The Divide: Origins (17 page)

“Things
just got very interesting. You know, I sit here and watch our entertainment so
much, but I never get my hands dirty. What if I fought you for her safety? If
you can kill me, my boys will let all of you go. If you can’t, you’ll be dead,
and they’ll do whatever they want with her. Are those terms satisfactory?”
Justin asked.

“Don’t
be a fool, Liam. I respect what you’re trying to do, but we won’t let anyone
go, even if you do win,” Robert said.

“Be
quiet. We might be a little bloodthirsty here, but we’re not liars. What do you
say? Will you take me on for their freedom?” Justin asked.

“I
will.”

“Good.
I’ll even let you keep the knife. We’re going by prison rules anyway,” he said
and stepped toward Liam.

“Why
not fight a man? I’m here,”
Max
said.

“You
spoke up too late. I see a man in front of me who has already put his life on
the line for the woman. We’re going to settle this now,” Justin said.

Liam
came at him, but Justin simply looked cool and collected. He knew exactly what
he had to do. When Liam slashed at him, he sidestepped him and grabbed his arm.
Then he head-butted Liam, effectively separating him from the knife. In one
smooth motion, Justin closed the distance between them and plunged the knife
into his stomach just below the abdomen. He left the knife in as Liam fell to
the ground.

“I
would finish him, but I want him to feel the true weight of his foolishness.
That wound will take hours to kill him, and without a doctor, he doesn’t have a
choice other than to slowly die from internal injuries. I suggest you take him
back to your cell and say your goodbyes. Oh, and take the time to say goodbye
to the woman, too. You’ll be losing both of them soon enough,” Justin said to
Max and walked away.

Max
and the others ran to him. Liam couldn’t speak. The pain was too much. The
knife had slashed his intestines, and Max didn’t know what to do about it. If
he took the knife out, the bleeding would worsen, but if they left it in, Liam
could suffer for hours until he finally died. He looked back at Zoe and
Rebecca. All they could do was cry. Zoe was losing the first boy she ever cared
about, and Max imagined that Rebecca felt guilty. Liam was giving his life to
try to save hers. Nothing about the situation was easy. As the inmates left the
yard, Robert stepped beside them.

“I’ll
help you get out of here, but we’ve got to put him out of his misery first,” he
said.

“No.
You’re
not
going to touch him. We’re
going to patch him up. He’ll be fine,” Zoe said.

“I’m
afraid that’s not possible. We don’t have the supplies to help him.”

“I’m
sure there was a sick bay around here somewhere. Can we not try?” Rebecca
asked.

“We
can try, but no one here is a surgeon, and that’s what we need right now.”

“I’ll
do it. In college, I had to cut open a lot of animals. I know anatomy, and
while we’ll probably just be prolonging his suffering, I’ve got to try for her
sake,” Max whispered to Robert and looked back at Zoe.

“Fine.
The sick bay is on the other side of the prison. You carry him. If we hurry,
maybe no one will even know where we are.”

Max
nodded and picked him up as gently as he could. Liam cried out in agony as Max
followed Robert. In their hearts, they knew Liam was as good as dead, but they
had to give him a shot. Max might not have any idea what he was doing, but he
was willing to try, and miracles still existed, didn’t they? Rebecca and Zoe
had to hope so because it was all about to be on the line for a boy they had
grown to think of as one of them.

Chapter 17

Surgery

After
they got Liam to the medical bay and put him on a table, Robert pulled Max to
the side. They had to talk about things. This wasn’t going to end well, and Max
needed to accept that.

“We
don’t have a chance here. Are you sure you want to do this? We might just be
prolonging his suffering,” Robert said.

“I
know this probably won’t end well, but I have to try. The kid is only fourteen.
He deserves a chance at life, no matter how small it is.”

“All
right, what are you going to need?”

“That’s
a good question. I’m not quite sure.”

“Well,
take a second and tell me. We’re only getting one shot at this.”

“I
need a scalpel, sutures, plenty of bandages, alcohol, and if you can find some
restraints, that would be great.”

“I’m
on it. Just get prepared.”

Max
walked over to the table by the others. They looked like they had given up
already. He couldn’t blame them. They were trying to perform surgery when the
best he had ever done was cut open a few dead animals in labs. They were going
into this thing blind, and even if the problem were obvious, he probably
wouldn’t be able to recognize it. Max felt powerless. He wanted with everything
he had to be able to save this boy, and he needed everyone to believe that he
could, but in his heart, Max had a lot of doubts. This was more than a shot in
the dark. It was a lottery ticket, and he just had to hope Liam was that one in
a million.

“All
right, I’ve got everything. Once we pull the knife out, he’s probably going to
start bleeding badly, so if there’s anything you guys need to say to him, now’s
the time,” Robert said.

“You’re
going to be fine, Liam. Max and I are going to take care of you. We’ll find a
way to make this right,” Rebecca said.

