

The Town

By Oliver Zettas

Published by Oliver Zettas at Smashwords

Copyright © 2012 Oliver Zettas

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The Town is dedicated to my mom, for all her personal help and support. You made this book possible. -Thanks, Oliver

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Town

Chapter 2: Max

Chapter 3: The Escape

Chapter 4: Infection

Chapter 5: The Worry

Chapter 6: Purpose

Chapter 7: The Family

Chapter 8: Red Death

Chapter 9: Max's Parents

Chapter 10: The Plan

Chapter 11: The Canyon

Chapter 12: The Fountain

Chapter 13: Going Home

Chapter 14: Protection

Chapter 15: Recruits

Chapter 16: Training

Chapter 17: The Box and the Cross

Chapter 18: Five More Days

Chapter 19: The Defense

Chapter 20-: True Love

Chapter 21:Katherine
Chapter 22: The Last Day
Chapter 23: Max's Lucky Night

Chapter 24: The New Plan

Chapter 25: The Wall

Chapter 26: Water

Chapter 27: The Last Stand

Chapter 28: The Rescue

Chapter 29: Mayor Max

Chapter 1: The Town

There was a small town built at the end of a large forest quite a number of years ago. A town surrounded by a solid black wall. A wall designed to keep the people of the town inside, and whatever was outside the wall, out. The town had many specific rules and guidelines that everyone followed without question. In the town there were exactly two-thousand people, five-hundred houses, ten schools, five supermarkets, and one town hall. Every citizen was born into his or her job, house, and even matched with a spouse. Everything was already chosen for them. Each and every day the father of the house would wake up, go to work, get food, come home, eat dinner, and go to bed. The man's wife would get up, make breakfast, take the kids to school, make dinner, and go to bed. The son of the house would wake up, go to school, learn the job he was destined to receive, come back home eat dinner, and go to bed. The daughter would wake up, go to school, and learn cooking, cleaning, and taking care of a household. She would return home, help with dinner, and go to bed. Every citizen had the exact same name as his or her parent for each gender. This meant there was a balance of one child and one adult with the same name. There were one-thousand adults and one-thousand kids. A child became an adult at age twenty, and an adult retired at age sixty. From ages thirty-five to forty every couple was given a son and daughter. The son would take the same job as his father, and the daughter would learn how to maintain a household. Six days of the week each citizen would work, on the seventh day every citizen was allowed to do as they pleased. There was running, swimming, biking, reading, and much more. But no one was ever allowed to leave the town limits, except for the town mayor and truck drivers to get supplies. No one had ever even thought to leave the town, because they were told when they were very young that there is evil lurking outside of the town walls. The town measured five by five miles across with a huge black wall surrounding the entire place. There was no money in the town. All exchanges were made with special cards. Each person was given three cards at the age twenty, when you were finally an adult. There was one card to obtain food from the market, another card to show your citizenship and age, and a third card to open your designated house. Each house was painted white, with a small blue picket fence surrounding it. There was a small river running through the middle of the town and the people used it for water and food. The most common jobs for the town's people were fishing, security, or truck driving. Truck drivers would go in and out of the town, and pick up food from farmers. These trucks were heavily armored and could withstand almost anything, but no one ever talked about an attack on the drivers or their trucks. The fishermen would go out every day to the same spots around the river and would fish for many hours. Those in security provided the protection for the town. They were the only people with guns, and they would constantly be on patrol for suspicious activity inside the town, and watch from raised platforms for any suspicious activity outside their walls. No one had ever committed a crime in the entire history of the town, and no one spoke of ever seeing anything happen outside of the town. As far as everyone knew, each and every person was content with the lifestyle chosen for him or her. There was only one problem in the entire history of the town, a boy who decided to leave the town. This is his story.

Chapter 2: Max

No one had ever questioned the rules and structure of the town or how it was established. That is, until little Max came along. Once he started to talk and walked to school with his older sister Betty, he would ask, "Why do I have to go to school Betty? I want to go swimming!" She would always reassure him by saying, "That's not your purpose Max. But you can do as much swimming as you like on the seventh day of the week."

When he thought about his future he would blurt out, "But I don't want to be a Milkman like dad. I want to be a truck driver and leave this place!" His sister would smile and keep telling him that wasn't his purpose and eventually Max would stop complaining.

His parents began to notice that little Max would often complain about the food he was served. He would shout, "I don't want eggs for breakfast, I want pancakes!" "But Max," his mother would whisper, "You already had pancakes on the fourth day. You get to enjoy your eggs on the sixth."

Max was often angry or confused because he couldn't make any food choices. Everything had to be eaten according to the seven-day meal plan handed out by the market. He didn't want to accept the fact that he must become a Milkman like his father, and that he could only go swimming on the seventh day. But Max was smart, he realized objecting would do him no good.

So one day he decided to make an oath and said to himself, "Once I become a Milkman I'll take the van they give me and drive it right out of the town!" The more he thought about it, he decided he would wait to carry out his plan until he was seventeen, when his father would allow him to start practice driving. From that moment on, Max never questioned anything again, out loud. His parents were relieved, having no idea what the real reason was for Max's good behavior. Every day, Max patiently ate his food without arguing, went to school, and got to bed on time. As Max watched his family relax around him, he thought he was in the clear, that nobody was suspicious. He was almost correct, but one person knew something was different about Max. That person was his older sister Betty. She knew he had changed, but couldn't figure out why. She would ask Max from time to time why he didn't question things anymore. He would smile at her and simply say, "It's not my purpose Betty. Even you know that."

After several months of this behavior Betty became very worried for her brother. She found her mother cooking and said, "Mom, Max used to ask me questions every day, but now he never says anything or questions anybody."

"Oh Betty, Max was just in a little phase that's all." Betty shrugged and decided it was time to accept her brother had changed.

A few days later, Betty was taking a walk around the town on the seventh day. As she was walking she saw Max sitting on a tree branch looking out over the black wall that surrounded the town. It looked like he was watching the trucks go in and out of the town. She ran behind a small bush and hid, watching Max's every move. After a few minutes, she saw Max drawing something but she couldn't make out what it was. Max looked excited as he drew, and then, after about twenty minutes, he jumped off the tree and started heading toward the town wall. He pulled out his paper and started writing something down. Betty had no clue what he could be doing, so she followed him home and decided to wait until nightfall. Once she thought Max was asleep, she slowly snuck into his room and saw a huge poster rolled up tightly with a rubber band at one end of the room. She grabbed it and took off the elastic band as quietly as possible. Max didn't budge. Then Betty turned on her tiny flashlight and pointed it at the poster, and what she saw scared the living daylights out of her.

Chapter 3: The Escape

The poster was a full scale drawing of the town. It had each and every exit of the town, as well as a guide for a car to go in and out. On the back were little notes, like the length of time the town wall gate was open, and the regular routes for truck drivers on the seventh day. Betty intended to put the poster back in the exact same spot she found it and then sneak out of the room. But Max was already in front of the door. Betty stood frozen, her mouth wide open, shaking in her nightgown. Max crept over to her with an evil look in his eyes.

"Put it down Betty," he said in a low gruff voice. She opened her hands and instantly dropped the poster. He walked right next to her and whispered, "Say one word Betty, just one word about what you saw, and I'll cut your head off." "Max!" she yelled putting her hands over her mouth. "I'm your sister Max, why are you doing this?" He stared back at her and with no emotion repeated, "Say one word Betty, just one word. You'll regret it." Then he pushed her out of the room and shut the door in her face.

Betty did not sleep well from that moment on. Every night she dreamt her brother was walking into her room with a knife, she would hear a shrill scream and would wake up sweating. After her discovery, Betty and Max never spent any time alone again.

Time passed and before Betty knew it her brother turned seventeen. On his birthday he walked into Betty's room where she was lying down. But when she saw him open the door she jumped out of bed immediately.

"Betty I'm not here to hurt you, but to say goodbye." Max turned around and was about to walk out of the room, but Betty screamed his name. "I've been scared every night Max. I keep dreaming you'll come into my room to kill me." A piece of Max died a little bit inside. He wanted so much to apologize for frightening her and tell her why he had to do what he was about to do. But he knew he couldn't yet.

"Goodbye Betty," Max said again and walked out of her room. He walked slowly down the stairs knowing this might be the last time he could come back to his home. Max opened the door, continued walking, and went over to the Milkman van his father used to go to work every day. He had imagined his plan over a hundred times, and he knew it wouldn't be easy. He thought he was prepared with two seven-day meal plans, a kitchen knife he had grabbed, and enough fuel for a very long trip. He started the van, pulled out of his driveway and drove out to the front gate. Then he parked the van. He was waiting for a food truck, which was supposed to arrive in exactly three minutes. Max would follow right behind that truck and make a dash for the forest when he crossed through the gate. It felt like a year for Max just sitting and waiting for that truck. Finally the food truck arrived. As planned he pulled out behind the truck, but there was just one problem. There was a police car on the other side of the gate. Max hadn't planned for this. The truck zoomed forward and Max trailed right behind it. The second he cleared the town gate Max heard loud sirens. The officer was apparently out of gas so he jumped out of the police car and opened fire on his Milkman van. Max drove toward the officer hoping he would move out of the way, but for some reason he just stood there. Max ran over the officer, leaving his body motionless on the ground. He felt crazy, and was freaked out of his mind. But he knew he couldn't go back. He took one last look at the town, and drove off into the wilderness.

After an hour or so of driving Max noticed there were no more trees. He saw huge areas of land filled with strange creatures. There were signs over these large areas of land with different letters. He decided to pull into one of these areas where the sign read 'farm b.' Curiosity often got the best of Max. He got out of the car and walked toward the gated creatures. Max had never seen anything like them. They had four legs, hooves, utters, and were white with black spots. He spotted jars next to these animals and inside was a white liquid. He smelled this substance and realized it was milk! He took a swig of the drink and thought it was the best milk he had ever tasted.

"Why can't we get milk like this back home?" Max said out loud, wiping off his milk mustache. As he put the jar down he saw a man standing in front of him about ten yards away with a shotgun pointed straight at his face.

"Boy, what the hell you doing on my property? You infected?" "No sir! I'm from the town with Mayor George. Why do you talk with that weird voice?"

"That's not a weird voice boy, that's an accent." He lowered his gun slowly and took a long at Max. "Get the hell out of here before I call the cops on you." Before he walked away he turned back and asked, "Why would you leave anyway?"

Max told him all about how he had everything chosen for him, and how he despised it. The man said he was a farmer, and provided milk to many towns. But Max wasn't very interested in all that. "You asked before if I was infected. Infected with what? No one in my town has ever been sick." The farmer said it was getting late and eventually he would tell Max.

"You need a place to sleep boy? Cars aren't too comfortable." "I'd love that" Max replied.

The farmer showed Max to the barn and put a couple of pillows and blankets on the ground. "Isn't much, but it'll keep you warm."

Max lay down on his makeshift bed in the farm that night very excited, he had tons of things to ask the farmer. Max wanted to know if there were other towns, and farms and homes. He knew he had to sleep though, so he forced himself to shut his eyes and finally fell asleep.

Chapter 4: Infection

Max woke up well rested that morning and found that he was lying on top of some hay in the barn. He was hungry as always so he decided to walk to the house. It was a small house, one story, and painted red. As he walked up to the house he noticed that all the animals were roaming free, and were not inside the fence. He immediately ran over to the animals and tried calling them back into their holding grounds.

"Goddamn, why won't these stupid things come back?" Max thought to himself. He decided to go get his kitchen knife from his bag, thinking he would have to lure the cows back. Max had the knife now and faced the cow. "Get back inside!" he shouted to them, but they still stood still. He ran up behind one of the cows and gave it a small push. Still, the animal would not respond. Max started to become very annoyed so he pulled out the knife and pretended to slash the cow. The rest of the cows saw what Max had done, and were very scared. They all looked at him and went back inside the fence.

"Damn, I guess the best way to get someone to do something is just to put a blade at their face."

After this adventure he continued heading to Rich's house because he was now very hungry. He knocked twice on the door, but no one answered, so Max kept knocking for another five minutes. Eventually he heard footsteps and the farmer opened the door. "Couldn't let me sleep in on the seventh day could you boy?"

"I was hungry," Max replied in an annoying tone. The farmer stared at Max and finally let him inside the house. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Max had never chosen food before so he was quite excited. He decided to ask for toast and pancakes because those were his favorites. The farmer brought in a huge stack of pancakes and toast and put it right in front of Max. After about three minutes of wolfing down his food Max was finished.

Delighted and now in a pleasant mood Max asked, "What's your name sir?"

"Rich. Rich Gordon, and what's yours boy?"

"Max" he replied.

"Just Max, no last name?" the farmer asked.

"Where I'm from we don't have a last name. I just have the same name as my dad."

"Well I'll be damned," the farmer said in a sarcastic tone.

Max sat at the table with a million questions burning in his head, but one question was bugging him the most. "Rich, what did you mean when you asked me if I was infected?"

Rich looked down at the ground, both sad and angry at the same time. "Listen up boy because I'm only going to tell you this once."

Max sat straight up giving Rich his undivided attention. "There were times before towns like you lived in. There used to be millions of people living in harmony in all sorts of places, some together, some scattered. About a hundred years ago, there were trees everywhere and rivers going through every place. But one day a man came up with an idea that he thought would make everyone's life much easier. A thing called food pills. He claimed that if you take just one pill a day regardless of size, your body would have nourishment and energy to sustain itself. Many people started to take this pill after it became available because it was so cheap and easy. But some of us knew it couldn't be good for your body. A few months later, those who took the pill started having small symptoms, nothing major, but enough so it started to become noticeable. More months went by and people started to become more ill. They said about ninety-five percent of the population took a pill every day. Soon, the skin of the people taking the pill started turning red, and they came down with a terrible disease. Millions of people died immediately. Those who didn't die turned bright red. They become crazy with rage, and made it their soul purpose to infect as many normal people as possible. These people were called the Red Death. They would swarm into cities and try to infect innocent citizens. They would run in with buckets of blood trying to pour it on as many normal people as possible. People went into panic, running off into forests and hiding, trying to rebuild civilizations. Some of these hidden communities survived and have been thriving, others have been discovered and their people were infected or killed. My wife was found and she was infected. As she turned more and more red her pain was intense. She told me to kill her, and I did. Now every small town has to hide knowing if one person is found the Red Death could find their hiding spot."

The farmer was still as a statue and didn't say another word.

Max sat bewildered, suddenly realizing why all of his choices were made for him, and why no one was supposed to leave the town.

Max looked up finally and with a sincere voice asked, "Well Rich why are you out here then? Don't you have a chance of being infected?" Rich turned his head slowly towards Max and muttered, "Because I don't have anything to live for boy. I might as well try to help people out before I die."

Max had never known anything about the outside world. Max was certain the mayor knew about this, and he needed to warn him about all the farmers out in the open. He thought if one infected being found Rich they would keep going and find The Town. Max looked at Rich and processed all the information that went into his head.

"What if they find you or any other farmer around here? They'll keep going and find our town." Rich again looked at the ground, "Max, if us farmers don't grow the food your town will die anyway, and a lot sooner."

Max looked into the distance and thought about how they had to harvest food and keep away from the Red Death. As he thought, he came up with a plan to save the town, but he wasn't sure he was ready to share it with the farmer, yet.

Days went on, Max would help milk the cows and Rich would let him sleep in the barn. Max was growing more and more worried, knowing at any time the Red Death could find his town. He knew his idea was crazy, but he realized it would be their only chance of survival. The town would have to stop running.

Chapter 5: The Worry

"How the hell did you guys let a seventeen your old kid leave town?" yelled Mayor George. The officers looked backed scared, scared as a little kid getting yelled at. One officer replied back to the Mayor, "Why is it our fault, what could we have done?"

The Mayor stared back at all the officers, and breathed a deep sigh. "You're right boys it wasn't your fault. No one has ever even fired a weapon, and now one of my best officers was run over and killed. The town will be in a panic if they find out about this, so we can't let them know an officer was killed or about that boy Max escaping. I'll set up a meeting for me and Max's family." The mayor walked out of the room and headed right over to Max's house.

"Ring, ring, ring," went the doorbell at Max's residence.

Max's mother Betty opened the front door, "Oh hello Mayor George, come in I just finished up dinner."

"Thank you Betty, but I need to have a little chat with your family if that's alright."

"Of course that's alright. I'll get adult Max and child Betty downstairs right away, unfortunately child Max hasn't come home yet."

Betty ran up the stairs to call everyone downstairs. When they came into the room, Mayor George told them to sit down.

"Now I'd like to ask you all a few questions if that's okay." They all nodded and Mayor George proceeded, "Have any of you heard anything about Max wanting to run away?" They all shook their heads. "No I don't believe so," said adult Max.

"Well I'm afraid I have some horrible news for you. I'm sorry but your son Max has left the town. He was driving your Milk van, Max, and even ran over and killed one of my best officers to get away." The family sat in disbelief. "That's impossible!" yelled Adult Betty, "Max would never do anything like that!" The mayor saw child Betty staring down at the floor. "Betty do you know anything about this?"

Betty looked up and with a faint voice replied, "He threatened to kill me." She was crying now and was barely able to talk through her sobs, "Max told me if I said just one word about him leaving he was going to cut off my head!" She ran out of the room tears running down her face. Her parents were sitting in absolute horror.

"I am so sorry this happened to you guys, I assure you it was not your fault. You must remember that," Mayor George told them. Both parents still did not say a word. "I'm going to have to bring your daughter Betty back to the office and ask her a couple of questions." The mayor told them she would be safe, and Mayor George and Betty left the house. After a couple minutes of driving, they arrived at the Mayor's office and walked into the building in complete silence. When they entered the room, Betty sat on the couch as still as a scarecrow.

"Now Betty I just want to ask you a couple questions. I'd appreciate if you answered everything truthfully so we can do this as quickly as possible." She nodded back at the Mayor still not saying a word. "Good, then let's get started. Why did your brother threaten to kill you Betty?"

Betty looked down at the floor trying to keep back her tears. "I saw his plans for escaping and he found out. He told me if I told anyone he would kill me, and I knew he wasn't joking." Mayor George patted her shoulder, "It's all right Betty. You're safe now, and remember none of this was your fault."

Betty looked up and in a whimpering tone was able to say, "He used to ask me why he couldn't make his own choices. Why he had to become a Milkman, and have everything chosen for him. I told a young boy it was his purpose Mayor, I told a little boy it was his purpose!" she burst out crying.

"I think we're done for now Betty, thank you so much for your time. I'll get an officer to take you home." He escorted her out of his office and told an officer to take her home. The mayor went back to his office shaking his head, "I knew someone would do this, people just can't have everything chosen for them. It can drive someone insane."

Chapter 6: Purpose

Max had started to become accustomed to the life of a farmer. He enjoyed waking up early, milking the cows, and helping out around the barn. He was beginning to feel like he had a purpose. But he knew his real purpose was greater than farming, it was to save the town from the Red Death. He would have to come up with a full-scale plan, and write it all out for Mayor George. Max also knew once he got back in the town he would immediately be put in some sort of prison. He also was feeling guilty for leaving and for threatening his sister. He knew he would never have killed her, but he had to tell her that because he felt he needed to be protected at the time.

"Max, I want to show you something, come in the barn!" Rich yelled out to Max. Max was eager to see what Rich wanted to show him, but he tried to act preoccupied, "What is it Rich I was milking the cows," Rich ignored him, so Max walked into the barn and saw Rich holding a small black case. He opened it very slowly.

"I want to give you this boy. It's a plasma ray gun, able to shoot through anything." Max had heard of this, but thought it was just a myth. "There are only four of these in the world Max, this weapon is very dangerous and deadly. It has unlimited ammo because it's solar powered and the only way it can be destroyed is by water. If touched by water the gun will malfunction and will actually shoot backwards, so make sure you're careful with it. It was my father's, and since I don't have a son, I want to give it to you," Rich beamed at Max. Max stared in awe at the gun. He was so amazed that he was speechless. "Thank you Rich," he was able to spit out.

Max had never been given anything beyond his school supplies, food, and clothes. "Well don't you want to try it out boy?" Rich asked. Max picked up the plasma ray gun, pointed it a wooden fence, and shot.

"Bam!" The shot went through the fence and made a gaping hole. "That fence is thick as ice boy. Just imagine what it could do against some weak Red Death." Max looked at Rich in awe and excited at the same time, "That's what we need to do Rich, kill them before they kill us."

"You know boy that isn't a bad idea, but I think me and you need to put up some defense. I've been thinking a lot about what you said, how they could find me at any time." Max and the farmer thought for awhile. How could they keep crazy infected people out? Max announced, "We could build a wall or an electric fence."

"No, it's going to have to be stronger, at least strong enough so me and you could fend them off. My father told me the best defensive mechanisms are moats. But he told me they are hard as hell to make," Rich replied. Max smiled, "Well then Rich we better get started."

