The Divide: Origins (19 page)

“That’s
the best news I’ve heard in days. It’s hard to believe, though. After
everything that’s happened, I’ve started to assume the worst in every
situation.”

“Things
are going to get better starting today. Trust me on that.”

“You
really
can
trust us,” the doctor
said.

He had overheard them, and he could
understand why they were skeptical. Before Troy’s group found him, he went
through his fair share of trials, but he was convinced that the people he was
with now were truly trying to do the right thing.

“I’m sorry. I must sound horrible
doubting you after everything you’ve done for Liam,” Rebecca said.

“Not at all. If you weren’t suspicious, I
would be worried. You’re going to see soon that we’re trustworthy, though.
Leave Liam to me, and go see your new home. He should be doing ten times better
by tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t want to leave him,” Zoe
whispered to Max.

“We’ll come back in the morning. Right
now, we need to see where we’ll be staying. I have a good feeling about this
place, Zoe. Just come with us. Liam is going to be fine,”
Max
said.

She agreed to go but not without some
reservations. Zoe had seen the world completely go to hell over a few days, and
in that span of time, she had seen the truth about human nature. No one was out
for anything but
themselves
. Taking these people’s
help would come at a price, and she just had to hope that it would be one they
could bear.

One of the guards at the front led them
to a house across the block that was equipped with a generator and gas heat.
After he was gone, Rebecca opened the pantry to find that it was fully stocked.
Never had they been so happy to see canned food and bags of rice. That night,
they feasted like there was no tomorrow. During dinner, Max told them all about
what Troy was planning and his role in it.

“Are you sure that would actually work?
You’re talking about making an indoor city with people who probably have no experience
with construction,” Rebecca said.

“I’m with her. It sounds like a dream,
but it’s a crazy one. As a matter of fact, I don’t know if any of this can
last. If these guys have so many supplies, all that means is that this place
will be attacked soon,” Zoe said.

“They have guards, and they’re constantly
recruiting new members. If we can help these people grow in numbers, then it
won’t matter when they’re attacked. This can be the beginning of something new
and maybe even normal for us. I know it sounds like a long shot, but it gives
us a chance at getting back the lives we had. Isn’t that worth it? I don’t see
any other options.”

“I’ll follow your lead, but I’m telling
you that I don’t think things are going to be as simple as you think. We should
gather as many supplies as we can and go right after Liam is better.”

“We’ll
think about it over this week, but I really do think this place could be the
real deal.”

As
the night went on, they took their showers and went to bed. When Max lay down,
he had a visitor, however. Rebecca stepped into the room and sat on the bed
beside him.

“I
think you’re right about this place, and I’m worried about Zoe. She sees
everyone as a threat. That’s not normal for a child. She should be jumping for
joy. We’re finally safe,” Rebecca said.

“I
agree, but it can’t be helped. She saw a lot of bad things on the way here. Her
best friend and family died before we even met you. In her experience, people are
only looking to kill, rob, or rape you. Sometimes it’s all three things. She’s
not that far off either. This world is seriously messed up. That’s why this
place could be special. We’re trying to bring order back to the world.”

“I
agree. What can we do to make Zoe see that, though?”

“I
think time will do the trick. As she gets to know people here, her doubts will
fade.”

“I
hope you’re right. I’m just glad we have a second to breathe. I really didn’t
feel like we were going to make it,” she said and looked down.

“Hey,
I was always going to get us here, no matter what I had to do. You’re safe now,
and you always will be with me,” he said as he leaned up and wrapped his arms
around her.

Rebecca
turned and kissed him. Then they lay back on the bed. After everything that had
happened, a night of love and passion seemed like exactly what they wanted. In
each other’s arms and in a place that might just be home, they found all the
love and comfort they ever needed.

Chapter 19

Powerless

Six
Months Later

Max
and Zoe were sitting in the weeds several yards away from a gas station about
twenty miles outside of town. They had been to this place before. Back
then,
they had another person with them.
He
had been shot on sight by the men who held control over the station
.
Their job was normally simple. They would approach people and offer them a
chance to join their society. When people heard that they had electricity and
food, it didn’t take much else to convince them to join Troy’s group. Over the
last six months, they had grown in number by an enormous amount. They had just
over a thousand members in their community now. At the pace they were growing,
Max was hoping they would have the necessary people to start talking about breaking
ground on their indoor city within the next year. First, they had to deal with
these guys, though. It was a rare event, but when someone didn’t want to join
them or at least cooperate, they were told to put them down. Max and Zoe would
take them out from a safe distance with their sniper rifles, and then they
would hold control of another supply of gas and quite possibly food.

“Are
you sure about this?” Zoe whispered.

“Not
really, but it’s our job. We all have one. Liam’s a hunter, Rebecca is with the
welcoming committee, and we got stuck with this. We give people a better life
most of the time, but these guys killed one of our own. We really don’t have a
choice.”

