The Divide

Maura and I were once best friends, but for over a decade and a half, we grew to become bitter enemies. She was the praised “hero” of the city, whereas I was the condemned “criminal”. We were both vigilantes, but she was always seen as a saviour. I resented how hypocritical her very existence was.

One day, the both of us were caught in the crosshairs of a domestic terrorist attack, and somehow, the police linked the attacks to me. I was on the run. Maura, the police, they all chased me through every dark corner and crevice of the city until I was finally cornered. Maura tracked me down and, while the cops were en route, I made my last stand.

Maura said she wanted to talk, but the time for words was long past. I shut her down and readied myself to face her. In a city full of crooked cops and false gods, there was no hope for someone like me to find the light. I would make certain that they would never catch me alive. And so it came to pass that I forfeit my life that night. But I did not fall alone; with my last breath, I took down my foe that had betrayed me all those years ago. At least I had vengeance in death.

Moments after I felt my last breath escape my body, I found myself in the middle of an endless dark desert. The skies were cloaked in grey skies, and the winds were howling, raising streams of sand into the skies. Yet I could feel none of it. I looked down at my hands and found the grains flowing through my ethereal form.

“You’re here, too?” A familiar voice echoed from behind me.

I turned around to find Maura behind me. I frowned and turned away. Wading through the limbo before me was better than seeing her face.

“Cheska, wait!” she yelled.

“What?” I turned around. “Did you grow a conscience in death?”

The ground began to tremble.

“I just wanted to apologise.”

I clenched my fists. “You’re the reason we’re here and you want to apologise?”

The ground between us began to crumble, the cracks slowly slithering towards us as we both backed away.

“I came to find you to say you were framed!”

The cracks suddenly stopped moving.

“What?”

“I found out that the Chief was pulling the strings and came early to warn you and help you escape, but you wouldn’t listen.”

I didn’t know what to say. Was she cooking up some lie because we were both stuck in the same maze? She had tricked me before; I wasn’t going to let her do it again.

“I know it’s difficult for you to believe me after what I allowed to happen to you back when we were in college, but I swear to you now that I’m telling the truth.”

“And then you had the nerve to call yourself a hero.” The rage was resurfacing.

The ground resumed to crack and fall apart, ripping open a chasm that spread across far and wide. A new voice then emerged from the skies. “If you cannot let go of your hatred, you shall remain in this land forever; if you are consumed by it, you shall sink into the pit below.”

“And who might you be?” I asked.

“I am Everything and I am Nothing. I am All, and this is my realm. If you wish to find peace, you need to overcome your differences.”

I took in a deep breath and relaxed my arms. “Fine, I’ll hear her out.”

The divide began to disappear.

Maura and I talked about the past. I asked her why she never helped me when I was bullied; she said it was because she wanted to fit in. Maura admitted that she was wrong, and that it was because she let me down that she fought so hard to be seen as the hero of the city. She said she knew she could never make up for what she did, but even so, she couldn’t let go of the past.

Much like I couldn’t…

The chasm was soon sealed, and a rift opened in the air before us. Beyond was a starry world with streams of light scattered across an endless night sky. “You may pass,” the voice said.

Maura and I stepped through the portal together, friends once more.