The Divide_Legacy

by Mitchel Grace

  “I’m no whore, but I did trick your son. Insiders could stand to learn a few lessons it seems.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, but he’s my responsibility, and I’ll teach him in time. I think you provided a good lesson for him tonight, so why don’t we leave it at that? Give me back his stuff and any credits you haven’t already wasted at the bar, and that’ll be the end of it.”

  “You see, I wasn’t talking about your son needing to learn a lesson. I was thinking of you. Look around at where you are,” she said and grinned.

  Alex glanced around the room to find that there were over a dozen men with their hands on their guns just ready to act if necessary. He knew where she was going with this. They were insiders, the most hated people among this group. In the past, he might have been quick to draw his gun against an insider, too.

  “These men come in here and think they can dictate how we do things. How about we teach these insiders a lesson,” Emily said, and four of the dozen men stood and drew their guns. The others stood down for now, but Alex knew given the right situation, even they would act.

  “You’re making a mistake. I wasn’t always an insider. I can fight,” Alex said.

  “Then fight old man. It’ll be the last time you do, though.”

  Alex motioned with his eyes toward the bar, and Roger got the message. They would have to be quick, but if they timed things perfectly, they might just make it out alive. In unison, they fired and jumped over the bar. Alex’s shot landed squarely to the chest of a man to their left who had his aim fixed on them. His gun went off, but the bullet went wide and nicked a bystander in the arm who had been trying to flee the bar. Meanwhile, Roger’s shot hit the shorter man who was with Emily. It was almost a point blank shot to the face, and he died instantly.

  As they landed on the other side, shots echoed, and glasses exploded on the bar as the room was filled with only the sound of gunshots and the old familiar smell of gunpowder. For a brief moment, Alex glanced over at Roger to see if he was still composed. He looked afraid, but any sane person would have been. The most important thing was that his hands seemed steady, and Alex didn’t think there was any way he was going to run.

  “Slide down to the other side, and let’s do this,” Alex said.

  He waited until Roger was on the other side of the bar, and then he listened for the sounds of movement. When he concentrated hard, he could quiet the shots in his mind and hear behind them to the shuffling of men’s feet and whispers. He had all he would need to safely take out at least a few of them. Alex blind fired in the direction of a whisper, and on the second shot heard a man cry out as a bullet buried into his gut. Then Alex dropped back down into the safety of cover and waited. He watched as Roger fired blindly, though he couldn’t tell for sure if Roger was having any luck.

  Finally, Alex calmed his mind as the shots died down. Everything was quiet, but he could hear the creaking of boards ever so slightly as men quietly moved toward the exit. That wasn’t acceptable for him. The people who stole from them couldn’t leave until they had their things back. Alex blind fired three times and heard someone cry out. Then the shots resumed, but only for a brief moment. After that, he heard a shotgun blast and the barkeep’s voice.

  “Enough! You’re not going to destroy my damned bar over some stolen property!” he shouted.

  “Well, we’re not standing up while they’re holding guns,” Alex answered.

  “The next person who fires will get a shotgun blast to the face, so if I were you I wouldn’t worry about that. We’ll settle this, but in a way that everyone doesn’t have to die. You want your stuff back, and they don’t want to give it to you. One of you can fight for it, and the winner can take what’s theirs. Good enough?” Gabe asked, knowing that this was the best outcome for everyone. His bar wouldn’t get destroyed, at least some of his regular customers would get to live, and if he played this right, there could even be an open bet on the fight at the bar. That could make some credits for him to repair the damage that had been done.

  “I’ll agree to those terms, and I’ll be the one fighting,” Alex said while standing up cautiously. He found that men were still pointing guns at him, but no one had their finger on the trigger. At the very least, that was a good sign.

  “Are you sure about that? You look a little seasoned,” Gabe said doubtfully. It was true that letting the younger man fight probably would have been the better choice, but he knew fights on the outside were usually to the death, and even when they weren’t, someone got seriously hurt. Alex couldn’t risk that happening to Roger.

