The Divide: Origins (10 page)

“Me
either. Don’t get the wrong idea or anything, but I think we should definitely
share body heat tonight. I feel like I’m dying out here,” she said and wrapped
her arms around him.

As
he did the same, his hand bumped her ribs and she winced in pain. He had been
able to help with her leg, but without x-rays, he had no idea how bad her ribs
were. He just had to hope nothing was seriously wrong.

“I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said.

“It’s
okay. Everything hurts right now. I’ll be all right, though.”

“You
better be. We’ve gone through too much for you to check out now. We’ve got a
plan to get a car in the morning, so we won’t have to be here long.”

“What
kind of plan?”

Max
recapped the plan, but Rebecca looked skeptical about it.

“What?
It could work. We’re going to let these people draw them away and take what we
need. From there, we’ll start driving to Texas again,” Max said.

“It’s
not that. It’ll probably work, but my parents are here. I wonder if they made
it inside, and if they didn’t, are they going along with this plan? It might be
ridiculous at this point, but I need to know that they’re alive. Who knows what
could happen tomorrow? They could be killed in all of this, and we’ll just be
driving away.”

“I
didn’t think about that. I’m sorry. I could try to find them, but I don’t
really have any idea what they look like, and there are a lot of people here.
Odds are that I won’t be able to. I want to make this better, but
realistically, we have to make a choice tonight. We can stay here and hope you
find your parents and the military won’t continue to leave us out here to die,
or we can go our own way.”

“It’s
not that easy.”

“I
know it’s not. I can’t tell you where my dad is, and it’s the hardest thing in
the world.”

“Your
dad is still alive? I figured he was dead because you never mentioned him.”

“No.
He’s still around, or at least I think he is. After I went to prison, he never
talked to me again. The police came in to find me with a dead wife and baby. He
assumed I killed both of them, so my dad saw me as a monster. I probably
would’ve thought the same thing in his shoes. Even if I had my reasons for
snapping when I saw my little girl dead, maybe I am a monster. Who kills the
woman they love and can say
they’re
still human?”

“You’re
not a monster. A bad person wouldn’t have pulled me out of that debris. You
could’ve left Zoe and me to our fates, but you didn’t. In the midst of the
worst event in human history, you’re doing everything you can to keep the
people around you safe. That says something about who you are. Your father really
missed out on knowing you for the past few years.”

“Thanks.
I thought you would be scared of me when I told you what I did.”

“Not
at all. As a matter of fact, I want to properly thank you for saving my life,”
she said and leaned in to give him a peck on the lips.

“No.
I can’t,” Max said and moved his head back.

“I’m
sorry. You’re right. I was being stupid. This isn’t the time, and even if it were,
you wouldn’t want me. I’m bruised all over, I’ve got a bad leg, and I’m not
exactly the best catch.”

“Who
in the world told you that? You’re gorgeous. Anyone would be lucky to have you,
and it has nothing to do with timing for me. I killed the last woman I loved.
There are just some doors that shouldn’t be opened again. I don’t deserve that
kind of happiness.”

“Yes,
you do. It’s almost too late for anyone to have it. We’re probably all going to
die from this eventually. Why wouldn’t you give yourself a break at the end?”

“Because
I don’t deserve it, and this isn’t the end. Now, get some rest before tomorrow,
and know that you’re beautiful. It’s me and not you,” he said and kissed her on
the forehead.

As
they lay there, Rebecca slowly drifted away in his arms. Max couldn’t sleep,
however. It was freezing, they might not make it until morning, and he was as
confused as he had ever been. Since he was imprisoned, he had been a social
pariah. Even the worst of prisoners didn’t understand how you could murder your
own family. How had he found two people who trusted him so much, and did he
deserve any of it? Maybe it didn’t matter what he deserved. In a world so
messed up, all that mattered was what could help you survive. Could opening
himself up to Rebecca help him get through this? He didn’t think so, but it
might just give her a reason to continue on. She was hurt, and they were about
to leave her mom and dad. Even if they were pretending like they were family,
the fact remained that they barely knew each other. She needed one good thing
to hold onto.

In
that moment, he held her a little tighter than he had before. The good things
in the world were few and far between, and as he looked over at Zoe and felt the
woman beside him, he knew in the back of his mind that they might be the last
good he would ever have. Max made a decision right then to never let go of that
light.

Chapter 10

Death And A Kiss

The
following morning, Max woke up to the sound of people talking. There was a
large group near the fence. At least two thirds of the people were preparing to
charge the fence and try to bring it down. He heard an army guy with a bullhorn
warning them to back away. They didn’t listen, however. Max looked over at
Eddie to see if he was ready. He was. In the instant it took him to confirm
that his new friend was good to go, the people charged the gates. The men in
the
watch towers
opened fire, cutting down dozens of
them in seconds. It was a disaster. The first people who reached the fence
weren’t able to budge it, and the people who followed only crushed them against
it. Between the bullets spraying and the men and women being crushed by others,
it didn’t look like things were going to end well.

