“Just about anything. I would have to know she was alive first, though.”
“She had a pretty bad leg injury when she pulled into town in a military grade vehicle. When you get past all the bruising, she’s quite the looker. I can see why you would be willing to do most anything to see her again. Now, do you believe me?”
“Yes. What do you want us to do?”
“Come with us. We have a shelter with generators not far from here. I’ll explain everything once we’re there.”
Max looked over at Zoe and Liam as if to ask what they thought. Zoe seemed to be on board, and Liam didn’t look like he cared either way. Max eventually nodded in approval. It might not have been a good idea to trust these guys, but he didn’t know what choice they actually had. It was only minutes from being dark, and it was already starting to cool off. Soon the outdoors would be unlivable. If these guys really had heat, then even if they didn’t have Rebecca, they were the best move.
Brandon and Mack searched them, and then they told them to get into the back of the truck. They rode over to the town school and went inside. The classrooms were filled with people who had made pallets on the floor. It felt great inside. This seemed like the perfect place for survivors. Still, Max had a lot of questions. How were they keeping this place going, and was there enough food for everyone?
“What is this place?” he asked.
“Mack will take you upstairs and fill you in on everything. The boy will go with you, and I’ll take the girl to your friend. She can make camp there,” Brandon said.
“We’re not separating until we know everything.”
“If she steps foot upstairs, then she’s volunteering to work for us. Trust me when I say you want her to play a civilian role instead of becoming what we are.”
Max nodded, but Zoe didn’t look happy. She was a little offended that they were assuming she couldn’t do something that Max and Liam could, but she should have just accepted it and been happy. It would have been much easier if she had.
“I’m not going to sit around and do nothing. I’m not injured,” Zoe said.
“Be quiet, and just enjoy the opportunity to stay warm and happy here,” Max said.
“Don’t do that. You know as well as I do that I’m just as responsible for our survival as you or anyone else. I can help.”
“If the lady wants to help, then we’ll be happy to let her. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though,” Brandon said and motioned for them to walk upstairs with Mack.
Max sighed as they walked. He had hoped that Zoe would accept a backseat role. He had no idea what they were going to be doing, but Max guessed that it wasn’t going to be good. Once they were upstairs, his suspicions were confirmed. The first floor of the school looked like a simple and inviting place. The second was a different story, however. It was filled with weapons and survival gear. It was clear that for the people downstairs to be safe, it was taking some sacrifices by the more able-bodied men. Mack took them into a room with several crates of food and threw each one of them some chips.
“You look hungry, so I figured I would give you a chance to eat while I explain,” he said.
“We’re grateful. Thank you. What do you do here, and what role will we be playing in it?” Max asked.
“You’re direct. I like that. Our role is simple. Brandon is my brother. When everything happened, the military tried to force the people of this town to leave. They told us that they wanted to keep us safe at their base, but we knew better. Some people left willingly, but many of us stayed. The ones who were unlucky enough to stay found out exactly why they wanted us gone. They raided the town for supplies, killing anyone who dared to stand in their way. We fought back, though, and we were able to force them out eventually. Most people died, but it gave us a new perspective. We realized that no one could survive on their own anymore. We gathered at the school and came up with a plan. We would find all supplies possible and distribute them to whoever was in need. Everyone would eat, and we would all stay together. That way, we would be safe. Thanks to the efforts of our stronger members, we were able to gather enough food to hold out for what we’re hoping will be quite some time. We also raided the local gas stations. We’re hoping that will keep the generators going for a while, but after that, we have no idea what we’re going to do. These people count on us, though, so we’ve got to do something. We give everyone who’s able a job. Some search for supplies during the day while others hunt.”
“What will we be doing? We’re not taking separate jobs. No matter what we do, we’re doing it together.”
“I have something very important in store for you three. We have patrols at night in case the military comes back. We’ll give you a battery operated heater, and you can make sure the south side of the city’s border is safe every night.”
“You expect us to sit out in the cold at night with nothing but a battery operated heater? We won’t survive for long doing that.”
“I know. That’s why it’s not an all-night thing. We have several people who work in shifts. Four groups go to each side of the town every two hours, so you won’t have to bear the cold any longer than that. What do you say? It’s a small price for having food and shelter, isn’t it?”
“Very small. What’s the catch?”
“They might actually try to attack us sooner or later. Your life will be at risk every time you leave these grounds. Is that not a good enough catch for you?”
“I suppose it is. When do I start, and can Zoe and Liam stay out of this? They’re just kids.”
“They’re old enough, and it sounded like the girl wanted to help us.”
“The girl has a name,” Zoe said in frustration.
All of this sounded ridiculous to her. What ever happened to going to Texas? Were they really about to go out into subzero temperatures over the rest of their lives to insure a town’s safety that was probably doomed to fail sooner or later?
“I meant no offense. I know it might not seem like it, but we’re grateful for anyone who helps us. Thank you, Zoe,” Mack said sincerely.
