Ed turned around. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘those raiders out there undoubtedly outnumber us. They sure as hell outgun us. If we tried to hold them off, they’d either starve us out, burn us out, or simply shoot their way in. Well – you can take your pick, senator, when it comes to the kind of death that you want. But right now, I personally don’t feel like dying at all, and I don’t suppose that a whole lot of the folks who work on my farm feel like it either.’

He turned to Dyson, and said, ‘They got Willard, and they got Jack, and they got that garage-hand you sent out there. I don’t even remember his name.’

Dyson said unhappily, ‘When they didn’t come back with you, I kind of assumed that was the way it was. Damn it, Ed, that really makes me feel like hell.’

‘Me, too, Dyson,’ said Ed, laying his hand on his shoulder.

Dyson said, ‘That young boy’s name was Gerrity – David Gerrity. He was the best we had when it came to stripping a tractor. Well, so Willard told me. I’m only the pilot.’

Ed looked back at Shearson. ‘We’re going to have to make a break for it,’ he said. ‘You can either come along with us, or you can stay behind. That decision is entirely up to you. But we’re going to load our wagons with all the remaining foodstuffs on this farm and head for the west coast.’

‘The west coast?’ asked Della. ‘Surely it makes more sense to head for Washington. They’ll have government there – some kind of law and order. And besides, I want to turn Senator Jones in to Charles Kurnik in person There’s no point in going to the west coast.’

Ed said, ‘My wife and child are out on the west coast. I want to find them. Once I’ve done that, I want to try to get out of the United States, either through Mexico or by sea. Believe me, Della, you only have to listen to the news bulletins. You only have to see what happened tonight to two of my closest friends and workmates – Willard and Jack. There’s no point in pretending that things are any better in Washington. They can’t be. They’re probably worse. And what the hell is the point of holding on to a fraud suspect in a nation where they don’t even have enough police to stop people murdering each other?’

There was a burst of gunfire outside, and somewhere across the yard a window broke.

Karen said, ‘I believe we ought to stick together. I think we’ll have more of a chance that way.’

Peter Kaiser rolled up his eyes. ‘No wonder history has no eminent lady philosophers,’ he said. ‘With the possible exception of Xaviera Hollander.’