R. Ruggiero - Brushfire Plague

Now, Cooper’s patience burst. This is what he’s upset about? His ego being bruised? Christ. Cooper pushed him back to arm’s length with the flat palm of hand, striking Calvin just hard enough to cause some pain, “You mean you, don’t you?”

Calvin’s eyes burned brighter and his fists balled up, “You’re damn right! I’m the President of our Association and the Captain of our Guard! Have you forgotten?”

Cooper cut him off, clipping his words to stay just on the shy side of yelling, “I don’t have time for this. I was called by those at this barricade to deal with an emerging situation. And, I dealt with it. No decision I made here was irreversible. I was clear that anyone’s admittance was temporary.”

Calvin’s fist relaxed and he took a half-step back, “That’s good to hear. But that doesn’t change the fact that you over-stepped your authority.”

Cooper interrupted, “Exactly. It was a new, unknown, situation. I acted. So, what, are you and Gus going to do, sue me?”

Calvin exploded, “Cooper, I’ve had enough of you. You constantly undermine me. You made decisions of import with zero consultation! I’ve worked hard for every ounce of responsibility I have in my life. I will not stand by while you tear it down.” Veins crept across his neck, bulging.

Cooper remained speechless as Calvin continued, “You don’t know where I’ve come from or what I’ve overcome. It’s time you respected my role here!”

Cooper, taken aback, lowered his head and nodded, “You’re right.” His voice was scarcely more than a murmur.

Calvin cocked his eyebrows and leaned in to hear him, “What?”

He looked him in the eye, “I said you’re right. I’m sorry. I get it now.”

Now, it was Calvin’s turn to be taken off guard, “Really?”

Cooper cracked a grin, “Yeah, I’ve been too overbearing. You earned your place here. I need to honor that.”

Calvin returned the smile, “Thank you, Cooper. To be fair, I’ve been on edge. This situation we’re dealing is out of my realm of experience.”

“It’s out of everyone’s realm of experience,” Cooper chuckled.

Calvin turned to the wounded, “Let’s get to work and help these folks out. I need you to get things done, Cooper.” He extended his hand. Cooper took it and the two men clasped hands firmly.

Mark and the other guards had begun tending to the wounded and had already helped the most serious cases. As he helped bandage the victims with torn-up sheets that someone had brought, Cooper noted that most of those wounded wouldn’t make it through the night.

He called Calvin over and pulled him away from the group. “You wanted decisions? I got one for you. Most of these wounded won’t live until morning. Bleeding in ways we can’t stop.”

“What’s the decision?”

Cooper pulled his face close, “We should think about putting them down.”

Calvin recoiled and pulled away, “What? Kill them? Like dogs at the pound?”

Cooper exhaled, whispering, “Calvin, they’re already dead. The question is whether we let them suffer through the night in pain. That’s the decision.”

He paced in a tight circle, “I can’t believe this. How is this happening?”

Cooper stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, “It’s happening because the world got turned upside down. You gotta make the call on this. I’ve got to send the unwounded away before it gets dark.”

He turned and walked back to the main group. Cooper reassembled the non-wounded people who had been displaced from their homes earlier that day. He made sure Mark had the small bundles of food gathered nearby, ready to hand out. He grabbed one and held it above his head.

“I want to remind everyone of our agreement from earlier today. Because we are decent people here, we are modifying it. We will take the wounded in until they can travel or we can find alternative care. As I said, we have interviewed everyone. I will announce who we have accepted, but I wish to remind you, if anyone argues about our decision, they will forego this bundle of food that we will give to everyone who we do not accept. We do this from the goodness of our heart.”

He let his words sink in to the group. He heard some disgruntled mumbles. He knew the attack had everyone on edge.

“There is one more thing. If anyone gets threatening towards us or tries to sneak into our community later, they will be shot. No questions asked. So, think very hard before you react. I know those who are not accepted will be disappointed and maybe angry. But, we are giving you food to last you a few days. That’s more than anyone else has offered you. I hope you’ll remember that.”

He turned to Mark. “You ready?”

“Yes.”

He looked over at Peter Garcia, who held a shotgun at the ready, “You ready?”

“Yes, sir!”

Cooper positioned himself to face the group once more, “If I gave you an odd number, please stand over to my left. If you received an even number, please step to my right.”

As the much larger group moved to his left, a few people quickly figured out they were in the wrong group. Two of these tried to move back to his right. Cooper saw them and gave them a firm shake of his head and put his hand on the butt of his pistol. They quickly rejoined the larger group.

“OK, those on my right can step across the barricade. You are welcome to our neighborhood. Mark, please start handing out the supplies to those on my left.”

Cooper watched the unaccepted group very closely. He expected an outburst, or worse. He noted several faces that screwed themselves up in anger. However, they did nothing. He was shocked at the resignation that overtook the group once he had spoken. They dejectedly queued up behind Mark to accept the meager bundles that they had to offer. He swallowed hard to stiffen his resolve in the face of such heartbreak and despair. We can’t save everyone, he reminded himself.

A woman with a young child in hand tried to rush past Mark. He stopped her with a firm hand. She yelled to catch Cooper’s attention.

“Please, help us. It’s almost dark. We cannot sleep on the streets for God’s sake. Please let us stay, just one night.”

Cooper had dealt with desperation worse than this in Iraq. But this was different. In Iraq the victimized had been strangers, oddly dressed, foreign customs and tongue. Here, they were his people. He’d probably seen this woman and her child at the grocery store or the park. Cooper’s stomach grew tight. He averted the woman’s eyes and didn’t respond. Mark shoved a bag of goods into her hands and told her to move on. She did so, after spitting at the ground in contempt.

Cooper grabbed his walkie-talkie, “Dranko, you there?”

After a moment’s pause, “Yes, what’s up?”

“We need to relieve the west guard, they’ve been through a rough spell. Also, let’s put an additional guard on each post tonight and put another patrol out. I want to be ready if the attackers return or any of these refugees try to come back,” Cooper raised his voice so that the second half of what he said could be heard by the departing refugees.

“Got it. We are low on men, but I’ll do what I can. You coming back?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute. There are three more I’m bringing with me who we can arm and put on rotation.”

Cooper left Mark in charge until he was relieved. He quickly assigned the new residents to be housed for the night with those from the neighborhood who had gathered to help. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Calvin dealing with the wounded and the dead lying in the street. Calvin saw him and stood up, holding a towel and nodding somberly to him. Cooper nodded heavily in response, then turned to walk back home. Angela, Frank, Michaela, and Miko fell in step several paces behind him.