Six Steel

Chapter 11: Consequences Part 2

Parker didn't remember what happened. Sometime later, Carter would tell him that the remaining Devil Boys had freed the cart and machines from the obsidian and picked up X-Spot before riding away from the officers that swarmed Alten. However, Carter also saw who shot Max and kept that to himself since it would only torture Parker more.

Once Parker had caught the youngest Fearsome Five member in his arms, he lost contact with everything happening around him. Max was still smiling when Parker lay him down.

Max choked on the blood in his mouth as he coughed out the words, "I had to save you."

Parker began hyperventilating. It felt like a huge lump was jammed deep in his throat, and it took every short breath he could muster to get past it.

Tears started to form in his eyes when he said, "Max, you're shot."

Max shook his head, "It was me or you." Pulling another painful breath into his lungs, "He drew his pistol early."

Parker winced when he heard Max breathe. He didn't want to watch him suffer like this. He wanted to do something, but there wasn't anything he could do.

Parker's eyes then fell to the pool of blood growing on the ground. Red tendrils climbed through Max's shirt as it absorbed the liquid. Like a futile attempt to retain the vital liquid, the boy was losing far too quickly.

"For the Fearsome Five, right?" whispered Max, trying to distract Parker from his physical state.

Max took his fist to his head and then to his gut and reached a hand out to Parker. The extra exertion of energy it took to move his arm was enough for things to start going dark. He didn't care, though. He thought about Patrick and how sorry he was for lying to him then, but he said it was for Patrick's sake. The truth was, he knew from the very beginning this might be the last time he would use his Norman. He had accepted that. He would miss going to The Place with the gang and learning new tricks to impress his friends. But those weren't things he was going to regret missing out on. The only regret he had was making the single person he looked up to the most be the one to watch him die.

The last thing Max saw was Parker, as tears streamed down his face, give the Fearsome Five's salute in return and grab Max's hand. Then he slipped away into the next world. Max hoped his smile would stay on his face when he passed so that Parker thought of him smiling when he went.

Parker felt the squeeze of Max's hand slowly fade away, finger by finger, his friend's life fading away, the body making a final roll call before dismissing the company. Pinky. Ring. Middle. Index... Thumb... Then, there was nothing but a lifeless hand in Parker's. Parker picked up the boy and finally looked about his surroundings again.

The Devil Boys were gone now, replaced by officers from State Quil who were littered throughout the town, helping injured ones to get to the nearest working doctor, which was in Fantyr, behind the wall, since the Devil Boys had ransacked the Alten doctor's office. Carter was helping Jacob as he came to, holding him up and helping him walk. They both looked up to see tear-streaked Parker with their dead friend in his arms. They both dropped their heads in defeat. Even if they had protected the town from the Devil Boys, this was not a victory for the Fearsome Five.

An officer approached the boys, and they recognized him as the officer from earlier that day with the yellow bandana and Liquid.

"I received a few reports of gang members bound up in various places in this town. I'm sure it would be safe to assume you boys did that?" asked the officer.

James was still leaning heavily on Carter for support, with his brain in a fog. Carter had tears in his clothes, and cuts marred his large figure. Parker's face was wet with tears while he still held the lifeless body of his friend. None of them spoke in response to the officer's question.