Them or Us

it.”
    Ankin looks down at his boots. He seems defeated and lost, all the bullshit and spin suddenly knocked out of him.
    “We have to do this, Danny. This might look like a minor skirmish in comparison to the things we’ve all seen and done over the last year, like two tribes scrapping over a strip of land, but it isn’t, it’s much more than that. Everything I’m hearing tells me Lowestoft can’t continue to survive how it is right now, and at the same time my people can’t survive without Lowestoft. If we don’t make this happen, then this country will die. This is our very last chance. The pressure’s not just on your shoulders, but you can make a crucial difference here. You’re in a unique position to help stop our slide back into anarchy.”
    “I think you might be too late.”
    “Well, I don’t, and while there’s breath in my body and even the slightest of chances, I’m going to do what I can to make it happen.”
    I have to give him his due, he’s good. For a fraction of a second I almost buy into his story, but it’s all irrelevant to me now. None of it matters. Everything I ever cared about is gone. Ankin seems to know that and anticipates it.
    “I assume you don’t owe Hinchcliffe anything,” he says, his voice flat and unemotional now, “so what could I do to make you help me?”
    “There’s nothing. All I have now is time, and I’m rapidly running out of that. I just want to spend the days and weeks I’ve got left on my own. No more fighting, no more bullshit politics and exploitation, no pressure … No offense, Ankin, but you can fight your own battle with Hinchcliffe tomorrow.”
    I try to walk away, wanting to end this pointless conversation, but there’s nowhere left to go. A gust of cold air and the sudden movement catch me by surprise, and before I know it I’m doubled over coughing. I lean on the back of a chair for support, hacking my guts up. I manage to turn away and avoid the embarrassment of showering Ankin with bloody spittle.
    “You don’t sound so good,” he says. “Come to mention it, you don’t look so good either.”
    “I’m sick.”
    “You don’t say. Been suffering long?”
    “Since the bombs.”
    “What, some sort of cancer, is it?”
    “That’s what I’m told.”
    “What are you doing about it?”
    I manage to stop coughing temporarily. I collapse into the chair, panting hard.
    “What can I do? Live with it till you die from it, that’s the advice the doctor gave me.”
    “Must frustrate you, though, knowing that before all this happened, there might have been some drugs you could have taken or something else you could have done.”
    “It breaks my fucking heart. It’s this goddamn war that’s made me sick.”
    “I agree, and that just reinforces everything I’ve been trying to say to you. It’s so important we finish the work we’ve started here and try to put what’s left of this broken country back together. I don’t suppose medical care is very high up on Hinchcliffe’s list of priorities, is it?”
    “He doesn’t give a shit unless he’s the one who’s hurting.”
    Ankin stops and thinks for a moment longer, watching me as I cough again, then wipe my mouth. I instinctively hide the smear of blood on the back of my hand.
    “This country needs you, Danny.”
    “Well, I don’t need it.”
    “Look, I’m not promising anything, but I could have a word with a few people we’ve got here with us. Most of my medics are elsewhere right now, but we do have a doctor on-site. He won’t be able to operate or come up with a cure or anything like that, but I’m guessing you’re probably well past that stage anyway. He might be able to make the time you’ve got left a little easier.”
    “Are you bribing me now?”
    He grins. “Suppose I am. Still, it’s a genuine offer, Danny. You help me, and I’ll help you.”
    “And you think your people can help me?”
    “Like I said, I doubt we can save you, but I’m sure we can make things a little easier. We could either give you a while longer or make the wait a little shorter, whichever you choose. You interested?”
    “Not really.”
    “Come on, Danny,” he says, his frustration clear. “Just talk to Hinchcliffe for me. They say he listens to you.”
    “Hinchcliffe doesn’t listen to anyone.”
    “You underestimate yourself.”
    “No, you overestimate me.”
    “That’s not what I’m hearing. Look, there’s nothing you can do or say to change the fact that