The Divide: Origins (7 page)

Max
nodded and walked into the room to retrieve a bottle of rum. It had been over
four years since he had a drink. Right now, he needed one. The knife was inches
away from him when Tate heard the shots being fired outside. Max just knew he
was going to die, but against all odds, Zoe and Rebecca had saved him. He took
a quick swig straight from the bottle and walked into the room with Zoe.

“How
are you feeling?” he asked.

“How
the hell does it look like I’m feeling?”

“I’ll
excuse that word, considering you just got shot saving me. Thank you.”

“You
would’ve done the same for me. Besides, it’s not like getting shot was part of
the plan. You should really thank Rebecca, too. She’s the one who got the gun,
and she killed the other guy.”

“I
will. Are you all right? I know you’ve never killed anyone.”

“For
a second, I felt a little bad about it, but once I realized he shot me, all
that faded. If I could revive him to shoot him again, I would. This hurts that
bad,” she joked.

“I’m
glad to hear it. You know, that man was drawing his knife back to stab me in
the heart when he heard the shots. I literally owe you two my life. Is there
anything I can do to repay you?”

“Some
painkillers would be a start.”

“We
don’t have anything like that, but since it’s just for medicinal purposes,
alcohol can be used as a painkiller. Give it a try,” he said and passed the
bottle to her.

Zoe
took a big drink and quickly swallowed. Her face turned beat red as she did,
however, and she looked disgusted.

“You
know what? You don’t have to repay me at all, if that’s your idea of it. That
is terrible, Max! That was the most awful thing I’ve ever tasted,” Zoe said.

“It’s
an acquired taste.”

“That
was my first drink. It could’ve been better, but thanks. I don’t know what we
have left to live for, but there are still little victories I guess.”

“What
do you mean?”

“I
got shot, but I’m still here, and I just enjoyed my first taste of alcohol.
I’ve got a lot of firsts to enjoy. You probably have a lot of stuff you want to
do, too. I’m sure you daydreamed about what you would do if you weren’t in
prison before all this happened. Maybe we can do everything we wanted somewhere
down the line if we just keep moving.”

“I
think you’re right. Speaking of moving, though, we’ve got a new companion.
His name’s Walter.
He’s the guy who saved you. When we move
out tomorrow, he’ll be joining us. I don’t know how any of this is going to
work out, but I think we’re all going to have to band together for this to even
have a chance at working. We need to be like a family who’s willing to die for
each other.”

“I
would say we’re well on our way. You took a big risk for me, and we took one
for you. As for Walter, we’ll see. Maybe he’ll be as valuable as Rebecca has
been.”

“I
can’t believe it, but a thirteen year old is teaching me about my life now.”

“Face
it. I’m smarter than you, Max. I’ll be fourteen in a little under two days.
Don’t forget. The world might have ended, but I did take a bullet for you. I
think that requires
some
birthday
celebration.”

“I
won’t forget. Get some rest. I’ll be right outside the room if you need
anything.”

“Okay.
You can leave the rum, if you want.”

“I
thought you didn’t like it.”

“Well,
I thought you said it was an acquired taste.”

“I
don’t think you should acquire it just yet. Get some rest, and maybe I’ll let
you try to reacquire it again when you’re sixteen.”

When
Max got out of the room, he sat back against the wall in the hallway and
thought. They needed to be like family to survive, but was that how he was
already thinking of them? Zoe and Rebecca had saved him, and then Walter had
saved the little girl who meant so much to him. It seemed so unlikely, but they
had all lost their families. Was it possible for them to find one in each
other? He thought so. As he found a comfortable spot to rest his eyes until
morning, he smiled for the first time since everything happened. Max didn’t
know how, but everything was going to be all right. He could just feel it.

Chapter 7

Ghost Town

The
following morning, Max woke up early and found that Rebecca was the only one up
from their group. Some of the people who were imprisoned there before them were
awake, too, but they were keeping to themselves. They didn’t trust Max or
anyone from the group. He understood why. He wouldn’t trust anyone if he had
just been imprisoned and seen two of the people from their group kill others.
As he stepped into the next room with Rebecca, she turned and handed him
something that he didn’t know if he would ever see again.

“I
think we’ll need this if we’re going all the way to Texas,” she said and handed
him a cup of coffee.

“I
didn’t think I would ever get to drink another cup. Where did you find coffee?”

“They
had some stashed away, and I found a coffee maker in the precinct. From there,
I didn’t waste any time. Here’s to drinking what might be our last cup of
coffee,” she said and raised her cup.

“Just
not good coffee,” Max said as he scowled from the taste.

“Sorry.
I found this, but I didn’t see any sugar or creamer. So what’s the plan for
today?”

“There
should be some vehicles on the property. We’ll find where they keep their keys
and raid everything that doesn’t belong to these people. From there, we’ll just
drive. Normally, I would fire you from being our driver, but you did just save
my life. Do you want to take another shot at it?”