So they set off right away, first making a ditch big enough to surround the entire barn. It was grueling work, but Max and Rich were strong and determined. They dug for twelve hours a day from sun up to sun down. At night Rich would tell stories from the time before the Red Death passed down through generations of his family. At dinner one night, Max asked, "Hey Rich, where the hell did you or your father get that plasma ray gun?"

"Well boy, my great grandpa was the first man to make a gun, I've just been holding on to it ever since."

"You know Rich, I want to create something someday, you know, make everyone's life better."

"Well Max the last man who did that only ruined civilization so I don't think you could do much worse," Max and Rich laughed hysterically and for the first time Max felt like someone understood him. "Rich, I don't want to sound all emotional and shit, but I think you're my first real friend. Back in the town I never said anything to anyone at all."

"Well that's just because you haven't met the right people yet boy."

Max smiled, but he still worried about the Red Death. He knew at anytime they could find the town and kill everyone. "Rich I know what the town has to do, to make sure everyone doesn't die."

"I'm all ears Max, what's this idea of yours?"

"The town can't keep running away from this problem. The only way to survive now is to fight."

"You're right Max, that would be the only way." They sat at the table not saying a word, but Rich eventually spoke, "You know boy before everyone died, there used to be a thing called freedom. It meant that you could do what ever you wanted and buy what ever you wanted."

"What do you mean by buying something?" Max asked, not knowing what Rich meant.

"Oh that's right you don't know about money. Money is like those cards that you have, except with it you can get whatever you want. But you have to work and earn money, and when you have a job, you get paid for the hours you worked."

Max dreamt that night about the freedom Rich described, and a thing called money. Max would own his own house, and buy all the things he wanted. But right before he woke up, the dream became a nightmare, as Max saw his town falling victim to the Red Death.

"Wake up boy," Rich yelled at Max. "It's time to dig. If we work extremely hard for the next couple of days, I think we can finish the ditch."

"Alright I'm coming" Max replied, still drowsy from waking up. Max carried his plasma ray gun now, because he was always a little on edge and he wanted to master his aim. Rich and Max had kept up a very steady pace that day and they were almost done with the ditch. Everything was going great until they saw something in the distance running toward them. It was far away, but whatever it was, it was moving fast. The thing stopped about a hundred yards away from them.

"What the hell is that Rich?" Max asked in a shaky tone. "That's the Red Death boy." The thing let out a loud shriek and started sprinting away. Max hopped out of the ditch and started chasing it. "No Max let it go!" Rich shouted to Max, but it was too late. Max was in an all-out sprint trying to catch it. Max started to gain on it and when he got about thirty yards away it stopped, and stared right at Max.

"What are you?" Max shouted.

"Red Death" it replied in a shrill tone. "It's too late for you now child, my followers will be here in a couple of days," it smirked at Max.

The thing was bright red, deformed and very skinny, with a white cloth over its chest. It started running toward Max, getting closer with every step. Max waited until it was five feet away from him, and then pulled out his plasma ray gun. He shot it dead in its tracks, blowing a huge hole through its chest.

"Send that to your followers!" Max yelled at the motionless body. He heard Rich running from behind him, "You okay boy? That was one hell of a shot if I say so myself. You're a natural."

Max paused for a moment still not being able to believe what he had just done. "Thanks Rich," he said quietly and he started walking back to the house. He told Rich the Red Death would be at his farm in a couple of days, and they would need to fight them off. Max didn't sleep well at all that night, he just kept thinking of that horrible thing he shot. The words the Red Death had told him, "It's too late for you now" rang in his head like a loud bell. He looked at the clock and saw it was four-thirty in the morning. Max lay back down and finally decided to allow himself to rest, to prepare for the battle that was soon to come.

Max woke up around nine and decided to walk back to the house to get some food from the kitchen. He saw Rich staring at a photograph on the wall.

"Is that your wife Rich?"

"Was my wife" Rich replied sadly.

"What was she like?" Max asked, hoping to cheer him up. Rich looked at her picture and slowly mumbled, "She was the best Max, the best. She became infected and asked me to kill her, and she told me she was pregnant with our daughter. I couldn't kill her so she decided to commit suicide later that very night. She wanted to name our baby Hope, hope for a better life."

Max turned to Rich, who looked as if he was going to cry. But they both knew they didn't have time to mourn, so they went back outside. While they knew their moat could not be finished in time, they believed the ditch they made would help stop the Red Death from getting to them. They also both knew that after this day, the Red Death could show up at any time ready to strike. So they started putting down nails and spikes in the ditch, where the Red Death would have to enter. The ditch surrounded the entire barn so they spent a good four hours or so laying down each nail and spike.

"I also got a couple explosives boy. It's very dangerous, but we could use them to take out a lot of those evil bastards." Max looked out in the distance and announced, "With this plasma ray gun in my hands we got a hell of a chance."

Rich smiled, it was one of the first times Max had seen him do that. "You're cocky boy, just like myself. But heck I haven't ever seen anyone more accurate with a gun then you."

They decided to call it an early night, knowing it was going to be the last night they would be getting some decent sleep for awhile. Max went to the barn and lay on the soft ground. He shut his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 7: The Family

The word about Max's son leaving and killing the officer had finally gotten around. Their family wasn't treated the same in the town anymore. Everyone assumed it was because of bad parenting, so now Max's parents were the talk of the town. They felt humiliated and were afraid to go outside in public. At home, it wasn't any better. They stopped eating dinner together as a family, and they had grown so far apart, that even at home they were isolated.

One day Max's father came home from work very angry. He yelled to both Betty's loudly, "I am sick and tired of this family, we don't even eat dinner together anymore! And it's terrible because we used to all be so close!" They both looked back at him speechless. Max's sister, Betty cried, "I just want to be a family again. Can't we at least try to live a normal life? My friends have already turned on me, I don't want you both to leave me too."

Adult Betty wiped a tear away from her face and replied, "You won't leave us, and we won't ever leave you. Come, child Betty, let's set up dinner at the table." Adult Max smiled, and for the first time since his son left he felt happy. The next day Max called his family to the table. "Now if anyone treats you different or calls you a name, I want you to respond, 'I'm not Max and if you want to still be friends do not treat me any different.' If that person really is your friend they will understand, if not they shouldn't have been your friend in the first place." Adult and child Betty beamed back at Max.

"Now you two have a great day. This milk won't magically be delivered, I have to go to work."

Betty went off to school that day very positive. She would say what her father had told her, if anyone made fun of her.

"Hey Katie!" Betty hollered from across the hall. Katie had been one of Betty's best friends since her fourth birthday. It was both of their last years of school, before they got a husband and started taking care of the house. She stopped and smiled at Betty, "You haven't said hi to me in ages."

"I know Katie I'm sorry, I thought you would treat me different and I was scared you wouldn't like me." Katie walked next to Betty, "You should know I would never do that! I'm starving let's go to lunch." They went to the cafeteria together, but as they went to sit down, wherever Betty sat down, everyone would leave. "It's alright Betty, they're just jerks," Katie told her.

"I understand Katie, but it's obvious I'm not wanted anymore. Thanks for being such a good friend." Then Betty stood up and ran out of the cafeteria crying. She bolted out of the school, not even caring if anyone saw her. No one had ever left school, not even Max. She stopped by the river that runs through the middle of the town. She lay down in the grass and stared up at the clouds. She had never relaxed on a regular day. She was always working, studying, or helping cook. Betty felt a warm tingling feeling all over her body. She realized it was the warmth of the sun. She had never sunbathed before, but she did now and just listened to the sounds of the water go down the river.

Her peaceful escape came to an end with a loud screech of a car. "Betty! Why in the heck are you not in school?" her mother screamed. Betty turned to look at her mother, "Well mom what's the point? I don't want to raise kids, I don't want a spouse, and I sure as hell don't want to clean and cook all day."

Adult Betty became frustrated, stuttering as she tried to think of something to say, "You're, you're sounding like your little brother, look where he is now!" Betty sat up instantly and replied back, "Well maybe I am like Max, maybe I want more of a purpose than to waste my time maintaining a household!" Child Betty got up and walked away. Her mother stood frozen like an icicle, trying hard to believe she was dreaming. But she knew she wasn't.

Now child Betty had learned to drive in these last couple of years. So she went back to her house, and went to her father's Milkman van. The keys were still in the ignition and she yelled out, "I'm coming with you Max! Screw the town!"

She started driving, accelerating at a very high rate. Once she reached the town gate, she saw a lot more security than there used to be before Max had left. There were over twenty officers patrolling the grounds outside of the gate. She decided to make a dash for it since the front gate was open. She cleared the gate and had made it about ten feet past the wall when an officer shot a hole in one of the van's tires. She spun out of control and jumped out the van. Betty then sprinted out into the forest, with officer chasing her.

"Shoot her!" a cop yelled out loud. "If the mayor hears we let anyone else get away we'll all get fired!" The officers fired their weapons, but Betty was already a couple hundred feet out. "Stand back boys, I got a sniper ready to shoot," another officer announced. Betty was now over 500 feet away and the sniper aimed and shot.

"Bam!" Her body fell to the ground, harder than a rock breaking through glass. "Oh my god, you shot her in the back of the head!" an officer yelled, scared out of his mind. "Couldn't take any chances. I'm afraid I only had one bullet," the sniper replied.

Betty's body lay bleeding on the forest floor. Several officers ran over to her and they could see she was dead. They put her body in a bag and brought her back to the Mayor's Office.

"Mayor George, a woman tried to escape. A sniper had to take her down," yelled head officer Rock.

"Damn it boys! Another dead body! Couldn't you have shot her in the leg?" The sniper stepped forward, "Only had one bullet sir," he said in a low raspy voice.

"Well who is it then?" asked the Mayor. They pulled her body out of the bag and the Mayor turned pale, not able to believe what he was seeing. "That's Betty, Max's sister. He's the boy who escaped!"

Chapter 8: Red Death

Max and Rich had been waiting several days now for the Red Death. They had all the explosives and spikes set up, as well as enough food and water in the barn for a week. They would trade off looking guard over the horizon, watching and waiting. Tonight it was Rich's turn to look out. He had grown exhausted and tired after several hours and had almost fallen asleep. Suddenly, he heard what sounded like a loud snap, possibly a twig or stick breaking.

"Max, get up boy! It's time, light the torches for vision around the barn like we practiced."

Max did as he was told and tossed Rich his shotgun. With the light from the torches, what they saw scared the living daylights out of them. There were more than one-thousand Red Death beings, all skinny, bright red with white cloths over their chests. Max's heart started to race and he broke out in a sweat as he looked at what he could only describe as truly disgusting creatures.

"Max, remember our plan. Keep them in the ditch for as long as possible. You take the right side, and I'll take the left!" Rich shouted aloud.

The creatures screamed and hollered insanely and jumped into the ditch. Max pressed the trigger as fast as he could on his plasma ray gun, lighting up and destroying as many Red Death as he could. But more and more Red Death kept coming.

"Watch out Rich one's coming in right behind you!" Rich turned around, aimed, and shot it straight in the face, but unfortunately it had already scratched his left arm. Max ran over to Rich, he was lying down, still trying to shoot. "It's too late for me now boy. Give me some of the explosives, I'll bait them and blow them all to hell," Rich shouted to Max. "No, Rich, there has to be a way, you can't leave me. I need you Rich!" Max said tears flowing down his face.

Rich smiled at Max grabbing all the explosives he could hold onto. "You control your destiny boy, no one else does. Thanks for putting me at ease with my life, I owe you for that." He shook Max's hand tightly and ran out of the barn. Rich yelled out to the Red Death climbing up the ditch, "Come and get me you ugly abominations!"

They swarmed on him and the second they made contact he threw all the explosives to the ground, instantly blowing up hundreds of Red Death.

Max ran back outside saying to himself, "This one's for you Rich." He pulled out his plasma ray gun and shot as many Red Death as he could, not missing one target. More bodies fell to the ground like rain from the clouds. But scores of Red Death were still running toward him, coming up the ditch now. Max ran back into the barn and he bolted the door shut. He knew they would break in soon, so he put all the explosives and the last of the spikes right behind the barn door. It was Max's last stand. Max sprinted about thirty yards away from the door and stood shaking, more afraid then he had ever been. The door burst open, but no one came through. Max held the detonator in his hand waiting for the Red Death to come through. Every second felt like hours, and his heart pounded so loud he thought everyone could hear him. Then heard a voice yell from outside, "It's time to give up boy. We have you surrounded, tell us where your people are and we will let you go."

Max was trying to think of something to say to the mysterious voice, but he was freaked out of his mind. He finally yelled back, "Take one step in here, and I'll blow your damn brains out, or whatever you ugly creatures have." It was silent for quite some time, and Max wanted to look outside. But he knew if he went outside they would catch him. Even though Max was terrified, he wasn't about to give up, so he decided to try to trick them. "I'll tell you what you want if you promise I'll be free!" It was still completely silent. He looked at the entrance of the barn, the spikes and explosives were still hidden. Max ran up about ten feet away from the entrance. "Ahh" he yelled out taking tons of shots through the opening of the barn door. "Please, I just want to go, I'll tell you everything you want!" he lied. Finally their leader approached the front of the barn just like Max wanted. "Come out child," it smirked at Max, "we don't have all..."

"Bam!" Max shot the leader in the head before it could even finish his sentence. He heard loud screams from outside of the barn and then quickly ran back to the end of the building about one-hundred yards back. Immediately hundreds of Red Death were trying to flood into the barn. "A little more, just a little bit more" Max thought to himself as he waited for more of the Red Death to come in.

"Kaboom!" Max clicked the detonator at the perfect moment. Instantaneously hundreds of Red Death were blown into smithereens. The rest were stopped by the spikes and lay screaming on the ground howling in pain. After the smoke rose up from the explosions he saw four or five Red Death waiting at the front of the barn. Max pulled out his plasma ray gun eying down all of them warning, "come any closer and you'll end up like your friends."

There were two torches lit in the barn giving Max just enough vision, he knew if the Red Death took out the lights he would have no chance. As if they could read his mind, one Red Death member announced to Max in an evil voice, "Better protect your torches boy, or else you're dead."

After it said that three of the Red Death ran to the right, and the other ran to the left. Max shot furiously hitting two on the right and one on the left, but it was already too late. The Red Death took down the torches and stomped out the fires. The barn was completely dark. Max heard an evil cackle coming from the entrance. He ran into a small corner of the barn, and put his back against the wall with his gun pointed forward.

"Foolish child, now we shall eat your remains and find your town," the Red Death mocked. Max then remembered the plasma ray gun had a small flashlight attached to the end of the gun. He flashed the light forward, able to see only to the end of the corner. But it would leave him just enough room to get a shot off before they could attack him. Max heard more cackling and evil remarks. He was pinned in a corner like a rat. "Come out you bastards, you can't wait all night can you?" As he finished his sentence one the Red Death ran at him and Max aimed his gun and fired.

"Bam!" It fell down falling forward, just a couple feet away from Max. Max laughed out loud and yelled, "You're next, you coward. Who's the foolish one now? You killed my friend, and I've killed a thousand of you." Max slowly crept out of the corner trying not to step on the body. He pointed his light at the entrance of the barn. There he saw the last of the Red Death sitting, and not moving.

"What do you think you're doing? Guess I'll have to kill you the easy way." Max walked up holding his plasma ray gun close, making sure the Red Death didn't move. "Kill me child," the Red Death screamed, "I do not want to live anymore!"

"You're lying!" Max replied, "You all want the same thing, to infect the normal people." It stood up and faced Max, only ten yards away, smiling and flashing its yellow teeth, "you are foolish." Out from the corner of the barn where Max was hiding the Red Death he thought he had killed was standing. "Now you won't have enough time to kill both of us boy. The only way us Red Death die is if we're shot in the head or chest. You were stupid enough to believe I was dead."

Max became filled with rage, "This is for killing my friend you bastards!" He turned around pulling the trigger and nailed one Red Death in the face. The Red Death on the other side sprinted at Max and leaped only inches away from him. Max turned, feeling the Red Death behind him. He felt as if time had slowed down and he watched as the Red Death's body was in full extension, its arm about to strike him. Max fired and shot, nailing the Red Death in the face, blowing its body in the other direction. Max stood in the barn pointing the light all around the barn looking at all the motionless bodies. He walked to the entrance of the barn, facing Rich's house. "Sorry I let you die Rich, but I didn't let you down. I beat the Red Death at their own game."

Max walked out of Rich's barn and saw the sun start to come up in the west. He saw the body of the Red Death leader next to Rich's barn and he yelled, "That's for killing my friend."

Max went to the house and slowly crept up the stairs, feeling completely exhausted. He went into Rich's shower, the hot water felt amazing on his cold sweaty skin. "I know what I have to do now," Max whispered to himself, "I have to go back to The Town."

Chapter 9: Max's Parents

"Do you realize what you've done?" boomed Mayor George as he watched Betty's body being taken out of the room. "I can't tell Betty's parents what happened, they'll go absolutely insane! I know those two, they are good people who cared more about their children than anyone else in this damn town."

Mayor George looked away as a tear rolled down his cheek. The whole police force stared back at him, not sure what to do next.

"Sir," an officer said from the audience. "Who are we?" Mayor George cut him short and announced," I know what we must be done here. Get a car for me, boys. I'm going to pay a visit to their house. The truth must be told now."

Mayor George sped over to the house, getting there in almost record time. He ran up to the door and knocked frantically. Betty opened the door and asked, "Oh Mayor George, what a splendid surprise, what seems to be the problem?"

"Betty, I have some serious news to tell you," said Mayor George in an out of breath voice. "Your daughter Betty, she's dead." "No, no, no, no! This can't be happening!" Adult Betty screamed. The Mayor continued, "She ran off, outside the town limits, and a sniper had to take her down. Accidentally he hit her in the head, turns out he only had one shot."

Betty was weeping now and through sobs screamed, "Just get the hell out of my house! Get out now!" Betty ran to the phone to call Adult Max. She tripped running and fell to the ground. She got up quickly and tried to hold back her sobs so she could call Max. He picked up the phone, "What is it dear? Couldn't it have waited until after work, I still have a lot more milk to deliver."

"Max! Our daughter Betty, she was killed!" she screamed, almost not being able to talk. "That can't be! Betty's a great girl! She would never do anything wrong to have this happen," her father shrieked.

Betty finally stopped crying, and was then able to tell Max, "Mayor George told me Betty was shot in the head. By a sniper, because she was trying to escape the town just like Max did."

"This is Max's fault! He made his sister want to leave, and now look what happened!" Max yelled. Betty didn't reply for a long time, but finally said, "It's our fault Max. We've spent all this time blaming others, but the real reason we lost our kids is our fault. No other family has ever lost one child. We've had one escape, and the other die."

"Don't you dare say something like that Betty. We did all we could do for them, but both of our children knew their lives were made for greater purposes. We couldn't have stopped them even if we raised them again. I'll be home in bit, I still have to finish delivering the milk."

Betty made dinner and before she knew it Max was home. She put out two plates, not saying one word to Max. They ate, but when dinner was finished neither of them moved. Betty looked at her husband trembling, Max finally announced, "Betty I don't have anything more to live for." Betty looked back, she was pale as a ghost. "Well, maybe we should just stop living then. I mean now that both of our kids are gone I don't have a purpose at all, either. I'm useless now Max." Max grabbed Betty's hand and whispered to her, "You're not useless Betty. I need you, I love you, you're my only reason for living now." She broke away from his grasp, "If you truly love me, you'll end your life with me." "No! Betty you can't die, you're my all. Please Betty you can't I'm begging you."

Betty slowly shuffled towards the front door, looked back and muttered, "Well if you can't support my decision. I guess this is goodbye." Max watched as his wife walked out the house. He burst into tears and screamed out at the top of his lungs, "No Betty, you can't!" That was worst day of adult Max and Betty's life.

Chapter 10: The Plan

Max had been very uneasy these last couple of days. He slept for about an hour a night. He would always have nightmares. Max wrote a speech for the Mayor. It read, "Mayor George I don't expect you to understand why I left, but there is one thing you must know. I need you to warn you about the Red Death." Max wanted to keep it short and to the point, so that's what he did.

He spent some time making his decision to go back. Once he decided he'd return, he had to prepare for his journey, and realized he would have to find his way back to the town. During the battle with the Red Death outside of the barn, they destroyed his car, and he had driven randomly through the forest not knowing how he found the way to Rich's farm.

Max buried Rich, and he had been depressed ever since. He made a shrine for him and put a picture of Rich's wife next to it. Max also put a little white fence around the shrine and on a tombstone he wrote, "Here rests Rich Gordon, a good and honest man. May he rest in peace."

