“What are you two doing in here?” Vincent asked as he and Stanley stepped into the kitchen.
The first thing Stanley noticed was that Jerome had stolen his weapon. Vincent had left the shotgun in the living room, too. They were no longer in a position of power, and Jerome wasn’t exactly his biggest fan.
“We’re eliminating burdens,” Jerome said and turned to face Vincent.
He fired a shot through his chest and then turned his attention to Stanley.
“You don’t have to do this, man. You know you’re going to need someone like me before it’s over. I’m all for eliminating burdens, and Vincent was probably one, but I think you know I’m not like him,” Stanley said.
“You’re right. You would pull your weight. I’ve been waiting too long to do this, though,” Jerome said and fired a single shot into his head.
He looked down at Vincent. He was struggling for air. The bullet hadn’t done the job, but it would soon enough. He could lie there and drown in his own blood for all Jerome cared. He wasn’t wasting another bullet. As far as he could tell, they were probably going to need every bullet they could find.
“Why did you do that? We could’ve used them,” Max said.
“They jumped me my first week. I’ve been waiting for a chance to kill them since then. Besides, they’re just two more mouths to feed. We can survive this, but getting rid of more people than are absolutely necessary has to be done. We’ll take the girl home, but understand one thing. We’re not picking up or helping anyone once we’re on the road. We can’t afford to.”
“I’m not even sure we should give this place up.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, it’s warming up. Before long, it could be unbearable. We need to find somewhere with electricity so we can keep cool.”
“And where would that be? I’m sure the earthquake took down all the power lines.”
“We need to find a generator. That means we’ll be looking at new places, and I’m not dragging a generator back here when we’re done. We’ll take that property and hide out there until we figure out what we ultimately need to do.”
“It sounds like a good plan.”
“It’s all I’ve got. If you’re taking that girl home, you should do it now. I’ll get some food from the pantry and gather anything that looks salvageable.”
Max nodded and walked over to Vincent. He had stopped twitching, and his eyes were closed. As Max fished the keys out of his pocket, he couldn’t help but feel a weak pulse persisting. Somewhere in a dark corner of his mind, Vincent was still suffering. It wouldn’t be long, though. Max contemplated grabbing a knife from a kitchen drawer and ending his suffering, but there was no time for that. Jerome had given him an opening to get Zoe to safety. He needed to take it before he changed his mind. Besides, Vincent didn’t deserve any less than what he was receiving after what he had done the night before. In fact, neither did Jerome, but he was the one with the gun.
After they made their way outside, Max noticed that the heat had intensified even more. He was worried. It was like something out of a science fiction novel. He had read so many things about the Earth being polluted to the point that temperatures would be unlivable. Some of it was fiction, and the rest were scientific projections for their future, but this world wasn’t some story or prediction. It was very real, and by that afternoon, he had no idea if they were going to be alive. From what he could tell, they might just be cooked by the unforgiving sun.
“No one’s going to make it through this, are they?” Zoe asked after they had gotten into the truck.
“We’re going to make it. Everything has changed, but we’ll adjust. That’s what humans have been doing for years.”
“You don’t have to lie. I was lectured about global warming just like everyone else. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but here we are with an uncontrollable climate, crazy storms, and soon enough, an unlivable world.”
Max didn’t say anything. He had come to the same conclusion, but how was he supposed to tell Zoe that she and everyone she loved would probably be dead within the next few days?
“You don’t have to say it. I know that’s what you really think. No one could come to a different conclusion. Let me ask you something, though. If we’re all going to die anyway, why did you save me back there?” she asked.
“I had to do something right. Now, where am I going?”
She told him where to go, and then there was a silence in the car. Max knew he should say something, but he didn’t know what that was. In truth, he was in shock about everything around him. It seemed like a dream he should wake up from soon, but that wasn’t going to happen, no matter how much he needed it to. This was life now.
“What do you mean by something right?” Zoe asked.
“I told you I killed my wife and failed to protect my little girl. Then there was last night. I didn’t have the gun. I let them hold onto the weapons, and everyone in that house but you died. It doesn’t help that I completely misjudged Jerome either,” Max said and scowled.
“The guy who tried to kill me?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He was in prison for molesting a little girl. He said he didn’t do it, and I believed him. Last night was an eye opener, though. He killed your friend, and I never expected it.”
“For what it’s worth, none of that was your fault. You weren’t in a position of power, so you didn’t help. You can’t be held responsible for their actions. You saved me when you got the chance. That counts for something. As for your wife, plenty of people would’ve lost it, if they walked in to see that.”
“Thanks, but it doesn’t absolve me of anything. It’s just why I wanted to do one good thing. You’re taking this well, though. You just saw your friend and her entire family die. How are you not losing it?”
“I think I’m in shock. Look around. There’s death everywhere. Maybe I just can’t process it all.”