  As Alex looked over toward the stairwell, he spied Sarah, Lee, and Travis looking on. The shots had awoken them, and Lee had filled them in on what had happened while leaving a few details out. It wasn’t like he wanted to tell his mother the full extent of his actions and what he had been planning to do with Emily. Sarah looked especially worried. She knew full well what Alex had been capable of in the past when it came to fighting, but that was a long time ago. She was worried about the man she loved.

  Alex didn’t need her worry now, however. All he needed was to remember how Jake and his father had taught him to fight. Winning wasn’t about form, how hard you punched, or even about how quick you were. Nothing was fair in a fight, and the man who was willing to do whatever it took to win would almost always be the victor.

  “Wes will be your opponent,” Emily said and motioned to the large dark-skinned man who was with her, only now her eyes didn’t reflect confidence or amusement.

  It was obvious why. She was hurt by the death of her other companion. Who he had been to her Alex couldn’t tell, but it was obvious by the grief in her eyes that he was more than a business associate. Had he been a lover, a brother, or maybe the type of person who needed no title to mean everything to her? In this world, the people you survived with were family more than your blood or any illusions of love. Alex hated that he had to take someone so important to her no matter who he was, but he had people to protect, too, and when Emily forced his hand, he acted.

  “Dad, I should be the one to . . .” Lee said before Alex cut him off.

  “Take him back upstairs. I’ll be fine,” Alex said confidently.

  “All right, let’s get the bets in first. The house takes a clean five percent off the top,” Gabe said with glee.

  The bets poured in, and before long, men and women had gathered on both sides of the room watching eagerly for what was to come. Alex knew what they wanted to see. It was the same thing as everyone else did out here. They wanted to see an insider bleed. He scowled, remembering how he had hated insiders so much before he met Sarah. Alex had even considered abandoning her at the beginning of their journey, but that had been in the past. Now they were making a better world for everyone back in Raines, not that these people cared. They only saw him as another weak and pampered rich insider who would easily die in a fight. Oh, how they were about to be in for a surprise, because no matter what happened, Alex wouldn’t go down easily.

  “Are you ready for this, old man?” Wes asked. It wasn’t that being in his late forties meant that Alex was that old where he came from, but here in Eden, most men didn’t live past their fifties, and by the time they reached Alex’s age, they were left with enough injuries that any strength they once had was fading quickly.

  “It’s not too late for you to walk away,” Alex offered.

  “And miss the fun? No way. There’s nothing I like better than a good fight.”

  “Then let’s do this,” Alex said and stepped into the center of the room.

  Wes came at him immediately with a rage plastered on his face. Alex only smiled, knowing what kind of man he was fighting. Wes had long arms, and he could have easily fought Alex by keeping him at a distance and pounding away at him, but he was young and entirely too eager. That eagerness would cost him.

  At the last second, Alex stepped to the side and pushed Wes right passed him. Then he retreated a few feet away and waited once again. Wes looked
a bit irritated. If there was one thing that he hated more than anything it was an opponent who wouldn’t actually fight. Alex was more than willing to fight, however, but he wanted this man reckless and frustrated when he finally acted.

  Wes came at him once again. Alex backed into a corner and at the last moment stepped left and pushed him headfirst into the wall. Then Alex retreated to the other side of the room as he heard a roar of laughter in the bar. When Wes turned around, it was clear that he was embarrassed. That shame soon turned to rage, however, as his cheeks turned blood red and he clinched his fists.

  “You made a major mistake, old man. I might have let you live before,” Wes said.

  “Oh, really, because you haven’t even touched me yet,” Alex taunted.