Every day, Max would bring a container of fresh milk to Rich's grave. He felt bad having to leave the cows alone, so he set them free and directed them to fresh grass. Max practiced shooting with his plasma ray gun every chance he had. He would set up tin cans from fifty yards out, and over time he developed such an amazing shot he could nail the target perfectly every time. In his free time Max started a journal. He decided to write about Rich, the Red Death, and about whether the town and his family would accept him. Max imagined everyone he knew liking him again, and his family being proud. Those questions usually popped into his head every night, when he lay on the ground looking up at the stars. He also thought about what would happen if the town didn't accept him, and this worried him constantly. Max decided to draw pictures of the stars, he noticed some formations looked like animals and one even looked like a ladle. He finally stopped worrying and Max put down his drawings. He dozed off on the warm soil, and fell into a very deep sleep.

Max woke up the next morning refreshed for the first time in a long while. He slowly jogged up to Rich's house from the barn. Max went into the house and looked for as much stuff as he could to put into his backpack. He grabbed as much dry food as he could carry, ten bottles of water, Rich's cowboy hat, and most importantly his plasma ray gun. After leaving the house, Max walked over to Rich's grave. A single tear fell from Max's face as he remembered all the help and advice Rich had given him. He whispered, "I'm going to bring the world back Rich, thanks for all you've done. I can promise you one thing, I'm going to kill as many of

those Red Death as possible. I won't let you down." He picked up his backpack, tightened Rich's hat, and started walking back into the forest.

Max was very determined that morning. He wanted to cover a lot of ground on the first day of his travels. But he had no real idea where he was heading off to, and the last thing he wanted was to go in the wrong direction. He decided that every couple of minutes he would shoot through a tree. He did this so he wouldn't lose his trail or follow his footsteps. After about an hour of this, Max sat down by some small bushes and took a long swig of water. The cold liquid felt good on his tongue, and just as Max had started to let his guard down he heard a couple of sticks break. He leaped up and yelled, "Who the hell is that? Are you following me? I will shoot you." He saw something move in the trees up ahead and immediately pulled out his plasma ray gun. He held his gun gripping it very tightly ready to fire at any moment.

"Zoom!" Something sprinted next to Max knocking him over, and it stopped about ten feet away from him. The thing was small, had gold fur, and four legs. It also seemed to have a collar on him, and it read, "Sparky, The Golden Retriever."

"What the hell is a golden retriever? Does it find gold or something?" Max thought to himself. He looked at the animal for a while and decided he had to just keep going, but Sparky followed Max.

"Stop!" he yelled to the animal, and Sparky stopped. Max decided to ask it, "Where's the town?" The dog bolted ahead, not waiting a moment, and was already out of Max's line of vision. "Well isn't that just great. Nothing good ever happens to me!" Max shouted aloud. He decided to keep going and eventually reached a small lagoon surrounded by trees with branches that seemed to be hanging toward the ground. He saw a sign that read "Weeping Willows".

"Crazy animals, trees with strange names, I just can't wait to see what happens next, " he thought. He was curious as always and decided to try to climb one of the trees. Once he made it to the top, he looked around hoping to see a glimpse of the gigantic town wall. He didn't see anything in the distance, so he turned around and looked back to see if he could find Rich's barn. He thought he could faintly see the barn and the fences surrounding the place. While he was staring at the place he'd just left, he thought he saw small little red dots moving very fast.

"Oh shit," Max thought to himself. He noticed the dots formed into one group on the left and another on the right. He climbed down the tree quickly knowing he had to warn the town as soon as possible. "Hopefully I can get home before the Red Death gets there," he whispered to himself. Max started jogging and was keeping a good pace. But unfortunately night was approaching and Max had no intentions of stopping. He turned on the flashlight on his Plasma Ray gun and kept moving forward.

After about an hour or so of running in the dark, Max became scared and incredibly hungry. He pulled out a can of beans he had grabbed and sat down on the ground. He opened the can and ate furiously, eating every bean in a matter of minutes. He pulled out his journal after he had eaten and wrote, "Well, first signs of Red Death came today. Hopefully I can find the town before they do, but I'm nervous for mainly one reason. I have to let Betty know I would never have hurt her. Maybe she'll forgive me and hopefully one day we can be brother and sister again."

Max laid perfectly still, thinking about how the mayor would react after he ran over an officer. He opened his journal again, "If that crazy officer didn't try to kill me, I wouldn't have killed him and for that reason I don't feel any guilt." Max smiled to himself after writing this and started to doze off. He fell into a deep sleep.

"Oahhhh!" Max yawned as he woke up. "Hopefully I'll find the town today, and make everything right!" He got back to his plan of finding the town and started jogging again. Max's conscience kept reminding him of his sister as he trudged on. After an hour or so of running Max stopped to drink some water, and he heard some loud voices up ahead. "Maybe they know where the town is," he thought. He saw three old men sitting around a large bonfire. "Hello!" Max called out to them. "Well what we got here? A young boy wandering round a dangerous forest," one of the old men smirked.

"Well sir I'm actually looking for the town, I can't exactly remember where it is," Max replied. The second man stared at Max and announced, "Well alright then boy, but what you got in that damn bag?" Max started to sweat, and felt very nervous. He looked down at the ground, then looked back up and yelled, "It's none of your damn business."

"We got a problem boy?" the third man asked. "Not unless any of you want one!" Max snapped back. He took out his gun and pointed it at the man in the middle. "Now I don't want any trouble, just tell me where The Town is."

The men looked at each other and started to laugh hysterically. "You think you can threaten us boy? Do you know who we are? What we've done?"

Max took a shot at the man's hat knocking it right off of his head. "I don't give two shits what you've done. Now I'll ask one more time, where the hell is the town?"

Still laughing, the man picked up his hat and stared at Max. "You know boy, I like your attitude. You remind me of myself and I'm in a good mood. So walk three miles east and then seven north. There will be a canyon and it'll look like it's easy to get through. But don't, keep going across the plains and go around the canyon. Then you'll see your town, I repeat do not go through that canyon boy. Unless you want to die young."

Max listened and then, without a word, started heading in the direction they told him to go, recalling everything he was told. "Go three miles east and then seven north." Max had gotten very good with directions ever since living with Rich. Rich told him the sun always set in the east, and west goes towards the mountains. He set off towards the sunset, but there wasn't much daylight left. Still, he was determined to get home that night, so he ran three miles to the east and started heading due north.

"Okay, I've run three miles in about thirty minutes, so seven miles will be around an hour and a half," Max assured himself. After a long run he finally approached the canyon entrance. It was almost dusk, and he didn't want to venture all the way around the canyon. Max wanted to get to the town that very night. He remembered what the old man said, but he thought he could make it through regardless. Max re-tied his shoes, tightened up his cowboy hat, and entered the opening of the lonely canyon.

Chapter 11: The Canyon

Everything started out great, the canyon was small and easy to navigate. Max thought he would be through it in no time. He felt proud and cocky so he yelled out loud, "This is easy, those old men are just crazy!"

"Is that so?" said a mysterious voice.

"Who the hell are you? Show your self now!" Max shouted as he pulled out his plasma ray gun.

"You wouldn't believe how many men have pulled out guns in fear. You know what happens? They all die!" He heard evil laughter and it grew even louder.

"Well I'm not like anyone else. You can't kill me. I have to warn the town about the Red Death. Do you want everyone to die?"

After Max spoke there was complete silence. It was as silent as the night when Rich and Max had been surrounded by hundreds of Red Death. Then a voice announced, "Walk forward three hundred paces and take a right into a small cave. If you do not comply, you shall be killed." Max obeyed, walking slowly and counting every single step until he was at three hundred. He saw a small cave on the right just as the voice had told him. But just up ahead of him, Max could see the end of the canyon only about a half of a mile out. Max was debating whether he should make a mad dash to try to get out of the canyon, but something stopped him. He decided to go into the cave, and he couldn't walk, he had to crawl inside. Once Max got inside, the cave immediately lit up and what he saw was jaw dropping. There was a statue of Max, almost identical to his height and body features. The statue was surrounded by four large stones each one three feet high.

"You are the chosen one!" boomed a loud voice, and out from a door at the end of the cave, four men walked out. The men all had shaved heads, wore silk white gowns, each with a red star on the back of the gowns. "The prophecy was true! You have come to us Max, you were destined to relinquish the infected ones!" said the first man.

"Hold on just one second, what the hell are you talking about? Destined for what?" Max replied.

The second man stepped forward and stared right at Max, "Why are you here, then, why do you know of the Red Death, and why is there a statue that looks just like you?"

Max was stunned as he looked at the. "Why me? I'm just here to warn my people, my parents are normal, and my town is boring. Why could I be anyone special?"

The third man now took a step forward. "You're not from the town I'm afraid, my dear boy. Your real name is Maximus. Maximus Secord the Third, you were to be king one day. You have special abilities Max. You cannot be killed or injured unless you are hit in the head. You have extreme focus, which is why you have such great accuracy. I assume one way or another you found one of the last plasma ray guns." As these words sunk in, Max realized he had never gotten a cut or scar in his entire life, and he wondered if his parents knew about this. "Anyone could have guessed I had the gun, but I've been hurt before. That's how I know you people are lying."

The fourth man stepped up now and asked, "If you are so sure Max, why don't you cut yourself just to prove it?" "OK," Max agreed and the man handed Max a small knife. Max was very confused, and was trying to process all of this information. "Alright I'll do it!" he yelled as he slashed his wrist. Blood burst open from his arm, but the second he felt pain the wound closed back together and the blood on his arm vanished.

"Now do you believe us boy?" the first man asked. Max dropped the knife, freaked out of his mind. "Why do I have to do this? It just doesn't make any sense. I've never known what to do in my life." He dropped down to ground and felt like weeping.

"My dear boy, you have never known what to do, because you were created for a greater purpose."

Max got up slowly, the question "why me" still rang in his head like an annoying alarm clock. "Why did you want to kill me when I first came in?"

"It was a test, you could have run back home and tried to defeat the Red Death. But you wouldn't have been successful. That's why your curiosity always gets the best of you, your gut tells you what is right and what is wrong. It's why you entered this very cave, you knew something was important about this cave and that's why you decided to come through."

Max knew deep down that what they were saying was true, and somehow for the first time he actually felt that he was important and had a purpose.

"However Max, I'm afraid the Red Death will find your town in a little under a week, and there's over twenty thousand of them. We need to show you a couple of things before you leave," the second man announced. "I guess we better get started." The four men walked together and in unison said, "Follow us."

Max followed, but he was still a little on his toes. They opened a door at the end of the cave and what was inside was astonishing. The first thing he saw was a marble staircase and at the top was a large black gate just like the one in Max's town wall. They climbed up the stairs swiftly and in a few minutes they were all at the top. The fourth man pulled out a golden key and opened the black gate. Inside was a spectacular fountain and engraved on the top of the fountain was the name Maximus Secord. "Only you may enter the fountain, Maximus. Once you go inside, you will find the way to defeat the Red Death."

Max circled the fountain trying to memorize every detail. He stuck his hand in the crystal clear water, but he could not touch the bottom of the fountain. The fountain appeared to only be a couple of inches deep, but it was an illusion. Max stared down at the water and yelled to men, "What the hell is this thing?" But no one answered and as he turned around, he realized they were gone and he was alone. Max again tried to touch the bottom of the fountain and again he couldn't, even with his arm fully submerged. He took a few steps back from the fountain, and leaped into the cold crystal clear water, not knowing what was going to happen to him next.

Chapter 12: The Fountain

Water rushed over Max's head and he was fully submerged underwater. He could not see the point of entry, but he saw a small white cottage at the bottom of the fountain floor. Max started to panic and swam as fast as he could to the small house. He pushed open the door, almost out of breath, and fell face first into the house. He slammed the door. Somehow, the water didn't gush into the house, instead it remained outside.

"Where the hell am I?" yelled Max, freaked out of his mind. He looked inside the house. It was almost bare. There was just a wooden table and a bright red chair. Max sat in the chair and noticed he was completely dry. He leaned forward and the instant his hand made contact with the table, a small red book materialized. The book appeared to only to have a couple of pages inside and on the cover words started to come in focus. He read them out loud, "The Red Death". Max quickly opened the book and he heard a loud scream and he threw it down almost instantly. He sat there sweating and nervous. He looked at the table and spotted a small yellow note. This read, "Every time you read a sentence of the book you'll hear the worst sound possible." Max realized the noise he was hearing was the scream and cry of his sister, Betty. He opened the book and heard that awful scream again.

"I've just got to read three pages and I'm done!" he shouted, almost out of breath. He read about half a page, and shut the book unable to hear Betty screaming any more. The yellow parchment reappeared again, but the words had changed. "Every time you close the book, you forget what you have read. You must complete the entire thing if you wish to learn about the Red Death."

Max grabbed the paper, crumpling it up with his fist in rage. "Goddamnit, things like this always happen to me!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. He opened the book slowly, immediately hearing Betty's scream. "Stop it Max! Please Max, stop hurting me!" he heard Betty shouting. He carried on though, reading every sentence, making sure he didn't miss one word.

When he finished he put the book down, finally understanding the biggest weakness to the Red Death was really himself. Max was immune to the Red Death, and they could not hurt him unless his head was chopped off. The four men had already told him this, but now he believed it. He also found out that the Red Death were weak in the chest, and if you shot them anywhere near the heart they would die instantly. Anywhere else, and they would still be alive. Max sat motionless at the table not knowing what to do next. He looked out the window and stared blankly at the water outside, it was so clear. Just when Max had started to let his guard down he heard a loud knock at the door. He hopped out of the chair and looked at the door. Again, three loud knocks came from outside of the house. Max pulled out his plasma ray gun and shot at the door, creating a huge gaping hole. He could see the water just beyond the door, blue crystal clear water, staying right where it was.

Then a voice shouted, "Who dares enter my domain?" Max paused, the hair on his back standing straight up. "It's me Max! The four men told me to come down here." He stood there waiting for what was going to happen next. A small girl walked toward the door, but did not enter the house. "Come out and play Max. Forget all your troubles and play," the girl said in a deep voice.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?" Max shouted, now completely shaking.

The girl's body turned inside out, and morphed into a large man with no eyes. "I cannot let you warn the town of the Red Death, Max. Stay with me here Max, have no worries about anything else."

"I wish I could do that, but you can't always do what you want!" Max responded. He pointed his plasma ray gun at the thing and fired, blowing a hole through its chest. It let out a huge roar and ran at Max.

"Bam!" Max shot it again knocking its head right off. He watched as the head started to reattach itself to the creature's limp body. He ran out of the front door not remembering water was surrounding him. He took in a breath and sucked in a mouthful of water, and then he jumped back into the dry house gasping for air. The being was on the ground, attaching its head back to its neck. Max leapt into the water, swimming to the surface as fast as he could. He reached the half way mark to the surface, and looked back down. He could see the thing starting to swim up, and it was gaining on Max. It had gotten less than ten feet next to him, so he pulled out his plasma ray gun and shot.

"Bam!" The man with no eyes was shot again in the chest and now he stopped swimming, floating down to the fountain floor. Max had almost no air left in his lungs, and he saw his life flash before his eyes. That's when he heard a small whisper in his ear. It was Rich saying, "you can't give up now boy. You can't stop yet!" Max opened his eyes and swam as fast as possible. "Almost there" he thought to himself frantically. "Ahhhhhh!" He yelled as he reached the surface. The second his fingertips were out of the water, he found himself sitting straight up in the three inches of water. He sat there regaining his breath, trying to figure out what just happened. "I'm guessing you found what you were looking for?" the first man announced.

Max stared at the four men, who somehow had reappeared, "What the hell is that place, or the fountain?"

"It is a journey, and it's different for each and every person. You must conquer a fear of yours to see what you must really do," the second man said. Max walked out of the fountain, his clothes were soaked and he felt like ice. "Go relax in the sacred baths and think about what you've seen, you must stay here and rest," said the third man. Max walked to over to black gate, looked back and replied," I don't have time to rest, I have to go save my town."

Chapter 13: Going Home

Max said his goodbyes to the four men. They gave him a small sapphire cross, telling him that it was good luck. Max knew what he had to now. He would give the mayor the letter he wrote and try to tell him what happened. Max started walking and in no time, made it out of the canyon. About a mile out or so out he saw the huge town wall. He jogged now, expecting the worst as he approached the wall. When he got there, he gazed at the big black wall surrounding the town. He knew it might be the last time he ever left that place again. Max ran up to the entrance and announced, "I must speak with Mayor George as soon possible!" Immediately more than ten officers ran through the town wall gate and tackled him. "Stand down son! What in the hell are you doing here, are you trying to get yourself shot?" an officer shouted at him. Max yelled aloud still pinned down on his back, "I need to speak with Mayor George, and give him this!" He handed the man the paper who read it quickly and laughed, "Red Death? What the heck is that, are you crazy boy?"

"Please sir just let me see the mayor, please!" Max begged.

"The only place you're going to is a jail cell." All the policemen burst out in laughter. They put his hands in strong cuffs, and took him into a cell blindfolded as he pleaded, "Please tell the mayor Max is back!"

"You're Max?" a formal looking official screamed, outraged. "You little bastard, you ran over my best deputy! You're damn right I'm going to get the mayor. I'm going to ask him if we can kill you!" The officer stormed out of the room. Max stood there, his heart racing. They hadn't patted him down, so he still had his plasma ray gun on his hip. He waited for about a minute or two in complete silence, then he heard loud footsteps.

The jail cell quickly opened up and somebody pulled the blindfold off his face. It was Mayor George, his face was bright red and he looked furious. He stared at Max and at the top of his lungs he yelled, "What the hell are you doing here! Do you know what you've done? Your own sister tried to go out and find you Max, and she was shot down." A single tear fell down Max's face. "Mayor George, the only reason I'm back here is to warn you, warn you about the Red Death." The mayor looked pale as a ghost. "Rich's farm was attacked, he was killed but I was able to fend off the rest of the group." He pulled out his plasma ray gun, "I did it all with this gun." The mayor looked at Max, "If what you're saying is true boy then we're all dead, we're all going to be murdered, or even worse, become infected."

"I have a plan sir, I'm immune to the Red Death. If we use explosives, we could take out at least a couple thousand of them. Rich told me there are about twenty-five thousand of them. We have a small chance sir, but still, it's a chance. Even the four men told me so."

"You've spoken to the four men?" the mayor asked in complete disbelief. "You must be the chosen one Max, I'm sorry but, but, but," he stuttered, "I thought we could just hide. Just hoping they'd never find us. That's why everything is chosen for all of us, people can't ask any questions or ever leave. We wanted to make it safe for us."

It dawned on Max why the town functioned as it did. He turned to the Mayor, "We've got a ton of planning to do then. But first I have to see my parents and apologize, they must be heart broken."

The Mayor drove Max to his home. On the way, Max saw all of his old friends' houses, remembering the feeling of not having any responsibility. He did not miss that feeling, though, he enjoyed knowing he was created for a bigger purpose. Max thought about all the times he was picked up from school and his mother would run up to him and give him a huge hug. Max took a deep breath as they approached his house. "Thanks for the ride Mayor, and sorry for the bad news. I never meant to kill that officer, he shot at me and I tried to get him to run out of the way."

"It's alright Max, if it wasn't for you leaving we wouldn't have any chance of being safe," the Mayor said as Max got out of the car.

He walked slowly up to his front door, just as he used to as a little boy. But instead of walking right in, he rang the doorbell and stood there, waiting. His mother Betty opened the door and let out a loud scream and embraced Max tears falling down her cheeks. "Mom I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone!" She squeezed him tightly and whispered, "I love you Max, no matter what happens." They stood together for awhile, his mother not letting go of Max even for a second.

"Max, your sister Betty, she's dead," she said crying. "I know Mom, the Mayor told me everything." "She wanted to find you Max, she didn't feel like she had a purpose."

"Well mom, that's why I left, it had nothing to do with you or anyone else. I just always knew I was created for something bigger than this town. Now I know my purpose. I came back to save the town from a deadly evil. That's why the Mayor let me come back home right now, and why I'm not in a jail cell."

"What evil, Max? What could hurt the town?" adult Betty asked in a scared tone. "The Red Death, mom. These infected people will stop at nothing to infect and kill as many normal people as possible. There are over twenty-five thousand of these things coming to our town soon, and I was chosen to stop them. It wasn't my purpose to stay here, I had to do something extraordinary. I found out I'm immune to the Red Death, and every time I become hurt I instantly am healed. I also found out that you and dad aren't my real parents. I don't blame you for not telling me, it would have made me even more crazy."

"It's true Max, we found you in our backyard one day. You were so adorable and cute we decided to take you in. We always knew you were special Max. As a child whenever you were hurt, you would recover so quickly, faster than any medication or treatment we'd ever seen. Your father and I didn't mention it ever though, we both knew you were different than anyone else."