As Max examined his surroundings, he noticed how right she was. Many houses had been destroyed by the earthquake, and there were dead people lying out in the streets. Some had died during the disaster, but most had likely suffered worse ends. A rush for supplies and shelter was on. He imagined that neighbors were turning against each other in a panic. People’s morals didn’t matter anymore. All that was of value now was survival. This disaster was a social scientist’s dream. Were men more than animals? Did they have a conscience that would dictate acts of kindness and love even at the worst of times, or were they truly living in a dog eat dog world where man was nothing more than a beast doing whatever he could to survive? For that matter, where did a man like him fit in all of this? He was worried about a girl he barely knew. If he was in a world of wolves, odds were that he was a sheep.
“Is this it?” Max asked as he pulled into the driveway.
“Yeah. Thanks for getting me out of there alive. I think you should get away from Jerome. You may have been locked up with him, but it’s clear you don’t belong with people like that,” she said and got out of the truck.
Max knew he should just drive away. He had taken Zoe home, so his job was done. Something stopped him, though. He had a bad feeling, and he wanted to see this through. Max got out and walked to the door. Just as he reached it, he heard Zoe scream. He ran inside to discover a sight that changed everything about his plans with Zoe. Two people lay dead in the living room floor. Based on their ages, he could guess who they were. These were Zoe’s parents. They had been shot multiple times, and as he looked around, Max noticed that a lot of things seemed to be missing. The kitchen had been raided, and every drawer throughout the house had been flung open in an effort to loot anything of value.
“We have to go. You don’t need to see this,” Max said as he pulled her up from her dad’s side.
“Get the hell away from me! Men like you did this! They were good people. My mom and dad would’ve given anyone who needed help shelter. Some piece of shit just walked in here and
took everything away from us, though, without even thinking to ask for it or what the consequences would be for somebody. Don’t you understand, Max? If this is the world we’re living in, it might have been better for your friend to shoot me back at the house. You just need to leave. Staying here won’t help you or me. We’re all going to die anyway,” she said while trying to hold back tears.
“I’m not leaving until you come with me. You’re right. We’re probably going to die, but the only chance we have of survival is through banding together. One person can’t make it in this world anymore. You know that.”
“So what? You have Jerome, and if I go back with you, he’ll just end up killing me like he did my friend.”
“I won’t let him. Please, just come with me.”
“I’m not leaving. Don’t you understand? I didn’t ask for you and your friends to walk in last night and kill the people I loved, and I certainly didn’t ask you to practice being a hero on me. If you want redemption, good for you, but I’m not going to be your ticket to it. There might not even be redemption for an asshole like you who stabs his wife nearly a hundred times. You might just burn in hell, no matter what you do, so stop trying to make me your redemption. It’s not worth it, and I don’t want your charity.”
“I’m still not going anywhere.”
“Damn it! Just go!” Zoe yelled before sitting back against the wall and sobbing.
Max simply sat beside her and wrapped one arm around her. Some of the things Zoe said were hurtful, but he could see straight through her words. She was just a kid who was hurting. Were his actions with her going to redeem him? No, but this was about more than that now. Before Max was known as a murderer, he was a normal and compassionate person. Something about Zoe reminded him of who he was before his family died. That was worth holding onto.
“Let’s just get out of here,” Zoe said and dried her eyes.
“All right,” Max said and pulled her up.
As they were walking to the door, something occurred to Zoe that might change their fortunes.
“We have a storage building in the backyard. There’s a small generator and an old air conditioner out there. Maybe the people who did this didn’t take them,” she said.
“They probably took everything, but it’s worth a look. Thank you.”
Zoe showed him to the storage building, and when they opened it, one thing became clear. Odds were that the thieves hadn’t taken much of anything from there because the room was packed full of junk. It seemed impossible to find anything. After searching for several minutes, Max finally found the items he was looking for, though. A small generator and an air conditioner were tucked away in the corner under several other things. He was even able to find a gas can that had a little left in it.
“I’ll trade you those for a favor,” Zoe said.
“What favor?”
“I need you to dig two holes,” she said and grabbed a shovel.
“I would’ve done that for free,” Max said and took it.
As he dug, the temperature rose. He didn’t know exactly how hot it was getting, but it was the hottest day he had ever experienced. By the time he was done, Max was exhausted. They needed to move quickly, however, so there was no time to rest. He asked Zoe to go upstairs and see if there was anything usable that the thieves might have missed. While she did that, he grabbed her parents’ bodies and laid them in the ground. Once he started filling in the graves, she came outside with a small backpack. Zoe immediately dropped it and walked over to him.
“Stop! I’ve got to . . . I have to . . .” she said before turning away from the graves and running back inside.
Max did the only thing he could and filled the graves in. By the time he was done, they had been gone for several hours. Jerome was probably thinking they had abandoned him. It was time to go. As he was walking inside, he spied the backpack that Zoe left. He picked it up and went through it. It didn’t contain anything that was useful. It was strange to think about the things that people find valuable in a situation like this, though. Zoe had grabbed old photos and books that were absolutely meaningless in their new reality. Then again, they were the only things she had connecting her to the old one. Perhaps they were the most important things in a world gone mad. They could serve as a reminder that not everything was always terrible.
