The Divide: Origins

by Grace, Mitchel

  “Are you sure about this?” Zoe whispered.

  “Not really, but it’s our job. We all have one. Liam’s a hunter, Rebecca is with the welcoming committee, and we got stuck with this. We give people a better life most of the time, but these guys killed one of our own. We really don’t have a choice.”

  “I guess you’re right. I doubt they knew we were trying to help, though. They probably thought we were a threat. Maybe if we . . .”

  “We can’t risk approaching them again, Zoe. I can do all the shooting if . . .”

  “No, I’ll be fine,” Zoe said and refocused.

  “All right. You watch the windows, and I’ll take the ones outside,” Max said and looked through the scope.

  There were two men outside. By their count from before, there were only four people there. They were heavily armed, but it would be easy to take them out safely from this distance. Max took a calming breath. Even if this was part of his job, he never got used to it. He opened fire. The first bullet ripped through his target’s head, and within a few seconds, he had cut down the second one. Just as he finished, he heard Zoe open fire. She had successfully taken out one of the men who looked out the window. The other wasn’t going to be so foolish, however. After they had waited several minutes without seeing any movement, Max made a new plan.

  “You watch my back from here. I’m going to approach the station and take the last one out the old fashioned way,” he said.

  “You’re not going by yourself.”

  “Someone has to. If we both approach, no one will be watching the windows, and we could get cut down before we even get there.”

  “Fine, but be careful. I don’t think I could do this without you.”

  “I always make it through. Let’s just get this done fast, so we can get home to Rebecca and Liam,” Max said and started walking toward the station.

  Zoe watched carefully as he got closer, but the man didn’t dare look out the windows in the back. The front of the store was glass, so she could see part of the inside, but her target was nowhere in sight. Either he was hiding behind the counter, or he was in the back just waiting on Max to come. She didn’t feel very good about things, no matter which one it was. Max was going to be at a disadvantage, and over the last six months, he had become like family to her. They lived, ate, and worked together. She had actually spent more time with Max than she ever spent with her parents, not that she was trying to replace her mom and dad, but they were gone. She had to find someone to feel close to, and the family they formed between Max, Rebecca, and Liam was exactly what Zoe needed. That could all be taken away in an instant, though.

  As Max disappeared into the station, Zoe held her breath. Was he going to be walking out of there, or did she have to lose one more family member? She heard a shot, and her heart sank. The seconds felt like minutes as she waited to see movement. Thankfully, the next thing she saw was Max walk out and motion for her to come. She ran to the station and hugged him.

  “You were really worried, huh?” Max asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I be? That was pretty irresponsible of you. We should’ve gone together or waited for him to show himself. You were at a disadvantage, and . . .”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, and it looks like these guys had quite the stock of goods,” he said and led her inside.

  Most of the stuff that would have been there before the disaster was gone, but there were still a few things left. The most notable of them were candy bars. Zoe walked over to the candy isle and started filling her bag with them.

  “Hey, you know the people back home wouldn’t be too happy about what you’re doing. We’re supposed to be finding supplies and recruiting for everyone,” Max said.

  “I don’t see them anywhere, and I haven’t spied any chocolate in the town for weeks, so forgive me if I’m making this our secret. Can you be bribed for secrecy?” Zoe asked and smiled.

  “I haven’t seen a candy bar in months, so yeah. Toss me one of those, and we’ll take a stash for ourselves.”

  “Somehow I knew you would come around to my way of thinking. What else do they have here?” she asked and took a look around.

  “I found a guitar behind the counter. It must have belonged to one of them. I don’t suppose you play,” Max said.

  “No, but I can learn. Let me see it.”

  It might have been strange to people before the disaster, but after they took a place, their thoughts didn’t consist of guilt over the people they had killed. It was like Christmas morning. After the job was done, they got to see what their score was, and since they were the first ones on the scene, they always got to take a few things for themselves. It was wrong, but Max didn’t think it would hurt. So what if they had chocolate when the rest of the town didn’t? It couldn’t matter if no one knew.

  After looking around for a while and picking the place clean of its best stuff, Max and Zoe walked back to their car. They had parked about a half-mile up the road because they didn’t want their enemies to see them coming. The walk gave them some time to discuss a few things.

  “We put everything in your bag, so I want you to go home and put the stuff up when we get back. I’ll give my report to Leland first. You can do it a little later,” Max said.

  “I always hate giving reports. That guy is staying with him, and I think something’s off about him.”

  “What guy? His nephew, Timothy?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know a lot about him, but he seems creepy. He stares at me a lot. He’s friends with Liam, though. I don’t think Liam even sees how weird the guy is.”

  “You shouldn’t say that about him. He lost his mom while they were trying to find her brother. By the time they got to the town, his dad was a wreck and not even fit to be a father. Troy’s doing his best to help the kid out, but a trauma like that can take a toll on some people. He might seem odd right now, but I’m sure with time he’ll come around.”

