The Divide: Origins (15 page)

“What
do you think, Zoe?” Max asked.

“We’re
better off moving on. We can’t trust people anymore. I don’t want to end up
dead tonight, and I think if we stay here, that’s exactly what’s going to
happen.”

“I
have a bad feeling about it, too. We’ll move on.”

“Wait
a minute. Let’s talk about this for a second. We don’t even know if anyone is
in the prison. We haven’t seen a soul since we drove into this town. Who’s to
say everyone didn’t die here and we’re not leaving a perfectly good settlement
that could be an even better place to start over than Texas?” Liam asked.

“We
can’t know that without going in there, and that might be suicide. For Rebecca
and Zoe, it might be worse than that. Some of the people in places like that
are sick.”

“So
let’s go in and check it out while they stay here. If the coast is clear, we’ll
stay, and if not, well, that’s why we have weapons.”

“Can
you handle your gun in a time of crisis? There’s a chance we’re going to have
to kill people once we walk in there.”

“I
handled it just fine last night. It’s at least worth a try, isn’t it? I mean
,
we haven’t showered in days. I would kill for warm water
and electricity.”

“Fine.
We’ll see what the prison holds. If we’re not back in twenty minutes or you see
someone coming toward the car, leave without us,” Max said to Rebecca.

“There’s
no way we’re leaving without you two.”

“If
we don’t come back, there will be a reason. You better go, if it comes to
that.”

“Max,
are you sure about this? We both know it’s a bad idea,” Zoe said.

“No,
I’m not. We’ve got to do something, though, and there really isn’t another
place for us to stay. We’ll do our best. You and Rebecca just do what you have
to in order to survive, no matter what happens in there.”

Max
and Liam got out and started walking toward the prison. Liam didn’t seem to
have a nervous bone in his body, and that worried Max. This kid hadn’t seen
what some men were capable of, and he just had to hope that he wouldn’t on that
night. Odds were that things were about to get really bad, though.

“What’s
wrong?” Liam asked.

“We’re
probably walking into a lion’s den.”

“Not
you, too! There’s no sign that anyone is in there. What other options do we
have? We’ll find no one in there and have this place to ourselves, or we’ll kill
who
we need to and have it anyway. It’s that simple.”

“Forgive
me if I doubt your sudden bravery. You’re only a kid. You might have saved my
life last night, but this is going to be totally different if someone is inside.”

“Just
relax. I’m telling you that this is going to be fine.”

“All
right, but be prepared for when it’s not,” Max said and pulled his pistol as
they walked through the front doors.

Everything
looked clear. The first thing they noticed was that the backup generators were
on. The lights shined brightly, and air flowed through the vents. Best of all,
no one seemed to be around. Then again, this was a big prison, and there would
be a lot of ground to cover before they knew if they were safe. Max led Liam
through the entrance and into the first cellblock. As they rounded the corner
into another portion of the prison, Max saw his worst fears come true. Five
armed men stood in front of them, and another with nothing but a smirk looked
Max in the eyes. He had seen this type of man before. The people in front of
him were his followers, and he was drunk on power. A prisoner had become the
leader of his world after the apocalypse.

“What
do you say you boys drop those guns, and we can have a nice talk,” the man
said.

Max
sighed. They could fight and maybe even take out a few of the men, but they would
be cut down, too. The only real option was to do what the man said.

“Drop
your gun, Liam,” Max said as he laid his on the floor.

“What?
Why are you . . .
”

“Do
what he said, son. You’ll die if you don’t,” the man said.

Liam
dropped the gun and took a step backward. He didn’t know what was going to
happen next, and he was scared. More than that, he felt ashamed. Max and Zoe
had tried to tell him things would work out this way. Why had a hot shower and
some food meant so much to him?

“All
right, gentlemen. We’re going to give you a chance to earn your lives and a
place in this group. Only the strong survive in my domain. I’m Justin House,
and depending on whether you’re a wolf or a sheep, this could be your heaven or
hell.”

Chapter 15

The Fight

Max
and Liam were taken to a cell and kept under guard for some time. While they
were sitting there, Liam turned toward him and apologized. They were probably
going to die, and this was
all his
fault.

