The Divide_Legacy

by Mitchel Grace

  “I don’t care about any of that, but someone like you might. You’ve given your life to commanding an army that is now defeated. That will be your legacy unless you write a new chapter. Kill me, and even if you die, you’ll live forever in the pages of history. What do you say? Will you trade my daughter’s life for mine and a chance to live forever?” Alex asked as he reached Aiden.

  “I will,” he said and pushed Veronica out of the way. Then he pointed his gun straight at Alex’s head.

  As soon as Veronica was clear, Alex didn’t waste any time. He ducked just as the killing shot was fired. It missed him only by a few inches, and Alex pulled the old knife that Jake had given him so long ago from his pocket, opened the blade, and plunged it into Aiden’s chest. As they went to the ground, a shot rang out, and Alex felt a blistering pain in his own chest. He had been shot!

  Aiden laughed hysterically as Alex fell off him. The knife had hit its mark, burying into Aiden’s chest and piercing an artery. He would be dead in minutes, as would Alex in all likelihood. As Alex gasped for air and stared at the horrified faces of those he loved, Aiden spoke.

  “So this is how it’ll be written, with the mightiest of two great cities killed in the climax of battle. What an end,” he said and grinned one last time before he fell unconscious as blood began to gush from his body.

  At that point, Veronica, Lee, and Roger rushed to Alex’s side. His vision was already starting to fade, however. He was cold, and it seemed like his vision was getting narrow as the walls of death closed in. He could see their lips moving, but now Alex could no longer hear anyone. He drifted away into a deep sleep as his family screamed for him to come back. For Alex Morgan, the journey was finally finished.

  * * * * *

  Alex found that he was in a place he didn’t recognize at all. He was in the middle of a park that was greener than anything he had ever seen. Even stranger, he could see tall buildings in the distance that towered two or maybe even three times as high as Raines’s indoor city. It was dizzying, and at the same time, it was absolutely amazing. Was this death? Could the afterlife include an existence in a place that looked a lot like past earth?

  Suddenly, Alex remembered how he knew this place. Jake had stumbled upon an old museum that was still partially standing back when they worked together. At the time, Alex had no idea what the big deal was. He just wanted to get the job done and move on. What could possibly be in an old run-down building?

  The truth was that he was mostly right. Anything of value had been stripped away decades ago, but Jake did find one thing hidden behind an old dusty frame. It was a picture of Dallas in its prime before the disaster. Tall buildings stood at the center, and there was even a park in the city. Was that all this was? Was Alex just seeing some kind of hallucination before death? It seemed like the most likely scenario, but what happened next made him think twice.

  “You’ve had it rough, kid. You look worse than I did in my forties,” Alex heard a voice say. He would have recognized it from anywhere. He turned to see Jake standing behind him with a smile on his face.

  “Am I going crazy, or are you really here?” Alex asked in disbelief.

  “If you perceive that I’m here, then I guess I am,” Jake said with a grin, as if he knew something that Alex didn’t.

  “That’s not really an answer,” Alex said, slightly frustrated.

  “I suppose it isn’t, but how can I put this? Life is just a passing dream that fades away before we’re ready or even truly understand the meaning of it. Then we move onto another dream, a better one. Consciousness makes reality, so yes, at least on some level I’m here.”

  Alex wasn’t sure if Jake was the real person he had once known. How could he be? If life existed after death, then it would certainly be different than this, wouldn’t it? Alex had all but decided to throw away the notion that the man in front of him could be anything other than a figment of his dying mind trying to interpret a very complicated situation when Jake spoke again.

  “You’re going to be okay, you know,” he said.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you’re strong. You’ve still got things to do. I didn’t sacrifice myself and be written in the pages of history as a traitorous assassin for it all to go to waste because of some western city. You’ve got to restore Raines to its rightful place as the freest city in the world, and you have to live for your family. Trust me, kid. You don’t want to miss what comes next with Lee and Veronica.”

  “Will I see you again?”

  “Of course. You’ll see me, your parents, and Will. It’s just a matter of time, but don’t be in a hurry to get to the finish line. Make your time count. I know I did.”

  “But you died younger than I am right now.”

  “It’s true, but I left the fate of everyone in yours and Sarah’s capable hands. I didn’t actually do anything worthwhile, but I at least handed it off to people who could. Better yet, I helped give you a chance at the life I couldn’t have. I would say that was a life well lived.”

  A dizzy feeling overtook Alex, and he started to feel his eyelids flickering in the real world. Just before the dream world began to fade away, Alex managed to say two simple words that he had wanted to for so long. “Thank you.” Then he heard a steady beeping noise as he moved from one dream to the next.

  Chapter 26

  The Hospital

  Alex awoke to the sound of steady beeps and felt something on his finger. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was only a heart monitor, and that wasn’t the only thing that was keeping him from leaving the hospital room. An IV was in his arm, and there was a terrible pain in his chest. When he examined why, Alex saw that he was bandaged all over. That was when he remembered the shot. How could he have survived a blow like that from such a short distance? It didn’t make much sense to him, but after everything he had been through, Alex wasn’t arguing with it. He was alive, and he figured there was a reason for that. He still had work to do.