  “I hope you’re right. I don’t know why Liam doesn’t hate him, though. Timothy’s always looking at me, and I’m supposed to be with Liam. I guess he just doesn’t notice.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it. That kid can look all he wants. You and Liam are pretty serious, so what does it matter? Maybe Liam is just secure enough in your relationship to know he can trust you, so no matter who looks, it’s no big deal.”

  “Who said we were in a serious relationship? I don’t recall ever saying that.”

  “I’ve heard him sneaking into your room at night for the last two months. I would say that’s pretty serious.”

  “You knew? Why didn’t you say anything then?”

  “I’m not your dad. I mean, I kind of feel like I’m something close to a parent sometimes, but I know things aren’t like they used to be. If you were my daughter and none of this had ever happened, I would probably kill Liam and ground you for life, but the world changed. There’s not even a way to get married or a real age that you’re supposed to start considering it anymore. If you can find someone who loves you in today’s times, I guess I’m saying that I can see why you would go for it, no matter how old you are. Even if you’re only fourteen, you and Liam have seen and done enough to be considered adults. I trust you to make your own decisions, and I’m just here for you to come to if you need any help along the way.”

  “Thanks. I do have one question. If you can’t even define what a relationship is now, then what do Liam and I have?”

  “That depends on what you want. People don’t get married or change their relationship status on Facebook. That doesn’t mean things can’t be serious. This is how I see it. I’ve developed something with Rebecca over the last six months. We’ve ended every day together, and I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me what that means. I’ll probably never call her my wife because that term doesn’t mean anything, but she’s who I’m going to be with unless something unforeseen changes. Isn’t that how you feel about Liam?”

  “Yeah, but we’re pretty young. It’s a little soon to be decidin
g who I’m going to be with for the rest of my life.”

  “I completely agree, but you can decide that you want to be with him now. Maybe it’ll never change.”

  “I get what you’re saying. He’s my guy unless we both change or it doesn’t matter what we are because I can’t picture my life without him.”

  “Exactly. Now, as the adult in your life, I do need to talk to you about something serious.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Are you using protection?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me right now.”

  “Yeah, I’m just messing with you. I don’t want to know anything about that,” Max said and chuckled.

  “You had me going for a second there. I thought you were going to do the whole dad thing.”

  “Maybe I will some day, but for now, I think you’ve got everything covered.”

  “All right, but it wouldn’t be so bad if you did fall into the dad role someday. I’m just saying.”

  They drove back to town, and Max went inside Troy’s house to give him his report. He told him where the gas station was and what supplies could be found there.

  “Great. We’ll send a team in to raid the place. Good work out there. Where’s Zoe, though? Everyone has to give a report,” Troy said.

  “I know. She went home to wash up real quickly. She’ll be here in no time.”

  As Max was leaving, Zoe walked in. She gave Troy her report, and then he stepped out to order a team to go to the gas station and collect all supplies. Before she could leave, she heard a familiar person call to her.

  “Hey, wait a second. Can we talk for a minute?” Timothy asked from his room.

  Zoe didn’t know what to say. Troy’s wife and children were gone. They were the only two in the house, and she already thought he was weird. Should she actually stay and talk to him alone?

  “Come on. I don’t bite,” he said.

  “What do you want, Timothy?” she asked as she stepped into his room.

  “That’s no way to greet your boyfriend’s best friend. I just want to get to know you a little better. Sit down.”

  “Fine. What do you want to know?” she asked as she sat beside him.

  “Liam has told me his story and even what he knows about yours. It sounds like he was a real whiner when you two first met, but he got over it, I guess. What I’m really wondering is how a guy like him got a girl like you?”

  “Why wouldn’t he be able to? He’s good-looking, strong, and he was pretty much my first everything. I think that qualifies him as boyfriend material.”

  “Yeah, but what about at the beginning? He couldn’t do anything. Are you telling me you weren’t a little turned off by how much he still had to grow up?”

  “I was, and if he told you everything, then you know I put a gun in his hand and told him to shoot himself when he was going through his suicidal stage. I think all he really wanted back then was attention, and when someone finally called him out on his bullshit, he started to change. I’ve got to go, so are we done with this conversation?”

  “Not yet. It’s great that you had so much patience with him, but I know you’ve had to wonder what it would be like to be with a real guy.”

  “A real guy? What’s not real about Liam?”

  “He can’t protect you. In fact, you’re probably stronger than him. I know a part of you has to wish you could be with someone who fits the standard man’s role. You deserve that, Zoe. You’re beautiful, and I could protect you from anyone.”

  “I don’t like where this is going. I’m just going to . . .”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Timothy said and grabbed her arm.