As Betty was telling Max this, his father walked in the front door. He held two milk bottles, and when he saw Max he dropped them. "Is that you son?" he asked bewildered.

"Dad! It is I, your son Max."

Adult Max ran to his son and swept him off his feet just liked he used to. "Oh Max, where have you been? Your mother and I have been worried sick, we thought both of our children were gone." They held each other close, not saying a word. Eventually Max told his father, "Dad, I just explained everything to mom, but I have something I have to do immediately. I need to go in my room right now and grab something, is that alright?"

"Yes son it's perfectly fine, just make sure you come back home tonight. I'd appreciate it if we had dinner together, as a family." Max nodded and ran up to his room. His room was still perfectly intact, it hadn't been touched since he had left. He went behind his bed, and took out the second floorboard. He pulled out a small note, which was in a glass bottle. He took out the paper carefully and put the floorboard board back together. He opened the paper and scanned it, but there was nothing on it. Max was outraged, when he had been at the fountain, the book he read had told him to go into his room, go behind his bed, and take out the second floorboard. He looked outside his window, seeing his street. He turned around and looked at the paper again. It now had a single sentence on it. It read, "You cannot change everything, but the things you can change are the reasons for existence." Max read this line again and again, understanding it better each time he saw it. He lay on his bed, thinking about all of the things that had happened to him. He still had so many questions, but he knew he had to stay focused. Max repeated the line in his head, "you cannot change everything, but the things you can change are the reasons for existence," and when he did the cross on his neck lit up. He started to feel relaxed and more focused. "Guess those old men really aren't crazy," he thought to himself. He felt good, and for the first time in awhile he actually wanted to sleep.

Just as he was closing his eyes his mother yelled to him, "Max, Mayor George is here!" He really wanted to sleep, but he knew it wasn't time yet. He looked at the small parchment again, but all the words vanished. He took the bottle, put the paper back in, and placed it back into the second floorboard.

Chapter 14: Protection

"Hop in Max we've got to start now!" yelled Mayor George. Max hopped in the car and they drove off. "What happened in there, your family mad at you?"

"Not even a little. I explained everything to them. They now know my purpose," Max told him.

"You know boy if we get through all of this I want you to be in charge of the town. Set up some new rules, and make everyone happy." Max smiled and looked back at his house as they drove away. "I'd love to do that Mayor, but first we have to stop the Red Death. Or we won't even have a town to govern."

After a few more minutes of talk about the Red Death, Max and Mayor George made it to the Town Hall. They went up to the Mayor's Office and Max saw the head officer sitting at a large table, the same officer who yelled at him for killing his friend. They walked in slowly, Max took the farthest seat away from the officer. But the officer stared at Max the entire way through, still blinded with the rage of his partner's death. "You know Max I've been waiting a long time for this exact moment. So I could blow your brains out and look over your dead body." Max tried to stay calm, "How about we make a deal? You beat me in a shooting contest and I'll let you kill me." The officer laughed aloud, but the mayor shushed both of them. "We have much more important matters at hand boys," the mayor shouted. "No! Your officer can kill me if he beats me in a shooting contest," Max yelled at the officer, pretending to be outraged. The officer smirked, "You've got to be out of your damn mind boy, I have the best shot in the town. No one has ever been dumb enough to challenge me to a shoot off."

"Let's settle this once and for all, but if I win you have to stop messing with me. Also you will do as I say, and the rest of your police force will follow. We don't have to do this, you know, that is unless you're scared that I'll win." The officer eyed Max down, "be at the training field in twenty minutes, and pick your weapon, no snipers."

Max nodded and walked out of the room. He held his plasma ray gun on his hip, eager to use it in some real action. He waited at the training field and saw three small tin cans lined up. The officer approached Max, "you get three shots at three targets, I'll be surprised if you touch one." The officer pulled out a large pistol," I'll shoot first," he laughed.

Max stood patiently knowing he could not lose. The officer shot two of the three tin cans blowing large holes through both of them. "Guess I get to kill you then, you dumb kid." Max reset the cans and smiled at the officer, "watch this." Slowly, he took out his plasma ray gun, making sure the officer knew what gun he was using.

"Bam, bam, bam!" He nailed all three cans perfectly. "Now that's how you shoot boy!" he shouted sarcastically. The officer stood there in awe, "you have my allegiance Max, don't throw it away because it won't ever come back." Max turned around and faced the town wall looking out over the horizon. "I appreciate that, but the Mayor and I must inform you of the situation at hand, officer."

"Don't call me officer anymore, my name's Rock." They walked back to the Mayor's office and found the Mayor waiting for them. "I hope you boys are finished screwing around, we have a huge crisis up ahead."

"What's the problem sir?" Rock asked.

"It's the Red Death, the thing you were laughing at before when you saw my note," Max said in a serious tone.

"What do you mean Max? You mean to tell me there's an evil outside of our town?" Rock eyed down Max, looking very disturbed about this whole situation.

"The Red Death is a group of infected creatures. These things will stop at nothing to kill and infect as many normal people as possible. There's about twenty-five thousand of them coming to our town in less than a week. We need as much manpower as we can get, and food, water, and as many supplies as possible. They will come to destroy us all, and leave no survivors," Max said in the strongest voice possible.

Rock stood up almost shaking. He managed to ask, "They're going to be here in under one week? How can we stop them, we'll have no chance at all Max. There's only about two hundred policemen who can use firearms, and most of them don't have a good shot."

"We know that," Max replied. "I'm going to recruit all the men we can get to help serve, and women who want to play a part as well."

"That still won't be enough, we don't have many explosives, or have a special advantage."

"Rock I know this is hard to believe, but I'm the chosen one. I was pre-destined to become the man to stop the Red Death. I'm immune to them. I also have a plasma ray gun that you already saw, which has unlimited ammo and kills Red Death like its nobody's business. And to sum that all up, I've thought up of a pretty damn good plan," Max said with a slight smile. Rock shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. But he decided to play along anyway and he asked, "Well chosen one, what's your pretty damn good plan?"

"I'm glad you asked soldier, were going to funnel as many infected things as we can to the front of the town wall. There we will have all of our explosives ready and will blow up as many as possible. Also I found out they have leaders directing sections of the Red Death, we're going to get a couple of good snipers and try to take them out. Were going to have people on top of the town wall with automatic machine guns and large rocks. They will take out the Red Death quickly and effectively, making them retreat. We're going to have barricades set up on our side of the town wall just in case the Red Death break inside. Unfortunately the Red Death can attack any section of the town wall, but hopefully we can bait them all to the front so that we have a chance. If they come from all sides we won't have enough people to fend them off. I'm hoping you will help me direct our people to safety and victory. We might lose some people we care about in this battle, but I know in the end we will win and bring freedom to the town." When Max finished outlining his plan, he stared at the men.

Rock stood up from his chair and said to Max, "Plans always sound better than what actually happens."

"Well Rock, it's the only one we got right now." Rock started walking to the door and as he opened the door the Mayor announced, "I'll start telling every man to come to the Town Hall tomorrow morning. I'll ring the town bell to signal there's an emergency."

"You're damn right there's an emergency mayor. We have a ton of planning and training to do, in a very small amount of time. If these so called Red Death come in numbers of twenty-five thousand, I don't think we'll stand much of a chance," Rock told him.

The Mayor sighed, shutting his eyes tightly and rubbing the back of his head. "I know Rock, trust me I know. But we can't give up, we have to try to save the town whatever the cost. I'll tell everyone why we had to live like this, why I had to lie to them, that there really is danger outside of here."

Rock walked over to Mayor George and shook his hand saying,

"And I'll do the best I can sir." The mayor nodded and Rock left the room. Max understood how hard this must be for Mayor George and Rock, he felt terrible that he was the one to bring all the bad news, and he thought, "Guess I'm just the messenger of bad news."

The Mayor paced back in forth in the office thinking of the right thing to say. "No that's not it Max, this is really all my fault. I should have had something prepared if the Red Death found us. I just never wanted to scare any of the citizens, I tried to convince them that everything would be perfect if they just followed the rules."

Max felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders even if it was for the wrong reasons. "Well Mayor George I told my parents I would eat dinner with them. Would you mind if I took one of the police cars back home?" The mayor looked up, "That would be perfectly fine."

Max gave the Mayor a nod, and ran outside. As Max drove home, he thought about how the town's people would react to his return. One of his biggest fears was to be an outcast or a hated person in the town. His goal was simply to bring everything back to normal as it used to be. Max drove the police car home and parked right in front. "Just like old times," he whispered to himself as he strutted towards the front door.

His mother burst through the front door even before Max had made it there. "Max! I'm so glad you came, you showed up just in time before dinner. I even decided to make you pancakes just for old times sake!" Max smiled and replied, "Sounds great mom, I can't wait." His father was already at the table reading like he had always used to. "Dinner's served guys!" Betty said as she walked out with a huge feast. She brought out pancakes, steak, beans, and a fresh salad. "How'd you get all my favorite foods mom?" Max asked as he eyed down all the food. "We saved all your favorite foods son, just in case you ever came back."

Max felt terrible, his parents had been waiting for him to come back all this time. "You know guys I'm really sorry for what I did, I never should have left." His parents looked at each other, "Max there's something you must know," his father told him. Max nodded his head waiting for his father to speak. "You're not our son Max, you're not from here."

"I know dad, it's okay I won't hold anything against you for not telling me. I just wish you told me I couldn't be hurt by anything." His mother let out a sob, "Oh Max, we just had no idea what that meant. We knew eventually you would find out, you were so unlike the other children. Whenever you were injured or hurt, moments later you would completely heal. Your father and I were afraid to tell anyone because if they found out, everyone would know you weren't from the town. We're sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but we always knew you were special and we understood why you left."

Max stared down at the floor not saying a word. He finally replied, "You know what, you are my parents and it will always be that way. I love you both so much, and regret any pain I caused you both and my sister Betty. But the reason I left was to find my purpose and I think I found it."

"That's great Max, what is it?" his mother asked.

"First I would love to eat if that's alright, it's a long story." She smiled at Max, and served him first. He dug in immediately, instantly chewing down on his steak and finishing up everything just as fast. He asked for more pancakes and within minutes they were all gone. "Wow son, you sure as hell have gotten bigger. How much do you weigh now?" his father asked. "Well, ever since I lived out at this farm I did a ton of heavy lifting everyday and ate basically all night," Max smiled at his parents and waited for them to eat the remainder of their meal.

"Now that we're all finished, your father and I would love to hear the journey you've been on." Max took one last swig of milk and announced, "Well first things first, I left the town some four months ago. While I was escaping an officer opened fire on the milk van, I drove at him hoping he would jump out of the way. But he didn't and unfortunately I ran over an innocent man. Later that same day I found a farm and decided to stay there. A man named Rich Gordon took me in, and basically treated me as a son. He was an amazing person and he taught me how to shoot, take care of myself, and how to stay focused. I stayed at his farm for awhile helping him around the barn, feeding the animals, and whatever else needed to be done. He told me about this infected tribe of people called the Red Death, whose soul purpose is to infect as many normal people as possible. He told me this was why the town was created, and why we are hidden and gated off from society. At first I didn't entirely believe or know what he was talking about, but one day on the farm a strange thing approached me and I shot it. Turns out this thing was one of the Red Death. In less the three days a whole group of them, about one thousand strong, came to Rich's farm. We fought them off, and in the end we won. But Rich died a noble death, he was attacked by a Red Death. After this all happened I knew I had to return to the town to save it, because future Red Death attacks would be imminent. As I made my way back, I walked through a canyon and was called into a cave. I entered it, not knowing what was going to happen next. The moment I stepped in four men dressed in white gowns approached me, telling me I was the chosen one to stop the Red Death. They showed me an exact replica statue of me, and took me on a self-realization quest. It was there I found out I was the key to stopping the Red Death, and that it was my purpose to save the town. So I left the canyon and came back here, and explained this all to the Mayor and now I'm the lead general to fight this battle. I also found out over twenty-five thousand Red Death will be coming to our town in a little under a week. The Mayor and I will start training as soon as we can, and I'm sorry that now you both know the truth."

His parents sat at that table speechless, their jaws dropped, and their eyes as big as saucers. "I know what I just told you might be a little much, and yes I can assure you this is all true. I am not crazy at all," Max tried to reassure them.

They remained at that table, having no clue what do next. His father finally stood up, still scratching his head, "So you mean to tell me, you're the 'Chosen One?' And you're the key to stopping an infected race that wants to destroy all human life?"

"That's exactly right, dad."

"Huh. So what is it again that makes you the 'Chosen One' Max?" his mother asked in a confused tone.

"I'm immune to the Red Death, and the only way I can die is if someone chops my head off!" he exclaimed, smiling. "You know what, I think I'm going to bed. Night mom, night dad I love you both very much."

"We love you too son, sleep tight," his father said. "Night sweetie, love you too," his mom said as well. He ran up to his room, leaving his parents to absorb everything he had just said.

"You think he's crazy Betty?" adult Max asked her. "Oh I don't think so dear, he's just probably on some sort of drug or something," she said sarcastically back to him.

Max lay on his bed for a while, he thought about Betty and how she wouldn't have died if he hadn't left. Then he whispered to himself, "You know Betty would have died in a week like everyone else if I didn't leave." He went back to the second floorboard behind his bed and he pulled out the little glass bottle and read the sentence, "You cannot change everything, but the things you can change are the reasons for existence." This phrase stuck in his head and he fell into a very deep sleep.

Chapter 15: Recruits

"Foolish boy you shall never defeat us!" yelled a sinister voice. Max found himself running away from something, but he didn't know from what. He tripped and fell down in a field of grass. He closed his eyes and reopened them. Max was now standing in the middle of the town surrounded by thousands of Red Death. A disembodied voice shouted, "We told you boy, you have no purpose!"

"Beep, beep, beep," went Max's alarm clock. He jumped out of bed and realized he was sweating. "It was just a dream Max, pull it together," he reassured himself. He put on some new clothes, which were still there from when he had left. His parents weren't awake yet, and no one had known the town hall was going to have a meeting that day. Max walked outside and saw that a police car was already parked in front of his house.

"Hurry up boy!" yelled Mayor George. Max ran over to the vehicle and jumped in. "You hungry Max?" asked Rock. "I didn't have time for breakfast this morning, so I guess you could say I was hungry." Rock eyed down Max, still a little angry from losing the gun match, "You don't need to be a jerk about it boy, just wanted to know if you were hungry."

"Well now I guess you know I am, don't you big guy." Rock gave a sneer to Max handing him a plate with two donuts, an apple, and a cup of coffee. "Drink up, your going to need all the energy you can get." They drove to the Town Hall, and had started to brainstorm about what they should tell the residents of the town. "Now you boys listen up. You can't immediately tell the people about the Red Death. They have no idea some other force even exists, they think our town is safe," said the mayor.

"Well Mayor, I guess you shouldn't have lied to the people all this time," Max replied, still grumpy from a lack of sleep. The Mayor felt guilty and uneasy about having to tell the whole town they were in serious danger. "Mayor George," Max said, "I'll do it. I will tell the people you didn't know either."

"No Max, I've done enough lying in my lifetime. It's time to stop covering up my problems, I need to set things straight." Max nodded at the Mayor, he was happy he was finally admitting this mistake. "I need to do some confessing of my own Mayor, so you won't be alone in this," Max replied in a shaky voice.

"Sorry to interrupt your therapy session, but we need to signal all the people to come to the town hall. How do you reckon we do that?" Rock asked. "We still have the town bell that can signal all the people to come to the center of the town," Max replied.

Rock went up to the top of the building and started ringing the bell, eager to get the citizens to come in as quickly as possible. After a few minutes, all the people started filling into the town hall. Every man and boy arrived regardless of what they were supposed to be doing. When all the chatter died down, Mayor George went up to the stage and addressed everyone.

"Citizens of the town!" boomed Mayor George. "You have all been chosen to save our town!" There was a lot of murmuring and whispering going around after he said this. "I'm afraid you have all been lied to. You need to know that it's not all safe here. There is an evil outside of the town coming to kill us. It is called the Red Death. The Red Death is made up of creatures infected with disease and their soul purpose is to kill as many normal people as they can. We need your help to help fight against the Red Death and bring this place back to safety. You will all be taught how to use a firearm, and then you'll be put in different posts."

The people sat, mouths open wide, and completely shocked. Nothing bad had ever happened to any of them, there had only been peace. "How many of these things are there?" yelled a man in the audience. "Over twenty-five thousand of them!" Max yelled back. "Wait, aren't you the kid who left the town? Who killed one of our best officers?" The people around this man agreed, shouting at Max, calling him names and telling him to leave.

"Give him a chance to explain himself citizens. You might just want to hear what he has to say!" yelled the Mayor. The audience quieted down, and Max took the stage.

"I left this town to find my purpose. I left my family, my sister died for me, and all of you hate me. After I left, I found out that I was chosen. Chosen by a higher power to stop this great evil that is heading our way."

"You're crazy, your purpose was chosen for you just like everyone else. What makes you more important than any of us?" an outraged citizen announced.

Max looked at the man and smiled. "You're right sir, I'm not any more important than any of you. But I can assure you, I was chosen for this specific purpose. I am the only person alive in the world that is immune to the Red Death, and I cannot be killed except by someone chopping off my head."

The crowd laughed, he heard people saying he was crazy and a fake. Max was getting tense, his face heating up. "I'm going to save you whether you like it or not!" He aimed his gun at his chest and pulled the trigger.

"Bam!" He shot a bullet through his chest and fell motionless to the ground. The crowd was silent, not making a sound. They watched in amazement as Max's chest started reattaching itself back together, and in less than thirty seconds he stood back up. "Any questions?" Max yelled to the crowd. The crowd remained speechless, hardly able to believe what they had just seen.

"Good, then," Max said, "Now maybe we can get started." He hopped off the stage, and the people formed a path where he could walk through. He walked through the line and flashed back to what happened in the fountain. He remembered shooting that thing at the bottom of the fountain and how its body repaired itself just like Max did. Max now realized the thing he saw was really him. He opened the door out of the building and already the Mayor was outside waiting for him in a car. "You were great in there Max, we're going to start training the people with target practice in a bit and we could really use your help."

"Alright sir I can help. But first we need to divide the people into three different groups. The first group will be the younger boys, they will be in charge of the lookout posts and getting supplies to the troops. The second group will be our older boys and regular men. They'll be the main shooters, and will be attacking the Red Death. The third group will be our strongest and fastest soldiers. They will consist of officers and good athletes. These people will be our scouts, bait, and sharpshooters."

"That can all be arranged Max, but first we need to see who can use a gun. I will not allow any person under the age of thirteen to use a gun." Max and the Mayor drove over to the firing range near the police department. When they went in they saw a small boy shooting at a target. The boy was hitting every target perfectly in the middle with ease. Max had a huge smile on his face and whispered to the Mayor, "I guess we're going to have to make a little exception." The Mayor looked back at Max putting on a fake smile, "Hey boy, how old are you?" The young kid turned around putting down his gun, "I'm twelve sir and my name is Clay."

Max walked over to Clay and asked, "How the heck did you get so good at shooting? I didn't think people had even used guns here." "Well," said Clay, "My dad's really athletic, and I like pretending to shoot stuff. But I've never shot anything before, it's my first time. So when I heard you could go shoot stuff, I ran down here as quick as I could." Max laughed aloud and said," Well you've got quite the gift Clay, but Mayor George here says you have to be over thirteen to use a firearm. Somehow, I think he'll make an exception just for you." Clay beamed with delight, but the mayor looked flustered. "Well go back home for now boy, be here bright and early tomorrow morning." Clay nodded his head and started running back to his house with a huge smile on his face.

Max and the Mayor walked around watching all the men shoot targets. Some were pretty good, but others couldn't hit the backside of a barn. "Well, we have about fifty guys with good shots, and not to my surprise they're all officers. On the other hand, most of the people here are going to need a lot of training," the Mayor said. Max looked at the Town wall and replied, "We have six more days, we have to start combat training as soon as possible."

"Get some rest boy, I'm going to need you to be in your best shape." Max shook hands with the mayor, and started walking back home. Once he got back he immediately went up to his room. He was exhausted and drained of energy so without saying anything, he went straight to bed. Max fell asleep easily, but was not able to sleep well.

"Six more days and everyone will die, and it'll be all your fault," said that mysterious voice. "No! I will not lose, I will defeat you!" Max shouted. Max heard laughter and it was growing louder every second. "Foolish boy, you will die!" As he heard these words, Betty appeared in front of him screaming, he was able to make out the phrase, "It's all your fault." Max begged her for forgiveness, but she repeated the awful phrase, "It's all your fault!"

Just as he reached out to grab her, Max woke up. He took deep loud breaths, and looked at his clock. He still had four more hours to sleep. "Goddamn, I really have to loosen up," Max said aloud as he slowly fell back to sleep.