“Actually,
I was hoping you could drive after what happened last time. Maybe you could
give me a new job.”

“We’ll
figure out something. After what you did for me yesterday, you can stay with us
for as long as you want. We’re family now.”

“Family,
huh?”

“Yeah.
We don’t know each other very well yet, but it’s going to take a group to live
through this. No lone wolves are surviving in this world. What do you say? Do
you want to be a part of our group permanently?”

“I’ll
stick with you guys. I would hardly call this a group, though. It’s just four
people, and that old man doesn’t look like he’s going to be good for much, if
things turn ugly.”

“You
didn’t seem like you would be much in a fight either. You sure saved my ass,
though. Let’s give him a shot. He stepped up for Zoe, so he’s earned at least
that.”

“I
guess you’re right. I think that little girl really likes you. What’s the story
behind that? You just met each other, so it doesn’t make much sense.”

“Remember
when I told you about Jerome?”

“Yeah.
Is it that simple?”

“Kind
of. I saved her from being killed by him and possibly even worse. We discovered
her parents, too. None of that should make her close to me. It’s just a story
about a bunch of messed up stuff in a world that’s falling apart. I think I
might be all she’s got left, though. I’m not her father, friend, or even
someone who knows that much about her. I’ll protect her, though, and judging by
what she did last night, I think that’s mutual. That’s all a person can ask for
now.”

“I
guess that makes us close, too, then. You gave me a group, and I helped get you
out of that room. Should we wake her and Walter up yet?”

“No,
let’s talk some. You know a lot about my past. I told you why I was in prison
and about my family. All I know about you is that you worked too much and never
found somebody to share your life with. There has to be more to your story than
that.”

“There’s
not as much as you would think. I moved here for college. I’m originally from
West Virginia. I couldn’t wait to get out of that place.
I
always said when I turned eighteen
,
I was gone
.
My parents thought it was all talk. Most kids say that there, but very few have
the drive to actually make it a reality. I did, though. I went to college at
NYU. It was a shock to live in the city because of where I came from. It was
good for me, though. I fell in love with the city for a while, but after I got
my degree, I decided it was time to get out. I got a job around here, and I’ve
been there ever since. I’ve had friends, but they’ve come and gone. I never
made time to establish lasting relationships.”

“What
about your parents? Are they still around?”

“I
hope so. They were before the disaster.”

“Maybe
we can check on them on the way. We’ll be going through West Virginia.”

“Could
we really do that?”

“Of
course. If we’re making a new life, we’re definitely going to take all the
people worth something with us. Your parents qualify.”

“Thank
you.”

“It’s
no problem. I’ve got a simple question for you now. How old are you?”

“Didn’t
anyone ever tell you that you’re not supposed to ask a woman how old she is?”

“Yeah.
I just didn’t think those rules really applied anymore. Anything could happen
in an instant now. We’ve got to get to know everyone fast.”

“Good
point. I’m thirty-three.”

“Is
that all? Why were you so concerned about not having a family yet?”

“Because
now it’s over. No one wants to bring a child into
this
world. It’s not fair to make anyone grow up in this.”

“You’re
assuming things won’t get better. The weather patterns are crazy, but I’m sure
things will even out eventually.”

“Do
you actually believe that? This would be one amazing bounce back for our planet.
If I were betting on it, I would say things are only going to get worse. What
do you suppose is causing all this?”

“It’s
possible that the comet moved our planet slightly, which could’ve caused
everything to go crazy. As for if I believe things will get better, probably
not. I think it might even out a little, but this is the planet we’re likely
stuck with. We’re
people
, though. We have a history of
adjusting and thriving in times of crisis. You’ll see. You’re going to have
that family you want. Life won’t ever be the same, but it’ll be worth living
again one day.”

“I
hope you’re right.”

“Me,
too. I’m going to wake up Zoe and Walter. You should look around the place for
anything we might need on the trip.”

“Will
do.”

Max
got Zoe and Walter up, and they found some police cars outside. There was one
truck. It would be more spacious, and it might just bowl over someone if need
be. They chose that one, but there was a problem. The keys weren’t in it. That
was quickly remedied when Rebecca walked outside with a bag and several keys.

“I
found these in there. I don’t know what key goes to which vehicle, but we’ll
figure it out. This was the best find,” she said and tossed him a bag.

Max
looked into the bag to see that she wasn’t joking. There were several pistols
and plenty of ammo in it.

“Great
job. Walter and I are going to get our stuff back. You and Zoe should find the
right key to the truck and get it warmed up.”

It
took a little time, but Rebecca eventually found the right key and cranked the
truck. As they sat in the back, she noticed that Zoe wasn’t saying a word. It
was awkward, but silence wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

“Are
you all right?” Zoe finally asked.

