“I’ve got a battery operated heater upstairs. It doesn’t keep me comfortable, but I’m still alive because of it. Now, get out of my house. You’re not getting supplies, and you’re sure as hell not getting my car.”
“How old are you, Landon?”
“Why the hell does that matter? Do you have a death wish or something? Get out of here before I kill you like I did the others.”
“What others?”
“Just go.”
“Okay, but it can’t be easy doing this on your own. If you helped us, we would let you join us. Don’t you think you would do better in a group?”
“No. I think that two weeks of supplies for one person is good. If I have to share, it won’t be enough.”
“I really can’t leave. My friend will die if I do, so if you’re going to shoot me, then just go ahead and do it,” Zoe said and walked toward him.
As the gun pressed against her head, Landon smiled. It was a sick kind of look. She had been hoping he was bluffing, but based on the look he gave her, she truly thought she was about to die. He clicked the safety off, and internally, Zoe was screaming. On the outside, she appeared to be confident, however.
“I just turned sixteen a little over a month ago. I’ll go with you guys. It’s not like this place will last much longer anyway. Just realize that there’s no room to share in this world, and weakness is a crutch that we can’t afford,” he said and lowered the gun.
“I don’t understand. If that’s so, why did you let me live?”
“Because you stared death in the face and didn’t flinch. You’ve got nerve, and that’s what it’s going to take to survive. I wasn’t moving in a good direction with the others, but with your group, it might be different.”
“What others? You’ve got to tell me what you’re talking about before I take you to my friends.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you everything. First, we need to load the car and get to your friends, though. It’s freezing, and I’m not standing around forever to tell you this.”
“Agreed. Let’s get everything loaded. Do you have any medical supplies?” Zoe asked.
“We have some bandages and pain killers upstairs in the bathroom medicine cabinet. Knock yourself out while I’m loading the canned goods.”
Zoe walked upstairs and found the bathroom. Before long, she had everything they would need to keep Rebecca comfortable and possibly alive. As she was passing a guest bedroom, she caught a glimpse of something strange out of the corner of her eyes. A pair of legs was sticking out from underneath the bed. She walked inside and bent down to find an older woman dead. She looked to be in her late forties. A gunshot wound told the story of how she died. Odds were that Landon had shot her in the head. Zoe didn’t feel good about bringing him with her, but he was the one with the gun and supplies. What choice did she have?
“Are you coming?” Landon yelled.
“Yeah. I’ll be right there,” she said and walked downstairs as if she had seen nothing.
Once they were in the car, she realized that she had to know what was going on, though. She turned to Landon and asked him about the body.
“Maybe you should mind your own business. I’m helping you. Isn’t that enough?”
“No, it’s not. I’ve got to know who I’m dealing with before I take you to my friends.”
“Fine. I’ll tell you,” he said and put the car in park again.
“There used to be twelve of us. My family and I went to Camp Dawson because the military told us it would be safe. A lot of other people had the same idea, though, and by the time we got there, the camp was full. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people were waiting outside for a shelter that was never going to be there. My dad met some other people there who had nothing. He told them they could come back with us to our home. He was a fool because we didn’t have the supplies to feed that many people, and the earthquakes just got worse. I overheard one of the people he helped talking about betraying the rest of us. He was going to kill us all and keep everything for him and his wife. In hindsight, he was the only one who got it. That’s the way we have to live now. I couldn’t let him do that, though. I walked upstairs and got my dad’s gun. I loaded it and walked downstairs. I shot him and his wife at point blank range. It felt good. I had eliminated a threat before it was a problem. No one would hear me out, though. The others attacked me and tried to get the gun. I unloaded it on them, and when I had run out of ammo, I locked myself in my room to reload. I could hear someone beating on the door, and I panicked. I fired through it, killing my dad in the process. When I walked out, my stepmother attacked me with a knife. She had seen what I did, and I don’t blame her for wanting me dead, but you know the expression about not bringing a knife to a gunfight. I killed her. I dumped the others’ bodies in the backyard, but for some reason, I couldn’t just throw my family outside to rot. I planned to bury them, but you know how it is. It’s too hot to do anything in the day, and you’ll freeze to death at night if you step foot out the door. They’ve been rotting in the bedroom ever since.”
“And you have no feelings about this at all?” Zoe asked in surprise.
He had told the story as if it meant nothing to him. How could he have killed that many people and even family members while feeling nothing?
“Why should I? It was my father’s fault for letting strangers into our home. I did what he wouldn’t have, and then he wouldn’t hear me out. As for my stepmother, I never liked her much anyway. I did what I had to in order to survive. If I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have any supplies right now, and I might even be dead. Now, can we go?” he asked.
Zoe nodded, but she knew one thing then. Landon couldn’t come with them. He was obviously crazy. How did she know he wasn’t going to kill them the first time they found some supplies he would rather keep for himself?
Once they were at the truck, Zoe got out and told Max what was going on. She told him about the supplies and that Landon was going to help them out. She even told him about what he had done. Then she asked him to do something for her.
