The Divide: Origins (25 page)

“I
promise to.”

“Thank
you. I love you,” Zoe said and kissed him.

Liam
had just made a promise that he didn’t know if he could keep. He just had to
hope that Max was going to be okay until he could get there. The truth was that
okay
wasn’t the word Max would use to
describe himself at that moment. Troy’s fun with him was just beginning, and it
was almost more than he could bear.

* * * * *

In
Raines, they had gotten back and locked Max up. He figured that whatever they
were going to do to him wouldn’t happen until morning, but Troy had other
ideas. He had waited on this moment for two years, and it was time to finally
settle things with Max. Troy walked in and sat down in front of him. Max was
bound, and he knew that he was at the mercy of Troy. There wasn’t much hope of
him actually receiving any, though.

“Is
there any way I can convince you not to do this?” Max asked.

“You
killed my brother and nephew. What do you think?”

“Your
brother killed a girl and would’ve murdered Zoe, too. We both know he was sick.
As for your nephew, he killed his own mother.”

“We
were handling that issue. He had a breakdown. We’ve all done things in this new
world that we regret. Are you really so innocent? What makes you think you can
judge him when you killed your own wife?”

“I
suppose I can’t, but I was well within my rights to protect the people in my
house. He tried to hurt Zoe, and if I didn’t take care of him, he would’ve just
done it again. What if your wife hadn’t walked in? Then how would we have dealt
with it?”

“I
still don’t believe Zoe’s story. Even if I did, we don’t kill people here.”

“You’re
about to kill me, and you certainly did a number on Norak.”

“We
don’t kill our own. You made a choice to betray us when you took a life in this
community. The same rules don’t apply to you.”

“Okay.
I can see my words mean nothing to you, so I’m just going to ask for one thing.
If you’re going to kill me, don’t send body parts back to Norak like you said
you would. It’ll destroy Rebecca, and she’s guilty of nothing. Just kill me
quickly, so we can get this over with.”

“You
say she’s not guilty, but she went right along with you. Deserting Raines makes
her as guilty as anyone. She doesn’t deserve to die, but she should certainly
hurt for what she did. The only question is what I should cut off first,” Troy
said as he dropped a bag on the table.

He reached in and pulled out a set of
knives and a small saw. Max knew this was going to be bad. He just didn’t know
how awful it would be. Troy grabbed one of the knives and moved behind him.
Then he held his ear with one hand and the knife with the other and whispered
something.

“This is just the beginning of your
punishment. You and all the people you love will suffer immeasurably. I promise
you that,” Troy said and hacked his ear off.

Max screamed out in pain. Troy simply
placed the ear to the side and looked at Max with a crooked smile. He wasn’t
just dishing out punishment. He was enjoying every part of this.

“What happened to you? You weren’t this
way when we met,” Max said.

“The world did. We’ve had to sacrifice a
lot since you’ve been gone. I’ve lost my parents, sister, and brother. Many
other friends have died, and it was often because I didn’t have the nerve to do
what needed to be done. I’m not making that mistake again. Raines is the most
powerful society left in this world, but Norak has been growing. I couldn’t
allow them to continue to grow until they were rivals, and most importantly, I
had to show the people here that no matter how much time has passed, people who
cross me die. Now, what else do you want me to cut off?”

Max didn’t answer. This was probably the
end of the line, and he knew it. He just had to hope that Rebecca and the kids
would be all right without him. It was strange, but in that moment, he
regretted nothing. He had loved Rebecca the way he should, taught Zoe everything
she needed to know, and protected Liam from certain death. If this was the end,
Max could die knowing he had fulfilled his purpose on this earth. Two and a
half years ago, he was a man who failed to protect the family he had, but today
he was someone who had found redemption in three strangers who became
everything to him. Max Green might die, but
he would always
be remembered by three people who were now his family
.

Chapter 25

One Cold Night

Two
Days Later

Two days had passed, and the gatherers
Matt sent found everything they needed. They had guns, plenty of ammunition,
and even one thing that would completely tip the odds back into their favor.
They had found a tank. Raines wasn’t going to know what hit them, but that
didn’t mean they could rush off immediately. They had to plan before they did
anything. Rebecca didn’t understand that, though. Over the last two days, they
had received an ear and an eye. As far as she was concerned, they should have
left as soon as Max was taken. That belief and her being imprisoned in her own
house had led her to be hostile toward everyone. Because of that, she wasn’t
part of the planning process. Matt was still going to let her take part in the
battle the following day because she had a good aim, but he wasn’t going to
listen to her tell him how he had probably let Max die.

As Rebecca sat in her house and stewed,
something occurred to her. Max was probably going to die, and even if he
didn’t, what kind of life would he have? They had already taken an ear and eye
from him. What were they going to do next? Would Max even want to live after
what he had gone through, and how had everyone stood by and watched it come to
this?

“Are
you okay?” Zoe asked as she stepped into Rebecca’s room.

“I’m
fine. Max is the one who’s in danger. They’re cutting off his body parts right
now. How are you not panicking like me?”

