Awakened: The Story of Maxwell Cain

Chapter 4

    Chapter 4

                            Revelations

        Max stared at the man in disbelief.  “How do you know my name?” he demanded.

        “I know everything about you, Max,” answered the man.  “I’ve been watching you since you were a young boy.  I know about all the strange things that happened to you without your control.  I know about your disturbing dreams, and I know about what happened to your parents.”

        “Why have you been watching me?”  Max asked the man.

        “You are a very special man,” the stranger replied.  “And you have a very important destiny.  My name is Damon, and I am a tracker.”

        “A tracker?  What is that?”  Max asked Damon.

        Damon thought for a moment and replied, “It’s a bit complicated.  Let me just say that I can find someone, no matter where they are in this world, ok?  We don’t have time to get into the details right now; first, we have to get out of the city before your so-called “friends” get curious about where you are.  I don’t believe you have been away from your most trusted Shota for very long.”

        Grabbing Damon by the shirt threateningly, Max demanded, “You know about Shota?  Tell me what happened to me!”

        “Max, calm down,” Damon replied quietly, removing Max's hands and smoothing his shirt.  “I’m your friend, and I will explain everything.  But right now we have to go.”

        Damon stopped moving and acted like he was sniffing the air when suddenly his eyes went wide.  “Oh no,” he said, clearly terrified.  “They're here.”

        Max turned around and looked out the restaurant window.  Across the street, he saw Shota with two other large men looking in their direction.

        “RUN!” yelled Damon.  “Out the back, quickly!”  At once Damon sprung to his feet.  It appeared the hamburger and fries added vigor to his body.

        They both ran through the kitchen door, ignoring the startled looks from the teens flipping meat on the grills.  When they burst out the back door, Damon sprinted down the end of the block toward an abandoned warehouse.  Max followed close on his tail, not bothering to look back when he heard the screams from the restaurant behind them.  They found an unlocked side door into the warehouse, and promptly latched it behind them once they were safely inside.

        “It should take them awhile before they know we are in here.  It didn’t appear they had a tracker with them,” said Damon as he peered out the window.

        Max looked around to take in his surroundings.  It seemed they were in an old, abandoned, car manufacturing warehouse.  There were huge scraps of metal and tires against the walls, with strange pieces of machinery in the middle.

        “How did you know they were coming?” asked Max, turning back toward Damon.

        “I don’t have time to explain; let’s just say I smelled them, ok?” answered Damon.  After seeing the clearly confused look on Max’s face he continued.  “I can sense the very essence within people.  Every single person has a unique form of it.  It’s the same way I found you.”

        “If that’s true, why did it take you ten years to find me, and minutes to sense the others?” accused Max.

        “That’s what I want to talk to you about, Max,” responded Damon, still looking out the window.  “You can’t remember what has happened for the last ten years, can you?”  Max’s silence was enough of an answer.  “The disturbing dreams you’ve been having are not just regular dreams.  They are visions of the future - a future we hope does not come true.”