Chapter 16: Training

"Beep, beep, beep!" Went Max's alarm clock. "Ugh," he murmured as crawled out of bed. He went to his bathroom and decided to take a nice warm shower. The hot water felt good on his skin. He rubbed his chest, still unable to believe he survived after he had shot a hole through it.

"Max!" His mother yelled upstairs, "I made pancakes, your favorite!" Max got out of the shower instantly, almost forgetting to dry himself off and put on his clothes. Max loved his mother's pancakes, she put on just enough butter and syrup every time. He eyed his plate almost drooling, and after a frenzy of eating he finally finished. "Where's dad? We need to go down to the town park." "Oh I think he's getting out of the shower now Max, go get the car started and he'll meet you outside." Max gave her a hug and started the car outside. After a few minutes his father arrived, he wore heavy clothes and didn't look very well. Once his dad was in the car Max asked, "Are you okay dad?" "Oh, I'm fine son, just all this talk about fighting and killing really stresses me out. I can only imagine what you're going through." Max smiled at his dad and replied in a laughing tone, "Oh you have no idea dad, I'm just as freaked out as you are."

They drove off to the town park, where everyone was supposed to train. There were already hundreds of men at the park, and they all looked prepared. "Well dad, I'll see you later. I have to start making plans with the mayor." "My son is a big hot shot now, who would have ever known?" Max smiled at his dad and ran over to where Rock and Mayor George were standing.

"Sleep well boy?" Rock asked in a sarcastic tone. "Oh just great Rock" Max snapped back. "Well let's get started then boys, we have a ton of work to do today," said the mayor. "All right, here we go," Rock replied.

Max walked over to the large group of people and announced, "Today we will find the best of the best. The top sixty men with the best shot, strength, and speed will be selected for 'group A' of our army. The men who are decent at shooting and aren't complete athletes will be in 'group B.' Boys under thirteen and men who are not qualified to use firearms will be in 'group C.' Each group will have to play its part if we even want a chance at survival. This is not a joke, we are all fighting for our lives. Today you will all try out to see what group you will be in, good luck men."

After his announcement, Max called over half the men, and Rock took the other half. Max continued, "We still start by running two miles around the track. The top forty will almost be guaranteed to try out for 'group A,' you must be fast if you want to stay alive."

"On your marks, get set, go!" Max shot his gun in the air and they took off. Most of them started off sprinting and lost their breath before the first mile was even over. Max had decided to run the two miles with them, and after the first mile no one was even near him. But well into the second mile, someone started to gain on Max. Max and this man sprinted towards the finish line. "See you later champ!" Shouted the man and he crossed the finish line before Max did. The man had a hood on over his head, and was almost the same height as Max. "Who the heck are you?" Max asked still panting from running. The man took off his hood and replied," I know you won't believe me, but I am Maximus, I am your father." Max stood staring at the man, he looked a lot like Max, but there was no way this could be true. "What do you mean you're my father, I've never even seen you before." The man sighed, "Max, your mother and I had to leave you here. Your real name is Maximus, King Maximus the third."

Max began shaking, recalling the words of the four men who first gave him this information. But Max decided to not tell him what had happened to him, he needed to make sure it was his father. "If you're my dad why the hell did I get raised here, why would you leave me, and why hasn't anyone told me?" The man looked like he was going to throw up, he looked terrible. "Max you don't understand, your mother and I, we've regretted every single day we haven't been with you. I must go now though, meet me at the town hall at exactly twelve o' clock. Don't let anyone know where you're going, if you want more answers you will be there." The man put back on his hood and started to run back into the housing areas.

Max had enough to worry about, and now he had to figure out where he was really from. But first he knew he had to train the rest of the people, which was the most important task at hand. He walked back over to the finish line, where the top fifteen were already together. "The top forty will come with me immediately, the rest of you go report to officer Rock." The top forty from Rock's group had already merged into Max's group and they waited patiently for orders. "You top eighty men have been selected to enter the next stage of training. Now we will practice sharp shooting." Max handed them all a gun and told them to get in a line. Right before Max was going to carry on, the young boy Clay approached Max.

"Clay you made it!" "Yes sir I did, may I please have a gun?" "You certainly may, grab a gun and get to the end of the line soldier." Clay smiled at Max, and eagerly ran to the end of the line. The other men laughed and made jokes as Clay went to the back of the line. He gave them no response though and acted like they didn't even exist. Max announced to the group, "See that small tin can thirty yards out?" The group all replied back "Yes!" "Good then, I want you to shoot it. Each man will get one shot at the target, if every man in the line misses, we will go again until someone finally hits the target. Do I make myself clear?" "Sir, yes sir!" the men yelled back.

The men went down the long line, and all seventy-nine of the men missed. Clay was last. He pulled out his pistol almost instantly and shot at the target. "Bam!" The tin can burst into pieces, and parts of it flew in every direction. Max ran over to Clay and yelled,

"Damn son, I guess we have ourselves a sniper!" The other men stood in shock. They couldn't believe a twelve-year-old kid had showed up an entire line of athletes. "Well now that we know who our sharpshooter is," Max told them, "we will all be going to the shooting range. Each man will get five shots on a red target, and if you miss just one shot you will be selected for 'group A.'"

Only forty-one men hit the targets. "The forty-one who hit, I want to come with me. The other thirty-nine men will be divided into two separate teams. You will be playing a simple child's game, capture the flag. Whichever team wins will be chosen in 'group A.' The losers, I'm afraid, will have to be put in 'group B.'"

Max separated the teams, but there was one problem. There were nineteen men on one team, and twenty on the other. Max walked over to the men that had hit the target. I want to offer you all a little gamble, if want to play capture flag and your team wins, you will become 'group A's' leader. If you lose, however, you will not be in 'group A' just like your team." The men all stood frozen, no one wanted to lose his spot in 'group A,' and right before Max was about to cancel the deal Clay walked forward and asked to play with one of the teams.

"Clay are you sure about this? If your team loses you won't be a part of 'group A.'" "Sir, I will not lose." Max laughed and told Clay to get out there. Each flag was placed fifty yards away from the middle line and was easily visible. Max walked on the middle line and announced, "You see men, sometimes a game like this can show you how your men react under extreme pressure. I wish you all good luck, now start!"

The men on the North side were smart, they waited for the team on the South side to run over quickly. After about fifteen minutes of capturing they finally ran over to the other side and got the flag easily. They didn't have one person in jail the entire game. "Who was the captain of the North side team?" Max asked the team. The whole team pointed at the small boy Clay, who excitedly shouted, "Well sir, the game is easy. Be patient and let the other side try to get to you. Once you have the advantage you immediately strike back!" "So, you're a sharp shooter and a damn good leader. Clay I'm putting you in charge of 'group A,'" smiled Max.

Max told the group that lost to join 'group B' and the men who won could stay in 'group A.' 'Group A' had a total of 59 men, 'group B' had 734, and 'group C' had more than 200 kids as well as men who wished to not use firearms.

Rock, Max, and Mayor George all sat together in the Mayor's office that night. "Great work boys, all the groups are in order, and I think we made all the right corrections. Rock I want you to lead and train groups B and C. Max I want you to lead the army as a whole, have you selected a leader for 'group A?' "

Max looked at the Mayor almost dying in laughter. "Well Mayor George, as a matter of fact I did find a leader for 'group A.' He has the best shot, is extremely fast, and knows how to lead an army." "That's great Max, who is it?" "It's Clay! That kid we found at the gun range." The mayor laughed hysterically, "Now Max this is no time for games, I really must know who the leader of 'group A' is." Max continued smiling at the mayor.

"You're meaning to tell me you're letting an twelve-year old run an elite group of men?" the Mayor boomed.

"Well," thought Max aloud, "you're letting an eighteen-year old run an entire army sir. We must have some crazy ideas to win this war." Mayor George tried to calm himself down and looked back at Max. "If that boy fails, it's you who takes the blame. You do realize this don't you?"

"I'll take full responsibility over Clay, and I'll start explaining to 'group A' what they have to do." Rock also added, "As will I sir, groups B and C will understand their roles in this battle." "Good work boys," said the Mayor, relieved, "But now you need your rest. Think about all the different ways we can survive and be a town again. We will not run, no matter the cost." Max and Rock nodded at Mayor George and both walked out the door. Max turned to Rock, "I'll see you later Rock, I have to go handle some business." Rock gave Max a handshake and told him, "don't get into anymore trouble boy, we need you." Rock went into his police car alone and drove off. Max walked over to the town hall and saw a man standing next to a large pillar. "Time to find my answers," Max said to himself, and he strutted over to the hooded man.

Chapter 17: The Box and the Cross

"I showed up," Max said loudly as he slowly moved closer to the hooded man. "Good, I have a lot to talk to you about in a very short amount of time," said the man who claimed to be Max's real father. Staring right at Max, he started, "You were once part of a sacred race Maximus. We were all immune to the Red Death, and we all went to go live in the mountains. Unfortunately they found us and figured out they couldn't infect us. They locked us up, and found out our only weakness. The weakness was that the only way we could die was by having our heads being chopped off. They tortured our people to find the rest of us, and only your mother and I escaped. She was pregnant with you at the time and we both knew we couldn't raise a child alone in the wilderness. We found your town as we left our home in the mountains. We snuck in looking for the right people to raise you. When we found Max and Betty, we somehow just knew they would raise you well, and as it turned they hadn't had a son yet. We left you with them and when they accepted you as their own, we left to continue hiding. And we've been hiding ever since that day. No one else knew about this, not even Mayor George."

Max eyed down the man and asked," Why did you call me Maximus?" The man replied back, "Your name is Maximus Secord. Maximus Secord the Third!" Max didn't completely understand what this man was saying, so he continued, "You were pre-destined to become a king of our people."

Suddenly, this was starting to make sense. Max began to understand why he asked so many questions and why he somehow knew he wasn't supposed to be living in the town. "I also see that you are the chosen one Max, you have the cross necklace given only from the four men. I will give you one more gift, to help you win this war." He handed Max a small blue box and inside was a note just like the one he found in the glass bottle. "Do not read the note inside of this box until both pieces of paper are combined," the man told Max. "Thank you sir, it's time for me to go home. My parents think I'm coming back home in five minutes and I don't want to scare them more than they already are. I still am not entirely sure if you're my father, even though I do kind of look like you."

The man smiled at Max and took off his hood. "I would not expect you to believe me Max, you are very much like me. You do not believe stories or speeches, you need hard, concrete evidence and I think the blue box should convince you." The man shook Max's hand and ran off and as he was running he yelled back to Max, "remember Max, you can always change your purpose!" Max started walking back home, pondering all the things the man had told him. When he reached the porch, he knocked on the door loudly.

Max waited impatiently for his parents to come open the door. He could see the lights on but no one came to the door. He knocked for another couple of minutes, but still no one answered. Max decided to go around to the back and crawled through a small window into the basement. He slowly crept up the stairs eventually reaching the door. He opened the door and saw his mother and father sitting together, not saying a word.

"What's wrong, are you guys okay?" Max asked as he went over to his mother Betty. He put his hand on her shoulder and knelt down next to her. She immediately burst out in tears crying, "It's the five week anniversary of your sister being killed Max. Why would she leave us Max? Why?" Max stroked her hair as she once did when he was just a small boy. "You're both great parents, you and dad. You raised us well, but we just both wanted more in life."

"Max we have something to tell you as well," his father announced in a weary voice. "We didn't find you in the backyard like we said we did, you were given to us by a man over eighteen years ago. He told us your birthday, how special you were, that your name was Maximus, and that you were even a king. I'm sorry we both lied to you a few days ago, we just have always wanted to keep things hidden. But we know you'll eventually figure it out, you always do." Max smiled at his father, and decided to not tell them about the talk he just had with his birth father. "Well thanks for telling me that dad, but I don't think I could ever be a king, and I like being called Max a little bit more than Maximus." His dad chuckled and his mother smiled too. "I'll whip you boys up some dinner and then you'll both have to go to bed," Betty told both Max's.

"So dad, what group did you go in for the army?" "'Group C' son, I don't want to kill anything. But I will help as much as I can." "That's great dad, were going to need a lot of help. Also we need someone to manage the younger kids and tell them what to do." His father nodded at Max, and sat down at the table reading the newspaper as he always did.

"Dinner's ready!" Betty shouted as she brought in a huge platter of food. The family talked and enjoyed their meal together. For just a moment they all looked at one another and felt like a normal, happy, family. "Thanks mom, dinner was delicious as it always is! But I need to finish up some army plans before I fall asleep," Max said as he excused himself. His mother gave him a hug and took his plate. He smiled at his dad and then ran upstairs to his bedroom. Max opened the door and pulled out the blue box his birth father had given to him. He moved his bed over and saw the second floorboard was slightly cracked. He removed it slowly and grabbed the bottle underneath the board. He jumped back on his bed and put the bottle and the box next to each other. First he took out the paper in the small glass bottle it read, "You cannot change everything, but the things you can change are the reasons for existence." He then opened the small blue box and inside he found another small glass bottle, which also had a note inside. Carefully, he removed the note and placed it under the note he had just read. The notes infused instantly making a small popping noise and now there were new words on single note. It now read, "You cannot change everything, but the things you can change are the reasons for existence, and sometimes you cannot just have one purpose if you want everything to change." Max grabbed the paper and again the note transformed, but this time it turned into a small silver mirror. Max understood immediately what this meant and said to himself, "If I want things to change I can't just have one purpose. I have to change my life to make things right."

As he said these words he felt the cross on his neck heat up. He took it off and put it on the mirror. The cross radiated a silver tint, and now there was even more writing on the note. "This cross was made for times of great trouble. It gives the person wearing it extreme power, vision, and hearing. It will activate when you need it most." After reading the words the mirror, bottle, and note vanished. All that remained was the silver cross. Max was overwhelmed from everything that happened that day, and he decided to lie down. "I have a lot of days to train before the battle, and for that to go well my mind must be clear." Max thought about his purpose and how he was supposed to be a king. It was all so sudden, but he knew he could handle the situation. He could feel himself relaxing as he looked outside his bedroom window. He closed his eyes and fell into a very deep sleep.

Chapter 18: Five More Days

"Max get up! Breakfast is served!" Betty yelled from the kitchen. Max got up slowly still thinking about his birth father and how all of his people were brutally killed. He also thought about the small boy Clay for some odd reason, and knew he would play a big role in the battle ahead. Max trudged down the stairs, he was still tired and had a mild headache.

"Good morning sweetie!" Betty said enthusiastically as she gave Max a stack of buttermilk pancakes. "Morning mom," he murmured in a sleepy voice. "This hot breakfast will make you all better Max. I also brought you a big glass of juice!" His mother smiled at Max as she filled up his glass.

"Mom, why didn't you or dad ever tell me that I could never be hurt or injured?" Max questioned her in a sharp tone. Betty gulped down a glass of water, almost coughing from the remark. She started to rub her head, and then proceeded to put away the dishes very fast. "Mom! Why didn't you ever tell me!" Max yelled at his mother. His mother finally looked at Max, she was shaking, "We didn't want to confuse you Max. At about age ten you stopped asking questions and we thought you had accepted your purpose. We didn't want you to worry about something else."

"Well for your information I didn't accept my purpose, I didn't accept anything! I just pretended to so I could leave this goddamn place." Max's heart was beating fast, his face was growing redder every second.

"I'm sorry Max, you deserved to know the truth!"

Max ate his food quickly and left his plate on the table. As Max was almost out the front door his mother yelled to him," Why are you upset now! Your father and I told you everything we know." Max almost started to cry as he looked back at Betty and said, "I just don't know mom, I don't know why I get so angry." He slammed the door behind him and decided to jog to the training area and not drive. In about ten minutes, Max reached the training fields.

Rock had already organized groups A, B, and C. He had been waiting on Max's arrival to continue. "Why you late boy? We got five days, there's no time to be screwing around." Max laughed and said, "I decided to jog today, I didn't want to drive on this amazing day." Rock looked at Max pretending to be disgusted.

"Good morning to you both," the Mayor announced. "Max go get 'group A' ready, Rock you get groups B and C over to the conditioning stations." "Yes Sir!" They shouted in unison and they both ran over to the groups. Rock had already begun to make groups B and C do laps around the field. But he did this with a little twist involved. Any person who ran their first two laps in the top one hundred would run the remainder of the laps as they normally did. If someone wasn't in the top one hundred they would have to carry ten-pound weights for the remainder of the laps, even the younger kids. Rock did this to train the soldiers to be able to get supplies in for the men who were fighting the battle. He did this considering almost all of the top one hundred men would be in 'group B' anyway training all of 'group C,' who wouldn't be fighting.

Max and "group A" laughed as they watched groups B and C run laps. "Now I have something a little bit more fun for us today men. Were going to start off this morning with a drill. Each man will get a paint ball gun with fifty-nine paint balls. There are sixty of us here, including myself. Each person will run a fifteen-yard sprint. One shooter will attempt to hit as many as possible running through the fifteen yards. You will get one shot per person so don't take any extra shots or you will be out of ammo. I'll go first, do we have any questions?" Group A looked back at Max without saying a word. "Good, then let's get to it!"

Max took out the paint ball gun and pointed it towards where the men were going to run. "Go!" he yelled and each man ran after the other. Max shot furiously not missing one person running through. Clay was last and started to sprint through the fifteen yards. Max smiled before shooting and aimed the gun at Clay's chest, "Bam!" Clay dove to ground almost instantly after Max pulled the trigger. The paint ball zoomed over his head, and for the first time in a month Max had missed. Clay hopped up quickly and jumped with joy to the other side.

Max threw the gun to the ground, and shouted "Goddammit, I almost had that record for two months." Max ran over to Clay and said, "Clay, I haven't missed a shot in forever, I thought I had it perfected." Clay beamed back at Max and replied, "Your shot is perfect Max, I just knew you wouldn't expect anyone to do that. You thought I'd run to the other side just like the other men did." "Clay I can't wait till we're on that battle field together, you'll be the best soldier who ever lived." Clay nodded at Max and ran back in line. Each man did this drill, and Max saw some good improvement since the first day at the firing range. When everyone was done Max announced, "Good job men, really good stuff out there. But in order for us to stay alive we have to be the best, let's take a lunch and water break."

The men were exhausted already and ate very eagerly. Max pulled out the lunch his mom had made him, and started eating. Clay walked over to Max and sat down next to him. "I forgot my lunch today sir," Clay said in a depressed voice. "That's alright Clay, even you have to make a mistake every couple of years." Clay grinned at Max, and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry sir!" He pulled back after hugging Max. "I'm embarrassed to tell you this, but my dad is never proud of me. No matter what I do he just looks at me and says I could have done better."

"Well Clay what group is your father fighting in?" Max asked. "'Group C', I think. He's not very fond of weapons." "Well Clay I want you to tell your dad that you're in charge of 'group A,' and that you're the best soldier we have." Clay beamed. It was also the first time in his life that he felt like he had a purpose. After saying that Max handed Clay a portion of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Once lunch was over 'group A' practiced shooting, and worked on different battle formations. 'Group C' mostly worked on endurance training while 'group B' was at the firing range working on their accuracy.

"You guys are going to have to be a hell of a lot faster if you want to stay alive!" Rock yelled as group C ran around the training fields. Max watched from afar as he saw them all running. He needed to start establishing different posts for the soldiers to be set when the Red Death arrived.

After a long day of training all the groups finally headed home. Max had called a meeting with Rock and Mayor George back at the town hall. He rushed over and when he got there, Rock and the Mayor were already waiting. "You wanted to talk about something Max?" the Mayor asked. "Yes sir, I was wondering if we have any explosives or fuses. Also were going to need to reinforce the town wall. I know our men aren't trained enough yet, but we need to get started now to ensure our safety." "Well Max," said the Mayor, "as a matter of fact we do have some explosives, but we don't have very much. And Max, Rock was just telling me how most of his men in group B couldn't even hit a fish out of water." "I know sir, but we can still train after we set up a defense. I can start teaching them lessons on how to use a gun," Max responded.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, I've been teaching them how to use a gun for a couple days now. What do you think will make your efforts so special?" Rock retorted angrily. "Rock I did beat you at a gun contest, I think I might be a little more qualified for the job." "Well fine then boy, you can deal with those clueless buffoons in 'group B.' I'll do a little bit of work with 'group A'." "Oh that's already been arranged Rock, I have Clay as the leader of 'group A.' You can still train 'group C' though." Rock had fire in his eyes, it looked as if he wanted to get up right then and there and beat Max up. But for Max's sake the Mayor was there, and would not tolerate any violence. "You better watch your tongue boy, just because the Mayor is here doesn't mean I won't punch your teeth in." Max smiled and looked at the Mayor, "Thank goodness your dog is on a tight leash." Rock got up and walked out the door saying goodbye to Mayor George and slammed the door shut.