“I need you to give me your gun,” Zoe said.
“What? Why?” Max asked.
“Because you’ve got to look after Rebecca. I can take care of the threat in front of us. He has a gun, and he’s crazy.”
“Are you guys coming?” Landon yelled from the car.
“Yeah, we’ll be right there,” Zoe said and discretely took the pistol from Max.
She tucked it in her jeans behind her back, and Max scooped up Rebecca and put her in the back of the car. Before getting in himself, he asked Landon to step out of the car.
“Do we have a problem?” Landon asked while clutching his pistol.
“Not at all. I appreciate you doing this for us. I’m not comfortable with you being the only one with a weapon, though. We had guns, but all of our supplies were lost when the house we were staying in collapsed. Will you hand that pistol over?”
“No. That would make me uncomfortable.”
“How about this then? I’ll keep the bullets, and you can keep the gun. That way, we’re on equal ground.”
“Do you actually expect me to believe that you don’t have a weapon?”
“Search me if you want. It’s the truth.”
“Fine. Take them,” Landon said and unloaded the gun.
Max had set Zoe up for whatever she was planning, and now he had to concentrate on Rebecca. Once they were on the road, he focused on the wood sticking out of her leg. The bleeding had turned into a manageable trickle, but that debris still had to come out.
“This is going to hurt, but I’ve got to get that out,” Max said.
“Wait a minute. If you take it out, won’t I bleed more?” Rebecca asked.
“Yeah, but that’s what we have bandages for. I can’t leave it in there forever. I’ll wait if you want, but this has to be done sooner or later. I think you’ve got a better chance of getting an infection if we don’t do this now.”
“Fine. Do what yo
u have to,” she said and gritted her teeth.
Max pulled it out, and she cried out in agony. He didn’t have time to comfort her, however. The bleeding had worsened, and he had to act fast. He disinfected the wound and wrapped it as best he could. Then he put pressure on it until the wound started to clot. It hadn’t looked good, but somehow Rebecca was going to live. They were already half way to their destination, too, although if what Zoe had told him about the camp was true, then he had no idea why they were headed that way.
Suddenly, Zoe did something shocking. She took out the gun he had given her earlier and placed it against Landon’s head.
“Stop the car now,” she said.
“You stupid bitch! After I helped you, you’re going to do this.”
“That’s not the best language to use if you’re trying to change my mind. Now, stop the car, or I’ll shoot you right here.”
Landon did as she said, and then Zoe made him get out of the car without ever taking the gun off him. For some reason, he was smiling as she clicked the safety off. Zoe thought it was strange. Before she finished him, she had to know what was going through his head.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked.
“You’re not going to kill me. I murdered my family, and even I couldn’t pull the trigger when you were in front of me because I saw that you weren’t a threat in any way. Can you really kill an innocent person?”
“I can do what I have to.”
“Think about it, Zoe. I’m someone who will do what’s necessary, and we’re close to the same age. You’re going to need someone to protect you and to grow up with. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone like me around when the world’s ending?”
“That’s where you’re mistaken. I don’t need anybody to protect me, and I’m not shooting an innocent person. You were right. We have to eliminate threats in this world, and you’re the worst threat we’ve faced yet. You would kill anyone if you thought it would get you ahead. You even expressed that it was better that your family was dead because you had supplies. Why would I want anyone in my group who thinks like that?”
“Because I know what it takes to survive.”
“Yeah, well, so do I,” she said and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground in a bloody heap and shook for a few seconds.
Zoe could have put another bullet in him to ease his pain, but she didn’t. They might need that bullet for another person they met on the road. She had done what was necessary to protect her people, but that was the day when Zoe truly lost herself. Nothing was the same, and she knew in her heart that whatever traces might have existed of the girl she used to be were gone forever.
Chapter 9
A Light Amidst The Chaos
Once Zoe was back in the car, Max got into the front seat and drove. There was a haunting silence as they got closer to their destination. Rebecca was understandably worn out, and she had fallen asleep almost immediately. Max, on the other hand, didn’t know what to say to Zoe. She was obviously upset about shooting someone at point blank range, but what do you say to make that better?
“Are you going to talk at all?” Zoe finally asked.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Anything. You can call me a monster or whatever you want. I just can’t stand the silence.”
“You did the right thing.”
“Why doesn’t it feel right then?”
“Because it’s something we never would’ve done before. If that kid was really glad he killed his family and a bunch of other people, then what do you think he would’ve done to us when we dropped our guard? It wasn’t pretty, and a young girl like you should never have to do something like that, but it’s the world we live in now. I’m glad you could pull the trigger when it mattered. Being able to might just save your life one day.”
“Yeah, at the cost of my soul.”
“Enough soul business. I don’t know if God could blame anyone for what they do in this mess. You kept us safe from a threat. That’s all there is to it. Any feelings of guilt need to be pushed to the side. We can talk about it right now, but after tonight, you have to see with clear eyes. You’ll need them.”
“I guess you just don’t get it.”
“How wouldn’t I?”