“It’s
okay, Liam. I knew the risks when we came in here. I should’ve just said no.
We’ll find a way to get out of here alive. At least Zoe and Rebecca are safe,”
Max said.

No
sooner than he said that did he see Zoe and Rebecca being marched into the cellblock.
They were put in the cell beside them. Max couldn’t believe his eyes. Why
hadn’t they run?

“I
know what you’re going to say, but we couldn’t leave you. Zoe didn’t want to
go, and I didn’t either. We came to help, and as you can see, we landed in the
same place as you guys,” Rebecca said.

“No,
you’re in a much worse place than we are. The worst they can do to us is
end
our lives. This isn’t the place for women. You should’ve
taken Zoe and run.”

“It
wasn’t just her decision. We couldn’t leave you two. We’re in this together.
Now, how are we going to get out of here?” Zoe asked.

Max
shook his head in disbelief. Things couldn’t have been worse. He had no idea
how they were going to get out of there or if it was even possible. Something
had to be done, though. Before he could think about it any longer, Justin
walked into the room and stood in front of their cells.

“Would
you like to tell us what we’re doing here?” Max asked.

“That’s
what I’m here for. I need to fill you in on what happened here first. When the
disaster hit, the earth shook on and off for hours. Cellblock D collapsed,
killing everyone inside. Not all of them died immediately. We heard their cries
for a couple of days, but there was nothing we could do without machinery.
Thankfully, the guards let us out. Even if we’re criminals, we still deserve a
fair shake at the end of the world. At that point, the majority of prisoners
started to leave. I tried to convince them to stay. The world wasn’t safe, and
we had power and food right here. Only a select few followed my direction, and
that next day, a storm like I’ve never seen hit. It leveled the entire town,
and all that was left was this little prison. The few survivors from the town
found their way here. We had the only solid walls for miles, so it made sense.
I couldn’t help everyone, though. Only a certain kind of person is capable of
surviving the apocalypse, and I had to know that whoever joined us could pull
their weight. We have thirty members currently, and our numbers never grow past
that. It’s too many mouths to feed otherwise. Still, the strong survive in this
world, so we’re always looking for the next man up. We single out the weakest
of what we already have and pit them against whoever finds this place. So far,
no one who’s wandered up has survived. Regular people don’t stand a chance
against experienced inmates. Then again, I got the feeling that there was a
little more to you.”

“How
so?”

“You
were composed when we cornered you and the boy. You’ve faced threats like us
before.”

“I
was in prison for a while, so I know how to fight. How does this work? Do I
have to kill four people to earn our lives?”

“No.
It’s more complicated than that. Everyone here will have to prove
themselves
. Now, I’m not blind. The two women wouldn’t stand
a chance in a fight. I think we might be able to keep them on as
entertainment,” he said and smiled.

“How
about this? I don’t want your weakest man. Give me your strongest one. If I
kill him, then I get to live, and so do the rest of my friends.”

“That’s
interesting, and it’ll certainly be entertaining for us to watch Andre tear you
to pieces, but I’m not comfortable with giving you four people. Here’s the
deal. You’ll fight Andre to the death, and if you survive, I’ll let you pick
the one you love the most. That person can stay with you at all times, and none
of us will touch them. I would pick one of the women if I were you. It doesn’t
make much sense to protect the boy when he’s going to get a shot at our weakest
member. He’ll have a chance at survival while one of these other two will be
passed around like a doll until she dies.”

“You’re
going to make me fight?” Liam asked in disbelief.

“Oh,
yes. You might be young, but you’ve got the size of a young man. What are you,
5’8? I can find someone who’s close to your height and reach to make it fair.”

“He’s
a kid. Leave him out of this,” Max said.

“No
one gets to be useless here. He’ll earn his keep, or he’ll die. It’s that
simple. Now, who wants to go first? We’ll be having the first fight soon in the
dining hall. Tomorrow, the second one of you will be killed.”

“I’ll
go first,”
Max
said.

“Very
well. I’ll have some of my men come get you shortly. Do you want your friends
to watch, or should they stay here?”

“I
want them in my sight at all times, so they’re coming.”

“All
right. Let me tell Andre he’s finally going to get a shot at some fresh meat,
and then we’ll get this started.”

