Wendy offered one final piercing gaze at Liz before she marched down the aisle with Marty next to her, and they returned to their seats.
Liz could feel the mood in the room shift, and she knew there was nothing she could say that wouldn’t only make things worse. Unless she apologized.
When Liz stood, the murmuring stopped. Every single person was looking at her, and never before had she felt the weight of leadership as she did at that moment.
“Wendy, Marty,” Liz said, taking a breath, “I am so sorry for what happened to Jeff and Ali. I cannot fathom your loss.” She bowed her head, picking at her fingernails, a nervous habit she developed in high school whenever she had to make a public speech in class. “I know that if I lost Ben, I would be just as furious and angry at me as you are.” She looked up and felt the tears gathering in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if the people would think it was for show or that they were genuine, and in that moment, she didn’t care.
“My husband, Ben, is currently out on the front lines, securing the future for not just his family, but for everybody in this facility. Or my daughter, who puts herself at risk every time she goes out to gather supplies to keep us alive. My family fights for this place, and they fight for you. You never asked us to, but we answered the call anyway. The world is a dangerous place now, and no matter what we do, there will always be a level of danger to this life. But don’t let your decisions be guided by fear. I can promise you nothing good ever comes from that.”
Liz lingered for a moment and then returned to her seat. She had said her peace, done what she could, but only time would tell if it would be enough.
“I have something to say.”
Liz turned along with every other head in the room, and her eyes widened in both surprise and fear when she saw Gray Percy standing up. He looked to his mother on his way to the front, and Liz noticed how tense Jane looked.
Liz looked over to Nancy, who remained focused on Gray as he took his stand at the front of the room. He looked nervous, and he avoided eye contact with his mother. Liz expected Jane to intervene, but then she realized by interfering, Jane would be causing more trouble and going against everything she had just preached about everybody having a voice. She couldn’t silence someone in her own family without looking like a hypocrite.
“My name is Gray Percy,” he said. “Jane is my mother.”
Jane forced a smile, but even from a distance, Liz could tell that she was furious.
“My mother made a big speech about how dangerous the Riker family is,” Gray said. “What she failed to mention was the fact that she’s a killer herself.”
Jane immediately stood up as the room broke out in whispers. Lester grabbed her arm and gently pulled her back down into her seat.
“She, along with my father, Lester Percy,” Gray said. “Both of them killed the parents of one of the very members of this community. I am ashamed to admit that happened, and I can only apologize to a friend for the atrocity committed against her family.” Gray found Nancy in the audience and looked at her but didn’t speak her name. “I’m sorry.”
Liz couldn’t believe that Nancy had gone behind her back and spoken to Gray anyway. But there would be a time for that conversation later.
“My parents are not the people to lead this community,” Gray said. “But I hope that one day they can atone for all the terrible things they’ve done. And I hope they take the words I’m speaking now to heart. Because that’s where they come from.” Gray turned toward his mother and father. “I love both of you. And I hope that one day we can forgive each other.” He turned back toward the crowd. “That’s all I have to say. Thank you.”
Once Gray returned to his seat, the room continued to buzz with whispers. It appeared that both candidates now had their dirty laundry flapping in the wind. The only question left was who the community would choose as the better option.
Small sheets of paper were passed out along with pencils. The names were written on the paper and dropped into a shoebox. Once all the names were collected, the votes were counted by a member of the Riker family and a member of the Percy family.
Jane had chosen her brother-in-law, Danny, and Liz had chosen her sister, Rachel. Once both of them confirmed the numbers, they both walked up to the front of the room, and everyone fell silent.
“We have the final count,” Rachel said.
Danny cleared his throat. “We have seventeen votes for Jane Percy.”
Liz felt her stomach doing backflips, and she clutched the armrests, wishing that one of them was Ben’s hand. She had never felt more alone waiting for those results, but when she looked at Rachel and saw the hint of a smile spread across her face, she felt the tightness in her chest relax.
“And nineteen votes for Liz and Ben Riker,” Rachel said.
There was a mild manner amount of applause, and Liz felt Cole grab her shoulder. She smiled at him and then stood, waving to the rest of the community. She found Jane Percy, who looked like she wanted to murder Liz, but the pair shook hands, and then Liz gestured for everyone to sit down.
“Thank you,” Liz said. “Thank you very much. I appreciate your confidence in my family to continue to lead us. And I want you to know that no matter who you voted for, my top priority, and the priority of my husband, is to ensure the safety and survival of everyone in this community. Thank you again.”
Liz bowed, and the place erupted in
