Them or Us

knew I could definitely control myself and not attack, then I helped them and hid them. Only Parker and Dean and a couple of others really know what I am.”
    “What about the rest of them?”
    “They think I’m like them. They think I’m one of the Unchanged who can fake the Hate.”
    “And what about me?”
    “They’ll assume you’re the same.”
    Even now, after all this time, the very notion of being thought of as Unchanged still stirs up some deep-rooted emotion inside me. It’s an uncomfortable, disproportionate reaction that’s hard to keep swallowed down. It’s even more difficult to suppress my feelings when I start to wonder if they might be right. Could that be what we both really are?
    “So how did you end up here?” I ask, suddenly desperate for a distraction.
    “Long story … maybe I’ll have time to tell you one day. Believe it or not, I figure this is probably the safest part of the country, geographically, that is. And when I found this bunker…”
    “How did you find it?”
    “I had a friend who used to visit decommissioned bunkers. A weird hobby, I know, but there you go. I remembered him telling me about a few places down in this neck of the woods.”
    “Very convenient.”
    He shrugs his shoulders. “Well, that’s how it is.”
    “So if it’s your grandson you’re worried about,” I ask, “why not just get him out of here and leave the rest of this bunch behind?”
    He shakes his head and leads me back to a slightly quieter part of the room.
    “You’re the only person who knows about Andrew. I didn’t used to see him that often. He was barely a year old when the war started. He hardly even knew me.”
    “But you haven’t answered my question.”
    “Apart from the fact he’ll never survive anywhere else, I don’t think I’d be any good for him. I’m not getting any younger, and I was a crap parent anyway. My son didn’t want anything to do with me.”
    “Are these people going to be any better?”
    “Take a look around you, Danny. Just look at them. Look at how they talk to each other and how they interact. Listen to them. It’s a million miles removed from what we’re seeing in places like Lowestoft. This is how the world used to be. This is what we really lost because of the fighting.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “Is it? You saw what happened in Southwold. That’s as good as it’s going to get up there. Do you think it’s ever going to stop? Look at what’s happening. The human race is regressing. It’s like some kind of de-evolution. Take the Brutes, for example—you saw that poor bitch by the farm. They’re incapable of functioning anymore. Kids are the same. Have you seen how wild they’ve become?”
    I don’t bother telling him about the things I’ve seen.
    “And the fighters,” he continues, “for Christ’s sake, they’re in charge now. People have stopped thinking. Violence has taken the place of discussions and negotiations. Day by day what’s left of civilization is becoming less and less civilized. Where’s it going to end? Those stupid fuckers ruling the roost are never going to relinquish the power they’ve suddenly been given, are they? Things will get far, far worse before they get any better.”
    “So? There’s nothing anyone can do about it. How is keeping a bunker full of Unchanged alive going to make any difference?”
    “Don’t you see? These people are constant. They’re normal, and we’re the freaks. This was all about keeping Andrew safe to begin with, but I’ve come to realize now that these people are all that’s left of the human race. We’ve just got to hope there comes a time when they’ll be able to go back aboveground and start again.”
    Fuck. Sutton has truly lost his mind.
    “Are you out of your fucking mind? You’ve got to face facts, these people are history and all we’ve got left now is cunts like Hinchcliffe and places like Lowestoft.”
    “You’re wrong,” he protests. “Help me keep them safe, Danny. All’s not yet lost.”
    I’m not listening to any more of this bullshit. “All is lost,” I tell him as I shove him out of the way and try to find my way back to the exit. I can’t take any more of this today. Has Sutton been driven crazy by months of fighting? Whatever’s behind this madness, it’s not my problem. I’m going to do what I promised myself I’d do last night—leave Lowestoft and get away from everything and everybody. I sidestep the man and woman I watched earlier,