One Second After

John rousing from his shock regarding trying to get insulin could see it coming and looked over at Charlie. Charlie just did not seem to be in form; quick decisions were coming slower now. Was it just simple exhaustion, or could it be something else?

“Higher rations for the police force, those doing hard labor, and the militia,” Kellor said.

“I don’t like this,” Kate interjected. “The old line from Animal Farm that pigs are more equal than other animals.”

“Kate, the level for rations has dropped below maintaining efficiency for doing anything much beyond getting out of bed and then just sitting all day. We got people up trying to contain that fire along Haw Creek; guys fighting forest fires used to get high-energy diets of upwards of four thousand or more calories a day. Same with soldiers. You can’t expect people to do hard work on nine hundred calories a day. If we do, in three more weeks everyone will be in collapse, too weak to even start bringing in the harvest from the few farms with corn, let alone defend the gap, contain people wandering around insane…”

Kellor’s voice died off and he just sat there numb.

“We have to do it,” John said.

“John, I kind of thought you’d be on my side in this,” Kate replied. John shook his head.

“Precedents throughout history. Ancient and medieval cities under siege, soldiers always received more rations. Though it was more for psychological and morale impact during World War II, our rationing was always directed towards getting resources to the men on the front line. In every other country in that war, the rationing was very real and at times,” he hesitated, “a form of triage.

“Doc mentioned Leningrad. There they had to make the hard assessment that there simply wasn’t enough food for everyone to stay alive, so it came down to soldiers and then essential workers getting enough to keep going, another level down for expectant and new mothers, children, and…”

He stopped speaking and looked back at Kellor.

“We have just over ten thousand souls in our communities. About enough food still on hand to keep a thousand, maybe two thousand in top health until autumn, when we’ll at least get some small amount of food in from the cornfields and orchards. We try and feed everyone at the same level, I doubt if many will survive, dying from both starvation and also being overrun by desperate people from the outside more hungry than us. Long before that, what semblance of order we have will totally break down as well.”

“Sweet Jesus, are we talking about deliberately starving some of our people to death?” Kate cried. “This is America, for God’s sake.”

No one spoke for a moment. For John it was the word “America” that hit. The land of milk and honey, the land where obesity had been considered a major health issue, almost a national right, with food chains boasting about who had the biggest, fattest burger. He often wondered, even then, what reaction there would be if such ads had been sent to Liberia, Yemen, or Afghanistan, showing America’s excessive waste.

“‘Deliberately starving people to death’ is putting it rather bluntly,” Kellor replied defensively.

“Death is rather blunt,” Kate shot back.

“It’s the harsh reality,” John said, his voice distant. “It is that simple. We have x amount of food and y amount of people. The formula collapses in the next couple of weeks. The y amount of people is going to have to be subdivided if any are to survive.”

“We have to do it,” Charlie said, his voice soft.

“Well, I’m not going along with it,” Kate said.

“Remember, Kate, this is not a democracy at the moment. If you wish not to go along with it and stop drawing rations, that is fine with me.”

“The rest of you here?” Kate shouted. “Now you do have Animal Farm; you have the commissars and the famines in Russia. Do you think people will stand for it?”

“Personally, I’m not going to draw extra rations,” Charlie said.

“Charlie,” Doc interjected, “you have to. I know your health; remember, I was your family doc. You have a touch of hypertension and acid reflux. You’re slowing down even now; everyone in this room can see it.”

“It’s just exhaustion,” Charlie replied sharply. “Let me get a good night’s sleep undisturbed.”

“Bullshit,” Doc snapped. “You’re doing the work of two men and eating the same as everyone else. You’ll burn out; you are burning out.”

“Well, it’d be one helluva note to announce we’re going to starve a lot of people around here and I’m walking around fat and happy. Screw that.”

John lowered his head.

“He’s right,” John whispered. “Though I disagree on one point. Not a word of this is to be discussed publicly.”

“You do sound like a commissar now!” Kate shouted. He glared at her.