“I
guess you’re right. I doubt they knew we were trying to help, though. They probably
thought we were a threat. Maybe if we . . .”

“We
can’t risk approaching them again, Zoe. I can do all the shooting if . . .”

“No,
I’ll be fine,” Zoe said and refocused.

“All
right. You watch the windows, and I’ll take the ones outside,” Max said and
looked through the scope.

There
were two men outside. By their count from before, there were only four people
there. They were heavily armed, but it would be easy to take them out safely
from this distance. Max took a calming breath. Even if this was part of his
job, he never got used to it. He opened fire. The first bullet ripped through
his target’s head, and within a few seconds, he had cut down the second one. Just
as he finished, he heard Zoe open fire. She had successfully taken out one of
the men who looked out the window. The other wasn’t going to be so foolish, however.
After they had waited several minutes without seeing any movement, Max made a
new plan.

“You
watch my back from here. I’m going to approach the station and take the last
one out the old fashioned way,” he said.

“You’re
not going by yourself.”

“Someone
has to. If we both approach, no one will be watching the windows, and we could
get cut down before we even get there.”

“Fine,
but be careful. I don’t think I could do this without you.”

“I
always make it through. Let’s just get this done fast, so we can get home to
Rebecca and Liam,” Max said and started walking toward the station.

Zoe
watched carefully as he got closer, but the man didn’t dare look out the
windows in the back. The front of the store was glass, so she could see part of
the inside, but her target was nowhere in sight. Either he was hiding behind
the counter, or he was in the back just waiting on Max to come. She didn’t feel
very good about things, no matter which one it was. Max was going to be at a
disadvantage, and over the last six months, he had become like family to her.
They lived, ate, and worked together. She had actually spent more time with Max
than she ever spent with her parents, not that she was trying to replace her
mom and dad, but they were gone. She had to find someone to feel close to, and
the family they formed between Max, Rebecca, and Liam was exactly what Zoe
needed. That could all be taken away in an instant, though.

As
Max disappeared into the station, Zoe held her breath. Was he going to be
walking out of there, or did she have to lose one more family member? She heard
a shot, and her heart sank. The seconds felt like minutes as she waited to see
movement. Thankfully, the next thing she saw was Max walk out and motion for
her to come. She ran to the station and hugged him.

“You
were really worried, huh?” Max asked.

“Why
wouldn’t I be? That was pretty irresponsible of you. We should’ve gone together
or waited for him to show himself. You were at a disadvantage, and . . .”

“Yeah,
yeah. I’m fine, and it looks like these guys had quite the stock of goods,” he
said and led her inside.

Most
of the stuff that would have been there before the disaster was gone, but there
were still a few things left. The most notable of them were candy bars. Zoe
walked over to the candy isle and started filling her bag with them.

“Hey,
you know the people back home wouldn’t be too happy about what you’re doing.
We’re supposed to be finding supplies and recruiting for everyone,” Max said.

“I
don’t see them anywhere, and I haven’t spied any chocolate in the town for
weeks, so forgive me if I’m making this our secret. Can you be bribed for
secrecy?” Zoe asked and smiled.

“I
haven’t seen a candy bar in months, so yeah. Toss me one of those, and we’ll
take a stash for ourselves.”

“Somehow
I knew you would come around to my way of thinking. What else do they have
here?” she asked and took a look around.

“I
found a guitar behind the counter. It must have belonged to one of them. I
don’t suppose you play,” Max said.

“No,
but I can learn. Let me see it.”

It
might have been strange to people before the disaster, but after they took a
place, their thoughts didn’t consist of guilt over the people they had killed.
It was like Christmas morning. After the job was done, they got to see what
their score was, and since they were the first ones on the scene, they always
got to take a few things for themselves. It was wrong, but Max didn’t think it
would hurt. So what if they had chocolate when the rest of the town didn’t? It
couldn’t matter if no one knew.

After
looking around for a while and picking the place clean of its best stuff, Max
and Zoe walked back to their car. They had parked about a half-mile up the road
because they didn’t want their enemies to see them coming. The walk gave them
some time to discuss a few things.

“We
put everything in your bag, so I want you to go home and put the stuff up when
we get back. I’ll give my report to Leland first. You can do it a little
later,”
Max
said.

“I
always hate giving reports. That guy is staying with him, and I think
something’s off about him.”

“What
guy? His nephew, Timothy?”

“Yeah.
I don’t know a lot about him, but he seems creepy. He stares at me a lot. He’s
friends
with Liam, though. I don’t think Liam even sees how
weird the guy is.”

“You
shouldn’t say that about him. He lost his mom while they were trying to find
her brother. By the time they got to the town, his dad was a wreck and not even
fit to be a father. Troy’s doing his best to help the kid out, but a trauma
like that can take a toll on some people. He might seem odd right now, but I’m
sure with time he’ll come around.”