"Goddamnit Max, stop being so boastful!" said the Mayor. "Before you came he used to be the one calling all the shots, it hasn't been easy for him. So the least you can do is be respectful, whether you like it or not he's one of the best we have." "I know Mayor I'm sorry, I get a little out of control sometimes." The Mayor shook his head and opened a cupboard, pulling out a bottle of liquid. "You see this bottle boy? This is the last bottle of wine in the entire universe." He pulled out two large glasses and filled them up to the brim. He handed a glass to Max and rose his glass in the air. "For the town!" Mayor George announced and they both drank the entire glasses.

Max walked home that night feeling really relaxed. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but he knew that the wine made him feel pretty good. He thought about Rich as he walked along the sidewalk, and found it strange that he'd accepted Max so easily. He wanted to be like him someday. Max remembered when Rich gave him the plasma ray gun, Rich had told him it was the fastest and most powerful gun ever made. There were only four in the world, Rich had claimed. Max pulled out the gun and examined it under a street lamp. He noticed little marks all across the gun, and saw that the marks were actually the initials R.G. and remembered that Rich's last name was Gordon. He pulled out a small knife and engraved the letters M.S. He pointed his gun in the air, fired a single shot, and shouted, "I am King Maximus Secord The Third!"

Chapter 19: The Defense

Max didn't sleep one second that night. He drew out all of the schemes for protection to keep the town safe. Max wanted to lure all of the Red Death to the front of the town wall, just as he had already done at Rich's barn. After the reached the town wall, 'group B' would be waiting behind the gate. They would have to make holes through the wall so guns could get through and they could shoot. At the top of the town wall they would place two turrets. These turrets could shoot up to ten bullets a second with ease. Mayor George told Max that they had two in storage. In front of the town wall they would plant all of the c-4 and explosives. Max would attempt to funnel as much Red Death as he could into that area and then blow them all up. Max, with a couple of other sharp shooters would locate the Red Death leaders. They would try to assassinate them as soon as possible so that the rest would be confused. 'Group C' would bring ammo, food, water, and would be in charge of all the lookout posts. Max figured that after the quick slaughter of a lot of the Red Death, they would start to retreat a little. Then Max would open the town gate and pretend they had won. He would walk out and celebrate, attempting to bait as many Red Death toward the entrance and use the rest of the explosives.

Max's mother walked down the stairs that morning, waking up early as she usually did. She saw Max awake and drawing furiously. "Max, what are you doing up so early?" Max looked at his mother, dazed and exhausted. "Max, have you slept at all?" He groaned and said, "I'm saving the town mom, and there's no time for rest."

His mother went over to him and helped him back under the covers. Max protested, "I have to train the soldiers mom, they need me!" "You'll take a half day off Max, I'll wake you up at noon. And then I'll drive you over to the training fields." Max murmured something, and drifted off to sleep. Betty kissed Max's cheek and tucked him in as she used to when Max was just a small boy. She quietly tiptoed out of the room and very carefully closed the door.

Rock and the Mayor were up early that morning waiting for Max. "Where the hell is he? We've got four days till the Red Death show up, or maybe even sooner," Rock said bitterly to Mayor George. "He'll show up, let the boy get some rest. We both know Max would already be here if there wasn't a good explanation."

Just as Mayor George said this Max's father approached the Mayor. "Max didn't get one minute of sleep last night, he's been up making plans and schemes for how to defeat the Red Death. His mother told me she would drop him off around noon." Rock and Mayor George thanked adult Max for the information, and he walked over to where 'group C' was standing.

"Well it's eight o' clock right now, let's get all the groups together and start a little endurance training," Rock announced. The Mayor thought for a second and replied, "Good, just do a little bit of running and then some target practice. When he comes at noon we're going to start setting up the defenses like he wanted." As Rock was about to start running all the groups he saw a large group of people walking towards them. "What is it now?" Rock mumbled under his breath. As the group got closer Rock realized they were all women! "We want to help fight too!" they explained. Mayor George ran over to Rock and shouted, "I knew this was going to happen, I just knew it!"

There were about 500 women in the group, maybe even more. The Mayor addressed them right away, saying, "We don't want any women to fight or die! We don't even want you to see what is happening on the battlefield. These things are disgusting and vicious." One woman stepped out from the group and shouted back, "If we don't help, we'll die anyway! Our husbands and even our boys told us there's over twenty-five thousand of these so-called Red Death. You're going to need all the help you can get!"

Rock put his palm on his face, not wanting to hear or see what was happening. "Do any of you even know how to use a firearm?" he asked sarcastically. "We thought you would never ask!" they shouted in unison. Every woman drew out their pistols and pointed in the direction of a makeshift target at the town hall. Almost all of them hit the target, and some even hit exactly where they pointed. "Where the hell, did ya'll get those guns from anyway?" Mayor George asked in an alarmed tone.

"Does it matter sir?" Max asked the Mayor, suddenly appearing right next to him. Mayor George turned as red as a tomato, his veins popping out of his arms. "Now you listen here boy! I'm letting you run the army, I'm allowing a twelve-year old to be in charge of our best soldiers, and now you're telling me to let women in our army? With loaded weapons?" the Mayor panted, trying to regain his breath. Max smiled at the Mayor snickering, "Unfortunately, sir, I'm the best chance you've got, and I say yes, they stay and fight." The Mayor muttered a couple of swear words at Max and stormed away from the training fields. Max separated the women into what he now called 'group D' and every last one of them could use a gun.

Rock pulled together groups A, B, and C, after they had been isolated for their morning training. Max called everyone to listen, saying, 'The Red Death, as many of you already know, will be here in four days, hell maybe even sooner. We need to start making defenses now. Our objective in this battle will be to funnel as much Red Death as we can to the front of the town wall. There we will have c-4 and explosives buried in the ground. It will kill many of them, if we can execute our strategies correctly. I want 'group C' to be in the watchtowers scouting for the enemy. Also I want you to start making small holes in the town wall. Holes big enough for a gun to fit through. Lastly 'group C,' will be in charge of bringing all of the supplies to the soldiers. None of you will fight, but you will be a very important aspect in winning this battle. 'Group B,' you will be the main firepower of the groups. Most of you will be on the battlefield, your lives will be on the frontline if they break through somehow. We will keep them out at all costs. You'll kill as many as possible. If you have any concerns about being in 'group B,' ask to be switched now." Not one man said a word. "Good then," Max continued, "Now 'group A,' you will be the assassins. Your main objective will be to kill every Red Death leader that they have. The leaders wear black, while the rest of them wear white. They'll be easy to spot out, but they won't go down easy. Lastly we will have three or four of the fastest men in 'group A' to bait the Red Death. You might not make it back alive." Clay stepped up with two other men and in unison they yelled, "We will do it sir!" Max nodded at them and they stepped back into their group. "OK, now we need to start reinforcing the wall and start setting up our posts."

"What about us?" the women yelled to Max. "Oh, I almost forgot. You'll be the second line of defense. If 'group B' can't hold them off and they fall back, the women will come in for a surprise attack. Any questions?" No one said a word. "Well then, let's get started!"

Rock took 'group C' and started making small holes in The Town wall. He made sure every hole was big enough for a gun to fit through. 'Group B' practiced running to different spots on the training field, shooting when ordered and retreating when called back. 'Group A' practiced sniping and using the turrets to take out the Red Death. The women worked on following 'group B,' learning when to come up and help them fight. Max and the Mayor watched as the groups started to look like an army. The Mayor leaned over to Max, "The way they look now, I'd say we have a hell of a chance." "Well after today Mayor George, with three more days not counting tonight, I'd say we could win this thing."

All the groups trained for the rest of the day, knowing they were working to protect their homes and families. When the day was over Mayor George called all of the groups over to the town hall for a brief wrap-up meeting. "Citizens of The Town! I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how much I appreciate what you're all accomplishing. We are the last hope for mankind. I am sorry for not telling any of you what was outside of the town. But if we can make it through this, I cannot be the one to lead our new civilization. I am now stepping down, and joining you in the fight. Max, is now your new Mayor and leader!"

The groups clapped enthusiastically and hollered cheers and wishes. It was the highest honor in the town to become Mayor. "Sir, I don't know what to say," Max whispered to George. "Tell them your story, convince them as you first convinced me." Max knew he hadn't told George everything, and he knew now was the time, not just for George, but for everyone.

"Soldiers and citizens of the town, I know some of you haven't forgiven me for leaving, and killing an officer. I recently learned I'm not even from the town. My birth father just told me my real name was Maximus Secord. King Maximus Secord The Third." The groups stood in shock whispering to each other. "When I left the town, I left to find my purpose, and I did. I discovered I can't die to the Red Death, and I promise you this: I will lead us all to victory, I will save as many as possible, and I will end the fear of being outside of the town!" The crowd started chanting. It was quiet at first, but eventually they were all in an uproar. "Maximus! Maximus! Maximus!" they shouted.

The old Mayor stood up with Rock clapping. He handed Max the sacred key to the town wall and whispered in his ear, "You're ready son, it is time to lead your people.

Chapter 20: True Love

Max went back to the Mayor's office that night, or now his office. The room was stunning. Max had never ever noticed all the cool stuff that was in the office. He walked over to the Mayor's special desk, and now it was Max's turn. He used the key that the Mayor had given him, the key that could open everything in the town. He slowly turned the key and opened the cabinet. He saw a single book inside, titled, "The Before." Max sat down, opened the book, and stayed up very late reading the entire thing. The book described old states, and countries. It said that there was once one man voted into leadership, and that each person could work as hard as they wanted to get ahead in life. He read about great cities with huge buildings and fun things to do. There were games made for large audiences of people and magic boxes that allowed you to see these games no matter how far away you were. Max was very fascinated by this book, until he reached the very last page where the author wrote, "But now none of this matters. The only important thing is to stay alive and re-populate the earth. If you are reading this, you are obviously in a time of great trouble. As you probably already know you cannot keep running from evil, you have to stand up to it and take action."

After Max read this paragraph again he put the book back into the cabinet and put the key on the table. He went over to the couch in the office and decided to catch up on some much needed sleep.

"Mayor Max! Wake up sir!" a voice yelled from outside of the office. Max got up slowly, "Who is it, I'm sleeping!" Max replied in a harsh tone. He was very grumpy in the mornings. A young woman opened the door. She had an enormous stack of pancakes, eggs, and a large glass of orange juice. "I'm sorry I woke you, but I heard you liked pancakes," she said as she handed Max the plate, smiling. She was the most gorgeous girl Max had ever laid eyes upon. She wore a blue skirt, had long, gold hair, beautiful green eyes, and had the body of a goddess. Max's jaw dropped as she waved goodbye to him, his eyes were as big as dinner saucers. He tried to think of something to say before she walked out. "What's your name?" he managed to spit out. She turned around slowly, her body in perfect form, "Katherine, but all my friends call me Katie." She smiled at Max again. "Well Katherine I'd love to get to know you before this whole battle thing starts." She laughed pleasantly and walked slowly out the door. "Wow, she's gorgeous," Max thought to himself, as he ate his breakfast. "And she can cook, mom always told me to find a pretty girl who can cook."

Max got dressed and started to head off to the training fields. Katherine was still in his head and she was all he could think about, she was his first true love. "Get yourself together Max, you've got three days to get your army ready and save your people. You can't think about a girl who's cute, with amazing eyes, a great body, and can cook like a chef."

He took a deep breath and saw Rock sitting on a park bench. "Good speech yesterday boy. It was a little dramatic, but they loved it. And by the way, we're good. I'm not mad or anything at you."

"Thanks Rock, but remember I'm not a boy, I'm Mayor Max now," Max said sarcastically.

"You just always have to ruin a good moment don't you?"

"I try my best." Rock and Max laughed together looking at the town wall.

"Do you think we can win this battle Max? I mean I know you told the people we can, but can we really stop twenty five-thousand blood raging Red Death?"

"All we can do is try Rock, and that's all we can ask of the people too. You've done your part exceptionally well, training the majority of the people in under a week."

Rock nodded at Max, and they watched as the people started filling into their separate groups. The old Mayor, George, approached Rock and Max as they were sitting. "Good day to you sirs. I actually came here to ask you both a question. I really think I could help manage 'group C.' There are a lot of boys and men who don't know exactly what to do. I'm loud and know how to get people to do things." "You sure are loud," Max said hysterically, "And if you think that's a good role for you to play, then you're in charge of 'group C.'"

George thanked them both and wished them luck as he ran over to 'group C.' Just as he left Clay came up to Rock and Max. "Hey Mayor Max, and Officer Rock!" Rock immediately asked the boy, "You ready to lead 'group A' commander?" "Yes sir I am! I guarantee I won't let either of you down!" Rock smiled at the kid and told him, "you know Clay, you don't have to talk to us in a loud voice, but we just put the old Mayor in 'group C.' So if you see him slacking, or running slow make sure you give him a stern yelling." Clay and Rock burst out laughing.

"Damn Clay," Max smirked, "I've never even gotten Rock to give me a smile. Guess you really can do everything." Rock shot Max a sneer and told Clay to go back to 'group A.' Clay moved his head faster than a bobble head and sprinted back to where 'group A' was standing.

"Well Rock, now that were done talking let's get training!" Max walked over to all of the groups motioning them to settle down.

"Men and women of the town, I'm afraid the Red Death will be here in three days counting today and we have to be as prepared as possible. I have just appointed the new leader of 'group C' to be the old Mayor George, as you already know Clay is in charge of 'group A,' and Rock will be supervising groups B and D! I will lead us as a whole, telling each group leader where to be and what to be doing. I have my plasma ray gun and I'm immune to the Red Death. I will be on the front line with you!" The groups clapped and after a standing ovation they finally sat down.

"Alright citizens, you heard the Mayor, now lets get started!" yelled Rock, putting his fist in the air. 'Group C' brought food, water, and what ever other supplies they needed towards the town wall. Rock took groups B and D to the firing range, practicing shooting targets and getting their accuracy up. Clay took 'group A' and practiced the sneak attack formation Max had told him about. Max watched from the side hoping Clay would execute it well.

"Alright men, lets show the new Mayor why we're 'group A.' Ready, go!" Clay shouted. The men immediately bunched into a 12 by 5 formation with the front line having just eleven. "Fire!" Clay yelled as every man shot forward pretending they were aiming at Red Death. "Move left!" he shouted now to the group, and instantly they sprinted to the left in perfect unison. "Snipers go!" Every man dropped to the ground like rain falling except the back row, who all pulled out their weapons and shot at different targets. "Reload and retreat!" Clay wailed. The men jumped back up, returning to their positions and running back to where they started. Max went over to where they were standing and was clapping loudly. "Clay, that was damn near perfect. How long ago did you guys start practicing that formation as a team?" "Exactly two days sir, I taught it to them right after you taught it to me." Max beamed, "with you guys running in like that with perfect chemistry the Red Death won't have a chance. I have one more thing to ask you though, Clay, did you select two men for the turrets?" "Yes we had some volunteers, Michael and Bobby, sir. They're good with guns, and are ready to do some serious damage." "Good work Clay, now Michael and Bobby step forward please." The two men quickly stepped forward and ran up to where Max was standing. "You do realize the Red Death will aim to kill you as soon as they can, and you do both know that you have to stay focused and try to kill as many as possible." "Sir, yes, sir!" They replied at the same time, not showing any fear. "Good then, Clay I'm going to go check out on some of the other groups. Keep practicing your formations and stay sharp." Clay nodded at Max, and told 'group A' to do the same thing again.

Max strolled over to see what 'group C' was doing now that George was in charge of the group. He watched as George told each person what to do, some running to the super market to grab all of the canned foods and bottled water they could carry. Max approached George and said," Damn George, guess you're not done leading just yet are you?" "Well Mayor I'm just trying to do my part." "From what I saw, you're doing great. I need your group to set up tents and other supply posts. This battle, as you probably know, won't just last one night." George told Max he'd get right on it, and he called 'group C' back together.

Max wandered over to the firing range. He watched as Rock showed the men how to fire an automatic weapon correctly, without wasting ammo. He was extremely patient with the women as well. Max smiled, and looked out all of the groups in the distance. "This is my purpose, and I haven't been happier," he whispered to himself.

At nightfall Max called all the groups together as he usually did, but this time he had all the leaders with him. "I've never felt more alive then right now. I know it seems strange to say, but even though we're fighting a deadly force I've never been so involved in something my entire life."

The crowd clapped, but Clay shushed them. "I have something to say to our Mayor if that's alright!" Clay announced. "Max you've taught me so much, I also feel like I'm involved in something that makes me have a purpose. That's all thanks to you for giving me this opportunity." He almost started crying, but kept it in and gave Max a strong handshake. The crowd gave cheers, and roared with support for everyone around them.

"We will win this battle! As one we are weak, but together we're unstoppable!" Rock yelled. He fired his gun in the air and everyone with a firearm did the same. Even the younger ones in 'group C' pretended to shoot in the air totally enthralled with all that was happening around them.

"For the town!" George yelled. "For the town!" everyone screamed.

Chapter 21:Katherine

Max walked back to his office determined and ready for the battle ahead. He was pumped and ready to kill some Red Death. Max went up to his office and took off his shirt, wanting to take a long warm shower. As he opened the door of his office, he saw Katherine sleeping on his couch. She woke up almost instantly and she looked at him with his shirt off.

"I'm so sorry!" Max jumped, as he walked back out into the hall and shut the door. He heard her laughing and she called him back into the room. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he saw her. "Have you ever been with a woman before Max? I know everything is pre-destined but still, I mean, you're one of the best looking guys in the town and you're so strong," she blurted out.

Max blushed and managed to reply, "Well I've never really had the time to talk to girls." She walked up to him ever so slowly. Max's heart was beating fast, he could barely stop himself from shaking. She pushed him over to the couch, while taking off her skirt. Max had never been so excited in his entire life. But just as she was about to climb on top of him the door burst wide open.

"Max!" said his mother, "I just wanted to bring over some of your stuff....oh!" That's when she saw Max and Katherine, on the couch.

"Oh mom," Max stuttered, his face becoming even more red, "I was just going, um, to um, take a shower." His mother smiled, she put down what she'd brought with her, and walked out of the room. Katherine got up putting back her clothes on, laughing hysterically, "You're cute Max, you really are." She kissed his cheek and strutted out of the room. Max still was lying down on the couch motionless with his shirt off. "Goddamnit! Nothing ever happens like the way I want it to!" he shouted aloud.

He finally got up and took a shower, but he was still very angry with himself. He kept seeing his mom walk through the door as he made his bed for the night on the couch. "Why didn't I just lock the freaking door?" He angrily threw some pillows and blankets on the couch and lay back down. "Well hopefully tomorrow I'll get a bit more lucky." Max couldn't fall asleep that night, he kept thinking of Katherine and how he almost had her. But finally he cleared his head, he knew had to stay sharp for the town, and eventually he fell asleep.

Max woke up to the sound of an alarm clock that morning and he was very annoyed and hungry. "Two more days until the Red Death arrive," Max muttered, as he went down stairs. He saw a table at the front desk and saw his breakfast. Next to his plate was a letter that read, "Max I hope you slept well, I sure as heck didn't. I made you breakfast, though, and I hope tomorrow night we can have some alone time in my room on the other side of the town hall. I'll make sure there won't be any disturbances -Katherine."

Max smiled and whispered to himself, "Still got a chance." He then eyed down his plate, which was stacked with buttermilk pancakes. "God I'm lucky people cook for me" and after he said that he wolfed down his plate. Max decided to head off to the training fields after he ate breakfast. Of course he was late as usual, and saw all the groups already preparing.

"Just like you to be late," Rock smirked at Max. "Just like you to say something stupid," Max replied. "I need to find George. Do you know where he is?"

Rock smiled, "Well I am really stupid, but I think he would be with group C. But hey you can't be sure about what I say Max because like you said I say stupid things." "I know Rock, the first step is always acceptance." Rock stormed off, Max always seemed to have the last word.

Max finally found Group C and saw Mayor George calling the shots as usual. The reason why Max wanted to find George was so he could ask him about Katherine. He didn't know how old she was, where she went to school, and why she didn't have a husband. Max walked over to George and asked, "Hey George I know this is a little random, but who is that girl named Katherine and why isn't she married?" George told Max to sit down and that he would explain the situation. "Well Max, I hate to tell you this, but you were supposed to marry Katherine. You were going to have two kids, and have a family. It was already pre-destined to happen, but after you left we were at an odd number of people so we had to improvise. I told Katherine what happened, and asked if she could work with me." Max sat there, thinking about how selfish he had been. "So she was the only one? What about when Betty died, wouldn't there have been another guy?" "I wish it was that simple Max, the system we created was intended and created for a society with a certain amount of people. Anyway, the man Betty would have married would not have been a match for Katherine." Max was very ashamed of himself, but thanked George for his help. He went to the middle of the field and watched everyone work. "I have to keep my mind focused. If I don't defeat the Red Death, Katherine and everyone else won't be alive anyway."

