The Divide: Origins (16 page)

“I’ve
been told to ask you
who
we should spare. Then you’ll
be taken to the boss. I promise that whoever you choose will come to no harm,”
Robert said.

“And
what about the other person?” Max asked.

“No
one will be harmed tonight, but whatever woman you don’t choose will be at the
mercy of the men in this prison after tomorrow.”

“Everyone
except for you, right, faggot?” Max heard a man joke.

Robert
didn’t respond. He only waited for what Max would say. It was clear that Robert
wasn’t among friends, though. Max knew he could use that. Now all he needed was
an opportunity to do it.

“Zoe
will be safe. You’ll take her to my cell and lock her inside it. Only I will
have access to her. Do we understand each other?” Max asked.

“We
do. Someone will escort you to Justin while I take the prisoners back.
Congratulations. You’re one of us now,” Robert said and escorted the others out
of the room.

Within
a few seconds, two prisoners told Max to follow them. They took him to what likely
used to be the warden’s office. When he went inside, he found Justin sipping on
some whiskey and leaning back like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“So
you actually survived,” he said in surprise.

“I
did whatever it took. Why didn’t you stay and watch? This is your prison now,
isn’t it? I thought the fights were your idea.”

“They
were, but they’re not for the reasons I told you before. I have to keep these
people happy. The people who survived were murderers and rapists. Everyone but
Robert is sick . . . and depending on
who
you ask, he
might be the sickest of all of us. I have those so called
games
to give them entertainment, and I’m giving them one of the
females to fill a more primal need of theirs.”

“And
what about your needs?”

“My
only need is to be in control. Before all this happened, I was sitting on death
row. I was a serial killer who had more than a dozen victims. I loved my
process. I controlled who lived and died. I was always in control until the
state took that from me. The apocalypse gave me back what was mine, though. I
don’t like to watch others kill. I like to be the one doing it. I’ve never
really understood sex either. It’s a requirement to keep them happy, though.”

“Why
do you care so much if they’re satisfied?”

“It’s
simple. I can survive here, and those people will follow me. If a few of them
come up missing every once in a while to fill my urges, then so what? You can’t
blame a shark for showing its teeth, can you?”

“You’re
sick.”

“Aren’t
we all? I suggest you get back to your cell. Robert will see to it that you and
your friends get a shower and a hot meal. You’ve earned your place here, Max,
and you might even be our strongest member. You need to be prepared for the
worst, though. That boy is going to die tomorrow, and the woman will get passed
around to every man in here until she begs for us to kill her. I’ll be the one
to grant her that mercy, fulfilling my needs in the process. Let’s be honest,
too. After she’s gone, you won’t be able to protect the other one. You’re
strong, but you’ve got to decide something right now. Are you a wolf who can
thrive in my paradise, or are you a sheep who’s going to fold as soon as he
loses the people around him?”

“I’m
a wolf, and you need to watch your back. I was in prison because I killed my
wife. If I’ll do that, you can bet I won’t hesitate to slit your throat.”

“Be
careful who you threaten. You only think you know darkness now. Wait until you
see the true face of evil,” Justin said with a smirk.

It
was at that moment when Max knew they were in trouble. Even if he could find a
way to get them through the next day and they were accepted into this group,
everyone in that prison was going to die. It was only a matter of time.

Chapter 16

A Hasty Plan

Max
was escorted back to his cell where he found Zoe and Liam waiting. Rebecca had
been isolated from them in the next cell. It was clear that there was nothing
they could do for her. Still, Max knew he had to think of something. As the men
who escorted him left, he turned his attention to the last person who remained
in the room. Robert was about to walk out when Max got his attention.

“Wait
a minute. Can I speak with you for a second?” Max asked.

“Sure.
What do you want to know?”

“Why
are you here? You clearly don’t belong. I could tell you’re not sick like the
others.”

“Not
everyone here is sick. I’ll give you that the majority is, but we don’t all
approve of Justin’s methods. As for why I’m here, where else would I go? You’ve
seen the outside. This is the only choice I have.”

“What
if we could give you another one? If you get us out of here, we’ll leave this
town together. We were on our way to Texas before this happened. We have a
place that’s safe there. What do you say?”

“I
don’t believe you. Why would you help me? I’m one of the people who put you in
this place.”

“Because
you’re never going to be one of them. I know how they talk about you, and I
know exactly why. Here’s the thing. In this world, I don’t care what your
sexual orientation, gender, or race is. It’s us against whatever the world
decides to throw at us next. Survival requires us to stick together, and these
guys are never going to defend you. When it comes down to it, if they ever have
to sacrifice someone, it’ll be you. Besides, everyone in this place is going to
die within a few months.”

“Why
would you say that?”

