The Divide: Origins (4 page)

He
found Zoe waiting on him in the truck and handed her the backpack. She looked a
little confused.

“There
isn’t anything valuable in there. You should’ve just left it,” she said.

“I
looked through it, and I’m not sure we agree. There are quite a few links to
your past in there. That’s worth hanging onto. Can I ask you something?”

“I
don’t see why not.”

“Why
did you want me to stop in the backyard?”

“I
wanted to say some last words. I don’t know. I just thought I would have
something memorable to say that would serve as a proper goodbye to my parents,
but I had nothing. I’ve lived almost fourteen years on this earth, and I still
have no idea how to express myself.”

“I
don’t think that’s true. No one knows what to say in moments like that. I was
sitting beside my mother when she died, and I knew I was supposed to say
something to make it easier for her, but I had nothing. I was so consumed by my
grief that words just weren’t an option. I tortured myself over that for years.
I finally realized that what I said at the end didn’t matter. She knew I loved
her. I had said it many times. Nothing I forgot to say at the end could change
what she already knew. Just between us, what did you want to say?”

“I
wanted to find a way to put into words what they meant to me. I just didn’t
realize until I tried that it was impossible to do that. Some things just can’t
be said.”

“I
agree. So you said you were almost fourteen. I don’t know how you’re doing as
well as you are for someone so young.”

“I’ll
be fourteen in three days. I’m not holding up well. I’m just good at hiding it.
I’m really sorry about the things I said back there. You’re not beyond
redemption or like the people who killed my parents. You’re not an asshole
either. I don’t normally curse very often. I only do it when I would rather be
mad than cry, which happens to be quite often lately.”

“I
get it. Things are going to get better, though. We just need to . . .” Max
managed to say before he noticed something disturbing about their destination.

A
new car was sitting in the driveway where they had left Jerome. Max had a tough
choice to make. Odds were that thieves were raiding the house, and Jerome might
already be dead. It would be so easy to leave him, especially with what Jerome
had done the night before. Still, Jerome had kept him safe in prison. Didn’t he
owe him this much?

His
decision had been made. Max was going into what would be the most dangerous
situation he had ever been a part of without a weapon or much chance at
survival. It was going to be a life changing experience that would leave quite
a few people dead in the process. That was the day when Max truly understood
what it would take to survive in the new world.

Chapter 4

The Storm

Max
snuck around to the back of the house. He could enter through the back door,
but odds were that someone would hear him. It might be safer to try the
upstairs. There was a balcony just above him. He jumped up and grabbed it. Then
he pulled himself up and checked the door. It was unlocked.

Once
he was inside and his eyes had adjusted to the darkened room, Max saw that he
was in a bedroom. The girl from the night before lay dead on the bed. The scene
told the story of what happened to her. She was naked, and a pillow was
covering her face. The thought of what happened there made him shudder. She was
just a girl. Rape and murder were always wrong, but when the victim was a
child, it was worse to Max. For a moment, he considered leaving Jerome to
whatever fate he had coming. Didn’t he deserve it? This was the destruction
that Max had to look forward to if he saved him. Jerome was obviously sick.
What if he went after Zoe? Would Max be able to stop him? Jerome was younger
and much larger.

“You
are
going
to regret this when I get
loose!” he heard Jerome yell from downstairs, rousing him from his thoughts.

Whether
it was what he should have done or not, his body reacted on instinct. He snuck
downstairs and made his way to the living room. He could see Jerome tied to a
chair in the kitchen. A man was standing guard over him, but Max knew he
couldn’t be alone. Someone would be gathering supplies while he was watching
Jerome. Where was this other guy, though? The answer to that came when he heard
a door shut in a bedroom down the hall. Max stealthily moved toward the hallway
and listened for any sign of his enemy. He heard a man going through drawers in
the next room. It was now or never. He had the element of surprise, and he
couldn’t afford to waste it. Max stepped out from behind the wall and quietly
walked to the next room. The man never even saw him. He was too busy looking
for anything that could help them survive. Just as Max stepped behind him, the
man heard him. It was too late, though. Max wrapped his arm around his neck and
took him to the floor. It made plenty of noise.

“Are
you okay in there?” his partner yelled.

Max
didn’t give him a chance to answer. In a quick motion, he turned his neck
sideways, snapping it in the process. Then he examined his enemy. He had a gun
on his side. Max grabbed it and started walking toward the kitchen. As soon as
the last thief was in view, Max shot without even thinking. The bullet struck
him in the chest, and he hit the floor. He gasped for air, but it didn’t take long
for him to die.