Zoe
couldn’t bring herself to say anything. Just looking at him was enough to make
her tear up. Thankfully, he managed to do the talking for her.

“Thank
you so much,” Liam said weakly while taking her hand.

“For
what? I can’t do anything to help you right now.”

“That’s
okay. I got to learn that someone so amazing could care about me before I died.
I’ve lived, thanks to you,” he said and leaned his head back.

“Don’t
talk like this is the end. I’m going to fix you. It’s as simple as that,” Max
said as he put him in restraints.

“I
found some gloves and clamps, too. They might come in handy,” Robert said.

“Good.
Rebecca, I need you to make sure the wound stays open with the clamps after I
pull the knife out. From there, we’ll be racing against the clock. I’m going to
need everyone to stay out of the light because I’ve got to see what’s wrong
internally and fix it quickly. I’ll close him up as best I can, and he’ll be
fine.”

“What
do I do?” Robert asked.

“You
help me figure out what we need to do as we go.”

“Can
I do anything?” Zoe asked.

“Hold
his hand and try to keep him as calm as possible. We don’t have pain
medication, so this is going to hurt. He’ll need you more than any of us.”

Zoe
nodded, and Max turned his attention to Liam. This was going to be terrible for
him. He wondered what he would want to be done if he were in Liam’s position.
He would probably just want them to kill him.

“Are
you ready?” Robert asked, snapping him back to reality.

“Yeah.
Get ready, Rebecca,” Max said and grabbed the handle of the knife.

He ripped it out in one quick and
straight motion. Blood began to seep out of the wound. It was all happening so
quickly, and Max knew he didn’t have much time, so he got to work immediately.
Once Rebecca had the wound open, he peered inside. It was hard to tell anything
through all the blood, and he felt lost. Just when he was about to lose it, a
voice snapped him back to reality.

“I don’t think there’s supposed to be a
hole there. What about you?” Robert asked as he pointed to a small hole in
Liam’s intestines.

“You’re right. I need the sutures. Let’s
get that closed and stop this bleeding.”

While Max was stitching him up, Liam was
screaming. Zoe was trying to keep him calm, but it wasn’t working. No one
blamed him, though. Anyone in that position would be screaming in agony. Max
did a quick stitching job that he didn’t think would hold up long term, but it
was the best he could do. As he disinfected everything, Liam closed his eyes
and stopped screaming.

“Oh, my God! We need to do CPR. I can . .
.” Zoe managed to say before Max cut her off.

“First, see if he has a pulse.”

“He does have one. I guess he just passed
out.”

“It’s from the pain. Stay calm. He’s
going to be okay. I’ve just got to get him closed up.”

Max and Robert did a rough stitching job
and closed the wound. He was going to have a nasty scar. Max wasn’t convinced
that the hole in his intestines wouldn’t open back up in a day or two and kill
him anyway, but for now, they had bought Liam time. Against all odds, he was
still breathing.

“I think he’s going to be okay,” Max said
as he stepped back and sat on the floor.

He took his gloves off and let out a sigh
of relief. He thought he was going to kill the kid, but somehow he saved him.
Max should have felt like a hero, but all he felt was exhaustion. He stood and
walked over to Rebecca. She was holding the knife that had nearly killed Liam.
He took it from her and hugged her tightly.

“We’re so grateful that we found you. I
don’t know how you did that, but thank you,” she whispered to him.

“We all had a part in saving him, and
he’s not out of the woods yet. I don’t even know if I closed everything up
right. All I know is that he’s in better shape than he was a few minutes ago,”
Max said before he heard the door behind them open.

Justin stepped inside with his gun drawn.
Without even the slightest bit of thought, he aimed at Robert and fired. A
bullet ripped through his skull. Robert was dead before he even hit the floor.

“How did you know we were here?” Max
asked as he stepped in front of the others.

“My boys reported hearing screaming
coming from this direction, and I figured someone had grown a conscience. That
boy was my kill, and no one has the right to take my prey from me. Robert knew
that, so he had to die. The boy still has to die, too, you know.”

“You’re not going to hurt him. I won’t
let you,” Zoe said as she stepped toward him.

“Is that so? Maybe I’ll just have to put
a bullet in your pretty little brain before I kill him,” Justin said and aimed
the gun at her.

“You look at me. Your problem is with me,
not her. I’m the one who saved him. If a bullet is meant for someone, it’s me,”
Max said while readying himself.

He had a plan, and if Justin took the
bait, he was going to take a risk. They might still get out of this yet.

“You’re right. You do deserve to die, and
it might be better to let this girl just become a pretty plaything for my men,”
Justin said and started turning toward Max.

In that instant, Max threw the knife with
all he had. Just as it buried into the center of Justin’s chest, he fired. The
bullet went straight through Max’s shoulder, and he hit the floor.

“Are you all right?” Zoe asked as she ran
to him.

