The Town

By Oliver Zettas

The Town is a coming of age, dystopian novel filled with action and violence. Max, the main character, leaves his safe life at the age of 17 because he feels he has no purpose. Upon his escape and banishment from the town he discovers that an unknown power is on a path to destroy his town. That’s when he finds he does have a purpose after all. Throughout the novel, Max is reminded of one clear message: everything in our life isn’t always given, your journey is to find your purpose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oliver Zettas
• Release date: Oct 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301369133

Oliver Zettas

Oliver Zettas is an eighteen year old high school senior in Denver, Colorado. He was inspired to write this book while in Houston, Texas. He enjoys many athletic activities, and is currently playing varsity basketball. This is his first published book, but will not be his last.

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The Town

By Oliver Zettas

Published by Oliver Zettas at Smashwords

Copyright © 2012 Oliver Zettas

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The Town is dedicated to my mom, for all her personal help and support. You made this book possible. -Thanks, Oliver

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Town

Chapter 2: Max

Chapter 3: The Escape

Chapter 4: Infection

Chapter 5: The Worry

Chapter 6: Purpose

Chapter 7: The Family

Chapter 8: Red Death

Chapter 9: Max’s Parents

Chapter 10: The Plan

Chapter 11: The Canyon

Chapter 12: The Fountain

Chapter 13: Going Home

Chapter 14: Protection

Chapter 15: Recruits 

Chapter 16: Training

Chapter 17: The Box and the Cross

Chapter 18: Five More Days

Chapter 19: The Defense

Chapter 20-: True Love

Chapter 21:Katherine

Chapter 22: The Last Day

Chapter 23: Max's Lucky Night

Chapter 24: The New Plan

Chapter 25: The Wall

Chapter 26: Water

Chapter 27: The Last Stand

Chapter 28: The Rescue

Chapter 29: Mayor Max

Chapter 1: The Town

There was a small town built at the end of a large forest quite a number of years ago. A town surrounded by a solid black wall. A wall designed to keep the people of the town inside, and whatever was outside the wall, out. The town had many specific rules and guidelines that everyone followed without question. In the town there were exactly two-thousand people, five-hundred houses, ten schools, five supermarkets, and one town hall. Every citizen was born into his or her job, house, and even matched with a spouse. Everything was already chosen for them. Each and every day the father of the house would wake up, go to work, get food, come home, eat dinner, and go to bed. The man’s wife would get up, make breakfast, take the kids to school, make dinner, and go to bed. The son of the house would wake up, go to school, learn the job he was destined to receive, come back home eat dinner, and go to bed. The daughter would wake up, go to school, and learn cooking, cleaning, and taking care of a household. She would return home, help with dinner, and go to bed. Every citizen had the exact same name as his or her parent for each gender. This meant there was a balance of one child and one adult with the same name. There were one-thousand adults and one-thousand kids. A child became an adult at age twenty, and an adult retired at age sixty. From ages thirty-five to forty every couple was given a son and daughter. The son would take the same job as his father, and the daughter would learn how to maintain a household. Six days of the week each citizen would work, on the seventh day every citizen was allowed to do as they pleased. There was running, swimming, biking, reading, and much more. But no one was ever allowed to leave the town limits, except for the town mayor and truck drivers to get supplies. No one had ever even thought to leave the town, because they were told when they were very young that there is evil lurking outside of the town walls. The town measured five by five miles across with a huge black wall surrounding the entire place. There was no money in the town. All exchanges were made with special cards. Each person was given three cards at the age twenty, when you were finally an adult. There was one card to obtain food from the market, another card to show your citizenship and age, and a third card to open your designated house. Each house was painted white, with a small blue picket fence surrounding it. There was a small river running through the middle of the town and the people used it for water and food. The most common jobs for the town’s people were fishing, security, or truck driving. Truck drivers would go in and out of the town, and pick up food from farmers. These trucks were heavily armored and could withstand almost anything, but no one ever talked about an attack on the drivers or their trucks. The fishermen would go out every day to the same spots around the river and would fish for many hours. Those in security provided the protection for the town. They were the only people with guns, and they would constantly be on patrol for suspicious activity inside the town, and watch from raised platforms for any suspicious activity outside their walls. No one had ever committed a crime in the entire history of the town, and no one spoke of ever seeing anything happen outside of the town. As far as everyone knew, each and every person was content with the lifestyle chosen for him or her. There was only one problem in the entire history of the town, a boy who decided to leave the town. This is his story.

Chapter 2: Max

No one had ever questioned the rules and structure of the town or how it was established. That is, until little Max came along. Once he started to talk and walked to school with his older sister Betty, he would ask, Why do I have to go to school Betty? I want to go swimming! She would always reassure him by saying, That’s not your purpose Max. But you can do as much swimming as you like on the seventh day of the week.

When he thought about his future he would blurt out, But I don’t want to be a Milkman like dad. I want to be a truck driver and leave this place! His sister would smile and keep telling him that wasn’t his purpose and eventually Max would stop complaining.

His parents began to notice that little Max would often complain about the food he was served. He would shout, I don’t want eggs for breakfast, I want pancakes! But Max, his mother would whisper, You already had pancakes on the fourth day. You get to enjoy your eggs on the sixth.

Max was often angry or confused because he couldn’t make any food choices. Everything had to be eaten according to the seven-day meal plan handed out by the market. He didn’t want to accept the fact that he must become a Milkman like his father, and that he could only go swimming on the seventh day. But Max was smart, he realized objecting would do him no good.

