“And how was that?”
“Our town should be a democracy again. People who want to fight against small threats should be able to, and people who don’t should serve in a different way. Choice makes us human. When you take that away, we become something different.”
“I wouldn’t count on things going back to the way they were before. At least until the world stabilizes, we need to have strong leadership. Let’s change the subject, though. What do you think about our plan to use the tank to take down the wall? After that, we can storm in with superior numbers and take the town within a couple of hours.”
“I think it sounds like a pipedream. I agree with us taking the wall down with the tank, but it won’t be so easy to take the city. They’re going to fight back, and if we just storm in there, we’ll lose a lot of people.”
“I realize that, but we’re sacrificing a few to save many. Just stay close to me. We’ll be the safest of everyone because we’ll go in last. That way you’ll be guaranteed to get back to Zoe. The worst thing that could happen is for her to lose everyone. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about her, though. We needed everyone we could get for this fight, and that included her. She refused to fight, and given everything that had happened lately, I made an exception for her. She’ll have to accept that Norak is changing soon and follow my direction. Can you convince her that I can be trusted, so I don’t end up having to make an example out of her?”
“An example? What does that even mean?”
“Nothing horrible. We might have to put her under house arrest or sentence her to hard labor for a week if she won’t cooperate with our new government.”
“So it really is going to be a totally different type of rule with you as our official.”
“It has to be, Liam. Just talk to her for me, so we can avoid any ugliness.”
“She’s pregnant. That’s why she refused to come.”
“In that case, I understand. Next time, clue me in on something like that, though. I guess I should congratulate you on being a dad. We don’t have enough good news anymore, but this is great.”
The two of them talked the whole way to Raines. Matt Nolan wasn’t necessarily a bad man. He just had different philosophical views than Liam. He believed that people needed to be ruled in a time of crisis so they would have a clear direction that gave them a better chance to survive. In the world they were living in, there was never a time when they weren’t in a crisis, so that required the city to be under his control at all times. He might have been well intentioned, but Liam saw some deep-rooted problems with his approach to ruling. He could have been right about being able to save more lives by taking choice away from the citizens, but he was also stripping them of their humanity, and in a world of chaos, that was the most important thing to Liam.
When they finally got to Raines, the tank blew a hole in the city’s wall, and they flooded into it. Liam was supposed to hang back with Nolan, but it wasn’t in him to sit back while others sacrificed themselves. He bolted for the city with his rifle raised. Guards fired from the walls, but they were quickly picked off. Once Liam was inside the city, he saw a complete warzone. There was no direction. Norak’s soldiers simply fired into crowds of people. Some were soldiers, but others were civilians trying desperately to get away. In that moment, Liam froze. There was too much death around him, and for the first time, he felt wrong. It had been Raines that invaded them originally, but did this really settle the score? As he watched mothers and fathers shield their children from oncoming bullets, a realization hit him. They were no longer human. All humanity had been stripped away from these two towns, and the dreams they had for a normal society were gone.
He quickly snapped out of his initial shock when he saw several Raines soldiers marching into the area with guns raised. He fired three quick shots into the crowd of men and ducked behind a car. It was pelted with bullets, and it seemed pretty hopeless for him. He looked to his left to see that two more men had gotten the same idea as him and hid behind the vehicle. They nodded to each other. Hiding would accomplish nothing, and they would be picked off eventually if they stayed there. They had to move further into the city. One of the man motioned toward a building in the distance. Their forces seemed to be gathering there to make a stand. If they were going to stand a chance, they had to get to that location. At the same time, they bolted for it. One of them was cut down almost immediately. Liam didn’t slow down for a moment to see if he could help, though. He only fired as he ran toward what he hoped would be safety. As he did, he heard the other man yell out as a bullet pierced his chest. This was it. He was going to die, and there was nothing that could be done.
Just as he lost all hope, he heard an explosion and looked back to see the tank pulling into town. It had just taken out several of Raines’s men, but more importantly, it had drawn everyone’s attention away from him. Liam ran to safety with the rest of his comrades.
“What’s the plan? What are we doing here?” Liam asked.
“We’re laying down cover fire for anyone entering the city. If we can clear this area and get our forces inside, then half the battle is won. Anyone who isn’t one of ours dies.”
“Anyone? What about civilians?”
“We need this area clear, so yes, everyone,” the man yelled over the sound of shots.
Liam sighed and found a good vantage point in the alley beside the building. From there, he picked off everyone he could that he thought was a threat to their people, but he left murdering unarmed civilians to colder men. Even if this was the reality of war, he refused to accept it. Clearing the area of threats was one thing, but gunning down unarmed people crossed a line that made them into something monstrous. He wasn’t willing to go there.
After a few minutes, they had cleared the area, and Mr. Nolan walked into town. He instructed two thirds of the forces to group together and push north behind the protection of the tank. The other third would stay and guard the ground they had taken. If things went wrong up ahead and they needed an escape route, that group would make sure they had it. As Liam started to walk away with the fighting force, Nolan motioned for him to come to him.
