She appeared by his side and shook the bag at him. “We have enough dope in here that I could cut you open and sew a dead possum in your chest and you’d never know it.”
He gave her a sardonic smile. “I think I’d know.”
“Let’s get back and I’ll make you a bowl of pills for a snack.”
“Ooh, yummy.” He fell into step behind her. “Just make sure that they all end in ‘in.’” He stared at her butt as she walked towards the doors. “Remember, arsenic don’t end with ‘in.’”
She reached out and tipped the liquor bottle on the end of the aisle into the floor. “Neither does Johnny Walker.”
28
Hatcher stood at the front of the dining room while the residents sat quietly, listening. “…And while I appreciate all of the hard work that everyone has put in to this place, I think we’ve outgrown it. I’d like to start looking for a new place. A place that we can all put down roots and work together as a community.”
“I thought that was what we were doing here.” A younger woman called from near the middle of the crowd.
Hatcher locked eyes with her. “I don’t think that this place was ever seriously considered to be the end game for us.” He stepped closer and approached the front seats. “It’s done the job, that’s for certain. It provided a place small enough that we could effectively defend, but large enough that we all got a little bit of privacy. But is that enough?”
“What if we like it here?” the woman asked.
“That’s fine. Nobody is going to force you to go.” He stepped back and gave the crowd a disarming smile. “Look. All I’m proposing here is moving to a larger, and hopefully secure place. We’d each get our own place. No sharing walls.” He pointed to one of the men who worked in the greenhouse. “We could each grow our own garden. Perhaps trade with our neighbors.”
Vicky stepped up behind her brother and caught the crowd’s attention. “We would find a place large enough to hold us all,” she glanced at Hatcher, “and provide room for expansion, should any of the cured find their way to us.”
There was a slight murmur in the crowd and Hatcher raised his hands to get their attention again. “We’re talking about creating a community. Complete with a playground for the kids, and possibly a place to act as a school.”
“And a centralized place for people to come when they’re sick. I plan to set up some kind of clinic where all could come and—”
“So if we want medical care, we have to move there, too?” the woman asked.
Vicky shook her head. “No, of course not. If there is a large portion of people who want to stay here then I can either travel back and forth or you could come visit me at the new clinic, whichever works best.” She sighed and gave the woman an understanding look. “We won’t abandon you if you decide to stay here. I promise you that.”
“What are the advantages to moving to this new Utopia of yours?” a man asked, his arms firmly crossed over his chest.
Hatcher chuckled. “Nobody said it would be a Utopia. Actually, it would probably be far from it. But the advantages would be you’d have a larger living area. You’d have your own walls, your own yard.”
“Your own kitchen,” Vicky added. “We wouldn’t have to rely on the ladies in the kitchen three times a day.”
A man near the front snickered and spoke up. “I love my wife to death but she can’t cook for shit.” The woman next to him punched him in the arm. He rubbed at it enthusiastically and laughed. “I, for one, prefer the lunch ladies doing their thing.” A short round of laughter echoed as his wife smacked him again.
“And that’s fine,” Hatcher added. He glanced at the ladies sitting in the front and added, “If you can convince them to stay here and continue what they’re doing.”
Roger stood up and turned to face the crowd. “Hey, y’all. This is all my fault.” He waited while the crowd focused on him. “The other day when we all went into town and tried to escape the cabin fever, I mentioned to Daniel that Candy and I would like to move out. Get our own place. A place that we could call our own. Stretch our legs.” He glanced at Candy and smiled. “A place that we can raise our kid.”
“You could raise a kid here,” another man mentioned. “A lot of us are.”
Roger nodded. “Yeah, and if the Zulus were still a real threat, I would. Gladly.” He looked to Candy again. “But things are looking like they won’t be a threat any longer. And if that’s so, then I want elbow room.” He turned and gave Hatcher a hopeful look. “Nobody said that you have to leave here. I think Daniel just took my idea and let it grow a bit.”
Hatcher pushed Will forward. “Say something.”
Will cleared his throat to get the crowd’s attention. “We plan to source the solar panels and controllers needed so that the homes will have power. We would also either drill a large well or a series of wells and supply the homes with water, just like we have here. Depending on the location, we might have to have a remote system, but either way, it’s doable.” He glanced at Roger then added, “We’re still not even sure where we might do this. As Mr. Mulroney and Mr. Hatcher have stated, we want to ensure the security of whatever location we choose. That could take some time.”
“But time is the problem, as well,” Hatcher said as he stepped forward. “While we want to make this move as easy as we can and provide as many creature comforts as possible, we need to know who wants to go and who wishes to stay.” He scanned the crowd as he spoke. “I
