Awakened: The Story of Maxwell Cain

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Camping

Max stared at his friend for a moment, not knowing what to do.  He had never had to treat a wound before.  He knew one thing.  He had to get out of there before the soldiers mustered up their courage or reinforcements were called in.

Not only was his mental energy drained, but his physical energy was as well.  He was able to draw upon what little strength he had left and carry his friend across the parking lot and into the forest.

Max went into the trees about a hundred yards before he finally collapsed from exhaustion.  He took in their surroundings and saw that the forest reminded him of camping trips with his family.  It was an untouched part of the forest with dense pine trees growing every few feet.  The tops of the trees were thin and allowed the sun to shine down on the bed of pine needles covering the forest floor where Will was lying.  Max walked over to assess his wound.  There was a small hole the size of a dime in the front of his shoulder, and a similar hole in the back where the bullet exited.

Max had never tried any type of healing spell before, and did not know how he should concentrate to create it.  From what he understood about magic, he knew he couldn’t just imagine the wound healing.  He had to have an understanding of anatomy so he knew what to heal.  That was one class he did not attend.

Eventually, he decided to stop the bleeding until he could figure out something better to do.  Although his energy was near an end, he concentrated on redirecting the blood flow away from Will’s wound the same way Byron had taught him to control his own blood flow in the sparring pit.  Once he was satisfied that the bleeding was bypassing the wound and no longer flowing freely out of the hole, Max fell into the dark abyss of  unconsciousness.

When he came to, Max saw that night had fallen.  He also noticed a fire had been lit in front of him.  His first thought was that the men following them earlier had overcome them.  He quickly got to his feet and looked around, but didn’t see anyone.

He heard the leaves rustling behind him, and Max thought of the bear that had invaded the camping trip with his family so many years ago.  He prepared his mind to defend whatever attacks were coming, and when he whipped around, he saw Chloe emerging from the trees.

Confused at first, Max could only muster one word.  “Chloe?”

Chloe smiled.  “Don’t act too surprised Max; one little explosion isn’t going to get me.”

Still trying to wrap his head around it, Max asked, “How did you…?”

Chloe explained, “Well, every pilot in training at the hideout had to wear a fire resistant suit for safety precautions.  It was basic protocol, so I brought it along for this trip too.  Didn’t you see me wearing it?”

Max thought about it.  “Yeah.  I didn’t realize it was a special suit.  I just thought you just enjoyed wearing it, now that you’re a real pilot and all.”

Chloe laughed.  “Well, that was a part of it, but I am sure glad I did!  I slipped out to the side of the buildings and lost track of you two.  Then I heard a building crash on the other side of the complex.  I got there as you two were entering the woods.  I called out to you, but you just kept going.  So I followed your tracks here and found you both lying down.”

Suddenly it dawned on Max.  “The fire!  They will be able to see it!”

Chloe shook her head.  “No.  They hightailed it outta’ here immediately.  Whatever you did to them, Max, shook them up pretty bad.  You decimated a platoon of soldiers.”