“I’m
sure you know what Justin is. I’ve been around a few men like him. For them,
killing is like a drug. He’ll kill again, and someone in this place will be the
victim. That process is going to repeat until one of you takes him out or
everyone is dead. He said as much when we talked a few minutes ago.”

Robert
didn’t look surprised. He had suspicions about Justin all along. The strangest
part of this conversation wasn’t them talking about a serial killer or the
possibility of escaping. It was that someone was talking to him as an equal.
His sexual orientation had always defined him. Most assumed because he was gay
that he had committed a sexual crime, but he was in prison for drug charges. No
one valued him there, and he had been looking for an opportunity to slip away
from the start. Was this his chance?

“I’ll
think about it. We can’t escape tonight anyway. It’s too cold, and we’ve
scouted the area for miles. Everything is just ruins. It’s ironic that the only
people God spared for miles were inmates. You get the kid ready to fight, and
if he survives and I can come up with a good plan, I’ll help you guys. I was
supposed to wait until a little later, but you four look like you could use a
shower. I’ll escort you. Just don’t try anything funny,” Robert said.

They
were escorted to the bathroom and treated to something that was starting to
feel like a luxury. Hot water had never felt so amazing. Rebecca and Zoe took
one side of the shower, and Max and Liam took the other while Robert stood
watch over all of them. On some level, it should have been awkward, but with
everything that had happened over the last few days, they were just thankful
for this small mercy.

Once
they were back in their cells, Robert brought them some food. It wasn’t exactly
the best thing they had eaten, but it was nutrition. When they were finished
and Robert had left the room, Rebecca asked Max a difficult question.

“Do
you think we can count on that guy to help us? I really don’t want to find out
what they have in store for me,” she said.

“I
don’t know. I want to tell you yes, but I can’t be sure. All I know is that
he’s seriously considering it. If he wasn’t, I don’t think he would’ve gone out
of his way to make us feel comfortable. We might be his new group, so he’s
making a good impression,” Max said.

“That’s
what I think. If there’s a way out of here, he’ll come through,” Zoe said.

“Can
we trust him, though? He’s a prisoner, and he’s not like us . . . if you know
what I mean,” Liam said awkwardly.

“I
don’t get the impression that he’s a threat to anyone, and we don’t have the
luxury of picking our friends based on their lifestyle anymore. It really is
like I said. Nothing matters but survival in this world, and he might be the
key to ours. That’s all we need to know, and if he actually comes through,
we’ll at least owe him a trip to Texas,” Max said.

“What
does it matter who or what he is, if he helps us get out of this place?” Zoe
asked.

“I
guess you two are right. I’m just trying to cover all the angles here,” Liam
said.

“The
only angles you need to be covering revolve around your fight tomorrow. I
grabbed something in the kitchen during mine that’ll even the odds for you. Take
this,” Max said and handed him the knife he snagged earlier.

“How
did you get this?” Liam asked.

“When
that guy knocked me into the tables, I grabbed it. Do you know what to do with
it?”

“Stab
him, of course.”

“It
won’t be that simple. You need to surprise your opponent. If you come at him
with it immediately, then he’ll be prepared, and he might be able to strip it
away from you. What you need to do is get close to him at the beginning of the
fight. I don’t care how. Pin him to the floor, or let him get on top of you. It
really doesn’t matter. The only thing that’s essential is that you get yourself
in a position to jam the knife into his neck. Can you do that?”

“I
think so.”

“You
can’t think here. You have to know.”

“I
do. Thanks for getting this for me. I’m nervous, but with a weapon, I should be
fine. I’ll take care of business tomorrow, and then hopefully Robert will come
through for us with something that gets us the hell out of here.”

“I’m
sure he will. Don’t concentrate on that last part, though. It’ll take care of
itself. You just do what you can to insure your own survival. That starts with
actually getting a good night’s rest. I’ll take the top bunk. Do you think you
and Zoe can squeeze in on the bottom?”

“Yeah,
we’ll be fine,”
Zoe
said, and they turned in for the
night.

Once
Max lay down, he noticed that Zoe and Liam were whispering below him. Normally,
he would have told them to be quiet, but they needed to talk. Even with a
knife, it could be Liam’s last night on earth. There was a reason Max had
suggested Zoe and Liam take a bunk together. They were young, and they didn’t
know much about each other yet, but it was clear that they had developed
something together. They needed time to talk and gain closure in case this was
the end.

He
looked over at Rebecca in the bed across from him. She was lying there
wide-awake. A lot was riding on the next day for her, too. Once he caught her
eye, they simply looked at each other with an unspoken understanding. Max was
going to find a way to keep her safe. He didn’t need words to convey that. With
that made clear, Rebecca closed her eyes and began the struggle of trying to sleep.

On
the bottom bunk, Zoe and Liam were talking about the next day. It was a
different kind of feeling for her. She wasn’t used to caring about a boy, and
there had certainly been times when she wanted to be the one to murder Liam,
but for some reason, she cared about him. That fact was scary. Would she be
able to take it if he died?