"Everything okay sir? I heard you whispering something," Clay asked Max. Max chuckled and told Clay, "When you've got as many responsibilities as I have, you get a little stressed." "Stressed enough to have conversations with your self?" Clay replied laughing. "You know Clay some day you're going to be the leader of this town. Hell everyone looks up to you and you're only twelve. I'm eighteen and you have more respect than me." Clay beamed at Max and ran off to get his group back in order. "Goddamn I love that little kid," Max said aloud. He went over to group A and showed them a few more battle techniques and formations he had drawn up. "Clay, make sure you guys practice those formations, I'm going to check on the other groups." Clay looked him right in the eyes, "you can count on me sir."

The day went by fast, and before Max knew it the sun was already going down. He didn't call everyone back together that night, and let everyone go home early. "No crazy speech tonight boy?" Rock asked sarcastically. "Not tonight Rock, I'm trying to keep everyone under control and have as little stress as possible. Tomorrow I'll give them a huge speech, and rile them up." Rock agreed with his decision and said, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then Mayor. Please don't get into any goddamn trouble, or I will lock you up." Max gave Rock a handshake and Rock left the field. Max watched as everyone packed and started to head back home. He realized it might be the last time any of these people got home safe and sound. Max saw George and he slowly came over to where Max was sitting.

"Nice night isn't it Mayor Max?" "It sure is George, it sure is." They sat together not saying a word, looking into the distance. "Well Max, I better head home. Don't want to give the wife a scare." "Thanks for everything sir," Max replied, and George left for his home too. Max decided to finally get back up and walk back home too. His parents were already asleep when he arrived, so he quietly crept up the stairs. He went behind his bed and opened the floorboard very slowly, but nothing was there. Once he put the floorboard back on though he remembered the phrase on the parchment. "You cannot change everything, but the things you can change are the reasons for existence. But sometimes you cannot have one purpose if you want everything to change." Max remembered also watching as the note turned into a small mirror, and recalled looking at himself in the reflection. "You have the power to change the world Max, but first you must believe in yourself," a voice said to him, but he wasn't completely sure who it was. Max went back downstairs and sat at the dining table. He saw a photograph of himself with Betty hanging on the wall, and knew instantly it was Betty who said those words to him. "I'm so sorry Betty, I didn't mean to hurt you." "I forgive you Max, but you have to forgive yourself. You can't keep holding on to all this guilt," the voice replied. Max took a long deep breath as he stared at their picture. He went up to it and put his hand on Betty. "Thank you," he said quietly and he climbed the stairs to go to bed.

Chapter 22: The Last Day

Max woke up early the next morning, his mother and father still asleep. He slowly went downstairs and made himself some pancakes. He was actually pleased with himself, because in his entire life Max had never made a meal. Even when he left the town, Rich made Max all of his food. "These pancakes taste even better since I made them," Max laughed to himself. He heard his mother get up, and saw her walk down the stairs. Her jaw dropped as she saw Max eating pancakes. "Who made you those pancakes Max? Did that young lady friend of yours drop them off?" she asked. "No mom, I actually made these on my own, I even made you a stack too. And here's some coffee if you want it." She beamed at Max, "I really do have the best son in the world." She sat down and ate slowly. "Does it feel weird to sit down in the morning mom?" "I might have to do this more often," she said while laughing pleasantly.

After breakfast Max walked to the training field. He was prepared and ready to rally everyone up for what they were about to face. When he arrived he saw Rock already there as he always was. "Rock are you early to everything? Like I mean seriously it's amazing how you beat me every single day of the week."

"Well Mayor, I guess I just have my priorities straight. Maybe you should do the same, sir." Max shot Rock a sneer and waited for all the groups to come together.

"Citizens! It is our last day to practice, to make mistakes. Tomorrow we find out if we passed the test. Now I'm not planning for this battle to just be one hard day. This battle could last days, weeks, or even months. They will not stop until we are completely wiped out, or until they are. As Max was giving his speech he heard a lot of shouting coming from the direction of the town wall.

"Mayor Max! There's one here!" someone yelled. Max sprinted with Rock over to the town wall. The men on top said they shot down something, but it wasn't dead.

"Rock stay here, I can't get infected." Rock nodded at Max and ordered the guards to open the gate in the wall. Max approached the single Red Death very cautiously.

"I thought you things weren't coming until tomorrow," Max said as he stared uncertainly at the creature. It coughed up blood managing to say, "Is that you Max? The last of the Secord's?"

"How do you know who I am?"

"We know very much about you foolish boy, we know you defeated a thousand of our scouts. If you think you have any chance of defeating us all I'm afraid you're quite mistaken. We've learned about all the weapons and have a few of our own. My group will be here at midnight tomorrow, and my leader wanted to tell you one thing."

"What does he want?" Max demanded. The bleeding Red Death handed Max the four white cloths, just like the ones that the four men wore.

"He says you have no purpose." Max was filled with rage and he pulled out his plasma ray gun and aimed it straight at the Red Death's face. "Pull the trigger boy. It won't matter, you're all dead any way." "You're wrong, I do have a purpose." "Bam!" Max shot the Red Death right in the heart and it died instantly.

Max called for the gate to be reopened and ran back inside. He saw Rock and the old mayor waiting for him just inside the gate. "What the hell happened out there Max?" George asked frantically.

"The Red Death somehow knows all about me. They've even killed the four men I met in the canyon. The thing said the army would be here at midnight tomorrow, but we can't be sure if he's telling the truth or not. I also think they're a lot smarter than I've given them credit. They might even be using weapons, I'm not sure."

Rock stared at Max, "No, I think they will be here when they say, they're an arrogant group Max. They don't think we stand a chance, but they know you're special. You do realize their plan for defeating us will be killing you."

Max looked at Rock, he was speechless and a little frightened. But he knew he had to step up, it was his purpose. "Well then, we're going to use that to our advantage. I'm going to be the bait, I will lure them right to the explosives. Rock I want you to be the one to use the explosives. If something happens and I can't get back in time, you'll have to blow me up too."

Rock understood what Max was saying. "It'll be for the greater good boy, but trust me we won't let you die." "Well what do we do now?" George asked. "The only thing we can do is get the citizens ready. It's not like we have much of a choice anyway," Max replied. "Well you better go talk to them, they have no clue what is going on."

Max, Rock, and George all went back to the training fields where the groups were waiting. "I'm very sorry about that, but I can assure you we have it under control," Rock yelled out. Then Max stood tall.

"Well in all honesty, we don't have much under control. The Red Death will be here at midnight tomorrow, and they might be able to use weapons, we're not sure. We will all have to be very prepared and ready. We will certainly be outnumbered, and we have no choice but to give it our best shot. They know a lot about me, and they know many of my secrets. They will try as hard as they can to get me, and that's exactly why I will be our bait."

Clay stepped up from group A and announced, "Mayor Max, I won't let you be the bait. Me and two other men from group A will bait the Red Death."

"Don't worry about it Clay, you've done enough as it is. I will run them right to all the explosives and try to blow them all up. I've already told Rock that if they get me, we must keep fighting and he will take over as the leader." There were whispers and murmurs and it was obvious some people were filled with fear. Max spoke right into that fear, "I want us to have one more good training day though, so if everyone could get to their stations we could get done a lot faster."

The people all looked at Max, they were clearly agitated and getting more afraid by the minute. One man stepped up and yelled what many were thinking, "You've even said it, we're all going to die. I'm going back home to spend the rest of my life with my family." Suddenly, others followed him and in only minutes the whole field was cleared out.

"So much for that motivational speech," Rock said. "Goddamnit!" Max shouted angrily. "Screw the people! I'll win this battle on my own." He looked out and only George, Rock and Clay remained. "There are four of us, that should be plenty. My friend Rich and I took on a thousand."

George walked over to Max and put his hand on his shoulder. "You can't win this thing alone Max. Let the people have one day, and tomorrow, they'll come back." Max turned away as George said this. "I'm done trying to impress everyone, these people don't appreciate all I've done for them. I'm going home, I'll see you all tomorrow morning."

Clay looked at Max as he walked away, "Max, why have you lost faith? We can win this thing, it's our purpose!"

He turned around and charged back at Clay his face filled with rage. "You know what Clay? Your so goddamn worthless, I don't even think you have a purpose." Clay looked away, his eyes filled with tears. Quickly Max shouted, "Clay I'm sorry I didn't mean that, I promise I was just mad." "Take your formations and your gun and just leave me alone!" Clay threw the papers and his gun to the ground and ran away from the fields. Max sat down and almost broke down crying, "I just screwed up everything. I just told a little boy that he has no purpose."

He stormed off and ran over to the town river. Sometimes when Max was angry as kid he would relax by watching the water go down the stream. He laid down taking deep breaths trying to think about what to do next. As he was thinking he thought about Betty, and how he had heard her voice the night before. "I have to find out how to get the people back," Max said out loud. As he said this George came and sat next to him. "You already have the people Max, you convinced them to fight in a battle with you. I'll make an announcement tonight notifying everyone to be at the training fields around ten o' clock tomorrow."

"But we still have so much to work on today sir, why did they all think we didn't have a chance?"

"Well Max, I'm not even sure if you knew that you said this but I recall hearing you say that we don't have much of a chance."

"I never said that!"

"I'm sorry Max, but you did. That was the first time you had told the people you didn't think we could win. They all thought we were going to lose, but you had never told them that. You always told us all we could win if we worked together, and after everyone heard from our own leader that we wouldn't have much of a chance, even I started to have doubts. So let the people have one day off, tomorrow we will be ready to fight."

"You always know the right things to say George," Max said calmly.

George stood up and patted Max's back. "Even the chosen one needs a day off." Max thanked George for all his help and he left Max still lying by the river. "First things first, I have to go apologize to Clay," Max said to himself. He got up and decided to run all the way over to his house on the other side of town.

He banged loudly on the door of Clay's house. A man answered the door and announced, "Well if it isn't Mayor Max, the man who thinks were all going to die."

"I'm so sorry if I sounded like that, I was wrong. But I really must speak to your son Clay," Max said quickly.

"I don't think Clay wants to talk to you very much, he told me what you said. I should be trying to get your ass fired."

"As I said sir I'm very sorry for what I said, but I really must talk with your son. If he quits, we honestly won't win this battle," Max pleaded. Clay walked down from the stairs as Max said this, and he had a smile on his face. Max shouted again for emphasis, "If you didn't hear me, Clay, I said we can't win this without you. I need my leader for group A, and future Mayor, to help me."

Clay ran over to Max and gave him a huge hug. Max looked at Clay's father, "If it's okay sir, I'd like to go out with Clay and take some practice shots." "Ah what the hell, go have fun boys." Max handed Clay his gun, and they both headed outside.

"I'm sorry for what I said Clay, I was in the heat of the moment. I never meant what I said, I can promise you that."

"It's okay Mayor I forgive you, just make sure it doesn't happen again or next time I won't be so kind." Max laughed and together they went over to the firing range. When they got there Max pulled out his plasma ray gun. "Clay, I want you to take a couple shots with the plasma ray gun. You can see how it works perfectly."

"You mean I can keep it Max?" Clay asked his eyes as big as dinner plates. "Unfortunately I can't give it to you now, but after this battle it's as good as yours."

"I understand sir, I mean if we're going to win this battle you're going to have to hit every shot."

"Well that's the great thing about the gun Clay, it has unlimited ammo, and reloads instantly after I shoot."

Clay paused, "Wait, so it's a machine gun with unlimited ammo and extreme accuracy?" "Yup, deadliest weapon ever created. There are only six of these in the world, you know."

"Wow!" Clay said in amazement. Max handed Clay the gun, and Clay pointed at the target. "Bam!" Clay nailed the target getting a perfect bulls eye. "Oh my goodness," Clay said in disbelief. "That gun is amazing, who gave it to you?"

"Well Clay, when I left the town I lived on a farm with a man named Rich Gordon. He taught me how to use a gun, and he gave me his plasma ray gun. He told me it was passed through generations, and that one day I would have to give it to someone. I've already decided that someone is you. So what do you say Clay, will you help me win this battle, and take back your position as the leader of group A?"

"I'd be honored to do that sir," Clay answered confidently.

Chapter 23: Max's Lucky Night

Max took Clay back home, and decided to go back to his place at the Mayor's office. When he got there he opened the door and went into his office. He saw a note on the couch and it read, "Hope you haven't forgotten about tonight Max. Meet me on the other side of the town hall. I'm in room number thirty-four, be there around nine." Max looked at his clock and it was already past seven. He had to get home, and fast.

Racing home, he arrived quickly and darted up the stairs without saying a word to anyone. Max tore off his clothes and hopped in the shower. He made sure he was squeaky clean and got back out. He put on his nicest pair of jeans and a nice sports jacket his mom had gotten him. Max even combed his hair a little bit and put on some deodorant. Right as he was about to walk out the door, his mother knocked on the door.

"Max! I was wondering if we could eat dinner together tonight!" He tried desperately to think of something to get out of dinner. In a low raspy voice he said, "Mom, I'm sick. I can't even get up, but I took some medicine so I'll feel better by tomorrow." "Good try Max, but you can't get sick, remember? The only thing you can have is a headache."

"Goddamnit" he said to himself as he opened the door. "Oh Max, you look so fancy tonight what's the big occasion?"

"I'm going to see that girl Katherine."

"Oh my God! My little Max is getting older."

She gave him a big hug and ruffled his hair, smiling, "Have fun tonight son, just make sure you're back by breakfast tomorrow." He nodded and she left the room quickly. "Oh thank God, guess nothing will stop me tonight." Max went out the door excited and ready for the night.

Instead of driving himself, Max had decided to get someone to drive him around in George's old cruiser. "Where to Mayor Max?" the driver asked him. "Town Hall, and step on it please." "Very well then sir." He drove very fast and in just a few minutes they reached the Town Hall. "Thank you, I really appreciate it." "My pleasure sir." He walked out of the car and opened Max's door. He even handed Max a breath mint and then drove away.

Max walked up the steps to the Town Hall entrance, remembering the number thirty-four. As he walked in he saw an old lady at the front desk. "Do you know where room thirty-four is?" He asked. "Go up the floor and to the left," she snapped back angrily. Max hurried to the stairs and thought to himself, "God, the real nerves of some people!"

He walked up every stair slowly not missing a step. He turned to the left and saw the room at the end of the hall. Max approached the door calmly. "Shower check, look good check, smell good check, breath check, amazing guy check," he whispered to himself confidently. Max knocked three times as he always did, and heard footsteps come towards the door. The door opened and there stood Katherine, radiating with beauty.

"Max! You look great," Katherine said smiling at him, "I didn't even put on anything special I feel so stupid." "Oh, its okay, under this jacket I'm just wearing a t-shirt anyway." She continued to smile and replied, "I just cooked dinner so if you want to just take a seat and I'll be right in."

Max waited patiently at the table. Katherine's place was small, it had a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom. But it was very cozy and welcoming. "I hope you like spaghetti, it's the best dish I make." She brought in a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs. She then brought in potatoes, tomato soup, and a huge salad. Max stared at all the food, almost unable to start feasting. "I hope you eat a lot," she laughed. "Oh don't worry, I never get full," he replied jokingly. They ate and had small talk for awhile, and then Katherine decided to ask Max a more serious question. "Max what was it like leaving the town?"

Max put down his fork and looked at her straight in the face, "It was the most amazing thing I've ever done." "What was it like?" she pressed on. "Everything is exciting, and you never know what will happen next. I'd say that's what's so amazing about leaving. I saw things people couldn't even imagine here," Max continued. "Well tell me one story of yours Max, one you haven't even told the old mayor." Max took a large gulp of water and decided to tell her the story about the fountain. "Well okay, but I'm warning you, it's a little bit scary." She nodded and urged him to carry on.

"When I was with the four men who told me everything about my past, I went to a golden fountain with my name engraved on it. They told me in this fountain I would find whatever I was looking for, and that it would bring me peace. I jumped into a three-inch deep fountain, but when I touched the water I instantly was under it. I saw a house at the bottom of this fountain so I swam down to it. When I opened the door, I burst through it. But no water could go inside the house, and when I came in I was completely dry. In the house was a small book called Red Death. I read this book, but after every line I heard my dead sister Betty scream. I read it through and it told me how to defeat the Red Death, and how I was immune to them. As I finished reading the book, there was a knock at the front door. A mysterious voice yelled, 'Who dare enters my domain?' The thing came in and it was enormous, but it had no eyes. It told me to stay with it, and live carefree. Then it transformed into a little girl and told me to play. I refused and it got angry so I shot it in the face. After I shot it, its head started to reattach back to its neck. I jumped back outside and swam back up just in time before the thing was able to grab me. And as my fingertips touched the surface I immediately popped back out of the fountain."

Katherine sat there stunned. "So you swam to the bottom of a fountain, and tried to kill a big man with no eyes?" "Yup, that basically sums it all up," answered Max.

She came next to Max and asked him to go over to the couch with her. "Max, what if I told you I was special too. That I had some sort of gift?" she said to him. "Well that would be awesome. If we had kids they'd be like super soldiers."

"Max, I'm actually from another group of people too. They're like yours, but a little bit different." "How much different?" he asked bewildered. She grabbed his hand, and suddenly they were in Max's bedroom. Max gasped for air and jumped on his bed. "What the hell was that? How are we here?" he asked as he breathed frantically. "I can teleport Max, I can be in one place and then instantly vanish to the next. The old mayor told me I could never teleport out of the town."

Now it was Max who was amazed, "So wait just one second. You're from another elite group of people too?" "I'm afraid so Max. The only person who knows about this is George."

Max had to lie down and looked up at the ceiling. He heard footsteps and Katherine again grabbed his hand. They instantly vanished and reappeared back in her room.

"Oh my God Katherine, you're even more amazing then I thought. I think I'm falling in love with you." "Oh Max, let's leave this place just me and you. We can go anywhere we want." "Katherine I can't, I have to save the people here." "They're all going to die eventually Max, were immortal both you and me." "No I'm not immortal I just can't be killed unless my head is cut off."

She sighed and looked away. He continued, "I really wish I could just leave all of this, but I can't. It's my purpose." He grabbed her head and brought her close to him, "I really do like you Katherine." "I really like you too Max, just make sure you don't die tomorrow I'm begging you." "I promise I won't."

She kissed him and he kissed her back. "That was amazing," he said smiling. "You're so cute Max, I just can't get over it." He kissed her again this time grabbing her body. They kissed now a little bit longer. "Max? Do you just like me because of my looks." "No! I think you're the most amazing girls I've ever met. You can cook, you're smart, you're funny, and I love being around you." She blushed and told him he was sweet. He grabbed her again and kissed her lips. Then she unbuttoned her blouse and asked, "Max, do you want to have kids with me?" Max immediately stopped kissing her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. It's way to soon to even be talking about that, I just met you," she said blushing. "No, it's not that Katherine. The reason why is because I don't think I'd be a very good dad. I always seem to mess things up whatever I do." She grabbed his hand and stroked it soothingly. Max looked at her, "After the battle, I'd love to start thinking about kids. But right now I'm just not ready."

She nodded at him, and decided to go make some dessert for Max. "Do you like cookies Max?" "That's the only thing I like more than pancakes!" He went in the kitchen with her and helped make them. "How many minutes till there ready" Max asked. "About fifteen minutes I think." "There's a lot we can do in fifteen minutes," Max said in a smooth voice. "Well come into my bedroom so we can talk." She teleported out of the kitchen, leaving Max to go and find her in the other room. "Like to play hard to get?" he yelled out. "Come and get me if you want to find out," she responded. He sprinted over to her room and saw her lying down on the bed with her eyes closed. "That's just insane how you can do that, I wonder what our kids will be able to do." She lay still on the bed not saying a word. Max slowly walked over to the bed. "Fine I guess I'll just leave then," he said pretending to be serious. As he turned around to go towards the door Katherine reappeared. "Sorry I thought you were asleep," Max said sheepishly. "You're such a bad liar Max." He smiled and pulled her back over to the bed. They rolled around for a while pretending to wrestle each other. She stopped him and asked, "Are you sure you like me Max? I mean I'm not very normal." "Katherine I like you so much, I'm not very normal myself, that's why I like you." "Can we just cuddle Max, I'm really tired." He wrapped his arms around her and they fell asleep.

