your act didn't end in murder, or the outcome would have been much different. As decreed in the procedures set forth by the council, we will provide you with supplies and food. Tomorrow morning, you will be expelled from the community."

  Quinton handed down the sentence as professionally as a doctor explaining a diagnosis to a patient. Lori collapsed from her chair to the floor, crying. It was one of the worst sounds Dad had ever heard in his life; the pained cry of a person sentenced to an almost certain doom. Mental illness on her part had crossed his mind more than once, and he feared that even though she had shot his son that she wasn't in her right frame of mind. Anyone living in these times couldn't be blamed for suffering from PTSD, and her friend died at their hands. As much as he hated to admit it, his son was responsible for Julie's death. To an extent, he considered himself guilty for not being able to diffuse the situation.

  It was a knee-jerk reaction, and he wondered if he would regret it, but he stood up as the town's deputies were lifting her to her feet to take her back to the cell.

  "Stop!" Dad yelled as he bounded the stairs and stood to the side, trying to face both the community members and the council.

  "You want her killed?" Yosniel sneered at him.

  "No! I can't sit by and watch this happen. Look, I know Lori violated one of your cardinal rules. Pete and Quinton have explained them to me more than once. I know that what she did is a crime against this community, but it is personal for me. It's my son laying in the infirmary from a wound inflicted by her. For the first few days, yes I did want to see her dead. He is the only person I have left in this world. I thought she was trying to take him from me. Maybe I was wrong.

  "Lori has been through a lot. That much is plain to see. How many of you have seen the horrible conditions out there? It's a life of wondering if you're going to live to se
e the next day, always looking over your shoulder. Maybe I could have been more generous with what we had. That's not the point, though. Julie was the last thing she had in this world, and she died by our hands. Yes, she was attempting to steal from us, and threatening us. Be that as it may, that was also where Lori saw her die.

  "I can only imagine what was going through her mind when she saw my son. In her mind, we were the ones at fault. My son and I were the ones who took her friend away from her, whether we were right or not. I saw how she was right after it happened. That wasn't the face of a cold-blooded killer or a loose cannon, it was the face of someone who was revisiting something that they wish had never happened.

  "I'm asking the council and the good people of Kings Mill to consider letting her stay. As soon as Kern is well, we will both be headed on our way. Our presence here is what started this whole thing. From all accounts, Lori is a good person. Once we are gone, I seriously doubt she will cause any more problems. I can only hope that eventually this entire situation is forgotten." Dad then met Lori's gaze, glistening with tears.

  "Lori, I'm sorry for what happened to your friend. It's haunted me more than you know these last several months. I won't ask you to forgive us, but I will ask you to understand that we came from that same world outside this community. We didn't know what would happen. We just did what we could to survive, like anyone else would."

  Lori shook her head slowly, a fresh stream of tears falling down her cheeks. Dad groaned, then went toward the stairs. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Quinton mouth something to him. Dad couldn't be sure what was said as he went down the stairs and back to Kern, but he knew what was meant.

  Quinton told him thank you.

  xxxxxxxxxx

  "I still can't believe you told them to let her stay," Kern said as he cast his line into the river. Dad shook his head, knowing Lori had heard as she went about filleting the catfish they had caught.

  It had been over two weeks since the trial, the council voting four to two to let her stay. Most of the community were on board with the idea as well. Since then, Lori had tried her best to show her appreciation to Dad by checking in on them, bringing food, and helping them whenever she could. The day after, she had collapsed in front of Dad in tearful gratitude. After a long talk while Kern slept, it seemed like they had come to an understanding. Julie was dead, and both of them were deeply sorry for it. Also, they both agreed to their part in the situation. Not only should they have kept the kids on a tighter leash, but both sides could have shown a little more decency.