“What were you thinking back there? You just rushed in. You could’ve gotten yourself killed. You’re about to be a father,” he said.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t give me an excuse to be a coward. Some men are fine with coming in after people have paved the way for them, but not me,” Liam said in disgust.
He didn’t understand how Matt could walk in after everything had been done and give orders as if he had been there the whole time. People were dying, and he was taking no risks at all. Something about it was sickening, and Matt picked up on how Liam felt pretty quickly.
“Fine. Go get yourself killed, if you want. There’s no room in my society for an ignorant kid who can’t follow orders. It’ll be a blessing to see you go,” Matt said and turned away.
As Liam followed the others, he couldn’t help but be bothered by something that Matt said. He called Norak his society. They had built that city from the ground up, and no one was going to take it from them. Max wouldn’t have allowed it, and the first chance Liam got, he was going to make sure that Matt’s rule ended prematurely.
The city would end up being taken fairly easily. Once they broke Raines’s back at the gate, the majority of their forces simply gave up. They were outnumbered, and they stood no chance, so with little choice, they gave away the city within a few hours. The job had been done, but one more surprise still awaited. An unexpected person was going to show up and change everything about the invasion of Raines.
* * * * *
Rebecca awoke that evening to the sound of an explosion in the distance. She knew what it was. Norak was attacking, and she was going to be there for it. She shook off the hangover from the liquor the night before and grabbed her pistol. Then she started walking toward Raines. She felt strange about leaving Max’s final resting place, but there were things she had to do. Avenging him was at the
top of that list. She couldn’t stop thinking about how she wanted everyone in that town to die. As she walked, logic began to creep into her mind, however. Was it really everyone in Raines’s fault? The citizens had nothing to do with Max being taken. They could have revolted, but the same was true of any other place led by a tyrannical leader. She had made up her mind. Some people would get to live, but every soldier would die. As soon as Rebecca could find Troy, he was going to be treated to a truly special death, too.
By the time Rebecca got to Raines, the battle was already over. As she walked to the center of town, she saw Matt giving orders.
“Make sure all troupes are disarmed, and get our supplies back. These people have seen what they’re up against. They won’t be any trouble from now on,” he said.
“Are you stupid? We have to kill everyone in their army. If we don’t, they might retaliate,” Rebecca said.
“It’s so nice of you to join us when the battle is over,” Matt said sarcastically.
“I’m serious. If you don’t kill them, I will,” she said and pointed her gun at a guard.
“If you fire, you’ll be going against my direct orders. Do you have any idea what that will mean for you?”
“I don’t really care,” she said and turned the gun toward Matt.
She fired before anyone could even react. The bullet pierced his skull, and he fell to the ground. Liam couldn’t believe what he had just seen. He didn’t want to execute people, and Rebecca didn’t seem like herself, but she did have a point. By destroying their army, they would snuff out any chance of retaliation.
“What are you people waiting on? You came here to conquer Raines. Kill the soldiers, and leave the citizens. We’ll trade with them fairly in the future, and they’ll see just how stupid they were to cross Norak,” Rebecca said.
No one dared move. Most people from Norak knew Rebecca well. She wasn’t the type to shoot a man without a second thought. Something was wrong with her, and they didn’t want to be taking orders from someone who wasn’t in their right mind.
“You heard her. Dispose of the soldiers, and load the trucks with our supplies. Leave everything that belongs to Raines. We’re only taking back what’s ours and sending a message,” Liam said and walked to Rebecca.
She holstered her gun, and he took her by the arm and led her away from everyone. They could hear people begging as their soldiers executed them. Normally that would have affected Rebecca, but it didn’t even make her bat an eye.
“What happened to you? You’re different,” Liam said.
“I found him.”
“Max?”
“Yeah. He was in a house a few miles from here.”
“That’s great. Where is he now?”
“I buried him in that neighborhood,” Rebecca said and looked down.
“No. That can’t be true. He didn’t die because of me. How am I supposed to live with that? I’m so sorry, Rebecca. I never meant to . . .”
“You did nothing wrong, Liam. You defended Zoe like you should have. He covered for you because he loved you kids. This is for you. He left you a last message. The other one’s for Zoe,” she said while handing him two letters.
“Before I read it, how did he die?”
Rebecca tearfully told him the story. Even as she said it, none of it seemed real. How could Max be gone?
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll get you back to Norak, and then Zoe and I will face this with you.”
“How can you say that? Nothing will be all right until Troy Leland is dead. The doctor told me that he caught wind of what we were planning and fled. I killed that doctor for what he did to Max, and I ordered our people to kill all the soldiers because they might have had something to do with Max’s death. There’s still one person who needs to die, though. After I make Troy suffer, maybe I can come home.”
“You don’t have to face this alone. I’ll help you kill him. Right now we can’t do anything, though. We don’t even know where he is. People are going to need you in Norak, too. You just killed our leader, not that I disapprove. He was a coward and a tyrant. They’re going to need leadership, though, and you can set them on the right path. They’ll follow you.”