“There’s no time to be concerned. We’ve
got to get out of here. Everyone listen to me. Zoe, you lock the door. The inmates
heard those shots, and they’ll be coming to investigate soon. Rebecca, I need
you to find everything I’ll need to get myself patched up once we’re out of
here. I’ll get Liam,” Max said.

“Where are we even going?” Rebecca asked
as she gathered supplies.

“This is the medical ward. There’s a bay
for deliveries, and that means there’s an exit.”

“Good
thinking. Are you sure you can carry Liam in the state you’re in, though?”

“I
don’t have a choice,” Max said and scooped up Liam.

“I’ve
got everything we need. Let’s get out of here.”

As
soon as she said that, they heard pounding on the door. Max quickly led them
out to a bay door, and they exited it to find exactly what he hoped they would.
A supply van set not too far from it. Max checked it to find that the keys were
predictably missing. He had seen one of his prison
mates
hotwire a car before, and he thought he remembered how to do it, so he gave it
a shot. It took a little time, but Max was able to get it started. As he heard
the roar of the engine, a dizzy feeling overtook him. Rebecca noticed it and
helped him up and into the back of the van. Once she got him inside, she
instructed Zoe to drive.

“What?
Are you joking? I don’t think I should drive in this situation,” Zoe said.

“I’ve got to get Max’s wound closed, and
Liam can’t do it. You’re all we have. Just do your best. I know you’ve got
this,” Rebecca said.

Zoe nodded and got into the driver’s
seat. She took off just as the inmates were running outside. Getting away
seemed easy for a moment, but the gate was locked. That was going to be an
issue.

“Umm, guys, we might have a problem,” Zoe
said while motioning to the gate.

“Drive through it,” Max said.

“You can’t be serious.”

“We don’t have any other choice. Just do
it. We’ll make it.”

Zoe put the pedal to the floor and ran
straight into the gate. It was chain-link, so the car was able to take it down,
but it still did a number on their vehicle. As they hit the road, Zoe had to
wonder how long the van would actually last. The half tank of gas that they had
left was an even bigger issue. Would they be able to make the rest of the trip
in this vehicle, and if they couldn’t, what did that mean? The last thing they
needed was more unexpected stops. It seemed like every time they stopped
moving, something horrible happened.

As she drove, Rebecca patched Max up. The
bullet went straight through, and it didn’t hit anything major, so it was
fairly easy to get him back into decent shape. Liam, on the other hand, wasn’t
feeling very good. He had woken up and was in a lot of pain. Rebecca tried to
comfort him, but he had just gotten through surgery with no pain medication.
Time would be Liam’s only friend. The pain would subside soon, but for now, all
they could do was listen to his groans and pray that God would grant him relief
through this process.

“I’ll take it from here,” Max said as he
moved up front.

“You
just got shot. You lost a lot of blood. Are you sure you can drive?” Zoe asked.

“I’ll
be fine. Besides, do you even know where you’re going?”

“Good
point, but you could just tell me. I’m sure you would rather rest than drive.
You’ve already done so much today. You deserve some time to relax.”

“All
right. Take a right up here and get on the interstate. We should be able to
make it there by tonight. No matter what, we’re not stopping again.”

“I
agree. Let me ask you something. Is he going to be all right?”

“I’m
not sure. I want to say yes, but you don’t deserve to be lied to. The truth is
I have no idea. It was a small hole. Only the tip of the knife had pierced his
intestines, but I don’t know what had leaked out before we got there. He could
develop an infection. I could barely see from all the blood, and I don’t even
know if I closed him up properly. There are a lot of
what ifs
going through my mind right now, and only one of them is
good.”

“Which
one is that?”

“What
if I did everything right? Wouldn’t it be incredible to know we saved that kid’s
life? I can’t believe we’ve even gotten this far. I tried to be encouraging
because I knew everyone needed that, but I thought he was going to die on the
table. My experience with surgery involves lab rats, and the only thing I’ve
ever sown up is a shirt. I don’t know how I didn’t completely freeze up back
there.”

“That’s
just who you are. Thank you, Max. I don’t think any of us would be alive
without you. Most of all, I really needed Liam right now. Friends are in short
supply, and romantic interests are almost unheard of. If we had lost him, I
think my hope might have died with him, too.”

“I’m
glad you have someone, but do yourself a favor, and don’t make your happiness
all about one person. Like I said, a lot of bad things could still happen. The
main thing I did was buy him time.”

“Either
way, I’m grateful we met.”

“I
didn’t just save your lives. You guys have had my back from the start, too. You
know that, right?”

“Yeah,
but I never could’ve done what you did back there. I was in a panic, and I
think I made things worse by freaking out when he passed out. I’m sorry.”

“There’s
nothing to be sorry about. I was as freaked out as you. Sometimes you just have
to act, though, because what else are you going to do? We only had three
choices. We could’ve let him suffer, put him out of his misery, or tried to
save him. Even if it was a long shot and my hands were shaking the whole time,
I knew what we were going to do. I couldn’t let him die when he means something
to you. Besides, he kind of saved my life the other night, so I owed him.”