𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 (𝟏)

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓𝟕

Fire was everywhere, the smoke clouding my lungs until they burned with exhaustion. My throat was dry and ached with every cough I choked out. I felt like a big boulder was pressing into my chest, and my head was throbbing, pounding like someone was taking a hammer to my skull.

I blinked, my eyes stinging and burning, struggling to see through the blurry haze of grey clouding my vision. I cupped my hand over my mouth, trying not to inhale the smoke.

This is what I had done.

I was made for mass destruction, I remember them telling me. I remember Celina's voice, pounding into my skull with another throbbing pain that makes me groan: "Ignore them, they don't know you. You're perfect." She had said.

I forced my feet to drag along the crumbled pieces of concrete, panic mixing into the tightness of my breath, I felt like I was suffocating in my own body, like my bones were breaking into one another, and my skin burned with fiery heat.

"M-max?" I called out, coughing into my arm.

I jumped over the bits of debris , crawled through small spaces of fallen buildings, my lungs squeezing tighter with a burning sensation with every breath I gasped. "Max?" I called out, louder this time.

Chaos was erupted around me. Broken buildings fallen over, toppling over one another. I heard screams and cries and then orders being tossed out left from right. Flames scattered around me, and it was hard to see through the grey smoke surrounding me.

I pushed through the burn in my legs and the throb in my head. I ignored the liquid dripping out of my throbbing nose and the stinging pain on the right side of my temple. "Max!" I screamed, chest heaving through the suffocation.

I flickered my eyes in all directions, trying to not let the guilt and destruction rip me apart yet. I saw some of my battle-brothers, some were laying on the ground, others were screaming and crying in pain.

Two were desperately trying to lift the large piece of a broken concrete building off of a crying boys leg.

I narrowed my eyes on familiar ginger colored hair, and felt my heart jump in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I bolted in his direction, narrowly avoiding the lit flames around me.

"Max!" I choked out, collapsing onto my knees at the boy I could practically call my brothers-side. His body was limp, his arm twisted into a unnatural position. My heart drummed into my ears, I hesitated to touch him, afraid I might do more damage.

"M..Max?" I whispered, reaching to cup his cheek and angle his face toward me. My heart stopped in my chest.

"Max?" I choked out through a sob. His eyes were open, dull and motionless, he had blood trickling down the side of his face, and he looked so pale.. so pale and lifeless in my hands.