  “Has anyone ever told you how my mother died?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “We had no food, so Dad stole some from a group about four hours north of here. He tried to be stealthy about it, but they came after us on foot. We ran as long as we could, but he just wasn’t willing to give up the food, and I knew we weren’t going to make it. My parents wouldn’t listen to me, and my mom was carrying the pack that he put everything in. I shot her in the leg when I knew I wasn’t going to be able to run for much longer. Dad wanted to stop, but there was nothing he could do. We had a dozen angry people on our trail. We had to run. Because of what I did, we survived. He can’t even look at me now, but we would be dead if I hadn’t made that decision. It was his weakness not to let go of the supplies that really got her killed. I think he knows that.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “To show you that I’m strong. I’ll do whatever it takes to survive in this world, and if you’re with me, that protection goes for you, too.”

  “You didn’t protect anyone. You just killed your mother. You’re sick, Timothy.”

  “I did what was necessary and took a life to save my own. That’s what the strong in this world do. We take what’s ours. That’s what I’m doing right now,” he said and ran his hand up her thigh.

  “Liam will kill you if he finds out what you’re doing. You need to let me go.”

  “I’m two years older than him and twice his size. Forgive me if I don’t think he can hurt me,” he said and kissed her neck.

  “Just let me go. No one has to know about this,” Zoe said as he put his hands around her neck.

  He squeezed until she felt like she was going to die. As he did, he had a look of complete satisfaction on his face. This wasn’t only going to be about sex for him. Timothy had a sick need for control. As he looked down at her desperation to breathe, he knew he held her life in his hands. Nothing could have given him a bigger rush than that. He released Zoe as the color started to vanish from her face, and she gasped for air. He wasted no time in pulling her shorts off while she was concentrated on breathing. Then he made his way up to her lips and kissed her. When he slipped his tongue into her mouth, Zoe bit down hard causing him to retreat backward. She took that opportunity to run for the door, but he jumped on top of her from behind and slammed her head into the floor. It was over. Zoe didn’t have any fight left. She was already lightheaded from being choked, and the blow to her head had taken the rest of what she had. As she lay there, she thought about only one person. She hadn’t acknowledged it to him, but she loved Liam. Would this change everything? Would he see her as damaged now? For that matter, was she damaged? How could she ever look at anyone the same after this experience?

  Before Timothy could do anything else, they heard the front door open, and he jumped off her. She quickly got her clothes and backed into a corner.

  “Get dressed now, and walk out like there’s nothing wrong. If you tell anyone what happened, I’ll kill Liam and then you. Do we understand each other?” Timothy asked.

  Zoe shook her head and got dressed. Then she walked out of his room and toward the door. Mrs. Leland stopped her before she could leave, though.

  “I didn’t know you were here, Zoe. How have you been?” she asked.

  “I’m fine,” Zoe said while holding back tears.

  “Are you sure? You don’t look okay.”

  “I’m all right. I’ve just got to go,” she said and walked out the door.

  She went straight home and into her room. Zoe shut the door and simply sobbed into a pillow. She had almost been raped, and there was no doubt that she had been sexually assaulted. If Mrs. Leland hadn’t come in when she did, then who knows what could have happened? Timothy had already killed his mother, so she figured that’s exactly what he was going to do to her after he raped her. It wasn’t over either. As long as Timothy was still breathing, he would be a threat to her. Zoe wasn’t scared of much, but he terrified her. She couldn’t be the one to kill him, and letting Liam try to do it was off the table. Timothy was right. He was older and stronger than Liam. If Zoe asked him to solve this problem, then he would end up dead. While she was thinking about all that, Liam walked into her room to find her crying.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “It’s nothing. I just need to
be alone.”

  “It’s obviously something. We’ve been through too much together to start keeping secrets now. You can tell me anything. I promise.”

  “All right, but I don’t need you to do anything about it. I just need you to listen.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “I know. Just tell me what’s going on.”

  Zoe had no idea what telling Liam would do or even if it was the right thing, but she had to let someone know. She just had to hope that he would be able to take the news better than she was.

  Chapter 20

  A Storm Is Coming

  “This can’t be real. Did he . . .” Liam said before Zoe cut him off.

  “His aunt came home right before he could. Otherwise, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Liam said and started to stand, but Zoe grabbed his hand.

  “Don’t do anything stupid. A storm is blowing in. You need to be inside, and I don’t want to see him hurt you, too.”

  “He won’t hurt me. It’s me who’s going to do the hurting.”

  “Liam, I need you here right now. I don’t know what to do about this. Fighting him isn’t going to make things better. It might even make them worse. Can you help me figure out a real solution?”

  “I already have one, but I can’t say you’ll like it. For now, I’ll just concentrate on you, though. Are you okay?”

  “No. I really thought he was going to kill me at one point. We seemed so safe here. I let my guard down, and this is what happened. I guess I was stupid. You can’t trust anyone now.”