“Where
have you been?” Jerome asked in frustration.

“We
ran into some problems at Zoe’s. Her parents are dead, and she’s staying with
us.”

“Are
you crazy? A little girl is
not
coming with us. We don’t have time to babysit her. It’s getting hotter, and if
we don’t find an air conditioner, we’re going to die.”

“Don’t
be dramatic. Zoe gave us a generator, some gas, and an air conditioner. They were
at her house, and we brought them back here, so she stays. Besides, based on
what I saw upstairs, it seems like you like little girls a lot . . . maybe a
little too much,” Max said in disgust.

“
Please
! You’re
not
judging me right now. We had all been in prison for a long
time. We had to kill those people anyway. What was so wrong with having a
little fun after she was dead? The same rules don’t apply anymore. This isn’t
the society we once knew, Max.”

“You’re
right about that. It’s not the same. We don’t follow other people’s rules here.
We follow mine because I just saved you, and I have the gun. Zoe stays, and if
you lay one hand on her, you’ll die.”

“How
could you threaten me after all we’ve been through?”

“Easily.
You think the state of the world gives you the right to kill and rape
whoever
you want. It’s like a free pass for you, but I’m
here to tell you it’s not. In your worldview, those people were justified in
tying you up and trying to take our things. They would’ve even been justified
in killing you.”

“That’s
different, and you know it.”

“I
don’t see how. Just agree that you’ll do what I say from here on out.”

“Fine.
Untie me, and get the air conditioner in here. Then I’ll do anything you want.”

Max
got him loose, and then he found all the guns in the house. He didn’t want
Jerome to have one. After that, he told Jerome to retrieve their supplies and tell
Zoe to come inside. Jerome decided to give their new partner some advice during
that time.

“Max
wants you to go inside. Before you do, though, I think you should know
something. I’m going to be running things. If you want to stay alive, you’ll do
what you’re told. All it’ll take is one time of you getting in my way or complaining
about a single thing I do, and I’ll kill you. Do we understand each other?”
Jerome asked.

“I
completely understand. You killed Jessica, and now you think I’m scared of a
pathetic piece of garbage like you. I’m not her, and if you even so much as
come close to me, I’ll cut a certain body part off while you’re sleeping.”

“Be
careful. I can kill you now.”

“Try.
The fallout with Max would be disastrous, and if you made the mistake of not
getting the job done, I really would make good on my promise. I might anyway,”
she said and walked into the house.

Zoe
let out a sigh and tried to catch her breath. She had looked brave while
talking to him, but the truth was that she was scared of Jerome. When it came
down to it, she knew he was probably going to be the one to kill her. Still,
she had to get her bluff in, and she really did mean it. If he touched her, she
was going to make sure he never had the urge to touch anyone again. It wasn’t
any more reassuring that the first thing she noticed was
Max
carrying
bodies out of the house. The situation seemed impossible. How
long could they live this way? Sooner or later, the weather or a thief would
kill them. That was if Jerome didn’t do it first.

After
Jerome had gotten everything inside, they hooked the air conditioner up and got
the generator running. Then they felt cool air for the first time in what
seemed like forever. Max would have never thought it, but a small air
conditioner was like heaven for them.

“How
hot do you suppose it is out there? It feels like hell now,” Max said.

“I
have no idea. Maybe 115,” Zoe guessed.

“It’s
hotter than that. I lived in Texas at one point when I was a teenager. I’ve
felt temperatures of up to 110. I would guess 130. That sounds nuts, but it’s
probably true,” Jerome said.

“I
agree. What time do you suppose it is?” Max asked.

“One
second, and I can tell you,” Zoe said as she pulled a phone out of her bag and
turned it on.

“Wait
a second. Why did you bring a phone? You know it’s going to die, right?” Jerome
asked.

“Of
course I do. I figured I would turn it on once a day for a couple of minutes to
see some pictures I have on it until it finally dies. Besides, it came in handy
right now. It’s 12:37.”

“Is
that all? It feels like it should be night by now.”

“It’s
the heat. It’ll wear you out. Plus, we’ve all experienced the worst two days of
our lives. That’s enough to wear anyone down,” Max said.

The
others nodded. It had been rough. They had seen the world pushed to the brink
of destruction, murdered people, Zoe had found her
parents
dead, and now they were huddled around an air conditioner so the heat didn’t
kill them. As they sat there, Mother Nature decided to throw them one more
curveball. The wind started to pick up, and the rain began. It was light at
first, but then the storm turned violent. Within thirty minutes, wind was
whipping around the house at extreme speeds, and the rainstorm was absolutely
blinding.

