The Divide: Origins (6 page)

“I
realize that, but we become who we are in our teen years. If the world recovers
from this, it’s going to need intelligent and patient people with class, not
frustrated people who curse about everything.”

“Point
taken, but Max, do you really think the world can ever recover from this? What
does it matter if I’m the picture of what a girl should be when nothing is the
same?”

“I’m
glad I didn’t kill that woman a second ago. Every moral decision we make
matters, no matter what’s going on around us, and that includes cursing.”

“Are
you actually going to give me some religious speech right now? Yesterday you
didn’t even know if you believed in God.”

“No.
I’m going to tell you that our choice to do the right thing in the worst
moments is what separates us from animals. We have a conscience, and even if it
can get in the way at times, I think it’s there for a reason. Talk however you
want. I’m not your dad, but you might need to think about who you want to be in
the future. I didn’t want to be someone who indiscriminately killed, so I
didn’t pull the trigger a second ago. It might cost us in the end, but I
decided who I wanted to be in this new world. Now, it’s your turn.”

“I
guess you’re right. I’ll lay off the language for now. If we’re in the sun for
much longer, though, there’s no telling what might come out of my mouth,” Zoe
joked.

“If
we’re out here for much longer, we might just be cooked alive.”

“There’s
no need to worry about cooking. I’m ready to go. Thank you for helping me. I’ll
get you to Houston,” Rebecca said, and they got into the vehicle.

They
hadn’t slept well the night before because of Jerome, so Zoe was still very
tired. She drifted off about thirty minutes into the trip. While she caught a
nap, Max made it a point to get to know their new companion.

“If
you’re going to be with us until Texas, I might as well get to know you more,
Rebecca. What’s your story?”

“I
don’t have much of one. I would be interested in yours, too. I think I heard
the girl call you Max. Is that your name?”

“Yeah,
and she’s Zoe.”

“Are
you two related?”

“No.
We met after everything happened. It’s a long story.”

“I’m
not going anywhere.”

Max
told her everything. He told her about what his prison mates had done to the
family Zoe was staying with and how he ultimately killed Jerome when he tried
to hurt her. Then he told her why he was in prison.

“What
do you mean you killed your wife?” Rebecca asked in shock.

“I
mean exactly that. I walked in to find that she had killed our baby. I just
lost it after that. I stabbed her to death. I didn’t even remember doing it
until recently. I want you to understand that I’m not some crazy serial killer.
I’m just a guy who lost it when he saw his little girl dead. I think that’s why
I helped Zoe. I couldn’t save my little girl, but I had a chance to save
someone else’s. Maybe that’s stupid.”

“No,
it’s not. It doesn’t matter what we did in the past anyway. We’re in uncharted
territory now, but just for the record, I don’t know if I blame you. I never
had children, but if I had and someone hurt one of them, I probably would’ve
done the same thing.”

“Thanks
for that. Can you tell me your story now?”

“I
worked to move up the ladder at my job from the time I was twenty-two. I was in
marketing, and I put all of myself into advancing. I was the youngest vice
president in our company’s history. I was so proud. The funny thing is that all
the work I put in means nothing now. When Ira hit, all I could think was why
didn’t I find someone to spend my life with and have a family? My legacy means
nothing, but even if I die, that would’ve meant something. I guess it’s too
late to cry over it now, though.”

“I
think we all wish we had lived it differently now that the end is here.”

“Do
you think that’s what this is?”

“Probably.
I don’t say it in front of Zoe, but if this isn’t the end of the world, then I
don’t know what is.”

Before
she could respond, they heard several loud pops and felt the truck
shaking
as it turned sideways. Then the vehicle flipped over
onto its side and slid into a guardrail. Max didn’t know what had happened, and
it didn’t seem to matter. It was over now. As he was losing consciousness, he
heard footsteps coming toward them. He had failed to protect them all.

Chapter 6

Family

Max
woke up to see a white ceiling and
feel
the full heat
of the day. He could hear a fan running in the background. When he tried to sit
up, he noticed that he had been tied to a table.

“I
wouldn’t struggle if I were you,” a man said.

“Who
are you, and where am I?” Max asked.

“You’re
safe, and who I am isn’t important. This is about who you are. We rescued the
women with you. Rebecca Stiles had an ID on her. The girl didn’t, but she’s
only a child. We can’t be suspicious of people like that. You, on the other
hand, were in a prison transport truck, and you had no identification. That
means you could be dangerous,” the man said and stepped beside the table.

The
first thing Max noticed was that he was wearing a policemen’s uniform. Nothing
made sense to him. They had mysteriously crashed, and now someone who was
supposed to be one of the good guys was holding him captive.

“I’ll
tell you my story, if you explain why our truck crashed and who you are,” Max
said.

“My
name is Tate, and I was a police officer here. It crashed because we set out
road spikes under some brush. We needed supplies, and you had them.”

“Who
is
we
?”