  He glanced into the corner and spied a chair with Sarah in it. She was sound asleep. Sarah’s leg was wrapped, and some crutches were beside her, but overall, she looked healthy. That was the main thing Alex had been concerned about. As long as Sarah and his children were all right, then he could have died knowing that everything was okay.

  “She’s been here from the start,” a familiar voice whispered from across the room in the adjacent bed. There was no mistaking it. That was Travis.

  “You’re alive,” Alex whispered, clearly relieved.

  “Of course, I am. I’m not going to die that easily.”

  “How did they fix you?”

  “Through surgery and a lot of medicine. The bullet ripped into some of my intestines. If you hadn’t gotten me into the city when you did, I would’ve died. They say I’m going to have to wear this for a few weeks, but after that, solid food shouldn’t hurt me too badly,” Travis said and pointed down to a bag on his side.

  “What about me? How long have I been here?”

  “Five days. They’re just about ready to let me out of here, but we didn’t know if you would ever walk out.”

  “Five days! That’s insane. Why didn’t someone wake me up before now?”

  “We tried to. You had to go into emergency surgery, and technically, you died at one point for a little over a minute. Even after the surgery, you weren’t out of the woods because you went into a coma. The doctors were always confident that you would wake up based on the fact that you had brain activity, but it was never a sure thing. You made it, though, and thanks to you, so did Veronica.”

  “Where are Veronica and Lee?”

  “Sarah sent them home. They stayed until late, and so did Roger. I think he might be more worried than anyone besides Sarah.”

  “Well, that only leaves one question. What are you doing still awake?” Alex asked as he glanced up at the clock to find that it was 3:30 in the morning.

  “I can’t sleep, or I should say I can for short periods. I get t
hese nightmares now. Hopefully, they’ll go away after I get out of this creepy hospital. They’re supposed to release me tomorrow.”

  Alex knew the nightmares probably wouldn’t leave him for a while. Anyone who saw as much death as him would have been affected. That was okay, though. As far as Alex was concerned, he was one of them now. They would get him any help he needed.

  “Oh, my God! You’re actually awake,” Sarah said as she opened her eyes and saw her husband aware and talking to Travis. Then she stood and threw her arms around him, an act that hurt Alex’s chest quite a bit.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said and looked embarrassed as Alex let out a gasp.

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry I almost left you, but I had to save Veronica. That was the only sure way to do that.”

  “I know, and I love you for doing it, but Alex, don’t ever risk your life like that again.”

  “I won’t have to soon enough. We’ll make this place impenetrable, and in the process, we can finish our addition so everyone will be safe. By the way, who’s running things if you’re here?”

  “We’re not the leaders anymore. You know that, right?”

  “I do, but if every council member is dead, and so is the acting ruler, then that only leaves us. The people respect you. They’ll follow you again if you ask them to.”

  “We agreed to leave that life behind, though.”

  “And it found us again. I’m not saying we should take power forever, just long enough to finish the addition and assure that everyone is safe. After that, we’ll hold another election for council members and one appointed person to make emergency decisions.”

  “That sounds reasonable, but we’re not doing anything tonight. You’re hurt, and I’m too tired from sitting here for days. I love you, and I’m so glad you’re still here.”

  “I love you, too,” Alex said.

  The next few days would be challenging. Alex had to go through therapy and prove it was safe to release him from the hospital. In the meantime, Sarah put some feelers out there to find out if their leadership would be welcomed. Of course, it was, and she started giving small and obvious orders. They had to get the city cleaned up first and reward those who had helped take it back. That took time, but it was in those days when she truly saw the strength of Raines. People pulled together, cleared the rubble, buried their dead, and then rebuilt.

  By the time the recovery period was over, it had already been two months. Alex had recovered completely, though he did have a nasty scar on his chest. As it turned out, an artery had been nicked in his heart, nearly killing him. If they hadn’t been only blocks away from the hospital, he would have died quickly. He was alive, though, and finally getting back into the swing of things.

  Travis led the movement to double efforts in adding the third city. Insiders weren’t very willing to up their hours for people they didn’t really know, but him spreading the word of who had taken their city back and his own effort building with the crew every day inspired others. Alex told him that he didn’t have to help. After all, he hadn’t been fully recovered for long, and he had been one of those people who took the city back, but Travis had changed. He now had a sense of what the outside world was like, and he didn’t want one more Raines citizen to go through anything like what they had seen.

  At the same time, Roger stepped in to build a new army. He found immediate success by contacting Floyd Kacey. He was a man who could inspire others, and with his help, they made every citizen see that in order to keep what had happened a few months earlier from occurring again, they had to build a strong army. Men and women volunteers poured in quickly, and even some underage kids tried to join. They would end up having to turn away a third of what applied, which was a good thing. The new army would be even bigger than the old one, and if Roger had his way about it, they would be even better trained. He was no army man, but there were several outsiders who knew exactly how to prepare anyone for life beyond the safe walls. He found the right men for the job, and within four months, they had the numbers and supplies to defend themselves from any attack.