“Because you’ve never killed someone who wasn’t posing a threat to you. I killed that boy when he was unarmed. That should mean something to me.”
“You’re forgetting who you’re talking to. I killed my wife after she had come to her senses, and if we’re being honest, I could’ve talked Jerome down when he had you. I wanted him dead, though. It seemed easier to kill him than keep an eye on him for the rest of our lives. Let me ask you something. If you could go back, what would you do differently?”
“I guess nothing. He would’ve hurt one of us.”
“Then there’s no need to feel guilty. You did the only thing that made sense,” Max said as they pulled up to the camp.
Thousands of people were camped outside the gates. Fires burned all over as people tried to stay warm. Landon had told the truth. There was no refuge to be found. Max had just about made up his mind to move on when a soldier stepped beside his window and motioned for him to roll it down.
“You obviously don’t have room. We’ll just move on,” Max said.
“No, you won’t. We’ve been ordered to take all supplies, and that includes this vehicle and any weapons you might be carrying.”
“You’re joking. What are we supposed to do then?”
“Make camp. We’ll eventually figure out what to do with the people who arrived too late.”
“You know more will keep coming. This is ridiculous. I’m not giving you anything.”
“If you don’t, you’ll die. I’ve been authorized to kill anyone resisting,” he said and raised his gun.
“And what if I shoot you first?” Zoe asked as she pulled her pistol out.
“Do you see that tower over there? We have men watching me right now. They would love an excuse to take out a little frustration on everyone in this vehicle. If you kill me, you’ll all die. Now, hand me your weapon, and get out of the car.”
Max nodded for her to do as he said, and they got out. He grabbed Rebecca from the backseat and pleaded for the soldier to take her. She was wounded, so if anyone got to go inside, it made sense that it would be her. It did no good, though. They weren’t taking anyone, no matter how injured or sick they were. Max ultimately decided to take Rebecca and Zoe into the sea of people camping outside the gates. As he walked, one man nodded for them to come over. He lay Rebecca down on some blankets that the man and his family had laid out. Then he sat down by the fire with them.
“I’m Max. Thanks for letting us stay with you. What’s the story here?” Max asked.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Eddie. It’s just what it looks like. They took all our things, and now we’re forced to stay out here. A few people have been lucky enough to drive away before they were caught. Others haven’t been so lucky. A lot of people were killed for refusing to give up their supplies.”
“What’s everyone waiting on? Does the military have some type of plan for the people out here?”
“Not as far as I can tell. What can we do about it, though? They have weapons, and we have absolutely nothing. Then there’s the fact that we’re in the middle of nowhere. We could walk, but in these conditions, we wouldn’t get far. At least they give us matches so we can build fires and try to stay warm at night,” he said and sighed.
“Are these people your family?”
“Yeah. This is my wife, Susan, and these are my children, Liam and Emily.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.”
“I don’t know if anything is what I would call nice anymore. How about you? Are they your family?” Eddie asked while pointing to Rebecca and Zoe.
“Not by blood. We met each other after everything happened. We’ve had to band together, so in that regard, we’re definitely close. This is Zoe, and that’s Rebecca.”<
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The two continued to talk while Zoe simply sat on her own and shivered. It was freezing outside. She didn’t know how these people had survived out there over the last couple of days. The fire Eddie had made did little to fight off the biting cold. Just when she thought she was going to lose it, Liam put a blanket around her and sat down beside her.
“You guys look like you’ve been through a lot. What’s your story?” he asked.
“I don’t really think that’s any of your business,” she said coldly.
“I’m sorry. I just thought since we let you stay here and everything that we could be friends. It is the end of the world. If you’re not going to make friends now, then you’re pretty much going to die friendless,” he said and smiled.
Zoe thought he looked trustworthy. He was around her age, or so she thought. Liam had an innocent face and eyes that didn’t lie. This guy wasn’t like Landon. It didn’t hurt that his blond hair and chiseled jaw made him look like someone she might want to be around. Suddenly, she realized how she was thinking. They were probably going to die out there. What was the sense in admiring someone’s appearance or even thinking of them in a romantic light? All that mattered now was survival, and as far as she knew, Liam didn’t look like he had much to offer in that regard.
“Well, I can see that I’ve made you uncomfortable. We have more blankets if you need them. That’s the only thing they let us keep. I guess even those guys have hearts,” he said and started to get up.
“Wait. I didn’t mean to snap at you. We have been through a lot. Over the last few days, my best friend and entire family have been murdered, we’ve had a house cave in on us, and to top it all off, I just had to kill a boy about your age. We just got robbed by the people who were supposed to protect us and give us shelter. Even if I should put on a fake smile and have a friendly chat with you, I just don’t know if I have it in me.”
“It’s okay. I don’t know why I was smiling anyway. Like I implied, this is probably the end for us. If you don’t mind me asking, though, why did you have to kill a boy?”
“He was a threat to us. I think he was going to hurt one of us before it was over, so I killed him before he could do that. I didn’t want to, but there was no other choice. Do you understand?”
The Divide: Origins Page 8