The Divide: Origins by Mitchel Grace Read Free Book Online

believe in God?” she asked.
    “I
don’t know anymore,” Max said.
    “Hell
no! What God would allow this to happen?” Jerome asked.
    “Maybe
you should reconsider,” Zoe said and pointed out the window.
    When
Max and Jerome looked outside, they saw exactly what she was talking about.
None of them should have been alive. Every house on the block had been
destroyed by what was likely a tornado. Theirs was the only one that was left
standing.
    “Maybe
there is a God, after all,” Max said to himself and smiled.
    They
had survived day two, but the night held a few challenges for them. Could Max
kill the man who was supposed to be his best friend?

 
    Chapter 5
    When To Take A Life

 
    As
night fell, it got cold again. They managed to build a fire, but they were
starting to run low on wood. If this kept up, they would be burning tables
before it was over. Still, there was enough to keep them warm for the night. As
Max and Zoe drifted off, Jerome plotted. Zoe had an undesirable affect on his
friend. Max wasn’t thinking clearly. Much like real world rules didn’t apply in
prison, this was a different kind of world where the soft would be punished. That
girl was going to get them killed before it was over, and it was time to take
care of her. There was a problem with that, though. He didn’t know where Max
had hidden their guns. He hadn’t been able to look for them because he had been
either taking cover by the air conditioner or fireplace. Now was the time to
figure something out. Max would understand after it was over.
    Jerome
got up and walked to the kitchen where he found a knife. It was plenty big
enough for the job he had in mind. He walked back into the living room and
leaned down by Zoe. Then he put his hand over her mouth.
    “Make
one sound, and I’ll kill you,” he said as she woke up.
    Zoe
could feel the knife pressing into her back, so she didn’t dare make a sound.
She simply did as he commanded. He led her upstairs. It would be easier to kill
her out of Max’s sight. What he didn’t know was that while they were walking
upstairs, Max had woken up. He turned to see that Zoe was gone. He knew he had
to act fast, so he pulled his pistol and bolted for the stairs. When he reached
the top, what he saw made him cringe. Jerome had a knife against Zoe’s throat.
    “If
you don’t let her go, I’ll have to kill you,” he said.
    “Think
about it for a minute, Max. This girl is holding us back. Are you really
willing to kill me over deadweight?” Jerome asked.
    “More
willing than you might think,” Max said as he raised his gun.
    The
knife was so close to cutting into Zoe. With one flick of the wrist, she could
end up lying in a pool of her own blood. Max needed to be careful, but this had
to end soon.
    “So
four years in a cell means nothing to you, huh? Who saved your sorry ass time
and time again? No one else would look out for you, but I was there. Now you’re
just going to throw that away for some girl we don’t even know. Face it! The
world has changed. Innocence is a liability. People like us rule this world
now. You can get with the program or get dragged down,” Jerome said.
    “Good
luck with that train of thought. I’m the one holding the gun.”
    “You
won’t pull the trigger. This is what’s going to happen. I’m going to get rid of
her, and you’re going to give me your gun. If you don’t, you’ll be next.”
    “Max,
just shoot him,” Zoe said.
    “Shut
up, you little . . .” Jerome managed to say before Max fired.
    They
fell to the floor. There was so much blood. Max couldn’t tell what had
happened. Had he hit his mark, and most importantly, had Zoe been hurt in the
process? He ran to them and pulled Zoe away from Jerome. She appeared to just
be shaken. When he looked down at Jerome, however, he felt the weight of what
he had done. His cellmate over the last four years was lying in a pool of his
own blood. He was dead.
    “Thank
you. I thought for sure he was going