He found Zoe waiting on him in the truck and handed her the backpack. She looked a little confused.
“There isn’t anything valuable in there. You should’ve just left it,” she said.
“I looked through it, and I’m not sure we agree. There are quite a few links to your past in there. That’s worth hanging onto. Can I ask you something?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Why did you want me to stop in the backyard?”
“I wanted to say some last words. I don’t know. I just thought I would have something memorable to say that would serve as a proper goodbye to my parents, but I had nothing. I’ve lived almost fourteen years on this earth, and I still have no idea how to express myself.”
“I don’t think that’s true. No one knows what to say in moments like that. I was sitting beside my mother when she died, and I knew I was supposed to say something to make it easier for her, but I had nothing. I was so consumed by my grief that words just weren’t an option. I tortured myself over that for years. I finally realized that what I said at the end didn’t matter. She knew I loved her. I had said it many times. Nothing I forgot to say at the end could change what she already knew. Just between us, what did you want to say?”
“I wanted to find a way to put into words what they meant to me. I just didn’t realize until I tried that it was impossible to do that. Some things just can’t be said.”
“I agree. So you said you were almost fourteen. I don’t know how you’re doing as well as you are for someone so young.”
“I’ll be fourteen in three days. I’m not holding up well. I’m just good at hiding it. I’m really sorry about the things I said back there. You’re not beyond redemption or like the people who killed my parents. You’re not an asshole either. I don’t normally curse very often. I only do it when I would rather be mad than cry, which happens to be quite often lately.”
“I get it. Things are going to get better, though. We just need to . . .” Max managed to say before he noticed something disturbing about their destination.
A new car was sitting in the driveway where they had left Jerome. Max had a tough choice to make. Odds were that thieves were raiding the house, and Jerome might already be dead. It would be so easy to leave him, especially with what Jerome had done the night before. Still, Jerome had kept him safe in prison. Didn’t he owe him this much?
His decision had been made. Max was going into what would be the most dangerous situation he had ever been a part of without a weapon or much chance at survival. It was going to be a life changing experience that would leave quite a few people dead in the process. That was the day when Max truly understood what it would take to survive in the new world.
Chapter 4
The Storm
Max snuck around to the back of the house. He could enter through the back door, but odds were that someone would hear him. It might be safer to try the upstairs. There was a balcony just above him. He jumped up and grabbed it. Then he pulled himself up and checked the door. It was unlocked.
Once he was inside and his eyes had adjusted to the darkened room, Max saw that he was in a bedroom. The girl from the night before lay dead on the bed. The scene told the story of what happened to her. She was naked, and a pillow was covering her face. The thought of what happened there made him shudder. She was just a girl. Rape and murder were always wrong, but when the victim was a child, it was worse to Max. For a moment, he considered leaving Jerome to whatever fate he had coming. Didn’t he deserve it? This was the destruction that Max had to look forward to if he saved him. Jerome was obviously sick. What if he went after Zoe? Would Max be able to stop him? Jerome was younger and
much larger.
“You are going to regret this when I get loose!” he heard Jerome yell from downstairs, rousing him from his thoughts.
Whether it was what he should have done or not, his body reacted on instinct. He snuck downstairs and made his way to the living room. He could see Jerome tied to a chair in the kitchen. A man was standing guard over him, but Max knew he couldn’t be alone. Someone would be gathering supplies while he was watching Jerome. Where was this other guy, though? The answer to that came when he heard a door shut in a bedroom down the hall. Max stealthily moved toward the hallway and listened for any sign of his enemy. He heard a man going through drawers in the next room. It was now or never. He had the element of surprise, and he couldn’t afford to waste it. Max stepped out from behind the wall and quietly walked to the next room. The man never even saw him. He was too busy looking for anything that could help them survive. Just as Max stepped behind him, the man heard him. It was too late, though. Max wrapped his arm around his neck and took him to the floor. It made plenty of noise.
“Are you okay in there?” his partner yelled.
Max didn’t give him a chance to answer. In a quick motion, he turned his neck sideways, snapping it in the process. Then he examined his enemy. He had a gun on his side. Max grabbed it and started walking toward the kitchen. As soon as the last thief was in view, Max shot without even thinking. The bullet struck him in the chest, and he hit the floor. He gasped for air, but it didn’t take long for him to die.
“Where have you been?” Jerome asked in frustration.
“We ran into some problems at Zoe’s. Her parents are dead, and she’s staying with us.”
“Are you crazy? A little girl is not coming with us. We don’t have time to babysit her. It’s getting hotter, and if we don’t find an air conditioner, we’re going to die.”
“Don’t be dramatic. Zoe gave us a generator, some gas, and an air conditioner. They were at her house, and we brought them back here, so she stays. Besides, based on what I saw upstairs, it seems like you like little girls a lot . . . maybe a little too much,” Max said in disgust.
The Divide: Origins Page 3