“Please! You’re not judging me right now. We had all been in prison for a long time. We had to kill those people anyway. What was so wrong with having a little fun after she was dead? The same rules don’t apply anymore. This isn’t the society we once knew, Max.”
“You’re right about that. It’s not the same. We don’t follow other people’s rules here. We follow mine because I just saved you, and I have the gun. Zoe stays, and if you lay one hand on her, you’ll die.”
“How could you threaten me after all we’ve been through?”
“Easily. You think the state of the world gives you the right to kill and rape whoever you want. It’s like a free pass for you, but I’m here to tell you it’s not. In your worldview, those people were justified in tying you up and trying to take our things. They would’ve even been justified in killing you.”
“That’s different, and you know it.”
“I don’t see how. Just agree that you’ll do what I say from here on out.”
“Fine. Untie me, and get the air conditioner in here. Then I’ll do anything you want.”
Max got him loose, and then he found all the guns in the house. He didn’t want Jerome to have one. After that, he told Jerome to retrieve their supplies and tell Zoe to come inside. Jerome decided to give their new partner some advice during that time.
“Max wants you to go inside. Before you do, though, I think you should know something. I’m going to be running things. If you want to stay alive, you’ll do what you’re told. All it’ll take is one time of you getting in my way or complaining about a single thing I do, and I’ll kill you. Do we understand each other?” Jerome asked.
“I completely understand. You killed Jessica, and now you think I’m scared of a pathetic piece of garbage like you. I’m not her, and if you even so much as come close to me, I’ll cut a certain body part off while you’re sleeping.”
“Be careful. I can kill you now.”
“Try. The fallout with Max would be disastrous, and if you made the mistake of not getting the job done, I really would make good on my promise. I might anyway,” she said and walked into the house.
Zoe let out a sigh and tried to catch her breath. She had looked brave while talking to him, but the truth was that she was scared of Jerome. When it came down to it, she knew he was probably going to be the one to kill her. Still, she had to get her bluff in, and she really did mean it. If he touched her, she was going to make sure he never had the urge to touch anyone again. It wasn’t any more reassuring that the first thing she noticed was Max carrying bodies out of the house. The situation seemed impossible. How long could they live this way? Sooner or later, the weather or a thief would kill them. That was if Jerome didn’t do it first.
After Jerome had gotten everything inside, they hooked the air conditioner up and got the generator running. Then they felt cool air for the first time in what seemed like forever. Max would have never thought it, but a small air conditioner was like heaven for them.
“How hot do you suppose it is out there? It feels like hell now,” Max said.
“I have no idea. Maybe 115,” Zoe guessed.
“It’s hotter than that. I lived in Texas at one point when I was a teenager. I’ve felt temperatures of up to 110. I would guess 130. That sounds nuts, but it’s probably true,” Jerome said.
“I agree. What time do you suppose it is?” Max asked.
“One second, and I can tell you,” Zoe said as she pulled a phone out of her bag and turned it on.
“Wait a second. Why did you bring a phone? You know it’s going to die, right?” Jerome asked.
“Of course I do. I figured I would turn it on once a day for a couple of minutes to see some pictures I have on it until it finally dies. Besides, it came in handy right now. It’s 12:37.”
“Is that all? It feels like it should be night by now.”
“It’s the heat. It’ll wear you out. Plus, we’ve all experienced the worst two days of our lives. That’s enough to wear anyone down,” Max said.
The others nodded. It had been rough. They had seen the world pushed to the brink of destruction, murdered people, Zoe had found her parents dead, and now they were huddled around an air conditioner so the heat didn’t kill them. As they sat there, Mother Nature decided to throw them one more curveball. The wind started to pick up, and the rain began. It was light at first, but then the storm turned violent. Within thirty minutes, wind was whipping around the house at extreme speeds, and the rainstorm was absolutely blinding.
“This planet truly has gone crazy,” Max said as he stared out the window.
“We’ll be fine. It’s just a thunderstorm and a little wind. It’s nothing compared to the heat. Maybe this will actually cool things off,” Jerome said.
Zoe, however, didn’t look convinced. It was obvious that she was terrified. As lightning struck in the distance, she jumped and let out a sigh.
“You’re scared of storms, aren’t you?” Jerome asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
“This is ridiculous. If you’re scared of something this simple, then you don’t have a chance at survival. We should just . . .”
“Jerome, that’s enough. Come with me, Zoe,” Max said and led her upstairs.
“What are we doing up here. The air conditioner’s downstairs, and . . .” she managed to say before Max interrupted her.
“Jerome’s going to be a problem, isn’t he?”
“He’s a pedophile who indiscriminately kills people. What do you think?” Zoe asked sarcastically.
“I think I just killed two people today without thinking about it. I also think that I’m going to have to kill my cellmate before this is over. The worst part is that I believe your fears about this storm are justified,” Max said as the wind picked up.
It was pounding the house so hard that it was hard to hear anything besides the blistering wind. Max didn’t want to say it, but he thought they were going to die there.