“I don’t care about that town. The people there are broken. They left Max to die. Zoe and I were the only ones who did a thing to help him. I’m done with Norak, and you should be, too.”
“What does that even mean? If you won’t come back for them, then do it for Zoe and me. We’re going to need you. Our child will need you.”
“I’ll be around, but nothing will ever be the same without Max. You know that.”
“Is this what he would want? You’re clearly grief-stricken. I can help you work through this, and we can get justice for Max, but you have to come home with me. Will you at least come back for a day? I don’t want to be the only one who breaks the news to Zoe. He meant so much to her. She’s going to need you there.”
“What about what I need?”
“I’m here for you. I know that’s not enough, but we’re all hurting just like you. We can come back from this, though. Max would want us to grieve and then move on eventually. If you don’t, it’s just going to destroy you.”
“And what if I want to be destroyed?”
“I’ve been there. I know you don’t think so right now, but it does get better. We can get through anything together. Just give me one day in Norak, and I’ll prove to you that you belong with us. What do you say?”
“Fine. I need to get some more supplies before I go after Troy anyway.”
“Great. We’ll take Matt’s Humvee. It’s not like he’ll miss it, and these guys have everything else handled,” he said and led Rebecca toward the edge of town.
As they walked, they heard a collective gasp behind them and turned to see the impossible. A beaten and bruised man was walking into the city. Even in his state, Rebecca could recognize him. It was Max, but how was this possible? She had buried him. As their eyes met, he collapsed, and Rebecca ran to him. She didn’t know how this was possible, but it didn’t matter. She had a piece of her world back, and now that he was with her again, Rebecca would never let him go.
Chapter 28
The Escape
Rebecca and Liam quickly ran to Max. They helped him to the Humvee. He could barely move, and once they were inside, Max asked for water. Liam grabbed a bottle from the back and gave it to him. He had a lot of questions for Max. How was he still alive? For that matter, what had he gone through? He looked like hell. Max’s left eye had been gouged out, and he was missing an ear and finger. Then there was his face. It was obvious that he had been punched more than a few times. Still, now wasn’t the time to ask. They had to wait until he recovered. As Max took one last drink, he passed out. Rebecca took the bottle from him and put his head in her lap.
“Get us back home, Liam. We’ve got to get him medical attention as soon as we can,” Rebecca said.
Liam nodded and got up front. As they started the journey home, Rebecca reached into the back and grabbed a medical kit. She disinfected his wounds and wrapped them. Of course, Max woke up as soon as the alcohol touched his ear. It was painful, and she hated to hurt him, but it had to be done.
“I’m all finished. Are you okay?” Rebecca asked.
“I’m with you, so I guess so. I never thought I would see you again.”
“I know. I got the letters from the doctor. I snuck into the city looking for you, but they had already taken you. You don’t have to explain if you’re too weak, but I want to know how you’re alive soon. I buried you this morning. I don’t see how any of this is possible.”
“You didn’t bury me. It’s complicated.”
“Then start at the beginning. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m going to make sure no one ever hurts you again.”
“It started when we got back to Raines . . .”
* * * * *
After Troy gouged his eye out back at the doctor’s office, he pulled his fingernails off. The pain wa
s almost unbearable for Max, and he was bleeding badly. Mercy didn’t come from Troy, however. He punched Max in the face over and over again until his face felt like one big bruise. At that point, Troy was out of breath, and he was starting to notice how pale Max was. If he kept going at this pace, Max would be dead soon. That wouldn’t do. Troy wanted him to suffer for as long as possible. He walked out of the room and told the doctor what to do. His job would be to cut Max up into little pieces and send the parts of him back to his family. There was a catch, though. He had to keep him alive for as long as possible. Max could tell the man was hesitant to do what he was told, but his family was being threatened. The doctor stopped the bleeding from Max’s ear and eye first. Then he gave him a few moments to rest. In truth, he was trying to delay the inevitable. He had never tortured a man before, but he didn’t have a choice. This had to happen.
“I apologize for what I’m about to do. I still remember when you and the others rolled into town. I helped save Liam’s life. At that time, I could’ve never anticipated us being anything less than friends,” he said.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Max said.
“He’ll kill me and my family if I don’t.”
“Let me go, and I’ll help you escape.”
“We both know you’re in no shape to protect anyone including yourself. If you were healthy, I might take you up on that offer, but all letting you go now will do is kill the people I love. Well, I guess we should get this over with. Once again, I’m truly sorry.”
The doctor got a medical blade and cut through Max’s left index finger. It was over in only seconds, but for Max, it felt like an eternity. When his finger fell to the floor, the pain didn’t fade. As he yelled out, he looked down to see another part of him gone. The most painful part of this wasn’t being hurt. It was knowing that every part of him would be sent to the woman he loved. Max didn’t know how, but he had to escape, or at the very least, figure out a way to make sure Rebecca never knew what really happened to him.
The Divide: Origins Page 26