“My partner and I and a few others we’ve
taken in. The station has a backup generator, and we’ve been surviving there
since the incident. We’re willing to take in outsiders, but we have to know
they can be trusted. Now, who are you?”

“I’m
Max. I was a prisoner before the world went to hell. I can be trusted. You, on
the other hand, I’m not so sure about. You act like you’re taking people in,
but offering to after you rob them isn’t much charity.”

“Big
talk for a man who just got out of prison. It’s funny. When I asked the women
you were with, they acted like you were just some regular Joe they met on the
road. I’m sure you told them the truth, though, if you would tell someone like
me so quickly. I don’t tolerate criminals or liars. We’ll exile them and get
rid of you now,” he said and pulled a knife out.

“Are
you actually going to kill me? I thought you were a cop.”

“I
am, but the world has changed. There aren’t prisons to lock men like you up.
There are only people like me who can make sure you’re never a threat again,”
he said and raised the knife.

“Wait
a minute. Don’t you want to hear what I did before you decide if I deserve to
die?”

Tate
wasn’t going to hear anything he said. In his mind, this had to be done. Max
saw his life flash before his eyes. It was over.

* * * * *

While
Max was being questioned, Zoe and Rebecca were with the other survivors. They
had already been told
who
they were dealing with, and
they acted as if they were more than glad to be accepted into a group. The
truth was that this group had been responsible for taking all of their
supplies, and they wanted them dead. Not everyone could be held responsible,
though. As far as they could tell, the only ones allowed to have guns were the two
officers. The others likely joined them out of desperation. Some might have
even been victims like themselves.

“That
guy has Max in a room alone, and we don’t have any idea what’s going on. We’ve
got to do something,” Zoe whispered.

“We
can’t do anything rash. We’ll be killed if we do. Besides, he’s probably being
questioned just like we were. I’m sure they’ll let him go after a while,”
Rebecca said.

“And
then what? Are we just going to stay here and be their prisoners? Count me out.
I’m finding a way out of here now.”

“If
you’ve got an idea, I’m open to it. I don’t think there’s anything we can do,
though,” Rebecca said while looking at the officer in the next room.

“We’ve
got to get a gun. From there, anything can happen.”

“I
can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve got an idea. Wait here.”

“No
way. Let me in on what’s going on.”

“I’m
going to sweet talk the guard and get him into a position where he’s away from
his gun. From there, I’ll steal it. There’s just one problem. I’ve never fired
a gun. Do you know how
to
? If so, I’ll give it to you.”

“Not
really, but it can’t be that complicated. You’ve got a safety and then a
trigger. What could be so hard about that? Here’s what I don’t understand. If I
have the gun, does that mean I’m going to be shooting this guy?”

“No,
my plan is stupid. I can’t let you kill someone, and I’m going to be useless
with it. We need to figure something else out.”

“There
is nothing else. Max told me we might have to do some things we regret in order
to survive this. You get the gun, and I’ll do the rest.”

Rebecca
nodded and walked into the next room. The man looked surprised to see her
approaching him so casually.

“I
thought I told you to stay in there. We’ll be serving dinner in a couple of
hours. Anything else you
need can
wait.”

“Hold
on. What’s your name?”

“I’m
Aaron. Now go.”

“I’ve
got one question, Aaron. I can see that things work a certain way here. You and
your friend are in charge, and as long as the others do what you say, they get
to live here. It’s basically a shared dictatorship. I’ve got no problem with
that, but what does somebody have to do to gain a bigger standing in this
group?” she asked and closed the distance between them.

“There’s
nothing you can do. Now, get back in there.”

“I
disagree. I think there are plenty of ways we could make each other happy. You
scratch my back by giving me better standing, and I’ll make the apocalypse seem
like heaven for you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him and gently
kissed his neck.

“I
think we might be able to work something out. Let me shut the door,” he said
and stepped toward it.

For
a brief moment, his guard was down. Rebecca had to act then. She reached out
and pulled the pistol out of his holster. Then she quickly backed into a corner
and clicked the safety off.

“Put
it down now!” Aaron exclaimed and started running at her.

She
didn’t have time to pawn this task off to Zoe or anyone else. She could kill
this man, or she would probably die. Rebecca closed her eyes and shot. When she
opened them, she saw him lying on the floor holding his chest. She fired two
more times, effectively ending his life. While she stared down at his lifeless
body, Zoe ran into the room.

“Give
me the gun,” Zoe said.

Rebecca
stared blankly at what she had done. She was in shock, but there wasn’t time
for that. This was all happening so quickly, and someone who could finish this
needed that weapon. Zoe took it from her and walked out. As she did, the door
to the room that Max was being kept in opened, and Tate stepped out. Zoe didn’t
have time to think. She simply raised her gun and fired. She heard two shots,
but she seemed to be fine. Tate certainly wasn’t. He had hit the floor
immediately. She hit him right between the eyes. For a split second, she
thought there would be no consequences to their escape. Then she felt something
dripping down her arm and started to feel dizzy. Zoe looked at her right
shoulder to see blood oozing out of it. She fell to the floor.

