Peter nodded, the sheriff stood away from the doorframe, and an understanding that they’d moved past each other’s pretences stepped into the room with them where it waited, still unspoken.

“And that offer still stands,” he continued. “Not just for you and your boy, but for your dad too. From what I understand, he’s been keeping his financial struggles from you.”

Peter’s throat tightened and the sheriff stepped into the bedroom.

“You just need to hand it back to me, son, and walk away from all this.”

“But you were the reason the Returnees had to flee in the first place. You wanted to kill all those people. You authorized their genocide. The new government know nothing about you or the Ghost Ranger, do they? Now you know you’re on the wrong side of history, all you were ever doing with him was looking to retrieve something you knew would incriminate you.”

“Son, I don’t expect you to understand.”

“No. I don’t suppose you do.”

“The Dead were wiping out whole cities. The president was already dead. Congress had days left to make a decision about these so-called Returnees. Then, when the world finally went dark and I was the only senator left standing, hours. Minutes, even.”

“You had no grounds.”

“The world was on fire. And the world was homeless. Once it became a war with the Dead, it became a war against anything that scared us. Now, what would you have me do?”

“Then politicians are not us.”

“No, Peter. That’s exactly what we are. We are whatever people elect.”

“But you already knew the Returned could shield people from the Dead by this point and you ignored that.”

“That’s right,” said the sheriff. “We knew that they could, not whether they would.”

Peter clenched his fist and a wave of heat burned across his skin. “But that’s—”

“But that’s what? Not fair?”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“Peter, you should know better than most after what you and Cooper suffered here that night, that the one thing people are not when they’re scared, is fair.”

“But didn’t people choose you because they hoped you’d do better than they would in your position? Wasn’t that what you were for?”

The sheriff raised both eyebrows. “What, the government? I suppose. Except, all any of us are is people, Peter, all alone on this damned planet trying our best to govern ourselves.”

“But that’s not good enough.”

“No. I don’t suppose it is. And you’ll find no further argument here with that statement. But when you get older, I’m afraid you’ll only realize the same is true for you also. If your being here instead of at Cooper’s side hasn’t taught you that already.”

Peter bit into his bottom lip. “Don’t say that.”