Awakened: The Story of Maxwell Cain

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

                            The Hideout

        Max walked for miles in the middle of the night and used some of his cash to rent a cheap motel room at the edge of the city. He eyed the beat-up mattress warily before he gave in to his exhaustion and lay down, while trying not to imagine the bed’s previous occupants.

                              __________

        Max was staring at the battlefield in front of him.  Once more, he was preparing to destroy a group of rebels foolish enough to stand against him.

        “Will they ever learn?”  Max thought to himself.  No matter how many patches of resistance would arise, Max was ready to strike them down.  Most generals would get frustrated with the amount of opposition, but Max savored every moment of it.  Each city he came to was another hopeful chance someone would oppose him, and give him an opportunity to attack.

        “Are you ready to proceed, sir?”  Max looked to his left to see a tall, muscular man with multiple tattoos standing next him.  His newly appointed lieutenant had proven quite the useful soldier.  He was ruthless and cunning and, more importantly, he carried out every single command Max gave him without a moment’s hesitation.

        Max looked calmly over to his lieutenant.  “Kill them all.”

        His soldiers marched down the deserted downtown street and started dragging people outside and executing them at gunpoint.  Max felt a twinge of jealousy.  He turned to his right to see a large apartment building standing before him.  In the entrance of the building, Max saw his father standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face.  He didn’t have to say anything for Max to know what he was thinking.  He was mocking Max’s ability.  He still believed he was stronger than Max.

        Max let anger flow through his body and he stretched one arm in the direction of the building.  Piece by piece, the building crumbled down to the ground, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble on top of his father.

                               __________

        Max woke up trembling like he did after every dream, but this time it was worse.  For the first time in years, his dreams had changed.  All those people his army had killed, and the screams he could still hear in his head, would haunt him forever.

        “NO!”  Max yelled to himself inside his head as he awoke.  “It is NOT my army!”

        As the morning’s rays snuck in through a crack in the door frame, Max lay in bed staring at the peeling paint on the ceiling.

        “What am I going to say when I get there?”  Max thought to himself.  “Hey guys!  I’m Max, the one you have been looking for all this time.  By the way, your friend, Damon, was   carried away by some old co-workers of mine.”

        With a sigh he got up, showered, put his suit back on, and walked to the nearest taxi hub.

        Max reached in his pocket and pulled out the tattered piece of paper that held the address that Damon had given him yesterday.  Handing it to the cab driver, Max slid into the back seat.

        “Drop me off at that address,” he directed the taxi driver.

        With a shrug, the driver said, “I’ll take you anywhere as long as you pay me.  And there's no refund.”