So one day he decided to make an oath and said to himself, Once I become a Milkman I’ll take the van they give me and drive it right out of the town! The more he thought about it, he decided he would wait to carry out his plan until he was seventeen, when his father would allow him to start practice driving. From that moment on, Max never questioned anything again, out loud. His parents were relieved, having no idea what the real reason was for Max’s good behavior. Every day, Max patiently ate his food without arguing, went to school, and got to bed on time. As Max watched his family relax around him, he thought he was in the clear, that nobody was suspicious. He was almost correct, but one person knew something was different about Max. That person was his older sister Betty. She knew he had changed, but couldn’t figure out why. She would ask Max from time to time why he didn’t question things anymore. He would smile at her and simply say, It’s not my purpose Betty. Even you know that.

After several months of this behavior Betty became very worried for her brother. She found her mother cooking and said, Mom, Max used to ask me questions every day, but now he never says anything or questions anybody.

Oh Betty, Max was just in a little phase that’s all. Betty shrugged and decided it was time to accept her brother had changed.

A few days later, Betty was taking a walk around the town on the seventh day. As she was walking she saw Max sitting on a tree branch looking out over the black wall that surrounded the town. It looked like he was watching the trucks go in and out of the town. She ran behind a small bush and hid, watching Max’s every move. After a few minutes, she saw Max drawing something but she couldn’t make out what it was. Max looked excited as he drew, and then, after about twenty minutes, he jumped off the tree and started heading toward the town wall. He pulled out his paper and started writing something down. Betty had no clue what he could be doing, so she followed him home and decided to wait until nightfall. Once she thought Max was asleep, she slowly snuck into his room and saw a huge poster rolled up tightly with a rubber band at one end of the room. She grabbed it and took off the elastic band as quietly as possible. Max didn’t budge. Then Betty turned on her tiny flashlight and pointed it at the poster, and what she saw scared the living daylights out of her.

Chapter 3: The Escape

The poster was a full scale drawing of the town. It had each and every exit of the town, as well as a guide for a car to go in and out. On the back were little notes, like the length of time the town wall gate was open, and the regular routes for truck drivers on the seventh day. Betty intended to put the poster back in the exact same spot she found it and then sneak out of the room. But Max was already in front of the door. Betty stood frozen, her mouth wide open, shaking in her nightgown. Max crept over to her with an evil look in his eyes.

Put it down Betty, he said in a low gruff voice. She opened her hands and instantly dropped the poster. He walked right next to her and whispered, Say one word Betty, just one word about what you saw, and I’ll cut your head off. Max! she yelled putting her hands over her mouth. I’m your sister Max, why are you doing this? He stared back at her and with no emotion repeated, Say one word Betty, just one word. You’ll regret it. Then he pushed her out of the room and shut the door in her face.

Betty did not sleep well from that moment on. Every night she dreamt her brother was walking into her room with a knife, she would hear a shrill scream and would wake up sweating. After her discovery, Betty and Max never spent any time alone again.

Time passed and before Betty knew it her brother turned seventeen. On his birthday he walked into Betty’s room where she was lying down. But when she saw him open the door she jumped out of bed immediately.

Betty I’m not here to hurt you, but to say goodbye. Max turned around and was about to walk out of the room, but Betty screamed his name. I’ve been scared every night Max. I keep dreaming you’ll come into my room to kill me. A piece of Max died a little bit inside. He wanted so much to apologize for frightening her and tell her why he had to do what he was about to do. But he knew he couldn’t yet.

Goodbye Betty, Max said again and walked out of her room. He walked slowly down the stairs knowing this might be the last time he could come back to his home. Max opened the door, continued walking, and went over to the Milkman van his father used to go to work every day. He had imagined his plan over a hundred times, and he knew it wouldn’t be easy. He thought he was prepared with two seven-day meal plans, a kitchen knife he had grabbed, and enough fuel for a very long trip. He started the van, pulled out of his driveway and drove out to the front gate. Then he parked the van. He was waiting for a food truck, which was supposed to arrive in exactly three minutes. Max would follow right behind that truck and make a dash for the forest when he crossed through the gate. It felt like a year for Max just sitting and waiting for that truck. Finally the food truck arrived. As planned he pulled out behind the truck, but there was just one problem. There was a police car on the other side of the gate. Max hadn’t planned for this. The truck zoomed forward and Max trailed right behind it. The second he cleared the town gate Max heard loud sirens. The officer was apparently out of gas so he jumped out of the police car and opened fire on his Milkman van. Max drove toward the officer hoping he would move out of the way, but for some reason he just stood there. Max ran over the officer, leaving his body motionless on the ground. He felt crazy, and was freaked out of his mind. But he knew he couldn’t go back. He took one last look at the town, and drove off into the wilderness.

After an hour or so of driving Max noticed there were no more trees. He saw huge areas of land filled with strange creatures. There were signs over these large areas of land with different letters. He decided to pull into one of these areas where the sign read ‘farm b.’ Curiosity often got the best of Max. He got out of the car and walked toward the gated creatures. Max had never seen anything like them. They had four legs, hooves, utters, and were white with black spots. He spotted jars next to these animals and inside was a white liquid. He smelled this substance and realized it was milk! He took a swig of the drink and thought it was the best milk he had ever tasted.

Why can’t we get milk like this back home? Max said out loud, wiping off his milk mustache. As he put the jar down he saw a man standing in front of him about ten yards away with a shotgun pointed straight at his face.

Boy, what the hell you doing on my property? You infected? No sir! I’m from the town with Mayor George. Why do you talk with that weird voice?

That’s not a weird voice boy, that’s an accent. He lowered his gun slowly and took a long at Max. Get the hell out of here before I call the cops on you. Before he walked away he turned back and asked, Why would you leave anyway?

Max told him all about how he had everything chosen for