“I
am. Max is like a dad to me. I want to rescue him right now, but there’s
nothing I can do.”

“I
know. It’s because you’re pregnant.”

“No,
that’s not why. If I thought I had any chance of rescuing him on my own, I
would risk it. I know that sounds irresponsible, but I would pay any price to
get him back. It would be suicide for me to go, though. In the same way, all
you would be doing is throwing your life away if you left right now. Do you
think that’s what Max would want?”

“I
don’t, but that’s not the point. There are other possibilities. Matt could
agree to go tonight. Then we would . . .”

“He’s
not going to do that. Liam and I have already begged him to. We can only do
what the people in this town are willing to help us with, and that’s an attack
tomorrow. From what I understand, we’re leaving at first light. We probably
won’t get to Raines until later in the afternoon, but we’ll have plenty of time
to conquer them and get Max back before it gets dark. I wish there was a
quicker way, but there isn’t. How can I make you feel better about this
process?”

“You
can’t. Would you be able to accept it if Liam’s body parts were being sent to
you daily?”

“I
guess not. Rebecca, if you can tell me how we can get him back, I’ll figure out
a way to get rid of the guards, and we’ll go to Raines together right now.
Otherwise, I have no idea what to do. I’m not okay with this either, but I
don’t have an alternative plan that will actually work.”

“Would
you really draw them away for me?”

“Of
course, but I’ve got to hear something that makes sense first.”

“It’s
simple. I won’t go in there looking to conquer a city. I’ll sneak in and kill
whoever is guarding him. From there, I’ll get him out, and we’ll come home.”

“Do
you really believe you can do that without getting caught? I’m sure they have
men guarding the city’s borders.”

“They
should have well over five thousand in Raines by now. It won’t be hard to get
in unseen, and once I’m within the city, no one will know I don’t belong. With
that many people around, it’ll be impossible for the guards to spot the one
person who doesn’t live there. I can’t take you with me, though,” Rebecca said.

“Why?”

“Because
Max and Liam would never approve of me taking you while you’re pregnant. This
isn’t a for sure thing. I’ll have a good chance, but that’s all. The truth is
that I don’t want to endanger you either. Will you draw them away for me and
let me go on my own?”

“Do
you promise not to die if I do?”

“I
can’t promise you that because I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can tell
you this. I’ll be as careful as possible, and if there’s even a chance that I
can bring Max home, I’ll do it.”

“Okay.
Wait until you hear the guard stationed out front yell, and then get to the
garage. Drive your car straight out of town, and don’t look back. Do you have
enough gas to get there?”

“Yeah.
I should have enough to make the trip. Getting back will be an issue, but Max
and I will find a way.”

“All
right, wish me luck,” Zoe said and pulled a knife off her side.

“What
are you going to do?” Rebecca asked in surprise.

“Let
me worry about that. You just concentrate on getting out of town so you can
rescue Max.”

Zoe
walked out the front door and turned toward the guard. She slashed his arm and
ran. After yelling out in pain and getting over the initial shock that Zoe had
cut him, he chased after her. She ran for about a hundred yards before he got
tired of chasing her.

“Freeze,
or I’ll kill you!” he exclaimed.

“I’m
pregnant. Would you really kill me?” Zoe asked as she stopped and put her hands
up.

“You’re
damn right I would! You . . .” the guard managed to say before they saw Rebecca
speeding past them.

“Now
I get it. I can’t believe a kid duped me. Get on the ground. You’re going to
explain this to Mr. Nolan because I’m sure as hell not taking responsibility
for it.”

Zoe
did as he said, and he zip tied her hands together. Then he led her to Matt
Nolan’s house.

“What
is the meaning of this?” Matt asked as they stepped inside.

He
was a little frustrated. They had just finished talking strategy, and many
others disagreed with his methods. Liam was the main one. He was only sixteen,
and his opinion meant absolutely nothing to Matt, but it didn’t stop the kid
from offering it. Matt’s plan was to take back Max and scare the people in
Raines. They would kill off around a quarter of their population before showing
mercy. Liam and a few others thought they should ensure that they never had
problems out of Raines again by exterminating every last citizen who wouldn’t
join them. The others could see the value of having mercy. Raines had
established a trade system, and they might just need another society to partner
with to stay alive in the future. Raines could be that if Leland was taken out
of power and the people of Norak flexed their muscles a little.

“This
girl helped the woman escape. Go ahead. Tell him what happened,” the guard
said.

“First,
you’re going to let Zoe go,” Liam said as he stepped out of the next room.

“He’s
right. Untie her. I’m sure we can work through whatever happened. Go into the
kitchen. You’ll find a first aid kit there. Afterward, get to the doctor,
Miguel,” Matt said.

He
nodded and did as he was told. Once the guard was gone, Zoe explained what she
did. Matt didn’t look very happy, and Liam seemed skeptical about Rebecca’s
plan, but everything that Zoe had done was forgiven. Matt figured there was
already enough tension without him punishing a teenage girl.

“Don’t
ever harm another one of my guards. I know why you did it, but the next time I
won’t have mercy. You two should go now. I’ll make sure Miguel doesn’t hold a
grudge against you, Zoe,” Matt said.