“I’m sorry you had to kill those people. For what it’s worth, I know you’re a decent man. I don’t think you would’ve killed them if you didn’t have to. Besides, they were thieves who were probably going to kill a lot of people in their lives. They might even have been the ones who murdered my parents. I think you did the world a service by getting rid of them. You could’ve let them take care of Jerome first, but otherwise, good job,” Zoe said.
“When should I kill him?”
“You don’t have to unless he endangers one of us. Just promise that you won’t let him hurt me. I can’t go through that right now. I’ve already lost so much, and I think I would lose my mind if someone like him did anything to me.”
“He’ll never hurt you. I promise.”
In that moment, they heard something crash down onto the house. At first, they panicked, but then Max realized what it was. A tree limb hung over the house. He figured it must have fallen, but it was still alarming. Things were obviously getting worse, and they feared how this was going to end up.
“I think we need to get to the downstairs bathroom just in case,” Max said and grabbed the mattress off the bed.
“I’m not sitting that close to Jerome. I don’t think we should leave him alone either. What if he tries something?”
“I hid all the guns in this room besides the one I’m carrying. They’re tucked away in drawers, and I don’t think he’s leaving the air conditioner. I didn’t say we were inviting him into the bathroom. He was the one who thought it was ridiculous that you were scared of the storm.”
“True. Let’s go,” Zoe said as lightning struck once again.
As expected, Jerome wasn’t leaving the air conditioner, and they had the tub all to themselves. Normally, Max would have suggested staying somewhere cool, but the rain was helping the temperature to drop, and it truly was bad outside. Taking shelter seemed like a good idea, even if they would be a little hotter. Once they were in the tub and the mattress was over them, Zoe asked him a question that was somewhat painful
for Max to answer.
“You said you were married. Where did you meet your wife?”
“I don’t know if we should talk about that. I killed her.”
“I’m sorry. I just want to get to know you if we’re going to be surviving the apocalypse together. It wasn’t your fault that she went crazy. If I were older and married, I probably would’ve killed my husband, too, when I walked in on him like that. It couldn’t have always been bad, though. You obviously loved her at one point. I was curious to know where that started.”
“I’ve never stopped loving her. Maybe that’s weird to say considering everything that happened. It’s true, though. I met her at the gym. I would love to tell you it was love at first sight, but I think it was lust. I saw her across the room in her little shorts, and I knew I had to know her. I asked her out for a drink right there. We were in bed together by that night. Something happened the next morning, though. I didn’t want to leave. That wasn’t usual for me. I’m not proud of this, but I got around a lot, and I never connected with women on much more than a sexual level. It was different with her, though. I can’t explain it, but when I looked into her eyes, I saw the mother of my future children. It wasn’t exactly a storybook romance, but I knew. I wish I had been right.”
“Maybe you were.”
“What do you mean? Our story ended in the worst way it could.”
“Because of a mental disorder she had. If she and your daughter had died in a car accident because she was a careless driver, would you feel like it was a waste?”
“Of course not, but this was different.”
“It really wasn’t. She had something wrong with her that made her not herself for a moment. It was an accident. From what you described, she regretted it when she was herself again. Then you lost your mind for a while. Most would have, if they walked in on a scene like that. You killed her, but it wasn’t intentional. It was like being a careless driver who got someone killed. When you look back, you wish you had done something to prevent the accident, but none of it was ever intentional. If you love your wife and she loved you, then I would hold onto that. Life doesn’t always end well. That doesn’t mean the ride to the end wasn’t extraordinary.”
“How did a fourteen year old get so smart?”
“I’m not fourteen yet, and I’m not smart at all. I can just see the obvious. You can’t because you’re a little too close to it. Anyway, how old are you?”
“Thirty-seven.”
“Oh, so you’re really old then,” Zoe joked.
“Hey, I could’ve lied to you.”
“You should have. Now you’re going to be getting old jokes from me for the rest of your life,” she teased before the sound of lightning hitting a house close by made her jump.
“It’s going to be okay,” Max said and laid his hand on her shoulder.
The weather only got worse, and before it was over, the sound of wind was deafening. At one point, it sounded like the loudest train possible was just outside the house. Zoe didn’t hesitate to get close to Max. It was strange, but this young girl was all he had now. She was his friend, dependent, and partner all rolled into one. If either of them were going to survive this, he knew they would have to work together. Jerome wasn’t going to be any help. Even if he didn’t want to acknowledge it, Jerome would have to die before it was all over. The weirdest part of all of this, though, was how tightly Zoe was holding onto him through the storm. It was on that day when Max realized what he was really going to be to this girl. Zoe’s parents were dead, and she needed someone to look after her. Even if he didn’t want the job, he was going to be the closest thing to a father she would ever have.
After several hours, the storm finally passed, and they were able to get out of the bathtub. By that time, it was already starting to cool off. Soon they would probably be burning wood all over again. That wasn’t what Zoe cared about, though. When she looked out the window, she saw something shocking.
“Do you guys believe in God?” she asked.
“I don’t know anymore,” Max said.
“Hell no! What God would allow this to happen?” Jerome asked.
“Maybe you should reconsider,” Zoe said and pointed out the window.
