Love and Decay, Kane's Law by Rachel Higginson

singed each one of my nerve
endings. I knew she’d been living a hard life before today and I
loathed that she’d been taken advantage of. It was amazing, in
fact, that they hadn’t taken advantage of her in other ways.
    But she would never be in danger of that
happening to her again.
    Not as long as she was with me.
    “You’ve never heard of us?” My father was
incredulous but sincere. “When’s the last time you’ve been around
people outside of your own party?”
    She sounded more confident when she said,
“Not since the settlement where everything was stolen from us.
Weeks ago- states ago. We haven’t been around other people since.
We’ve been avoiding settlements and other people ever since.”
    “Do you know why our country fell, Reagan?”
This was my father’s standard test for each and every newcomer. He
had to evaluate their reaction, see how they absorbed his doctrine.
I couldn’t stifle the shiver of expectation that rippled down my
spine. I could hardly wait to see how she would take this, how her
opinion would change, evolve, soften. She shook her head, so my
father continued, “Our government imploded, plain and simple. With
all our troops scattered around the globe and then more than half
of all the government officials infected with the virus within days
of the outbreak, there was no one left to organize us- to rally us.
They failed us, Reagan. When we needed them the most, they couldn’t
give us a cure, or a solution or protection. They just… dissolved.
And they left their citizens in dire straits. They left us to die.
Our people need a stronger system; they need someone who can keep
them from falling prey to these animals, who can offer them hope
for the future.”
    Reagan stood unmoved next to me and raised
one skeptical eyebrow, “And that person is you?”
    I couldn’t say I was surprised by her
reaction, although I was more than a little disappointed.
    “Kane, give our guest a tour of the town.” My
father’s order was rife with irritation, but I appreciated his
patience with her. He was giving her another chance, something he
very, very rarely did. But this was for me- for my obedience and
dedication.
    “Yes, Sir,” I answered loyally.
    I pulled on her forearm, where my hand had
never lifted. I opened the door for her and nearly winced when she
immediately cringed at the sounds greeting her. I wanted to scoop
her up and sprint from here, so she wouldn’t have to listen to this
anymore, so she could escape this horror as quickly as possible.
But that wouldn’t be doing her any favors.
    The Colony was her permanent home now, she
needed to get used to this; she needed to become accustomed to our
way of life.
    My father cut through my thoughts, calling
out to us before the door could close, “And when you’re finished,
Kane, set her up where you see fit. Miss Reagan Willow is going to
be staying with us for a while.”
    I stopped the smile of victory that wanted to
break free across my face. This day had been strange; I couldn’t
remember ever wanting to smile this much. But now I had my father’s
approval, although I was a little surprised he’d given it. I had to
assume he saw the same fire and life in her that I did. Maybe he
wasn’t so opposed to different ways of thinking after all. Or maybe
I’d earned enough respect in his eyes for him to want to give me
something, even if he didn’t understand why I wanted it. Either
way, Reagan would be staying.
    With me.
    I led her down the hallway, anxious to take
her home. I knew she would see her friends when we passed, so when
she asked, “Can I speak to them?” I wasn’t surprised.
    “No,” I told her. They were part of her old
life, and that was over now. I was her future, this town was her
future. She didn’t need to speak with those people ever again.
    When we stepped outside, she flinched against
the bright sun and I paused to wait for her to adjust to the
mid-morning light. I watched her carefully, just in case