“Who
are you going to choose?” Liam asked.

“You’re
assuming I’ll survive. Don’t worry about me. You need to be thinking about
yourself. Apparently, you’ve got to fight, too,” Max said.

“I’ve
already accepted that I’m going to die here. The only question is who gets to
survive with you.”

“He’ll
choose Zoe,” Rebecca said.

“No,
he won’t. I . . .” Zoe managed to say before Rebecca cut her off.

“She’s
a child, Max. No one deserves to go through what’s about to happen, but I’m
asking you to choose her. I couldn’t live with myself if I knew I was the
reason she was suffering.”

Max
only shook his head. He knew that Rebecca was right. They couldn’t let a child
suffer at the hands of these sick men. It didn’t feel right to let Rebecca go
through unthinkable torture either, though. He had a plan that might fix
things, but then again, it was a long shot. Odds were that it would get him
killed, and then no one would be around to protect the others.

“What
do
I
do? I’ve been in a couple of
fights. One went pretty well. The other, not so much,” Liam said.

“This
won’t be like a normal fight. This is prison, and these men aren’t going to
fight honorably. This is about survival at all cost. You’re going to be matched
up against a grown man, and that within itself is a death sentence if you fight
him fairly.”

“Thanks
for the vote of confidence.”

“I
didn’t say you couldn’t win. You just have to be willing to do whatever it
takes to survive. Can you do that?”

“What
does that even mean?”

“It
means that you’re not looking to just punch the man you face. You’re looking to
kill him. If he leaves his head open, don’t bother punching. Go straight for the
eyes and blind him. After that’s over, get up and kick him in the face until he
stops moving. With no vision, not even someone stronger than you stands a
chance.”

“And
what if he guards his head?”

“Then
use your imagination. Sweep his leg. If he’s dumb enough, take a shot at his
groin. Odds are that
whoever
you get matched up
against will be overconfident because he’s facing a kid. Hope that he’s
arrogant and unguarded. Then make him pay for that.”

“What
if it all goes to hell? What if I can’t survive this?”

“Don’t
talk that way. You’re going to be fine,”
Zoe
said.

“No,
it’s a good question that we should all consider. I don’t want anyone here
giving up before it’s their time, but struggling when you have no chance can
lead to more suffering than is necessary. If he’s on top of you, and you’re
getting pounded to the point to where all you want to do is die, then it’s as
simple as letting go. Stop guarding, and let him take some shots at your head.
Odds are that you’ll black out after a minute or two, and it’ll be over. I
can’t stress this enough, though. That’s not a situation you can believe is
going to come true, or it will. You have to go into this knowing you can kill
whoever they throw at you,” Max said.

“How
could
I know something like that? I’m
fourteen. Do you think anything in my life has prepared me for this?”

“I
don’t suppose it has. I’ll be honest with you. I’m scared just like you are. In
the next few minutes, I could die. I can’t let that fear conquer me, though.
I’ve got people counting on me, and so do you. We have to survive for them.”

“Everyone
would be just fine without me.”

“No,
we wouldn’t. You’re the only person even close to Zoe’s age who knows she
exists. You might be her only friend. I’m not going to lie either. Last night,
I wanted to kill you for what you did, but you’ve changed a lot in just one
day. You’ve found a reason to live, and I think you’re gaining courage by the
minute. You even saved my life. If you died in this prison, it would affect me,
too. We need you for morale, and more importantly, so you can grow into the man
this group needs.”

“All
right, I’ll do whatever it takes. Do you have any tips?”

“I’ll
talk to you tonight about everything you should do. For now, I think I need
some quiet time to plan. I’m about to be facing my test soon,” Max said and
leaned back.

Rebecca
slipped her arms through the bars and wrapped them around Max. She wanted him
to know that he was going to be okay. More than that, she needed for him to
know it was all right to choose Zoe. She wasn’t looking forward to the hell
that was about to be hers, but she could take it, if it meant that Zoe didn’t
have to. It was odd. She had never allowed herself to grow attached to anyone.
In a few short days, she had grown to love these people, though. Maybe it was
because they had already been through so much together, or maybe they were just
a dream of hers. In the back of her mind, she had always planned to have a
family
one day
. That family would consist of a man she
could love and a boy and girl. They certainly weren’t the family she had in mind,
but in this world, they were the best she was ever going to do. There was no
way she could let anyone take that family from her. At that point, they were
all she had.