When
all seemed hopeless, one part of the fence finally came down. Max had no idea
how many people had been lost, but he would guess at least a quarter of those
who participated. At least they were inside now, though. They watched as the
fighting began on equal ground. Many were cut down, but the citizens were at
least able to take a few soldiers out before they fled. They would regroup
further in and likely annihilate everyone opposing them, but that wasn’t any of
Max’s concern. It was time to move now. He signaled for Eddie to come with him,
and they ran toward the newly downed fence. Once they were through it, they
stealthily made their way further into the base while making sure to keep a
safe distance from any rebels. It would be a shame if they got this far only to
die because someone thought they were with these people.

After searching for a while, Max finally spotted
an unattended Humvee in the distance. It would make an excellent getaway
vehicle.
 

“That’s
where we need to be,” he said and pointed out the vehicle.

“Let’s
get there then,” Eddie said.

As
soon as they started heading that way, they heard vehicles and saw several
Humvees coming toward them.

“Get
down, and don’t move,” Max said and dropped to the ground.

The
Humvees passed right by them. Just as he expected, they believed they were
simply dead bodies lying in the field. There were plenty of them, so Max didn’t
see why it wouldn’t work. Even if they were safe, there was still a problem.
Why were they sending men out to the civilians who didn’t fight? He could hear
screaming from the core of the base. It sounded like a massacre. Were they
actually planning to kill the civilians, too? It made sense. These men only had
room for so many, and anyone on the outside was a threat. Max and Eddie needed
to get that vehicle quickly because the people they cared about were in for the
fight of their lives.

“We’ve
got to hurry. I don’t know what those guys are going to do outside, but it
can’t be good,” Max said and ran toward the vehicle.

Once
he reached it, he was disappointed to find that no keys were inside. It seemed
like they were screwed, but then he realized something that fixed everything.
This type of vehicle didn’t even operate with keys. It had a switch that turned
it on. Max had never been around military types much, but he had heard that
most of the Humvees the military ordered only used starter switches, so it made
sense.

“Get
in. We’ve got to get back there as quickly as possible,” Max said.

Once
they were inside and on their way, Eddie started to panic. Was his family all
right, and even if they were, how were they going to get away? The military
would figure out that they had stolen the Humvee and gun them down. He was sure
of it.

“Relax.
We have tinted windows to hide our appearance. They’re going to think we’re
with them until we stop to get our loved ones. At that point, we’ll be sitting
ducks for a second, but I’ll find a way to get us out of here. Trust me,” Max
said.

“Okay.
I do. How are you so calm through all this? This seems like the type of
situation where most people would panic.”

“Let’s
just say I’ve already been through a lot in my life. I’m still here somehow, so
I know I can get through this. Just turn your mind off for a minute, and do
what has to be done. That’s what I do.”

“Got
it.”

Max
drove straight through the newly opened gates to see men gunning down innocent
civilians. He looked over at where they had made camp. He didn’t see anyone.
Still, they had to stop and make sure. He pulled through the camp until he was
right beside their area. Then they jumped out and found Eddie’s wife lying there.
She was dead. She had been shot twice in the chest. There was no sign of the
kids, but as Max looked toward the blankets, he saw the outline of a person. He
ran over and threw them off to see that Rebecca was hiding under them.

“Thank
God you’re here!” she exclaimed.

“Don’t
thank Him just yet. We’ve got to get out of here,” Max said and scooped her up.

He
carried her back to the vehicle and placed her inside. As he was getting in,
shots cried out. The soldiers were now turning their attention toward them.

“Come
with us now, Eddie, or you’re going to die here,” Max yelled.

Eddie
was frozen. His wife was dead, and his children were missing. For a brief
moment, he had lost it. That would cost him. As Max turned away, he saw a
bullet rip through Eddie’s chest. It was over. All Max could do was save the
woman next to him. He started driving. He cut through the camp and went
straight for the road. As bullets bounced off the vehicle, they were able to
make it to the road, and he sped away from the area.

“Where
did Zoe go?” he asked once they were a safe distance away.

“She
and the other kids went for the woods. She wanted to stay with me, but I told
her to go. I knew I wouldn’t be in good shape to run with my leg the way it
is.”

“Okay.
That’s good. They might still be alive. You’ve still got one leg that’s not
hurt. Can you drive?”

“If
I have to. Why?”

“There’s
a town about twenty miles up the road. It’s a small place, so it’ll be easy for
us to find you there. You need to find a house with a fireplace or at least
some way to stay warm tonight. I’ll get the kids, and we’ll meet you there.”

“Are
you nuts? I’m
not
letting you go into
the woods alone. When they finish off the people outside the gates, they’re
going to sweep those woods. They’ll find you, and you’ll die.”

“No,
I won’t. I’ll get Zoe back and see you again. I promise.”

“You
know you can’t . . .” Rebecca managed to say before he leaned in and kissed
her.

“I
wouldn’t do something like that unless I had full intentions of coming back to
you. Now, let’s switch.”

Rebecca
nodded and took his place in the driver’s seat. Then Max started walking toward
the woods. Rebecca stopped him, however.