  Meanwhile, Veronica had some work to do of her own. Watching her mother put the pieces of Raines back together had inspired her. She began to study hard to one day follow in her parents’ footsteps. Veronica wanted to work for the betterment of her city. Alex and Sarah both discouraged it, knowing how hard and unpopular ruling can make you at times, but she was unwavering, and for the first time, they started to see how the future could be. Even after they were gone, Raines would have strong leadership in their daughter.

  Lee wanted to do more than he was allowed to, but he was only seventeen. School resumed, and he eventually had to make up lost time. In a way, it felt so unimportant to him after everything he had been through. He had fought a war and been imprisoned. How would learning a little history and literature help him in the future? He stuck with it, though, and eventually graduated with honors. During that time, however, one thought never left him. Some day when everything was finished, he was going to find the girl who had caught his eye when the timing just wasn’t right for them.

  Chapter 27

  The Future

  Three Years Later

  It had been three years since the attack on Raines, and it was a very special day. The citizens of Raines were being rewarded for their hard work with a brand-new addition to the city that would accommodate everyone, and this time they didn’t plan to ever leave anyone out in the elements again because they already had plans for another addition that could be finished within the next decade. Raines wasn’t just going to be suitable for all its citizens. It was going to expand and give them a chance to grow as a people.

  On this day, Roger, Travis, and Veronica were being given the honor of welcoming the outsiders in permanently. It was a calculated move in some ways. Veronica wanted a future in politics, and being the one to lead these people into their new home would stick in their minds. She would be a face that represented hope by doing this. At the same time, Alex wanted Travis to be a part of it so he could see what all of their fighting had been for. Even with counseling, the nightmares still hadn’t left him, but Alex was sure that it would give him peace when he saw this.

  “And this is your new home,” Veronica said from outside as the gates opened.

  The people peered inside with wide eyes to see the cleanest most spacious city they had ever seen. The houses were three times the size of the huts they had on the outside, and shops were conveniently located throughout it. Tears of joy formed in many people’s eyes. For Veronica, tears started to form, too. Just seeing their faces let her know exactly why she wanted to serve. Finally, their city was whole, and Travis couldn’t have been more relieved. A part of him got it. The nightmares wouldn’t stop yet, but on some level, he knew that everything they had gone through was for a very important reason.

  “Hey, none of that,” Roger said with a grin as he wiped the tears away from Veronica’s eyes.

  “I’m sorry. It just feels like we’ve been working toward this since I was born,” she said as the three of them moved out of the way to let the citizens explore their homes.

  “We pretty much have. I can remember when the first addition was being built, and here we are with a second and planning another,” Travis said.

  “Are you sure you’re up to organizing another build?”

  “If it’ll keep the future people of Raines from having to go out there any more than is necessary, then yes. I just wonder what the long-term solution is,” Travis said and bit his lip as he thought deeply.

  “What do you mean? We’ll just keep building.”

  “It won’t be that simple,” Roger cut in before continuing. “Eventually, the amount of births per year will outnumber what we can build, and space will run short. Then we’ll have to kick citizens out. Well, it probably won’t be us because it won’t happen in our lifetimes, but someone will have to create a distinction between insiders and outsiders again.”

  “Unless we change
the rules,” Veronica said thoughtfully.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I was reading yesterday about how people used to manipulate the weather back before Ira hit Earth. If we started now, then maybe we could perfect that technology. It won’t strengthen our ozone, but if we make it rain more and have a bigger cloud cover, it will drop the temperature and at least make it more livable. Then we can build outside.”

  “I think you’re a genius. It sounds farfetched, but it might just work,” Travis said with excitement before walking away to show some citizens around the city and answer any questions they might have.

  “Do you really think he was right? I’ve been thinking about that idea for a while, but I didn’t know if anyone would like it,” Veronica said.

  “I do, and I have always thought you were brilliant. Now, let’s not worry about the future today. We’ll save the next generation when we’re running the city. Today we should enjoy all of this,” Roger said with a smile as he motioned toward the happy faces of so many Raines citizens.

  They did enjoy that day and many more afterward, but through the years a lot changed. Two years and three months from that day, Roger asked Veronica to marry him, and she said yes. Together they would go on to have one child, a little boy named Will. He was named for the uncle he never got to meet.

  In the decades that followed, Veronica was able to be the leader Raines needed on the council and even served a term as the acting ruler, though the name was outdated. No one ruled Raines anymore. The people decided what was best, and the council members simply approved what they could and provided a stable foundation for the future.

  Meanwhile, Roger continued to do work with the army and get them ready for a fight that wasn’t coming. It didn’t hurt to be prepared, but they would find that with enemies like New Vegas no longer in contact and old friends like Norak still cooperating that the only need the army had was to keep the peace between insiders and former outsiders. That had been an adjustment for everyone, and it wasn’t until around the five-year mark that it even looked like it could work, but when it finally started to, no one could have told that they weren’t always one people.