Plague

these ingrates?
    “He saved himself,” Caine went on, “for a while, at least, by running away with Astrid and Dekka. He saved his friends, but abandoned poor, sick Edilio there. And all of you.”
    Stony silence.
    “That’s why Quinn—Quinn, who works night and day to feed you all—came to get me, to beg me to help.”
    “What are you going to do?” someone shouted.
    “What am I going to do?” Caine asked, relishing the moment. “I’m not going to run away, that’s the first thing.” He stabbed a finger in the air and shouted, “When the ultimate danger came, Sam ran. And I came back. I was safe and warm and well-fed on my island. I had my beautiful queen, Diana. I had my friends, Penny and Bug. It was a very good life.”
    He moved to Diana and gave her a little kiss. She let him, no more.
    “A very good life. But when I heard what was happening here, what terrible dangers threatened to destroy you, I could not sit there eating delicious food and watching movies while swathed in clean sheets.”
    He watched those words take effect. Food? Movies? Clean anything? They were magical concepts to these desperate, starved, and, until recently, parched kids.
    And the subtle implication that he had been sleeping with Diana worked in a way, too, making older boys jealous, and some girls as well.
    Caine smiled inwardly. It was working. He had them. The sheep.
    “I will save you,” he said humbly, eyes down. “But not just from this terrible threat. No. Isn’t it time we all had a better life? Haven’t we suffered enough?”
    A murmur of agreement.
    “You’ve suffered from hunger, from thirst, from violence. Well . . .” He waited, waited for the moment to build. He was deliberately stretching time, knowing they were picturing the insect horde advancing on the town. At last he said, “Well, that’s enough suffering.”
    “What about Drake?” someone shouted.
    “He’s your friend,” another voice accused.
    “No,” Caine snapped. “I was the one who destroyed him. Or had. Until Sam and his followers allowed Drake to return.”
    He paused, watching the reaction, hearing the murmurs of agreement. He sent Diana a secret droll look. Nothing worked better than a really big lie.
    “Listen to me. You need a true leader. But this thing where they force you to elect someone, like it’s some popularity contest, like we’re picking a prom queen or whatever, that has to stop. Edilio is a good kid. But he’s just a kid, just Sam’s loyal dog. No offense.” He raised a hand indicating that he may have chosen his words carelessly. But kids were already nodding. Yes, Edilio was just like Sam’s dog. Brave, yes, and decent, yes. But he hadn’t saved them.
    “And Sam?” Caine said, raising his voice. “Sam was a brave leader once, but he’s burned out and you all know it. His heart was never in it. Now at last he’s run away. Sam is not what the FAYZ needs. He’s not a king.”
    He turned away while that word sank in. He could hear a voice asking, “Did he say a king?” And he distinctly heard a sardonic laugh from Lana.
    Caine raised his hands high. “We need a true leader, not someone who has to answer to a town council. Come on, folks, Howard is a member of the council!”
    That earned a knowing laugh.
    “So Sam’s faithful dog Edilio reports to a known crook like Howard.” He allowed his smile to fade. It was time to finish it. “You need a leader who will actually lead. A leader to save your lives today and give you better lives from now on.”
    Caine spotted Turk and Lance waiting, smirking.
    Caine had sent Taylor for them. He had told them he could use a couple of tough kids like them. He’d promised them a trip to the island.
    “Turk. Lance. Come on up here,” Caine said.
    They climbed up the stairs to stand beside him, pale and shaken, but sure they were about to be handed new and important positions.
    “These two admitted to me that they shot Albert while robbing him.”
    That started the crowd muttering angrily, and even some of the sicker kids looked up bleakly. Albert might not have been popular, but he was necessary.
    Lance and Turk exchanged a nervous, uncertain look.
    “You’ll be relieved to know that Lana has been able to save Albert’s life,” Caine said. “But what are we to do with two would-be murderers like these?”
    Turk was looking even more pale. This wasn’t going the way they had expected. Lance was edging away, getting ready to run.
    Barely moving, and