“Please,
don’t die. I’ve got no one now. If you and Zoe die, I’m just on my own with a
bad leg and no idea what I’m doing, not to mention that you’ve got to explain
that kiss a little more,” she said.

“No
worries. I’ll be back for many more kisses. Trust me,” he said and walked into
the woods.

Rebecca
cranked the vehicle and started driving into unknown territory. Somehow she was
going to have to find a place to survive and manage to start a fire all while
she could barely move. The worst part was that her troubles would be nothing
compared to Max’s.

* * * * *

When
everything fell apart, Zoe and the others ran into the woods. Liam and Emily
were pretty torn up. They had watched their mother get gunned down as they
tried to run away together. It had been nothing short of a miracle that they
made it to the woods. In the middle of running, Emily suddenly collapsed. They
were well out of range from the camp, but they still needed to keep moving.
Liam went back for her, and Zoe temporarily paused.

“What
are you guys doing? We’ve got to get as far away from this place as possible,”
Zoe said.

“Then
just go. Dad is still in that war zone. We’ve got to go back,” Emily said.

“Look,
people I care about are back there, too, but there’s nothing we can do.
Throwing your life away won’t help them. Maybe if we get to the nearest town .
. .”

“Just
leave then! I’m going back to see what I can do,” she said and stood.

Liam
grabbed her hand and held it for a moment. He knew why she wanted to go back.
In truth, he wanted nothing more than to help his father and bury his mother.
That wasn’t how this was going to work, though. If they didn’t move soon, the
soldiers would find them, and they would be the next ones to die.

“I
know how you feel, but Zoe’s right. We can’t go back. We’ll die,” Liam said.

“So
that’s it? You’re just going to be a coward and run!”

“What
would Mom want? Do you really think she would approve of you throwing your life
away?”

“She
can’t want anything now! Are you going to tell me you don’t want to go back and
give everything we have to at least make sure we have one parent left after all
this?”

“Your
Dad’s with Max, and they were going after a vehicle. He’ll make it, no matter
what,” Zoe said.

“How
can you be so sure?”

“Because
I’ve been through some pretty rough things with Max. If anyone can get him out
of there, it’s him. I get what you’re going through. I lost both of my parents,
and Rebecca was the closest woman to me. She’s probably dead now because I left
her. I couldn’t have saved her, though. She knew that and told me to run. Not
surviving would be dishonoring the last thing she wanted me to do. I know your
parents would want you to be safe, too. Please, come with us.”

“Okay.
Maybe you’re right. Where are we going?”

“I
don’t know yet. All I can say for sure is that we need to get as far away from
that camp as possible,” Zoe managed to say before they heard a noise.

They
ducked behind trees and waited. The footsteps got closer. It sounded like
multiple people were coming toward them.

“I
was sure I heard voices around here,” a man said from right beside the tree
that Zoe was hiding behind.

“It
was probably just your imagination.”

As
the men started to walk away, Emily let out a whimper. She hadn’t meant to, but
the situation had been too much for her. Her mom had just died, and two men who
would kill her were feet away. It was enough to make any teen nervous.

“I
definitely heard
that
. I think it
came from over there.”

Emily
could hear the footsteps getting closer and closer until it sounded like they
were right on top of her. She tried to hold it in, but another whimper came
out. One of the men stepped out from behind the tree and raised his gun.

“Well,
hello there,” he said and clicked the safety off.

“Please,
I’ll do anything. Just don’t do this,” she said.

“I
wish I didn’t have to. I’m sorry,” the soldier said and fired.

Emily
hit the ground. Liam peeked out from behind his hiding spot to see his sister
twitching in the leaves. There was nothing he could do, but with all of him, he
wanted to jump out and kill the men responsible. Zoe motioned for him to get
back. Even if Emily had been spotted, it didn’t mean that they were going to
be.

“Let’s
make a quick sweep of the area before we go. I don’t think anyone else is here,
but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” one of the men said.

They
walked around the area for a brief time, but thankfully, they never came back
in Zoe and Liam’s direction. After a couple of minutes, they were gone. Liam
walked to his sister’s body and cried. He had held it in when he saw his mother
die, but this was too much. He had lost two of the closest people to him in the
span of a few minutes.

“I’m
so sorry. We’ve got to go, though. They could come back at any moment,” Zoe
said.

“What
does it matter? My family is dead, we’re on our own, and it’s already hot as hell
out here. It’s probably early in the morning, and I can barely move because of
the heat. We had a temperature gauge on our car. Do you know how many degrees
it was at midday when we came to this place? It was 137. How are we going to
survive in that, and even if we do, we’ll die in the cold tonight!”

“First
of all, lower your voice. Even if you have a death wish, that doesn’t mean I do.
Secondly, I’m really sorry things are so bad for you right now. There’s a town
about twenty miles up the road. We passed it on the way here. If we can move at
a steady pace of three miles per hour, we can easily reach it before nightfall.
We’ll be able to find shelter there, and if Max and your dad made it, I’m sure
that’s where they’ll be. Now, come with me. I can’t survive this on my own, and
whether you see it right now or not, there are still plenty of things to live
for.”

“What
about my sister? I can’t just leave her like this.”