Aftertime

fingertips tracing the faded scars. The touch was intimate, far too familiar, and Cass reacted with revulsion. She wanted to yank back her hand. She wanted to run. She wanted to wipe the traces of Evangeline’s touch from her skin.

“Have you ever met another one like you?” Evangeline asked, unable to contain a jittering hint of excitement.

Cass hesitated. Others, like her? Those who had been attacked, bitten, infected…and lived? Was it possible?

How long had it been that she felt alone, since she carried her shame with her like a skin? “What do you mean?”

“Outliers,” Evangeline said, her lips curving into a perfect, chilly smile. “People like you, who survived an attack. Who got better. Who fought off the infection.”

So it was true. Disbelief mixed with wild hope as Cass allowed herself to consider the possibility. Just knowing there were others…they could all be like her, weakened, damaged…but still, she would not be alone. The idea was intoxicating.

“I’m not saying I believe you but…how could anyone do that?” she asked, trying to keep her enthusiasm hidden.

Evangeline’s smile grew broader. She knew she had won.

“Nobody knows,” she said. “Not yet anyway. But our people are working on it. They’re studying people like you. Working on developing a vaccine.”

“That isn’t possible,” Smoke said flatly. “Don’t listen to this, Cass.”

“Who are you to say what’s possible?” Evangeline demanded, raising her voice, fury twisting her mouth. “How far have you traveled? Do you even know what’s happening outside this town? This county? ”

“I thought you people didn’t use the word county anymore,” Smoke said, meeting Evangeline’s anger with his own. He had gone very still next to Cass, his energy coiled and tense. “I thought you believed those designations were meaningless Aftertime.”

Evangeline’s fine skin flushed a faint pink and she glared at Smoke. The others in the room waited, eyes on their leader. At last she gave a small nod.

“You’re right, of course, Smoke. Land divisions from Before, they don’t make much sense anymore…but that’ll change. Do you have the faintest idea what’s going on at the borders?”

“The borders? The borders are a myth,” Smoke snapped. “Blueleaf crossed the state line the first time a strong wind came up. And you get one Beater with a bad sense of direction, he’ll be up to Oregon or down to Mexico and never know the difference.”

“You have no idea,” Evangeline said softly, drawing out the words, enjoying them.

“We’re less than sixty miles from the Nevada border, as the crow flies. If they’d armed it, we’d know.”

Evangeline laughed, a rich, throaty laugh full of pleasure.

“What’s so funny,” Cass demanded.

“It’s…it’s not funny. It’s sad, really,” Evangeline said, wiping a mirthful tear from the corner of her eye. “Sad in so many ways…sad that even intelligent people like the two of you can be so naive.”

Smoke tightened his hands to fists and laid them on the table. His jaw worked with fury as he leaned forward, closing the distance between him and Evangeline.

“Say what you mean,” he muttered.

“Oh, all right, fine,” Evangeline said, almost pouting-as though he had knocked down a game of checkers. “The border isn’t California. It’s the Rockies, all the way down to the Colorado River. They’ve cut off half the fucking country.”

19

CASS HELD HER BREATH.

It wasn’t possible. The Rockies…in her mind she called up the map from her high school Geography textbook, the West laid out in shades of sienna and gold and peach and russet. California stretching all the way down to the Baja Peninsula, up to Washington and Oregon. Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona…thousands and thousands of miles stretching out to the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the mountains to the east.

No one could contain that, no matter how many fences they built, no matter how many volunteers they armed, how many mines they laid…could they? And not with the American government effectively gone.

“I don’t believe you,” Smoke said, but there was the faintest trace of doubt in his voice.

“Believe, or don’t believe.” Evangeline shrugged. “Now that, right there, that’s the true enemy of the future. Ignorance. Indifference. Failure to adapt.”

“As opposed to wild theories and fearmongering? Trading on people’s loss and grief to justify…” Smoke gestured around him, including the others in the room-the guns, the library, the hidden citizens. “All of this?”

Evangeline folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes. “You’re starting to bore me. I thought we could engage in a little intelligent discourse, but you’re nothing more than an-an agitator. You didn’t fool Skiv, you know.”

“Fool him? What are you talking about?”

“With your whole ‘they fired first’ defense-”

“That wasn’t a defense, that’s the truth,” Smoke cut her off. “There are people who survived that day who can tell you the real story-some living here. At least, they were, unless you’ve thrown them out. For agitating, as you call it.”

“You’ll be taken down to Colima tomorrow,” Evangeline continued on, as though he hadn’t spoken. “To the detention camp until they can schedule your trial. Although it might be a while, seeing as there are a few other more pressing issues on folks’ minds. You ought to like it, though-from what I hear, it’s full of people like you.” She gave him a smile, flicking out her tongue to lick her lips. “Enemies of progress.”

“Smoke, what is she talking about?” Cass demanded in a whisper. Everyone could hear, but she didn’t care; the panic that had lodged in her gut was escalating.

Smoke shook his head slowly, not taking his eyes off Evangeline. “Sounds like they’ve built themselves a jail,” he said softly. “What does that say about your new society-you’ve built jails and an army first…”

“We’ve built a community,” Evangeline snapped. “And a research center. In the university hospital. We’ve got the best of the best working down there. We’re the only hope for the future, and people know it. You think we’re forcing people to stay here?”

She waited, but no one said anything.

“Anyone can leave, anytime they want. We held a vote. The people here had the option to choose to go it alone. Of course, we offered protection, resources…better facilities, cleaner water. And when we do develop the vaccine, our people will get it first.” She focused her gaze on Cass with distaste. “It will be quite a while before we have enough for anyone living outside our control.”

“You aren’t developing a vaccine,” Smoke muttered. “There’s no way-the equipment, the intellectual capital, the infrastructure, none of that survived. They took it out-all of it. Berkeley’s a fucking smoking hole in the ground. Stanford got leveled. They knew where the research was going on and bombed the shit out of it.”

“I think you’ve said enough,” Evangeline said. “You speak from ignorance. And I want to talk to your girlfriend now, not you. Nyland, keep him in line.”

The man with the thin beard stepped forward, gripping a handheld wand with prongs at the end. Cass realized with dismay that it was a Taser.

“Don’t believe them,” Smoke said, not bothering to lower his voice. “No matter what happens. Promise me that, Cass.”

Cass gave him a small nod, wondering how she was supposed to know who to trust. Evangeline watched her with cold interest. “Let me lay out the future for you, sister.”

“I’m not your sister,” Cass snapped. There was something not right about Evangeline, some realignment of