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The old man’s question seemed to catch everyone by surprise. Belasco narrowed his eyes and Mayor Coke’s thin lips practically vanished.
“It hasn’t,” said Hempstead. “The minute it broke out they started quarantine procedures. So far, from the reports I’ve received from Central Medical, they’ve worked.” The doctor snorted. “I’d bet you good money that anyone coming in from the frontier is going to be sitting on his ass for at least two weeks before they let ‘em in the cities.”
“If they don’t just turn them away at the gates,” said Belasco.
“What are we going to do?” The mayor asked. “We don’t have enough people to keep the town going and I doubt if any of our neighbors are in a position to offer us help.”
“If the Lament’s hit everyone as hard as us, there’s going to be a definite lack of people in some of the towns,” said Hempstead. “Instead of heading east, we might do better to hook up with another town.”
“One that’s been hit as hard as we have?” asked Nancy.
Mayor Coke and Belasco were both shaking their heads. “That won’t work,” said Belasco. “Not so soon after the Lament. Would you be willing to let possibly contagious strangers into your settlement?”
“Charlottesford might,” said Coke. “But even if we joined up with another town, I doubt we’d have the numbers necessary to make a go.”
“So, what are we talking about?” Norman Harvard asked, quietly. “What are we here to decide?”
“When do we leave,” said Mayor Coke, angrily. “When do we tuck our tails beneath us and head back east.”
“It hasn’t,” said Hempstead. “The minute it broke out they started quarantine procedures. So far, from the reports I’ve received from Central Medical, they’ve worked.” The doctor snorted. “I’d bet you good money that anyone coming in from the frontier is going to be sitting on his ass for at least two weeks before they let ‘em in the cities.”
“If they don’t just turn them away at the gates,” said Belasco.
“What are we going to do?” The mayor asked. “We don’t have enough people to keep the town going and I doubt if any of our neighbors are in a position to offer us help.”
“If the Lament’s hit everyone as hard as us, there’s going to be a definite lack of people in some of the towns,” said Hempstead. “Instead of heading east, we might do better to hook up with another town.”
“One that’s been hit as hard as we have?” asked Nancy.
Mayor Coke and Belasco were both shaking their heads. “That won’t work,” said Belasco. “Not so soon after the Lament. Would you be willing to let possibly contagious strangers into your settlement?”
“Charlottesford might,” said Coke. “But even if we joined up with another town, I doubt we’d have the numbers necessary to make a go.”
“So, what are we talking about?” Norman Harvard asked, quietly. “What are we here to decide?”
“When do we leave,” said Mayor Coke, angrily. “When do we tuck our tails beneath us and head back east.”