“So
that’s it? Rebecca’s
probably going
to die when she
gets to Raines. Shouldn’t we move up the time to leave? We could go now and . .
.” Liam managed to say before Matt cut him off.

“She
made her choice. I know from experience that you’re a very opinionated young
man, but you’re not going to change my mind about this or any of the other
things we talked about today. Go home, and get ready for the fight tomorrow.
Spend time with the person you love because I can’t guarantee that you’ll get
to see her again after today. We might all die out there.”

“Is
that really what a leader should say?”

“It
is. I could lie, but I don’t see the sense in it. I believe we’ll win, but that
doesn’t mean we won’t lose lives. One of them might be yours. Be prepared for
any outcome.”

“Yes,
sir,” Liam said and took Zoe’s hand.

They
walked back home in silence. Zoe was thinking about everything she had done
that day and what could happen in the future. Liam might die, and Max was
already suffering. Had she sent Rebecca to her death, too? Were she and the
life growing inside her going to be the only two left when the dust settled?

“Are
you all right?” Liam asked as they walked into the house.

“I
don’t think so. You might die tomorrow. Is there any way I can convince you to
stay here?”

“No,
but even if there was, I don’t think this is a democracy anymore. Mr. Nolan
didn’t ask if we wanted to fight. He told us we were
going
to. Maybe it’s best that way. At least we’ll have the numbers
to beat them.”

“That
or he’ll get two-thirds of our population killed in one day.”

“It
won’t come to that. We have a tank and plenty of automatic weapons. They even
found a few vests. I’m pretty sure I won’t get lucky enough to have one, but
you see my point. We’re prepared, and we will win this fight. We have to.”

“I
don’t care about who wins the fight. All I care about is if you get home safe
and we get Max back. We didn’t always have these people or this city. I had you
two first. That’s all that really matters.”

“I
promise I’m going to come home. I can’t die before I marry you. I’ll also make
sure to get Max back, if Rebecca doesn’t beat us to it.”

“I’m
worried about that, too. Did I do the right thing helping her escape? What if
she dies? It’ll be my fault.”

“No,
it won’t. She made a choice to try to help Max early. It might work, and it
might not. We’ll see. I believe in her, though. I don’t know how, but Rebecca
will save him. She’s always been incredible.”

“Do
you really think so?”

“Yeah.
I can’t promise you anything, but I just know everything is going to be okay. I
don’t know how, but all four of us are going to be together again soon . . . I
mean, five,” Liam said as he touched her stomach.

“I
hope you’re right. I love you, Liam.”

“I
love you, too. Now, let’s stop concentrating on what could go wrong and spend
the day together. Nolan was right. Anything past tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. If
this did happen to be one of my last days on earth, I would want to spend it
with you.”

The
two of them spent the day together. If it turned out that it was their last
goodbye, then it was a good one. Even as perfect as it had been, as their day
turned to night, they started to wonder. How is Rebecca doing? As they were
getting ready to go to sleep and fearing just how bad things were going to go
for her, Rebecca was beginning what would be a defining moment in her life.

* * * * *

Rebecca arrived a mile outside of Raines
that evening. She waited until it got dark before she approached the city. It
made sense because she knew from experience that not many people could be out
at night. It was too cold. Maybe she was just getting used to the weather, but
it seemed to her that the temperature was stabilizing somewhat. They used to be
in temperatures as bad as thirty below, but lately it felt a lot closer to zero
to her. Still, people wouldn’t go outside if they didn’t have to, and the
guards would work in shifts when it got that cold. It was doubtful that many of
them would be outside at any given time. When it was at its coldest, she would
move.

Rebecca sat in her car and waited until
midnight while only using the heat occasionally. When the car died, she knew it
was time to move. As she made her way to the east side of Raines under the
cover of night, she thought about everything that could go wrong. What if she was
caught? They would undoubtedly kill her, but would that really be the worst
part? What if they showed her what they had done to Max? Would she have to
watch as they killed him? Either way, she was going to know that it was thanks
to her inability to rescue him that he had to go on suffering. She couldn’t let
that happen, no matter what. Max’s suffering was going to stop tonight, and she
would make sure no one ever had a chance to hurt him again. She hadn’t even
been married to him for very long, but Max had been the most kind and
protective man she had ever met. Her heart was his, and nothing was going to
stop them from being together. It didn’t matter what shape she found him in.
Rebecca would nurse him back to health and live her life with him. He deserved
that happiness. The people back in Norak didn’t know
who
they had abandoned. If it weren’t for him, none of them would have a place to
call their own. For that matter, Raines owed a large debt to Max, too. He was
the one who recruited most of the founding members. Everyone who hurt Max was
going to pay, one way or another.

As Rebecca snuck up to Raines, she
noticed that they had already started building a portion of their indoor city.
They weren’t very far along, but it was both amazing and terrifying to see the
process started. If Raines was advancing faster than them, then that couldn’t
say anything good for the future of Norak. She quickly focused on what was
important, though, and found a good spot to climb over the wall.