“I’m
fine. You’re the one who got hit. How are you feeling?”

“It
wasn’t as bad as it looked. Given, it didn’t feel great. I was just asking
because after you killed that guy, you went into shock.”

“I’m
sorry about that. I should’ve been the one doing the shooting. You’re just a
kid. I definitely won’t be dropping the ball again.”

“You
didn’t do anything wrong. I was pretty shaken up after I killed my guy, too. I
just didn’t have much time to think about it because I got hit.”

“Are
you okay now that you’ve had time to take everything in?”

“He
tried to kill me, so as far as I’m concerned, he got what he deserved. Max told
me that the man who saved me was going to be coming with us. What do you think
of him?”

“I
don’t really know much about him yet. I guess we’ll see. Let me ask you
something that’s kind of off subject, Zoe. Who were you before all this?”

“Why
does that matter now?”

“Because
it just does. I think it’s important that we hold onto who we used to be. It’s
only been a couple of days, and this world has already changed us. We’ve killed
people, and we’re thinking of Walter in terms of how useful he’ll be and completely
ignoring what we can do for him. That’s fine because it’s what we have to do, but
one day we could need to remember who we used to be because we might be able to
go back to how things were.”

“I
don’t think that’s happening, but I’ll tell you. I was a little different from
most girls my age. People were starting to date, and friendships were changing.
There seemed to be all these new roles just because of my age, and I didn’t
really care about any of it. I guess I was the weird one who didn’t get the
memo that being a girl should make me act like an idiot anytime a guy came
around. I focused mainly on my schoolwork when me and Jessica weren’t hanging
out.”

“So
you were the smart girl?”

“Kind
of. I focused on what was important. Everything else could wait.”

“That’s
the way I was. Who was Jessica, by the way?”

“My
best friend. She died a couple of days ago. Max’s prison friends killed her and
her whole family,” Zoe said and looked down.

It hadn’t
really registered until then, but everyone she loved was dead. She had seen their
bodies, and she knew they were gone, but it hit her like a ton of bricks in
that moment.

“Are
you all right?”

“Yeah.
I kind of wish I had focused on more than schoolwork now, though. Maybe I
could’ve spent a little more time with my mom and dad or even had a boyfriend at
some point. Those opportunities are gone.”

“I
know how you feel. I’m thirty-three, and I put off being social until it was
too late. Now I’ll never have a family.”

“That’s
not true. We’re going to survive this. If it comes down to it, there’s always
Max. I would say he’s unattached, too, with the dead wife and all.”

“You
are
not
serious.”

“What?
Would that be so bad?”

“He
killed his last wife. Why would I want to be number two?”

“He
only did that because of what she did to his little girl. Don’t kill me, and
I’m pretty sure you would be fine.”

Zoe
realized what she said after that. She had just implied that she was on equal
ground with Max’s little girl. It was stupid and delusional. Still, she knew
why she did it. For some reason, Max cared about her
well-being
.
After she found her parents dead, she had to hold onto something normal, and
Max was that. Sure, he was a convict who was messed up in his own way, but he
cared about her. The only other man who would kill for her was her dad. She
missed him, and without meaning to, she had cast Max in his role.

“Shit.
I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It was stupid to say that. Max isn’t my
father. My dad’s dead. There’s no getting around that. I don’t know what’s
wrong with me,” Zoe said.

“Nothing
at all. He’s not your dad, but he does care about you. I’m not your mom either,
and we don’t know what Walter is to anyone. This is what Max told me, though.
It’s going to take a family to survive this. There are no lone wolves anymore.
If you want to consider him family, I think he already feels that way about
you, so it’s fine.”

“That
might be true, but how could I replace the people I’ve lost so fast?”

“You’re
not replacing anybody. You’re just moving on as best you can. We’ll keep each
other alive until we find a way to make a life worth living. I promise.”

“Thanks.
I’m glad we let you come with us. Who knows if we would even
be
alive without you?”

Before
Rebecca could respond, Max and Walter came back. They threw their things in the
back and got in.

“The
generator was destroyed in the crash, but we were able to find most of our
stuff. Is everyone ready?” Max asked.

They
all agreed that it was time to go, and Max started driving toward West
Virginia. Rebecca gave him directions to her family’s place in Grand Falls. It
took them all day to get there. Normally, they could have gotten there a little
faster, but some of the roads were blocked. Several car crashes had occurred at
the time that Ira plowed into the earth, and it resulted in absolute chaos on
the roads. Finally, they arrived, though.

“Is
this it?” Max asked while looking at a house that seemed like it had seen
better days.

Everything in the town looked like it had
gone through hell. Most of the houses were caved in, but a few still stood. Max
had to question what happened there. It had been a disaster back in New York,
but most of the houses survived until the night of the tornado. Had something
like that happened in Grand Falls?