“This
planet truly
has
gone crazy,”
Max
said as he stared out the window.

“We’ll
be fine. It’s just a thunderstorm and a little wind. It’s nothing compared to
the heat. Maybe this will actually cool things off,” Jerome said.

Zoe,
however, didn’t look convinced. It was obvious that she was terrified. As
lightning struck in the distance, she jumped and let out a sigh.

“You’re
scared of storms, aren’t you?” Jerome asked.

“No,
I’m fine.”

“This
is ridiculous. If you’re scared of something this simple, then you don’t have a
chance at survival. We should just . . .”

“Jerome,
that’s enough. Come with me, Zoe,” Max said and led her upstairs.

“What
are we doing up here. The air conditioner’s downstairs, and . . .” she managed
to say before Max interrupted her.

“Jerome’s
going to be a problem, isn’t he?”

“He’s
a pedophile who indiscriminately kills people. What do you think?” Zoe asked
sarcastically.

“I
think I just killed two people today without thinking about it. I also think
that I’m going to have to kill my cellmate before this is over. The worst part
is that I believe your fears about this storm are justified,” Max said as the
wind picked up.

It
was pounding the house so hard that it was hard to hear anything besides the
blistering wind. Max didn’t want to say it, but he thought they were going to
die there.

“I’m
sorry you had to kill those people. For what it’s worth, I know you’re a decent
man. I don’t think you would’ve killed them if you didn’t have to. Besides,
they were thieves who were probably going to kill a lot of people in their
lives. They might even have been the ones who murdered my parents. I think you
did the world a service by getting rid of them. You could’ve let them take care
of Jerome first, but otherwise, good job,” Zoe said.

“When
should I kill him?”

“You
don’t have to unless he endangers one of us. Just promise that you won’t let him
hurt me. I can’t go through that right now. I’ve already lost so much, and I
think I would lose my mind if someone like him did anything to me.”

“He’ll
never hurt you. I promise.”

In
that moment, they heard something crash down onto the house. At first, they
panicked, but then Max realized what it was. A tree limb hung over the house.
He figured it must have fallen, but it was still alarming. Things were obviously
getting worse, and they feared how this was going to end up.

“I
think we need to get to the downstairs bathroom just in case,” Max said and
grabbed the mattress off the bed.

“I’m
not sitting that close to Jerome. I don’t think we should leave him alone
either. What if he tries something?”

“I
hid all the guns in this room besides the one I’m carrying. They’re tucked away
in drawers, and I don’t think he’s leaving the air conditioner. I didn’t say we
were inviting him into the bathroom. He was the one who thought it was
ridiculous that you were scared of the storm.”

“True.
Let’s go,” Zoe said as lightning struck once again.

As
expected, Jerome wasn’t leaving the air conditioner, and they had the tub all
to themselves. Normally, Max would have suggested staying somewhere cool, but
the rain was helping the temperature to drop, and it truly was bad outside.
Taking shelter seemed like a good idea, even if they would be a little hotter.
Once they were in the tub and the mattress was over them, Zoe asked him a
question that was somewhat painful for Max to answer.

“You
said you were married. Where did you meet your wife?”

“I
don’t know if we should talk about that. I killed her.”

“I’m
sorry. I just want to get to know you if we’re going to be surviving the
apocalypse together. It wasn’t your fault that she went crazy. If I were older
and married, I probably would’ve killed my husband, too, when I walked in on
him like that. It couldn’t have always been bad, though. You obviously loved
her at one point. I was curious to know where that started.”

“I’ve
never stopped loving her. Maybe that’s weird to say considering everything that
happened. It’s true, though. I met her at the gym. I would love to tell you it
was love at first sight, but I think it was lust. I saw her across the room in
her little shorts, and I knew I had to know her. I asked her out for a drink
right there. We were in bed together by that night. Something happened the next
morning, though. I didn’t want to leave. That wasn’t usual for me. I’m not
proud of this, but I got around a lot, and I never connected with women on much
more than a sexual level. It was different with her, though. I can’t explain
it, but when I looked into her eyes, I saw the mother of my future children. It
wasn’t exactly a storybook romance, but I knew. I wish I had been right.”

“Maybe
you were.”

“What
do you mean? Our story ended in the worst way it could.”

“Because
of a mental disorder she had. If she and your daughter had died in a car
accident because she was a careless driver, would you feel like it was a
waste?”