  That was all it took to light Wes’s fuse. He ran with full speed at Alex who once again side stepped his hasty advance and slung him into the bar, only this time Alex didn’t retreat. He placed his blows strategically, with the first connecting to Wes’s throat, nearly crushing his windpipe in the process. Now his opponent couldn’t breathe, but that wasn’t enough. Alex had to truly finish this fight. He delivered a hard knee to Wes’s groin, and as he went down to his knees, Alex hit him squarely on the bridge of the nose. The skin tore as Wes’s nose dislocated, and the bone could clearly be seen protruding out of it as blood gushed from it. For good measure, Alex delivered two hard kicks to his ribcage, bruising a few ribs and fracturing another. Then he heard exactly what he had hoped for.

  “Enough! You can have your stuff back!” Emily yelled.

  “Good. I never wanted any of this,” Alex said and took a step back. Then he heard the sound of applause. These people might have hated insiders, but if nothing else, he had earned their respect. That would be enough to keep them safe for the night.

  “Here,” she said and handed him the knife and boots. Then Emily started to hand him the credits she had left.

  “Keep them. You lost one of your own. It’s not payment, and I’m not sorry for doing what we were forced into, but maybe it’ll at least help pay for him a burial.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said without meeting his eyes.

  Alex couldn’t tell if she was truly grateful or not. He suspected that she hated him. After all, he and Roger had killed her man. How could she not, but with no other choice, she let it go.

  Alex wasn’t naïve, though. He knew that her grief would be outweighed by a need for vengeance soon enough. He had known that feeling all too well in the past, and it would be better if they were gone before revenge filled her mind and caused another fight that would end with him having to kill even more people.

  “Tell Sarah and Lee to get our things. We’re leaving,” Alex said while glancing up the stairs at Travis. He nodded and headed off.

  “Why aren’t we staying? These people don’t seem to have a problem with us anymore. In fact, it looks like they might even like you now,” Roger said.

  “Looks can be deceiving. I’m still an insider to these people. There’s a decent chance that those two will be looking for revenge before the night is over. We would win that fight, but it’s better to leave and not shed more blood when we don’t have to. Besides, who knows what could happen? One of us could be hurt.”

  “I agree, but I’ve got to say I’m impressed. I haven’t seen you fight since I was a boy,” he said with a grin.

  “Think I should go back to the fighting pit?” Alex joked.

  “I wouldn’t quit my day job if I were you, but it’s nice to know the old dog still has some fight in him.”

  “Old dog? I still move just as well as I used to.”

  “I don’t know about that, but you moved better than I would have in that situation,” Roger said as the others walked downstairs.

  They quickly walked outside and got into the truck. Then they started their journey once again, only now everyone was tired and cranky. All of this had happened because of Lee’s foolishness. Alex knew he needed to address just that, but he didn’t know how to without completely embarrassing his son in front of everyone.

  “You should have stayed,” Sarah said before Alex could think of a word to say.

  “What are you talking about?” Lee asked.

  “You would have been safer back home, and the truth is that we would have been safer, too. You could’ve gotten your father and Roger killed tonight, and what was all this for but some woman you didn’t even know. I understand being lonely, and I completely get that all of this is new to you, but if you want to survive out here, then you have to grow up quickly. I learned that the hard way my first time outside the walls, and I don’t want it to be that way for you. Just as bad, I don’t want you to have to live with getting someone you love killed.”

  “I’m sorry. I just . . .”

  “Don’t be sorry! Just be better. Your desires can’t outweigh your safety out here because everyone in this vehicle is counting on you. I’m disappointed that you would even do something like that, but I at least understand why you did, given how we’ve had to shelter you. What I don’t understand is how you could ever be so selfish, knowing that every action out here could end with one of us being killed.”

  “It’ll never happen again. I swear it,” Lee said.

  “Let’s go easy on him. I think he means it,” Roger said and patted Lee on the shoulder. Roger had always been like a much older brother to him, and even if he knew that Sarah was right, he couldn’t stand to see him so down.

  “I didn’t say all of that to make you feel ashamed, Lee. I said it so you would realize the responsibility you actually took on when you snuck into the back of this truck. This isn’t an adventure. It’s a nightmare, and the only desire any of us should have is to get Veronica back,” Sarah said.