By
this time, Rebecca had heard the shots. They snapped her back to reality, and
she ran out into the hall to find Zoe lying facedown. She turned her over on
her back and examined the wound.

“I’ll
be fine. Just get Max, so we can leave this place,” Zoe said while trying to
hide how much pain she was in.

Rebecca
didn’t have a choice. She had never dealt with a gunshot wound before. Maybe
Max would know what to do. She ran into the next room to find him tied to a
table. She quickly started untying him.

“What
just happened? Is Zoe okay?” he asked.

“I
don’t know. She got hit.”

“Why
are you helping me then? Go to her.”

“I
don’t know what to do. I’m not a doctor. I was hoping between the two of us we
could figure it out,” Rebecca said as she got him loose.

Max
ran into the next room to find that things looked bad. Zoe wasn’t dying anytime
soon, but with no doctor, she would eventually bleed out. The odds of finding
anyone who could help her were next to none. He ran into the room where all the
others were located and asked for help.

“Is
anyone here a doctor?”

No
one responded. The people in that room looked scared of everything. Just what
had happened over the last two days to make them cower in this room?

“I
asked you a question. Do any of you have medical training?”

“I
was a veterinarian,” a man finally said.

“Good
enough. A girl has been shot. We’ll find you some supplies. Do what you can
until then,” Max said and led him into the next room.

He
and Rebecca searched the room where the officers were staying until they found
a first aid kit. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. When they joined Zoe,
they were happily surprised to see that their new veterinarian friend looked
optimistic.

“The
shot went straight through, so all we have to do is disinfect the wound and
wrap it. It’s a good thing, too. That’s all I could’ve done,” he said while
taking the kit.

Max
held Zoe’s hand while the wound was disinfected. It burned terribly, but it was
all over very quickly. Before they knew it, she was patched up, and Max was
able to put her in the room where he was kept. Then he and Rebecca asked the
man who might have just saved Zoe’s life a few questions.

“Thank
you for helping us. What’s your name? I’m Rebecca, and this is Max.”

“I’m
Walter Rose. I just did what I could. There’s no need to thank me.”

“What happened to everyone here? You all
look terrified,”
Max
said.

“The
end of civilization happened. We watched neighbors, friends, and in many cases,
family members die. Then those men paid most of us a visit. They robbed us and
very kindly allowed us to live with them as their prisoners,” Walter said
sarcastically.

“Why
didn’t anyone try to overthrow them?”

“Someone
did on the first day. They were killed, and no one tried anything after that.”

“There’s
still one thing I don’t get. If they were just thieves, why did they allow
anyone to share what they took?” Rebecca asked.

“I
think they believed we needed leaders and appointed themselves that. It’s an
age-old story. When things break down, somebody thinks the people need someone
to make the decisions. Almost all the time, that person also thinks
they
are the one who knows best. As far
as I can tell, they really did think they were protecting us by keeping us
here.”

“What
are your plans now that you’re free?” Max asked.

“I
have none. I’m a fifty-seven year old man whose wife was just killed. I don’t
have any survival skills, and I don’t know anybody. I guess from here I’ll just
be making it up as I go.”

“What
happened to your wife?”

“When
they came to our door, I gave her a gun and told her to go to the bedroom. I
was going to try to reason with them, and if things went badly, I figured at
least she would have a way to defend herself. They wouldn’t listen to me. They
pinned me to the floor and started taking our stuff. Helen didn’t listen to me
either. If she had stayed in the back, she would still be around. She came out
and saw me lying on the floor with one of those men on top of me. She raised
her gun to do what she probably thought was saving me. His partner saw her,
though, and he fired before she could shoot. My wife died in front of me
because I tried to reason with people in an unreasonable world.”

“That
wasn’t your fault. That was all on them, and they’re dead now. We made sure of
that. Maybe you can come with us,” Rebecca said and looked at Max questionably.

He didn’t like the idea of bringing
someone else along, but Walter
had
just saved Zoe. That meant they owed him something. The fact that he could
patch them up if need be made him valuable, too. Max shook his head in
approval.

“Where are you headed?” Walter asked.

“Texas. We know someone there who’s been
preparing for doomsday for quite some time. From what I’ve heard, we might be able
to live out our days peacefully if we can get there,” Max said.

“I’m
in then. We shouldn’t go anywhere right now, though. It’s already getting late,
and it’ll be cold soon. Let’s sleep here tonight, and you guys can get your
supplies back in the morning. From there, we’ll head out.”

“Sounds great,” Max said and started to
walk away, but Walter stopped him.

“There’s
one more thing. I don’t know if you drink, but the little pleasures go a long way
in a world like this. The shorter policeman raided a liquor store after they
got me. He put a lot of booze under the cabinet in their room. It might not be
a bad idea to blow off some steam and set your mind right. We won’t have any
time for that after tonight.”