“I’m
going to be fine. I’ve got a knife, so I would have to be an idiot not to pull
this off,” Liam said.

“Yeah,
well, you might be one. It wasn’t too long ago that you wanted to die. I’m
worried about you. I don’t need you to give up tomorrow because it would be
easier. You mean something to me. Maybe you shouldn’t, but you do. You’re the
last friend I have,” Zoe said.

“That’s
not true. You have Max and Rebecca.”

“They’re
a lot older. It’s true that I think of them as friends, but it’s not the same
as with you. I know I’m probably being crazy right now because I haven’t known
you for long, but all we have left in this world is the potential for happiness
somewhere far down the line. You’re a big part of my potential future, and I
don’t want you to throw that away or give up under any circumstances. Your life
is important to me, and I hope it matters to you now.”

“It
does. I promise I’m going to come back to you. Robert will help us escape
afterward, and we’ll find that happy future in Texas. I don’t think it’s crazy
at all that I matter to you, by the way. Everything in this world moves fast
now. Any one of us could die tomorrow. If you can’t develop relationships
quickly now, then you might not ever develop them at all. I like you, Zoe. You
pulled me out of the fog I was in, so I owe you a lot. You can bet that I’m
going to be there for you as long as I can,” he said and wrapped his arms
around her. Then they kissed.

As
Zoe closed her eyes, she was at peace with the situation. Sure, it seemed like
an impossible one, but somehow she just knew that Liam would come through. They
were going to make it to Texas together, and after that, they would build a
normal life. If only things could have been that simple. Even if Liam came back
to her, nothing about their upcoming struggle would be easy.

* * * * *

The
following morning, they awoke to the sound of their cell doors opening.

“I
hope you’re ready because it’s show time,” Justin said.

Justin
and some men escorted everyone but Liam away, and then Robert started leading
him to where the fight would be. Liam was confident. He had a weapon, and
Robert was going to be their ace in the hole. Before he went into the fight, he
had to know what their new ally had come up with, though.

“So
how are we going to do this? After I kill this guy, what’s your plan?” Liam
asked.

“There
isn’t one. I thought about it, and it’s too risky. If you win, you’ll survive.
That’s all you need to concentrate on.”

“And
what will happen to Rebecca in that scenario?”

“She’ll
be raped many times over the next several days, and then one of these idiots
will probably kill her.”

“Are
you actually all right with letting that happen?”

“No,
but I’m not willing to die for a group of strangers.”

“I’m
begging you here. Please, help us. I don’t want to see her hurt, and it’ll destroy
Max and Zoe to know they allowed that to happen to her.”

“My
hands are tied. I apologize.”

“I’ll
fix this on my own then. I actually thought we had found one person in this
place who was worth a damn. I guess I was wrong.”

“Yeah,
I guess you were,” Robert said and sighed.

As
Liam was escorted outside, he hatched a plan. It wasn’t a great one, but it
would have to do. It at least gave Rebecca a chance at survival.

“Gentlemen,
I’ve prepared another round of entertainment for you today. Tonight, we’ll have
an even better form of entertainment for everybody, but until then, you’ll have
to settle for watching this boy get his brains beat in. Enjoy!” Justin said and
started to walk away.

“Wait!”
Liam shouted to him.

“What
is it?” Justin asked impatiently.

“I
want you to stay and watch what I can do.”

“Very
well. Every man deserves a last request to be granted,” he said and sat down.

Liam
looked across at his challenger. They were about the same height, but the man
outweighed him by several pounds. It was clear that in a fair fight, he would
be in trouble, but this wasn’t fair. All Liam had to do was bury his knife into
the man’s neck, and he could go to the next phase of his plan. That’s when
things would get complicated.

The
man came at him. Liam didn’t even move. He let him tackle him to the ground,
and while the prisoner sat atop his chest, Liam reached into his pocket and
grabbed the knife. The man was able to deliver one good blow to Liam’s face
before he reached up and plunged the knife into the side of his neck. Blood
spurted out of it, and Liam threw the guy off him. Then he pulled the knife out
and stabbed him two more times. It was done. He looked over at Justin to see
him applauding. The other inmates seemed to be entertained as well. This was a
sick place.

“That
was truly a display. The best is yet to come, though. Tonight we’ll have
entertainment of the female variety. We . . .” Justin managed to say before
Liam interrupted him.

“I
want to fight for Rebecca’s guaranteed safety. Will you allow it?” Liam asked.

“Are
you a fool? You just survived a life or death event, and you want another?”

“I
do. Will you allow me to fight on her behalf?”

“Don’t
do this, Liam. You’ve got to live,” Rebecca said.

“I
will. Just trust me. This is what has to be done.”