one or two. It's the middle of summer though, they are more active than ever. And with the days being so long they stay active longer. I can't say for sure that I disagree, but it's worth considering just how many dead the noises bring now. We can barely repair the walls without bringing a whole horde down on our head,” Emma countered.
William interrupted her, “What is your point?!”
“That noise is a bigger problem right now. A rather serious one,” Emma answered, almost in a whisper.
“We can't just approach this as a defense problem!” William snapped.
“But we can't forget the defense aspect of this problem either,” Edna answered.
Tess cleared her throat. “We all realize what the right answer is defense-wise. We also know what the answer is morality-wise. It does us no good to fight about that, we just have to decide which issue is more pressing.”
“Wouldn't the best solution be to find a way to block the sound?” Matthew questioned.
“Of course the entire council would be more than happy to hear a solution of that sort. The problem is we don't know if that solution exists. The problem is in the center of town equal distance from all the walls basically. We have people watching it constantly to make sure the noise stops as quickly as possible. So what is the next step?” Tess posed the question calmly.
None of them answered. Tess was not surprised by this, neither were they honestly. Everyone had been discussing the problems for weeks, if a solution other than this vote were possible they would have come up with it already.
“How much effort have we put into blocking sound from leaving the room?” Matthew pushed.
“As much as we possibly could,” Emma answered then let out a large sigh.
“That's not good enough!” William demanded.
“Then give us a suggestion!” Emma yelled back.
“Have we tried to block the sound?”
“We've boarded up everything we can possibly board up. We drape blankets over his bed.”
Tess could see the way the room was shifting. Emma and William knew how they would vote, she was almost certain nothing would change their minds. Edna and Matthew were very conflicted though. At their core they each agreed with William, but neither could deny the importance of safety; especially not Edna after all she had lost.
It was safe to say each of them had lost something. These days the degree of loss was something much more apparent though. It wasn't that people sat around and had contests over who suffered more, rather the loss of loved ones was something that everyone was constantly measuring.
Matthew had been very distant with his family. To be honest he didn't know where most of them were. It was safe to assume they were dead but there was no confirmation. His shyness was due to years of emotional and physical abuse, whether or not his family was alive or dead meant nothing to him. It had meant nothing long before the outbreak so why should it mean something now? Even if they did have a moment of clarity about the way they had treated him he didn't know if he was ready to forget it. His heart was empty of hatred, but was not welcoming to what they might do again. What he did have was a fiance.
Someone that understood why he was so shy and distant. A man he had met that had enough patience to keep pursuing him, despite how often Matthew pushed him away. A man that got it wasn't about Matthew needing to come to terms with his sexuality, but rather his broken past. The people that were supposed to love him the most had hurt him the worst. Why would he ever let someone else in? Matthew had found the best type of patient, loving, and supporting partner though. He had been Matthew's best friend, and a lover that waited while Matthew struggled against their love. He eventually broke Matthew's walls down one by one. Then he was gone. There were no happy endings in this world.
William had lost very little after the outbreak occurred. A few of his friends had passed but
William interrupted her, “What is your point?!”
“That noise is a bigger problem right now. A rather serious one,” Emma answered, almost in a whisper.
“We can't just approach this as a defense problem!” William snapped.
“But we can't forget the defense aspect of this problem either,” Edna answered.
Tess cleared her throat. “We all realize what the right answer is defense-wise. We also know what the answer is morality-wise. It does us no good to fight about that, we just have to decide which issue is more pressing.”
“Wouldn't the best solution be to find a way to block the sound?” Matthew questioned.
“Of course the entire council would be more than happy to hear a solution of that sort. The problem is we don't know if that solution exists. The problem is in the center of town equal distance from all the walls basically. We have people watching it constantly to make sure the noise stops as quickly as possible. So what is the next step?” Tess posed the question calmly.
None of them answered. Tess was not surprised by this, neither were they honestly. Everyone had been discussing the problems for weeks, if a solution other than this vote were possible they would have come up with it already.
“How much effort have we put into blocking sound from leaving the room?” Matthew pushed.
“As much as we possibly could,” Emma answered then let out a large sigh.
“That's not good enough!” William demanded.
“Then give us a suggestion!” Emma yelled back.
“Have we tried to block the sound?”
“We've boarded up everything we can possibly board up. We drape blankets over his bed.”
Tess could see the way the room was shifting. Emma and William knew how they would vote, she was almost certain nothing would change their minds. Edna and Matthew were very conflicted though. At their core they each agreed with William, but neither could deny the importance of safety; especially not Edna after all she had lost.
It was safe to say each of them had lost something. These days the degree of loss was something much more apparent though. It wasn't that people sat around and had contests over who suffered more, rather the loss of loved ones was something that everyone was constantly measuring.
Matthew had been very distant with his family. To be honest he didn't know where most of them were. It was safe to assume they were dead but there was no confirmation. His shyness was due to years of emotional and physical abuse, whether or not his family was alive or dead meant nothing to him. It had meant nothing long before the outbreak so why should it mean something now? Even if they did have a moment of clarity about the way they had treated him he didn't know if he was ready to forget it. His heart was empty of hatred, but was not welcoming to what they might do again. What he did have was a fiance.
Someone that understood why he was so shy and distant. A man he had met that had enough patience to keep pursuing him, despite how often Matthew pushed him away. A man that got it wasn't about Matthew needing to come to terms with his sexuality, but rather his broken past. The people that were supposed to love him the most had hurt him the worst. Why would he ever let someone else in? Matthew had found the best type of patient, loving, and supporting partner though. He had been Matthew's best friend, and a lover that waited while Matthew struggled against their love. He eventually broke Matthew's walls down one by one. Then he was gone. There were no happy endings in this world.
William had lost very little after the outbreak occurred. A few of his friends had passed but
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