  “I know, Mom. I’m sorry, and I’ll be what you need now.”

  That was the last of it. Alex and Sarah had never liked beating him over the head with his mistakes. All that mattered was that he truly learned a lesson, and neither of them thought that their son would be trying to pick up random women anytime soon after the night they just had. In some ways, that night might have been good. It had aged him some mentally, and now he understood the true danger that could lurk around every corner in an uncontrolled environment like this.

  “I have to say one more thing about this. I never knew Dad could fight like that. I mean, you two told me the stories, but I thought you were embellishing a bit,” Lee said after a while.

  “I agree. I was impressed, Mr. Morgan! Do you think you could teach me a few moves? We didn’t get much training in school,” Travis said.

  “Thanks to both of you, but neither of you need to worry about fighting. You’re insiders. Life is simpler back in Raines, and you’ll probably never leave the walls again in your lifetimes,” Alex said.

  “Actually, as much as I hate the idea of either of them having to fight, maybe at our next stop it wouldn’t be a bad idea to show them a few things. There’s the potential for this to get rough before it’s over, and if it does, they should be able to defend themselves,” Sarah said.

  “Okay, but just let me give you two this one tip now. It isn’t about how much you know. It’s about striking at the right time and being willing to do whatever is necessary,” Alex said.

  “But what about . . .” Travis went on with question after question. It was a welcome distraction for what was to come. They were only a day’s drive from their destination, and with no sleep, it was going to be a chore for Alex to get done. Despite that, he didn’t mind one bit. Every mile got him closer to his little girl. Soon their world would be back to normal. Alex just knew it.

  Chapter 5

  A Killer

  Alex awoke several hours later to see only desert. Travis had offered to drive because he knew that everyone else was tired. At first, Alex was a little hesitant to let him, but Travis said he had always been good with long nights, so eventually, Alex gave in. Travis might have been a coward, but at the very least, he had come in some use on th
is trip. Without some sleep, Alex wouldn’t have been able to do things the right way, and when it came to rescuing his daughter, everything had to be perfect.

  “Oh, good! You’re up,” Travis said as Alex rubbed his eyes.

  “How long was I out?”

  “Six hours. We were starting to get worried. We’re almost there, and we don’t have much of a plan,” Sarah said.

  “Did you at least get some sleep?” he asked.

  “A little. It was hard to with everything that’s going on,” she said sadly.

  Most people wouldn’t have been able to pick up on her sadness. After all, Sarah was trying to hide it. She thought that she needed to seem strong. If she didn’t, how would Lee react? Alex could see straight through her, however. His wife was hurting. He silently laid his hand on hers as if to say I’m right there with you, and then he proceeded to tell everyone exactly what they needed to do.

  “This is going to be extremely simple and complicated at the same time,” Alex said.

  “What do you mean?” Roger asked.

  “Our plan will be simple, but nothing about what’s going to happen will be. We’re roughly an hour out from our destination, and we’re going to stop about a mile short of it. From there, we’ll approach it on foot and surprise them with an attack. Aim carefully, but don’t hesitate. Make sure you don’t hit Veronica, but every other person should be dead by the time we’re done.”

  “That doesn’t sound like much of a plan,” Travis commented nervously.

  “I’ll admit that it isn’t much of one. I have no idea what kind of firepower they’ll have or what this place looks like, and there won’t be a way to know until we get there. A bullet has always been enough for my enemies, though, and if you keep your head low and shoot straight, it’ll be enough for you. I promise.”

  “O . . . okay,” Travis stuttered, still sounding afraid.

  He wanted for Alex to say he didn’t have to go. In fact, he would have given anything to have heard those words, but they weren’t coming. Alex and Sarah needed every available person, and who knew? Lee had learned a hard lesson recently that no doubt had helped him grow up quickly. Maybe all it would take was one fight for Travis to find his courage.