The Divide: Origins by Mitchel Grace

Houston.
Do you think you can get us there?”
    “I
know I can.”
    “Good.
There’s some canned goods and water in the back. Get what you need now, and
then we’re hitting the road.”
    “Thank
you,” Rebecca said and started to walk away, but Max stopped her and frisked
her.
    “Sorry
about that. We don’t really know you yet, and I don’t want a stab in the back
while I’m asleep,” Max said.
    “It’s
fine. I’ll be ready to go soon.”
    After
she walked away, Max looked at Zoe questionably. He didn’t know if he made the
right decision. If he had been on his own, he probably would have shot Rebecca,
but Zoe was with him. If he had killed that woman with no thought, he might have
lost Zoe. She would have viewed him just like the monsters that killed her
friend.
    “It’s
all right, Max. I think you made the right decision. She looks harmless. She
wasn’t even carrying a gun. If it turns out that she’s not who we think she is,
we’ll dump her somewhere, but until then, let’s assume she’s not playing an
angle,” Zoe said.
    “I
hope you’re right. Giving charity is kind of hard in these times. We have
enough supplies for us. Who knows if we have enough for her, too?”
    “We’ll
find a way to manage. Let’s just hurry her along so we can get on the road.
It’s hot as hell out here, and I’m ready to get under the air conditioner.”
    “You
know you’re only thirteen, right? You shouldn’t be cursing. I didn’t think much
of it before because of everything you had just gone through, but it might be
time to cut it out.”
    “You
know you’re not my dad, right?”
    “I
realize that, but we become who we are in our teen years. If the world recovers
from this, it’s going to need intelligent and patient people with class, not
frustrated people who curse about everything.”
    “Point
taken, but Max, do you really think the world can ever recover from this? What
does it matter if I’m the picture of what a girl should be when nothing is the
same?”
    “I’m
glad I didn’t kill that woman a second ago. Every moral decision we make
matters, no matter what’s going on around us, and that includes cursing.”
    “Are
you actually going to give me some religious speech right now? Yesterday you
didn’t even know if you believed in God.”
    “No.
I’m going to tell you that our choice to do the right thing in the worst
moments is what separates us from animals. We have a conscience, and even if it
can get in the way at times, I think it’s there for a reason. Talk however you
want. I’m not your dad, but you might need to think about who you want to be in
the future. I didn’t want to be someone who indiscriminately killed, so I
didn’t pull the trigger a second ago. It might cost us in the end, but I
decided who I wanted to be in this new world. Now, it’s your turn.”
    “I
guess you’re right. I’ll lay off the language for now. If we’re in the sun for
much longer, though, there’s no telling what might come out of my mouth,” Zoe
joked.
    “If
we’re out here for much longer, we might just be cooked alive.”
    “There’s
no need to worry about cooking. I’m ready to go. Thank you for helping me. I’ll
get you to Houston,” Rebecca said, and they got into the vehicle.
    They
hadn’t slept well the night before because of Jerome, so Zoe was still very
tired. She drifted off about thirty minutes into the trip. While she caught a
nap, Max made it a point to get to know their new companion.
    “If
you’re going to be with us until Texas, I might as well get to know you more,
Rebecca. What’s your story?”
    “I
don’t have much of one. I would be interested in yours, too. I think I heard
the girl call you Max. Is that your name?”
    “Yeah,
and she’s Zoe.”
    “Are
you two related?”
    “No.
We met after everything happened. It’s a long story.”
    “I’m
not going anywhere.”
    Max
told her everything. He told her about what his prison mates had done to the
family