“I
hope you’re right. I don’t know why Liam doesn’t hate him, though. Timothy’s
always looking at me, and I’m supposed to be with Liam. I guess he just doesn’t
notice.”

“I
wouldn’t worry about it. That kid can look all he wants. You and Liam are
pretty serious, so what does it matter? Maybe Liam is just secure enough in
your relationship to know he can trust you, so no matter who looks,
it’s
no big deal.”

“Who
said we were in a serious relationship? I don’t recall ever saying that.”

“I’ve
heard him sneaking into your room at night for the last two months. I would say
that’s pretty serious.”

“You
knew? Why didn’t you say anything then?”

“I’m
not your dad. I mean, I kind of feel like I’m something close to a parent
sometimes, but I know things aren’t like they used to be. If you were my
daughter and none of this had ever happened, I would probably kill Liam and
ground you for life, but the world changed. There’s not even a way to get
married or a real age that you’re supposed to start considering it anymore. If
you can find someone who loves you in today’s times, I guess I’m saying that I
can see why you would go for it, no matter how old you are. Even if you’re only
fourteen, you and Liam have seen and done enough to be considered adults. I
trust you to make your own decisions, and I’m just here for you to come to if
you need any help along the way.”

“Thanks.
I do have one question. If you can’t even define what a relationship is now,
then what do Liam and I have?”

“That
depends on what you want. People don’t get married or change their relationship
status on Facebook. That doesn’t mean things can’t be serious. This is how I
see it. I’ve developed something with Rebecca over the last six months. We’ve
ended every day together, and I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me what
that means. I’ll probably never call her my wife because that term doesn’t mean
anything, but she’s who I’m going to be with unless something unforeseen
changes. Isn’t that how you feel about Liam?”

“Yeah,
but we’re pretty young. It’s a little soon to be deciding who I’m going to be
with for the rest of my life.”

“I
completely agree, but you can decide that you want to be with him now. Maybe
it’ll never change.”

“I
get what you’re saying. He’s my guy unless we both change or it doesn’t matter
what we are because I can’t picture my life without him.”

“Exactly.
Now, as the adult in your life, I do need to talk to you about something
serious.”

“What’s
that?”

“Are
you using protection?”

“You’ve
got
to be kidding me right now.”

“Yeah,
I’m just messing with you. I don’t want to know
anything
about that,” Max said and chuckled.

“You
had me going for a second there. I thought you were going to do the whole dad
thing.”

“Maybe
I will some day, but for now, I think you’ve got everything covered.”

“All
right, but it wouldn’t be so bad if you did fall into the dad role someday. I’m
just saying.”

They
drove back to town, and Max went inside Troy’s house to give him his report. He
told him where the gas station was and what supplies could be found there.

“Great.
We’ll send a team in to raid the place. Good work out there. Where’s Zoe,
though? Everyone has to give a report,” Troy said.

“I
know. She went home to wash up real quickly. She’ll be here in no time.”

As
Max was leaving, Zoe walked in. She gave Troy her report, and then he stepped
out to order a team to go to the gas station and collect all supplies. Before
she could leave, she heard a familiar person call to her.

“Hey,
wait a second. Can we talk for a minute?” Timothy asked from his room.

Zoe
didn’t know what to say. Troy’s wife and children were gone. They were the only
two in the house, and she already thought he was weird. Should she actually
stay and talk to him alone?

“Come
on. I don’t bite,” he said.

“What
do you want, Timothy?” she asked as she stepped into his room.

“That’s
no way to greet your boyfriend’s best friend. I just want to get to know you a
little better. Sit down.”

“Fine.
What do you want to know?” she asked as she sat beside him.

“Liam
has told me his story and even what he knows about yours. It sounds like he was
a real whiner when you two first met, but he got over it, I guess. What I’m really
wondering is how a guy like him got a girl like you?”

“Why
wouldn’t he be able to? He’s good-looking, strong, and he was pretty much my
first everything. I think that qualifies him as boyfriend material.”

“Yeah,
but what about at the beginning? He couldn’t do anything. Are you telling me you
weren’t a little turned off by how much he still had to grow up?”

“I
was, and if he told you everything, then you know I put a gun in his hand and
told him to shoot himself when he was going through his suicidal stage. I think
all he really wanted back then was attention, and when someone finally called
him out on his bullshit, he started to change. I’ve got to go, so are we done
with this conversation?”

“Not
yet. It’s great that you had so much patience with him, but I know you’ve had
to wonder what it would be like to be with a real guy.”

“A
real guy? What’s not real about Liam?”

“He
can’t protect you. In fact, you’re probably stronger than him. I know a part of
you has to wish you could be with someone who fits the standard man’s role. You
deserve that, Zoe. You’re beautiful, and I could protect you from anyone.”