Max opened the door to his room, and after being sure that no one was around, he quietly closed it and walked out. He needed to get somewhere safe, and this area was definitely not. He looked back towards the motel, no sight of “Slash” as he had called himself. Good, he didn’t need any more chaos

 

 It was a pretty rural town, so there was a lot of forest surrounding it, perfect for escaping without detection.

 

Nervously he headed toward the trees,

 

He knew where he had to go… the trouble was getting there, so hands sweating he made his way through the thick brush.

 

“Ow!” he yelled as he was once more scraped and cut at by some angry bushes. He was definitely not dressed for this, on him he wore a cut up and ragged T-shirt and shorts, along with some now ruined tennis shoes.

 

He was making his way toward the bus stop, just going the long way, but as he continued to walk, he started to see more and more of the flaws in his plan.

 

He needed money and some clothes that didn’t make it look like he had just escaped slavery… or a collapsed building.

 

“I can’t believe this” he stated numbly to himself, nothing seemed real.

 

“I’m sorry to say, but you have to”

 

Max spun around toward the voice, again.

 

“Slash” was leaning against a tree,

 

“Stay back” Max growled aiming his hand directly at Slash’s face, “Or I will”

 

Chase examined the kid, his hands were shaking, a lot, and his eyes were red

 

“Max you have no idea how to control your abilities so don’t threaten me” Chase warned standing straight

 

“I said stay back or I’ll…” Max started shaking nervously

 

“Or you’ll what?” Chase challenged “You have no control over your powers what so ever”

 

“You don’t know that” Max stated pretending to be confident “of course I do”

 

Chase paused and looked at him in exasperation

 

“Really?”

 

Max didn’t respond

 

“Then…” Chase started looking down at max’s feet “What’s going on with those leaves?”

 

Max looked down startled to find the leaves and small pebbles around his feat gently swimming in very slow circles through the air around his ankles, something that he definitely didn’t know he was doing.

 

“That’s very intimidating” Slash teased, though, in retrospect, that was probably a mistake on his part because that made Max angry.

 

“Alright fine!” he stated looking the masked individual right in the cracks of his lenses as he moved his fingers to a snapping position “You’re right, I have no idea how my powers work at all, so let’s take a gamble!”

 

Now that made Chase stop, he could see the desperation in his eyes, he could hear the shakiness in his voice, and he could feel himself become lighter.

 

“Max please that isn’t going-“

 

“Zip it speedy!” Max snapped as objects around him started to rise “What’s the matter? Getting scared?”

 

Chase did not like the way the conversation was turning

 

“So here’s the deal” Max demanded still holding his fingers tight, “You’re going to run off, or I’m going to snap my fingers-“

 

“And nothing will happen!” Slash retorted, ignoring the ever-increasing lightness that was overtaking him

 

“But you don’t know that for sure!” Max taunted as branches and sticks started to rise to the treetops

 

Chase dug his claws into the earth

 

“Look, kid, I know what you’re going through” Chase tried to reason, but that was a mistake, a fact that he discovered immediately after he said it

 

“Don’t you dare” Max yelled causing things to drop “Don’t you dare say that to me!”

 

“I’m sorry” Chase stuttered

 

But of course, Max had none of that

 

“I can see it even through that stupid mask you’re wearing! You couldn’t care less about all the people that just died! You soldiers are all the same” he spat

 

Those words cut deep because, in a way, they were true

 

“Look Max I’m trying, I really am!” Chase shot back “But…”

 

“But what!?” Max challenged, hands now shaking, he stared at Slash waiting for an answer.

 

“It’s not that simple”

 

Max was getting frustrated, but he said nothing, forcing the Slash to continue, and Slash saw this.

 

“I’m sorry,” Chase said bending his head down

 

At that Max collapsed. He collapsed onto the ground with his head in his hands, immediately causing everything previously floating to drop. And he started crying.

 

“Just kill me… if that’s what you want to do then just do it!”

 

Chase had absolutely no idea what to do, so he just stood there

 

“I killed my grandmother, she just died, along with a lot of other people, and it’s all my fault” he spoke tears seeping through the cracks in his hand, then he looked up at Slash “So just kill me”

 

Chase paused “I’m not going to kill you, and I promise you I understand-“

 

“Don’t you dare say that!” Max shouted, “You have no idea what this is like!”

 

Chase took a step back,

 

Dad let me in, please!!

 

“Actually…” Chase started

 

There was blood on his arm /HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!! /Hundreds dead in freak electrical storm

 

“I do”

 

I’m so sorry!! /his mind was screaming in pain!

 

Max looked up at the figure standing above him, and for the first time he saw… He wasn’t lying

 

I’m so sorry

 

There was silence for a second as Chase forced the flood of broken memories to stop, blocking them off. He looked up at the kid sitting on the ground.

​

“Look… I’m really sorry about… everything. All of this could’ve been avoided, and it’s my fault that it wasn’t.” Chase said looking the Max dead in the eyes “But that’s the thing, it happened, so now we have to face it.”

 

Max stood up

 

“What exactly did happen?”

 

“I don’t exactly know… it shouldn’t have… I mean you…ugh” Chase sighed “You’re a paradox”

 

Max felt his stomach turn to stone

 

“…What did you say?” he gasped hiding the fact that he was starting to hyperventilate

 

“Sorry,” Chase said pretending he didn’t notice Max’s behavior “But that’s the best way put it, you shouldn’t be like this, none of what just happened should’ve happened… and yet…” Chase gestured to Max “Here we are.”

 

Max said nothing

 

“…Kid…” Chase reasoned “There is something different about you… and there is a man that will stop at absolutely nothing to figure out what that is.”

 

Max looked at him, some emotion gleaming through his poker face

 

“Hi,” Chase said pulling off his mask and throwing it onto the ground while he extended his hand “My name is Chase Parker Nology, and if you value your life, then I am your one, and only, shot of staying alive.”