“We’re
ready for you,” Justin said as he stepped back into the room.

“Who
will be escorting my friends?” Max asked.

“I’ll
have Robert do it. You shouldn’t worry about him. I don’t think he cares for
the ladies. Little boys on the other hand . . .” Justin said and smirked at
Liam.

“My
other guys will escort you to the cafeteria now. Oh, and it goes without saying
that if anyone tries something, you’ll all die. I have heavily armed men
stationed at the edge of every room. I don’t expect Max’s fight to be a fair
one, but there will be
no
interference.
Do we understand each other?” Justin asked.

Everyone
nodded, and two men led Max out of the cellblock and into the cafeteria. They
had cleared some tables out so they would have space to fight in. Men stood at
every corner of the room with smiles on their faces. This was a sport for them.
In fact, it might have been the only entertainment they had left. Max looked
back to the entrance to see Robert escorting the others inside. He was the only
one who didn’t have a smile on his face. In fact, he seemed like something was
wrong. Max didn’t know how, but this guy was different than the others. Maybe
he could exploit that.

“Fellow
inmates, I’ve brought you some entertainment tonight. We have a man before us
who is fighting for the freedom of
himself
and one
more loved one. He’ll have to go through Andre if he wants to live, and I think
you all know what that means. Enjoy,” Justin said and stepped out of the
cafeteria.

Max
thought it was odd that Justin was leaving. If he was running this operation, then
why didn’t he want to watch like the others? Was this just something to keep
the people under him satisfied? Before he could come up with any other
theories, his opponent walked into the room. The man was truly massive. He was
only slightly above average height, but it was obvious that he had seen a
weight room. In fact, Max suspected that he must have spent the last ten years
in one. For a moment, he panicked and lost his breath. Was this it? Was he
actually going to die tonight? He looked over at Rebecca and the others and saw
the fear in their eyes. They just knew he was going to die, and all of their
hope would be gone with him. Zoe would be in the same boat as Rebecca, and Liam
would have no one to tell him what to do in his fight. Max couldn’t let that
happen. He had to survive this fight and follow through with his plan. Andre
nodded at him, and they stepped toward each other. Max had a renewed sense of
determination. Nothing was going to stop him from winning this fight.

Max
came at him aggressively, and Andre threw a haymaker that landed to his temple.
The blow lifted him off the floor, and he fell back onto a table. Plates and
silverware went everywhere. Max discretely grabbed a knife off the floor and
slipped it into his pocket. Then he pulled himself up. He had two choices now.
He could bury that knife into Andre’s gut and claim victory, or he could save
it for someone who might need it much more than him. While he was trying to
make up his mind, Andre smiled and came at him. Max sidestepped him and backed
to the other side of the room. Boos resonated throughout the cafeteria. No one
wanted to see him run. They wanted to see someone’s face get bashed in. It was
time to give them what they wanted. When Andre came at him again, he stepped to
the side and narrowly avoided an incoming blow. Instead of backing away,
however, he punched with all he had. As Andre turned around, Max’s fist
connected hard to his chest. It took his breath away, and Andre fell to his
knees. Max knew he had him now. It was time to show Liam a live demonstration
of how to fight dirty. He leapt onto Andre and buried his thumbs into his eyes.
Andre swung wildly and even connected with Max a few times, but he wasn’t
backing off. This had to end now. After a couple of minutes, Andre’s sight was
gone. Max stood and delivered the first of many kicks to his head. He kicked
until his enemy was completely motionless. Then he took a breath for just a
couple of seconds and continued. He had to make sure that Andre was dead. When
very little remained of his face and there was no longer any doubt about it,
Max fell back to the floor and panted. He was exhausted, and Andre had gotten
in a few good hits. Max suspected that his nose was probably broken, and his
left eye didn’t feel very good. He imagined that he was going to be sporting a
black eye the next day. That wasn’t what he was concerned with, though. He had
a choice to make now.