“There’s still one thing I don’t understand. Why do you and your brother protect these people? If you’re capable of organizing something like this, then it seems like you would be able to fend for yourselves just fine,” Max said.
“Brandon was the mayor of this town before it all went to hell. He feels responsible, and I’m his brother, so of course I’m going to help him. His family was on a trip to Florida to see some relatives. He doesn’t know if they’re alive or dead. He may never know with the way everything is. Protecting these people is all Brandon has now.”
“You’re a good brother. Why not go to Florida, though?”
“I guess you haven’t heard.”
“Heard what?”
“We talked to some people from Florida over the radio. The weather was crazy there. After the disaster, hurricanes and tornados pounded everyone. Over half the people there are already dead. We could go, but it would probably be for nothing. Samantha’s family lived on the beach. We can hope, but they probably didn’t make it. This place is all we’ve got.”
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to get to know who I’ll be working with.”
“It’s no problem. You should go downstairs and see your friend. You’ll leave at midnight for patrol duty, so be sure to come here and get your supplies before you go.”
“Will do,” Max said as he walked downstairs to finally find the woman they had been looking for all day.
It wasn’t ideal, but they were together again, and they were at what might be a permanent place to lay their heads. For once, things were looking up. A lot can change in a night.
Chapter 12
Finding Death
Max found Rebecca tucked away in the corner of a classroom. She had been given a nice private spot and plenty of water to hydrate. She was still on the mend, but Max could tell she was feeling better already. He talked to her first.
“I’m glad you and Zoe made i
t. What happened to Liam’s sister, though?” Rebecca asked.
“She was murdered before I found them. I got who I could here. I’m so glad we found you. What do you make of these people? Am I right to trust them?”
“I think so. They’ve been nothing but helpful to me. They said I would have to work after I heal, but I can live with that if we have a safe place to stay.”
“I knew about the work part. We have a two-hour patrol tonight. Maybe this is better than whatever is in Texas.”
“I hope so. Even more, I hope my parents were inside that base because if they weren’t, they’re dead by now.”
“I’m sure they were. Why do you think they attacked the people on the outside?”
“I have no idea. All I can figure is that they thought we would eventually be a threat. It’s fine now, though. We made it out, and these guys supposedly have enough firepower to hold the military off in an emergency.”
“Somehow I doubt that. We’ll stick with them for now, but if it comes down to an all-out fight with the military, I’m getting you out of here.”
“There’s something else we need to talk about. What happened in the car . . . what did that mean? I know at a time like this it seems stupid to even think about romance, but . . .”
“It’s not stupid at all. We need good things to hang onto, and nothing good is being given to us now. We had talked the night before, and I shut things down because I didn’t think it made sense for the times we’re in. It makes more sense than anything, though. We have to make our own happiness, and I would love for you to be a part of mine.”
“I like that answer. I’m glad you’re alive, Max. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“You’re a survivor. You would’ve been fine,” Max said and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“So do I get to talk to her?” Zoe asked.
“Of course. I’ll be just outside,” Max said and walked out of the room.
He found Liam sitting in the hallway looking completely blank. The kid had been through a lot. Max could understand if the day had been too much for him. He felt like he needed to say something to try to make it better, but he had no idea what that would be.
“You can stop looking at me that way,” Liam said.
“In what way?” Max asked.
“Like I’m a wounded animal you have to fix.”
“I don’t mean to. You’ve been through a lot, though. It would be understandable if you needed some fixing. What can I do?”
“There’s nothing anyone can do, Max. You should know that. Our families are dead, and pretending that sticking together will help us survive or give us some type of replacement for our loved ones is absolutely ridiculous. You could never be Zoe’s dad, and you sure as hell couldn’t be mine. Zoe’s special, but we won’t live long enough to be anything to each other. I’m just ready to get it over with.”
“No one’s trying to replace your father. We’re just sticking together because what else can we do?”
“I don’t think it matters.”
“You said you were ready to get it over with. What exactly did that mean?”
“What do you think? It’s pretty simple. I want to die, so I don’t have to live in this world anymore. Don’t you?”
“No. I want to live and see what I can have with this group of people. I think we can survive. You’re a part of that group, you know. I’ll never be a parent to you or Zoe, but I could be your friend. In this world, I think that’s worth a lot.”
“Maybe it should be, but I’m not so sure right now. It seems like it would be easier to check out instead of waiting to die.”
“Don’t talk like that. You need to get some rest. It’ll do you some good. We had a long day.”
Max went upstairs and tried to talk Mack into letting Liam out of his work. He was in no shape to actually do anything but mourn. It took some convincing, but he eventually got him to agree to give Liam two weeks to get over everything he had seen. Then Max walked downstairs and rested his eyes. He couldn’t actually sleep. Too much had gone on in the last few days, and his mind wouldn’t shut off. Every time he started to drift off, a new worry made its way into his brain and pulled him back to the waking world. Most of his worry centered on something Liam said. Would they all be better off dead? Max had been a science teacher before he was in prison, and he had studied a lot about theories that involved the extinctions of species. Was this theirs? Wasn’t it possible that they were fighting a losing battle, and Ira was just the beginning of their suffering before mankind inevitably died out?