When Max and Jerome looked outside, they saw exactly what she was talking about. None of them should have been alive. Every house on the block had been destroyed by what was likely a tornado. Theirs was the only one that was left standing.
“Maybe there is a God, after all,” Max said to himself and smiled.
They had survived day two, but the night held a few challenges for them. Could Max kill the man who was supposed to be his best friend?
Chapter 5
When To Take A Life
As night fell, it got cold again. They managed to build a fire, but they were starting to run low on wood. If this kept up, they would be burning tables before it was over. Still, there was enough to keep them warm for the night. As Max and Zoe drifted off, Jerome plotted. Zoe had an undesirable affect on his friend. Max wasn’t thinking clearly. Much like real world rules didn’t apply in prison, this was a different kind of world where the soft would be punished. That girl was going to get them killed before it was over, and it was time to take care of her. There was a problem with that, though. He didn’t know where Max had hidden their guns. He hadn’t been able to look for them because he had been either taking cover by the air conditioner or fireplace. Now was the time to figure something out. Max would understand after it was over.
Jerome got up and walked to the kitchen where he found a knife. It was plenty big enough for the job he had in mind. He walked back into the living room and leaned down by Zoe. Then he put his hand over her mouth.
“Make one sound, and I’ll kill you,” he said as she woke up.
Zoe could feel the knife pressing into her back, so she didn’t dare make a sound. She simply did as he commanded. He led her upstairs. It would be easier to kill her out of Max’s sight. What he didn’t know was that while they were walking upstairs, Max had woken up. He turned to see that Zoe was gone. He knew he had to act fast, so he pulled his pistol and bolted for the stairs. When he reached the top, what he saw made him cringe. Jerome had a knife against Zoe’s throat.
“If you don’t let her go, I’ll have to kill you,” he said.
“Think about it for a minute, Max. This girl is holding us back. Are you really willing to kill me over deadweight?” Jerome asked.
“More willing than you might think,” Max said as he raised his gun.
The knife was so close to cutting into Zoe. With one flick of the wrist, she could end up lying in a pool of her own blood. Max needed to be careful, but this had to end soon.
“So four years in a cell means nothing to you, huh? Who saved your sorry ass time and time again? No one else would look out for you, but I was there. Now you’re just going to throw that away for some girl we don’t even know. Face it! The world has changed. Innocence is a liability. People like us rule this world now. You can get with the program or get dragged down,” Jerome said.
“Good luck with that train of thought. I’m the one holding the gun.”
“You won’t pull the trigger. This is what’s going to happen. I’m going to get rid of her, and you’re going to give me your gun. If you don’t, you’ll be next.”
“Max, just shoot him,” Zoe said.
“Shut up, you little . . .” Jerome managed to say before Max fired.
They fell to the floor. There was so much blood. Max couldn’t tell what had happened. Had he hit his mark, and most importantly, had Zoe been hurt in the process? He ran to them and pulled Zoe away from Jerome. She appeared to just be shaken. When he looked down at Jerome, however, he felt the weight of what he had done. His cellmate over the last four years was lying in a pool of his own blood. He was dead.
“Thank you. I thought for sure he was going to kill me,” Zoe said.
As Max looked down at her, he realized that what he did was wrong in no wa
y. This man might have been his friend at one time, but he was also toxic. He had saved an innocent girl’s life, and no sin could be too much to bear if that was the result.
“Come on. Let’s get you washed up,” Max said.
“How? We don’t have power to anything but an air conditioner.”
“I’m going to hook it up to the breaker. The only reason I didn’t do that before was because I was trying to limit the use of it so maybe we could stay here longer. It’s clear that we’ve got to get out of here, though. In a couple of hours when the pipes unfreeze, we’ll be able to turn the water on. It won’t be warm, but we can shower. After two days, I’m looking forward to it. Until then, we’ll just have to get you clean with some towels.”
“And after that?”
“I don’t know. I think we need to move. I’ve just got to figure out where we can go. It isn’t like anywhere’s going to be safe, is it?”
“I don’t know, but let’s get those towels. I don’t think I can take having this guy’s blood on me for another second.”
Max found her some towels, and then Zoe went into the next room to clean herself up and change into some clothes that she had gotten at home. It wasn’t ideal. Her skin was stained in spots with Jerome’s blood, but it would have to do until morning. Once she was back in the living room and beside the warm fireplace, Max asked her a question.
“How would you feel about Texas?”
“What about it?”
“We could go there.”
“Okay, but what makes you think it’s any better there?”
“It probably isn’t, but Jerome had a brother who lived there. He was older, and when his parents moved up north, he was already in college. They used to write each other all the time. He even called him a few times. The main thing they discussed over the last few months was this disaster. I thought they were crazy, but it turns out they and the media were right for once. His brother was one of these people we used to think of as paranoid. Every time something happened, he stocked up on food and ammunition. He even wrote Jerome telling him how if something did happen that he needed to find a way to get to Texas. He’s supposed to have enough food to last a couple of years, plenty of guns, and a generator with enough gas to power the place for a while. It turns out that he was a genius. He’s probably the only man in the world living it up right now.”
The Divide: Origins Page 4