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“…will go east.  I need you to find showerheads, PVC pipe, and valves.  Basically I want to have a running shower by tonight.”
    Indira and Jen looked at each other with disgust.  Was the safety of their patients being pushed aside so someone could have a warm shower?  They burst through the door, Jen leading the charge.  She recognized several of the people in the room.  SSgt Brown and Sgt Procell were present.  The ship captain they had called ‘Bama was there, as well as one of the other men who had went with Mike yesterday.  Eleven faces turned in unison towards the sudden intrusion.
    “This s a closed meeting ladies,” The Bishop said.  His voice betrayed his anger.  “Have a seat outside.  I will see you in a few minutes.”
    “Sir,” Jen began.  “We…”
    “I said have a seat outside,” he cut her off forcefully.  “I know why you are here, and will speak with you when we are done.”
    “But…”
    “Ladies if you do not get out of my office right now, I will be forced to have you removed by force.”  He paused for the briefest of moments.   His eyes softened and the corners of his mouth turned ever-so-slightly up.  “Do you ladies remember the only punishment that we have on this island?”  That’s it.  He’d won.  The two women turned on their heels and slid out of the room like whipped puppies.  The door closed behind them with a quiet click
    Jerry was there waiting for them.  “That was stupid.”
    “You don’t understand,” Jen began.
    He cut her off.  “No, you don’t understand.  You can’t go antagonizing him like that.  It’s not safe.”  The girls looked at him.  The looks on their faces told him they didn’t understand.  “Do you have any idea what happens if you piss him off?”  Still, the girls looked confused.  “How many people do you think we have on the island?”
    “About one-hundred,” Indira answered quickly.
    “Now, how many people came in with you from the mainland?”
    “About fifteen or so,” answered Jen.
    “We average about eight to ten a day.  Now, we’ve been here for about two weeks.  How many people do you two ladies think we should have here?”
    “Between one-twenty and one-forty,” Indira answered.  He could tell she was beginning to understand.  “What happened to the others?” She asked.
    “Ten died from wounds sustained during their travels.  Three were to weak and sick to survive those first few days.”  He paused for a moment.  He wanted this to sink in.  “Six people have been banished to the mainland.”
    Both women gasped, even though they both knew what he was going to say.  “Why?” Jen asked.    “Two were caught stealing.  One got drunk and attacked another survivor, and three refused to follow The Bishop’s orders.”  He could see that his words were sinking in.  “As he put it in the indictment:  They had refused to put the good of the community ahead of themselves.”
    “Oh my God!” Indira blurted.  “Who would actually do that?  What kind of person would actually send someone out there just for saying no?”  Jerry didn’t answer.  He merely nodded his head in the direction of the closed door they had recently retreated from.
    It was Jen who spoke after a long silence.  “What happened to them?  Have you seen them since they left?”  The man wiped a tear from his eye with the back of his hand.
    “I see them every time I give a tour to you new folks.”  His voice cracked.  “You see, my sister Anne was one of the three.  He put her out, over the wall on the bridge.  She didn’t get two-hundred yards before the zombies got her.  One of the guards put her down before she turned.”
    The man couldn’t finish.  He turned and walked away.  The women didn’t see him for the rest of the day.
    Ten minutes later, the door to the office opened.  The foragers and their captains looked upon the girls with pity as they passed.  SSgt Brown waited for the