Before he knew it, it was already getting close to midnight. Max woke up Zoe and they went upstairs to get a couple of rifles and their heater. Then they headed out. Once they got to the south side of town, they set up shop in the upstairs of an old store. It had a great vantage point in case they had to pick someone off, not that Max actually expected to be doing any shooting.
“I can’t believe we’re out in this,” Zoe said as she shivered.
The temperature was obviously in the negatives, and a snow and ice mixture was falling. It did seem insane for anyone to be outside that night. Then again this was an every night thing. For all they knew, the weather might never get better than this. It was summer, so odds were that it would actually get worse.
“It’s just a couple hours. We’ll be fine,” Max said.
“Maybe you will. I’m freezing. What’s the point of this anyway? It isn’t like the military would attack tonight. They had their hands full this morning with everyone on the outside. I doubt they would go looking for a fight so soon after.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I don’t think they’ll attack soon, but I would if I were them,” Max said and wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close to share their body heat.
“Why? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It makes more sense than you think. They have a giant hole in their fence, and that will leave them vulnerable to any outsiders who might stumble onto their base. There’s plenty of metal and even fencing in this town. They’ll come here eventually, no matter what happens. Then think about something else. They’re in a secluded area. Who are the closest people who could hurt them?”
“I get it. We’re the potential threat who has all the supplies they need. Maybe we really should be out here. I don’t know what we’ll do about it if the military shows up, though. We’re only two people.”
“Just between you and me, I know exactly what we’re going to do. If it’s just a few of them, we’ll cut them down. On the other hand, if it’s an army, we’ll sneak out the back of the place and go to the school. We’ll warn everyone and get Rebecca and Liam. After that, we’ll steal one of their vehicles and get out of here.”
“Wait a minute. You would just leave all those people to die?”
“I would rather do that than endanger you and Rebecca. If there’s one thing I don’t want to do, it’s put us in a situation that we can’t get out of, and if they come here in full force, it’ll be suicide to try to fight them.”
“All right. I can get on board with that. What about Liam, though? You didn’t even mention getting him out. Why is that?”
“The truth is that I’m not even sure if he’ll be around when we have to escape.”
“Why would you say something like that? He’s going to be fine.”
“Zoe, I see the way you look at him. You two aren’t in love. In fact, you barely know each other, but you’ve both lost people. That makes you feel close to him. It might even make you think you can have something more with Liam one day. That’s a good thing, but it could also get you hurt. Liam mentioned that he wanted to die. Don’t get attached to him until we know if he’s going to be with us for the long haul. You’ve been hurt enough.”
“I could say the same to you. I saw the way Rebecca looked at you when you two were talking, and that little kiss on the head seemed innocent enough, but there’s something going on with you two. Be careful that i
t doesn’t end badly.”
“Do you think it’s a bad idea for me to open myself to that possibility?”
“No. I even suggested it to Rebecca one time. We should all try to find happiness, even if it’s unlikely that we’ll find anything other than pain. I guess what I’m saying is this. I don’t know what Liam and I could ever have. It’s probably nothing, and I never even thought about this kind of stuff until today, but I believe it’s worth thinking about. If not, all we have to fill our minds with is everything that’s happened lately, and I don’t want that. I don’t think you need to dwell on it either.”
“I never thought I would be taking lessons from a thirteen year old. Actually, I guess I’m talking to a fourteen year old now that it’s after midnight. I know it’s probably not very great, but happy birthday, Zoe. I snagged this off one of the shelves downstairs when you weren’t looking. I hope you like it,” Max said and handed her a book.
“What is this?” she asked.
“It’s something I read when I was a kid. It’s kind of sweet.”
“You read this? It looks like a romance,” Zoe said in surprise.
“It is, but it’s a lot more than just that. Destiny is about a guy’s entire life and everything he’ll do for one girl. On my fourteenth birthday, my parents were too busy working to make an appearance most of the day. I suppose I shouldn’t complain because their jobs gave me pretty much everything I wanted, but I didn’t feel great about it back then. I found this book in my parents’ room. I guess my mom had been reading it. I read every word of it that day. It might seem a little odd, but it took me to a different reality that was a lot better than my own. I know it isn’t much, and the last thing a fourteen year old wants for her birthday is a book, but I was hoping it could take your mind off all this sometimes.”
“It’s incredible. I’ll read it whenever I need to get away. There are still a few things I don’t understand, though.”
“And what are they?”
“Number one, I can’t believe you actually remembered today was my birthday after everything that’s happened.”
The Divide: Origins Page 11