Max woke up with Katherine still asleep at his side. "In about fifteen more hours they'll be here," Max whispered to himself. "Max, are you already awake?" "Yeah I guess you are too." She rolled over on top of him and they kissed. As they stopped kissing she asked, "Do you want some breakfast Max?" "Yeah I'm always hungry, it's kind of ridiculous." She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. "I have to be at the training fields around ten, so just a little heads up." "Oh that's fine I can give you a ride over." After a little bit of waiting Katherine brought Max a huge breakfast in bed. "I don't think I've ever eaten breakfast in bed." "Well trust me it tastes even better." She gave him cereal, some fruit, and something that looked like pancakes but had little squares in them. "What the heck are those Katherine?" "They're the best, even better than pancakes, they're called waffles." Max took a bite of these waffles and stopped chewing. They tasted like a little bit of heaven mixed with happiness. "Where did you get these?" "I made them for you," she said laughing. Max took each bite slowly, enjoying every single piece. "It's amazing, maybe even better than pancakes." "I knew it! Pancakes are good, but waffles are a hundred times better." "Well I don't know if I'd say they're that good," Max smiled and she smiled at him too.

"So, what do you want to do now Katherine? I have about two more hours and we can do what ever you want." She grabbed his hand and said, "Just tell me where you want to go."

"The Canyon," he said without missing a beat. Instantly, they were at the Canyon, the exact same place where he found the four men. "Is this the place you told me where the fountain is?" She asked. "Yes it's amazing, ready to go in?" "Sure," she grabbed his hand and they walked in the Canyon.

The statue of Max was still intact, but everything else was ruined. "The Red Death killed the four men here and basically tore up the place. But for some reason they left the statue of me standing." Max found a note on top of the statue and it read, "Max, we made it so the Red Death could not touch anything that belongs to you. Unfortunately it cost us our lives, but it was our time anyway. The Red Death will use weapons, but we know you will be able to win this battle." Max's eyes filled with tears, but he decided to keep it together in front of Katherine.

"Oh my goodness Max, I'm so sorry this happened." "Its alright," Max said, clearing his throat, "I'm going to kill all of those goddamn things, they're going to regret that they did this. But now that they can use weapons, it's going to be so much harder, I worry that we could be done for. I hope we can still defeat them."

Then Katherine looked at him, "You know Max, I think I can help you. I can teleport you anywhere and distract the Red Death, giving the people a chance to kill them."

"Katherine, that could actually work, but are you sure you'd be up for that? I mean you could be killed by just one shot or cut." "That's a risk I'd be willing to take for our people and for you Max," she smiled. Max gave her a hug, and she teleported them back to the mayor's office.

"Max, you have a whole hour to get ready, I'll let you get your own ride over to the training fields." "Well fine then," Max said jokingly. She gave him a kiss, and told him to get ready. "Are you sure you can't take a shower with me?" She smiled at him and pushed him over to the couch. "You are so cute, but go take your shower now." Katherine teleported back to her house and Max lay motionless again on his couch. "Wow what a night, she's perfect." As he was lying down he remembered that he told his mom he would be home for breakfast. "Oh shit, I'm screwed," Max said to himself, and threw his pillow hard over to the wall. But then he heard a knock on the door and luckily it was his father.

"Quick Max, come with me before your mother kills both of us!" Max nodded at him and they ran down the stairs and hopped into his car. "So what were you doing last night?" he asked. "Well, I met this girl," Max sighed. "Oh your mother told me about that I just didn't believe her, I didn't know my son was already going to date." "Yeah, she's quite the woman dad."

They made it back to Max's house and they both sprinted up to the front door. "Oh Max! I knew you would come, your father insisted we have it without you," his mom said to him with a hug.

"Yeah mom, I was just on my way when I saw dad driving so he gave me a ride over." "Oh well come on in, I heard you and your father need to be at the training fields around ten and its already nine fifteen. I have breakfast ready on the table." Since Max had already eaten that morning he was surprisingly full. He ate very slowly and only took one or two pancakes. "Max," his mother said alarmed, "You don't seem very hungry this morning." "Oh I'm just nervous that's all mom, I mean I'm about to fight a war in about twelve hours." "Oh Max, you'll be fine." Then his father chimed in, "Max I know what happened yesterday, and how everyone left. But don't worry the people will be back today and we can win this thing together." "Thanks dad, I hope that's what happens." After breakfast his mom gave him another hug and told him to be safe, and then his father took him over to the training fields in his milk van.

Rock, George, and Clay were already there, waiting for him to arrive. "Thanks dad, I'll make sure to see you before this whole thing starts." "Don't worry about me son I'll be fine." Max put out his hand for his father, but instead he gave him a hug. "Be safe," he whispered and then headed over to group C.

Max strutted over to the group leaders yelling out to them, "I got the whole speech ready, but George I need to talk with you in private for a second if that's alright." They all nodded and left George and Max to talk.

"George, what the hell is going on?" Max said trying to keep his voice down. "Katherine can teleport, did you know this?" George put his hand on his face and replied," Oh Max, I didn't want you to find this out just now. Her parents were brutally killed when she was a little girl, I didn't want her to be in any part of this battle to protect her. I was planning on telling you after I found out you two had a thing going. But I guess I never really got around to it." "So you can tell me how I was supposed to be with her, how I let her down, but you can't tell me she's from another group of people and can teleport?" Max demanded. "This is not the time Max. There are still a lot of things you do not know, and I'm sorry I can't tell you everything now. We have to focus on the task at hand, then if we make it through all of this and win this battle, we can talk more." Max paced back and forth angrily, trying to think of something to say. "Well George, I took her to the canyon. She teleported us there, and guess what we found out." As Max was talking George interrupted him, grabbing his arm, "You teleported out of the town? That's strictly forbidden, I can't believe you did that!" Max interrupted him, "As I was saying we found out the Red Death can use weapons!" George turned pale right after Max said this. "They can use weapons?" "That's what the four men wrote in a letter to me. They said that now they can use weapons, if that's true our whole game plan must be entirely changed. I need to address the people about this now, but if we still can bait all the Red Death we can win this thing." George agreed with Max and he helped him get all of the citizen's attention.

"People of the town! I know yesterday I told you all that we didn't have much of a chance. That was a lie, we actually don't have any chance at all," Max announced. The people booed Max and some started yelling at him, calling him a fake. He continued, "We have something much greater than a chance, we all have a destiny. And our destiny is to live in a place with no fear, a place where we can explore and live our lives to the fullest. I believe if we can work together as one we will defeat the Red Death, because it is they who have no chance. They have no purpose, they have no chance, and they have no destiny!"

Suddenly, the people's fear started diminishing, and they started rallying together like they once did when they chanted Max's name. "Today," Max continued, "We enjoy the last day we have together, but we also rejoice! Because once this battle is over I can assure you our lives will be so much better."

As he stopped talking, the crowd started chanting, "Max! Max!" Rock, Clay, and George all walked next to Max and shook his hands in front of the people. Rock shook his hand last and whispered to him, "Finally a good speech."

Chapter 24: The New Plan

Max had already issued the order for the explosives to be placed right in front of the town wall. The two men who were using the turrets were in place. Groups B and D had all their weapons and were ready for action. Group A was prepared to attack and to take out the leaders of the Red Death. Lastly Group C had all of the medical supplies and water ready for the soldiers.

Max addressed group A and about their plans, "I'm going to be the bait. There will be no arguing or debating on this subject is that clear?" "Yes sir!" they yelled.

"Good, I want Clay and a couple other snipers to be ready as soon as they start to attack. Be on the lookout for the things in black, and make sure you aim for the heart or head. If you hit any other part of them they will not go down." As Max finished with his directions, he saw George and Rock approach him. "Mayor Max, we need to talk as soon as possible," Rock announced.

The three of them walked over a quiet spot, and George began, "Rock told me you're going to be the bait Max. Are you sure you want do this? Because if you die we're sure to lose." "Maybe," said Max, "But Rock will be the one with the detonator. He'll get them all and if somehow I do die Rock will be in charge. I've also been thinking about something else George, what if Katherine helped me be the bait. Then we wouldn't have to open or close the gate, we could kill them all without me risking death or them breaking in." "No Max!" George quickly responded, "she will not be any part of this, she's already been through too much as it is."

"He's right George, I need to help," Katherine interrupted as she suddenly stood among them. Rock and George jumped back after seeing her appear right next to Max. "Who the hell is that?" Rock yelled as he pulled out his pistol. "Put it down Rock, she's with me," Max said with authority.

"Is this true George, do you know about this?" Rock asked. "I'm afraid so Rock," George said, "I'm the one who actually found her. Her people were also killed by the Red Death, and one day she teleported right into the town. No one knew where she came from so she told me what had happened. I made it my duty to never put her in any sort of danger ever again, and if she's fighting against the Red Death she could die at any moment for being so special."

"I'm sorry sir, but if we don't win we're all dead and if I somehow died it would be worth it," Katherine said emphatically. George knew he couldn't stop her, so he stopped arguing. Even Rock knew Katherine had won this battle. "Alright so what's the new game plan now?" Rock asked. "Well," outlined Max, "the plan will stay the same. I'll bait the Red Death to the front of the town wall. As they approach and get closer to me, Katherine will teleport out and grab me and instantly we will be right back inside. Then Rock can blow them all to hell."

"But what if something goes wrong? What if Katherine is shot? Remember you told me the Red Death have weapons now and she can't teleport when she's hurt," George challenged.

"Wait, what? The Red Death can use weapons now?" Rock asked bewildered. "Nothing will go wrong George, she'll teleport behind me so I can shield us both. And Rock unfortunately they can now use weapons, that's what the four men in white told me." "Those crazy guys you found in the canyon told you that? How do you know that for sure Max?" "Everything they have said has happened so far, and they were murdered."

Rock quieted down, and Max looked away. He tried not to seem sad, but inside he really cared about the four men. They gave him the white cross and told him everything he knew. "So Max, when are you going to tell the people that the Red Death can use weapons? They'll go into complete panic, and lose faith." "I'll tell them right before the battle Rock, I'll rally them up and then tell them as I'm walking out of the guard walls. Around eleven I'll go outside the town wall, Rock you'll need to be ready to detonate the explosives."

"And I'll be ready to save you," Katherine added. They all stood still, anticipating with excitement the battle to come.

"Mayor Max!" Clay shouted, "the explosives are buried in front of the town walls, the food, water, and supplies are ready. The soldiers are prepared and ready to fight for the town, and excuse me, but who is that girl your with, I've never seen her?"

Katherine teleported away, and then instantly reappeared right next to Clay.

"I'm Katherine, what's your name?"

"Ahhhhhhh!" Clay yelled as he started to run away, but Max called him back. "Wow, she's just like Max," Rock said sarcastically. Clay slowly walked back next to Max, his gun in his hand. "Clay put your gun down, this is Katherine. If you haven't already noticed she can teleport," Max said by way of introduction. Clay almost fainted, but Max caught him falling. "So wait just a second, you can't die and she can teleport," Clay said, his head spinning in circles. "Yes Clay, but you're the twelve year old who will lead us to victory so you're pretty special too."

Clay finally stood up on his own two feet and looked at George and Rock. "So what about them, are they special?" Max burst out in laughter as Rock stared at the boy. "Oh there's nothing like a good laugh before the most important thing in your life is about to happen."

George decided to take control, "Rock, Katherine, Clay and Max, I think we should get everyone together and go over our plans one more time. We should also tell them about Katherine, and that the Red Death have weapons to protect them."

"Well alright Mayor George, we'll get right on it!" Max said smiling. George looked him right in the eyes, "Just because you're the mayor now doesn't mean I still can't boss you around, and don't ever forget it either." "That makes perfect sense sir I'll also make sure to address the people on that matter as well."

After they had all had their laughs, the five of them went back to the training fields. Rock and Clay rounded up all the soldiers and made sure they were in separate groups. When everyone was accounted for, the crowd became very quiet and Max announced, "Hello citizens! I bet you're all happy and excited on this beautiful seventh day!" they laughed nervously and agreed. "It is now about four o' clock and were going to be getting ready around eleven so we have a few more hours for our final preparation. And as we do that, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that the Red Death will be using weapons, and we don't know what kind of weapons. They could have machine guns, pistols, or maybe even explosives of their own." The people looked uneasy, but they continued to listen to Max as he went on. "Now the good news is even better. Instead of opening the gate to let me back in after I bait the Red Death, we will have someone else get me back in secretly. Some of you will be amazed about how we do this, but I can assure you this person is on our side. I present to you Katherine!"

Katherine teleported right next to Max, and the crowd went ballistic. "How the hell did she do that?" some yelled, but Max calmed them all back down. "She is also from another race of people, and her special gift is that she can teleport anywhere!" The crowd clapped and was now filled with excitement.

Katherine stepped forward and shouted, "The Red Death won't stand a chance now! Once Max lures them all to the town wall I'll teleport and grab him and then teleport right back into the town. At that very moment, with the Red Death confused, Rock will blow most of them to pieces!" The crowd cheered again and was now even more pumped then before. "They have no chance now!" Rock, Clay, and George shouted.

It took a few minutes for the crowd to settle down, but as they got quiet, Max began talking again. "After the explosives are detonated, we will immediately open the gate. At that exact moment group B will run forward and shoot as many Red Death as they can, with group D following. Remember do not allow any Red Death to touch you, so if they get close retreat as soon as you can. Group A will be on the wall or in hiding spots sniping and taking out the Red Death leaders and strong soldiers. Group C will have ammo, and anything else you need right behind the town wall. As you already know, George will be in charge of group C, Rock is in charge of groups B and C, Clay is in charge of group A, and I'll be giving all of the group leaders orders. Is that understood soldiers?" "Yes sir, Mayor Max!" The citizens yelled.

"Now that we've gone over everything, I want everyone to enjoy themselves for a few hours. Be back right here before nine, and have all of your gear." The people applauded and then quickly left the fields.

"That was smart Max, let them relax for a little bit and then they come back fresh," Rock said. "That's what I was going for, I wanted you guys to do the same as well," Max added. They all shook hands and left, him and Katherine alone.

"God I didn't know you were so good at motivating people," Katherine said smiling.

"Well you know, I am the chosen one."

She grabbed his hand and they instantly teleported. "Where the hell are we?" Max asked as he looked around. Katherine still held his hand and replied, "We're at my old home Max." He looked around and saw the remains of burnt down houses, trees, and scattered tombstones all over the place. "Did you bury all these people Katherine?" "Yes Max, in my culture it's said that if you're buried, you will have good luck in the after life." "I'm so sorry," Max said as he surveyed the bleak landscape, "I can't believe this happened to you."

"I was only six, when they came to our place. It was the dead of night and we were all asleep. They came in and slaughtered everyone in their sleep, I was the only one who was able to escape. About three hundred of us used to live here. I lived with my parents in that big house across the street." She and Max walked in front of the ruined house, still beautiful in an eerie sort of way. On what was left of the outside walls, there was blood splattered all around it, just like on the remains of every other house. They walked in cautiously as the door slowly creaked behind them. Wind blew through, but the structure of the house still stood. They walked up the stairs and went to Katherine's old room. All that was left was a bed in the room, and from a distance, they could see a note on the bed.

"Do you see that note?" Max asked her.

"That wasn't here the last time I was at my house," she quickly answered.

They both went over to the bed and opened up the note. It read, "Katherine and Max we know of your plans. We know your every move and your idea to stop us. You thought our race was inferior to yours, but it is actually the other way around. We will see you soon and this time we will kill you both and all of your people."

Max flipped over the note and on the back were the initials R.D. engraved in blood.

"How do they know our names?" Max asked.

"They know I can teleport Max and the Red Death seem to know all of our plans," Katherine said nervously.

"Trust me Katherine, they may be on to some of our plans, but our strategy will work."

She grabbed his hand and they appeared back at the top of the town wall. They stood for some time before she said, "When I was younger I would look off in the distance and imagine what it would be like if my parents were alive." Max squeezed her hand, "I used to come here too Katherine, this is one of the coolest places in the town." She smiled and hugged him. "I believe in you Max, you were destined to do this." "You know what Katherine, I'm starting to believe that too."

They sat on the wall and watched the sun go down. "It's almost time Max, we better get back to the fields." Max agreed and they instantly reappeared where the groups would soon be making their final preparations. Clay was already at the fields practicing his shot, and when they both materialized right behind him, he didn't flinch. "Didn't scare you this time Clay?" Max asked, smiling. "No sir! I was ready this time, but I wish I could teleport too. Katherine grabbed his hand and they instantly teleported outside of the town walls. Max laughed and waited for them to come back, and in a couple of seconds they reappeared back to the fields.

"Oh my goodness!" Clay shouted in disbelief. "That was the coolest thing ever! I saw the road and hills and trees outside of the town Max, it was unbelievable! No wonder you wanted to leave, it looks so much better than here."

"Yeah Clay, I just had to see more places than this, one day you'll do the same I guarantee it." As they were talking George and Rock came over, but still no citizens had arrived.

"Well I'll be damned George, Max came early to something," Rock snickered. "Well, yeah when you're with a girl who can teleport you can be basically anywhere," Max quickly replied. Katherine smiled and he hugged her. "You two keep it under control during this battle, if we win you can get married or whatever you guys want to do. But as of now it's the real deal," George said in a serious tone.

As people started arriving, they went into their groups. Groups A, B, and D all had their automatic machine guns at hand. The two men who had volunteered for the turret positions had already climbed up on the town wall and were scouting for any signs of the Red Death. Max reminded them to make sure to take cover if they saw the Red Death with any guns.

As the time got nearer, Max looked down at his chest and saw the silver cross he always wore and at that moment, the cross started to light up. "It will bring you power and courage in times of great distress," one of the four men had once told him. "They are close," Max whispered to himself. It was nine o' clock and now everyone was in their place. Max stood before them all again, and took this final time to address them.

"In less than three hours the Red Death will be here. They will be brutal, and they will use weapons. But if we work as one, the Red Death won't stand a chance. Group B, make sure you're ready, you will be the first of us to engage in battle." They all held up their guns to show Max they were prepared. Max continued, "Some of us will probably die, as you already know. I can't say we won't lose men on the battlefield, but I will make it my best effort to save everyone. Still, here are a couple of guidelines. If you are scratched, breathed on, or touched by the Red Death, you could become infected. If you become infected you must leave the town as soon as you can or we will have to take you down. I know this sounds terrible, but we can't risk one person for the entire army." The people murmured, but Max made sure they understood this. "We must not let the Red Death come into the town at any cost. If they break in all hell will break loose. But do not worry, we will win this war! We have the advantage of protection and high ground. We will use this against them!"

As Max was almost done giving his speech he saw a group of people he had never seen before off to the side. Max called George over to him and asked who those people were. "Max, those are the people who didn't want to fight in this battle. We never thought of a place to put them during the actual battle." Max put his hand on his face and replied, "Damn, we have to think of somewhere. How about the town hall? That place is pretty safe, and it's a good hiding place." "OK, then it's settled, I'll start to lead them over to it." George went over to the people and told them to go hide out in the Town Hall. The group followed them and in just a short walk they were all in the Town Hall with food and water.

Max told all of the groups that the rest of the citizens would be in the Town Hall, with plenty of supplies. He looked at the clock and realized it was past ten. "Alright soldiers, its time to move out!"

The groups divided up and went to their battle posts. Group B was right behind the Town Hall with Rock leading them. Group D was about fifty yards behind them. Group A was with Clay to get in position for all the different sniper spots, and Group C was set up with all the supplies just a few minutes away from the town wall.

Max joined Katherine and they teleported to the Town Hall, the highest building in the town. They looked over the entire place and Max made sure everyone was in position.

"Are you ready Max?" Katherine asked him. "I've never been more ready than I am right now at this very moment." She smiled and gave him a hug. "Katherine, I'm going to need you to teleport me in front of the town wall in about five minutes. That's where I'll be ready to bait the Red Death to the front of the wall, and then blow them all to pieces." "And I'll be right here waiting to go out and transport you."

Max tied his shoes tight, made sure his plasma ray gun was fully functional, and held his white cross in his hand. "It's time Katherine, take me out to the town wall." She grabbed his hand and stroked it softly, then teleported with him right outside of the town. "Good luck," she told him, and instantly vanished.

Max looked up and nodded in the direction of the two men arming the turrets, and they both gave him a nod back. Max pulled out his plasma ray gun and fired two shots into the air. "For the town!" he shouted in the darkness.

Chapter 25: The Wall

Max stood in the darkness. He could see the trees about a hundred yards away, but not much farther. He walked right to the front of the forest, and tried to focus on the road that ran right through it. "Stay on your toes Max, you have a short run and then Katherine will come get you," he whispered to himself.

He looked back at the town and stared at the wall. Memories he hadn't expected suddenly filled his mind. It was amazing how they built that wall in only one year. As Max was thinking about how hard they worked to put up the wall, he heard a stick break in the distance. The hair on Max's body stood straight up, and he could feel his skin becoming hot and sweaty. "Who is that?" Max shouted aloud. And then he heard laughter, the same evil laughter he had heard in his dreams.

"Foolish boy, we told you that you didn't have a chance. Even so, you decided to make an army and try to protect your small little town."

"Come out and show yourselves!" Max shouted. At that moment, the road Max was focusing on lit up with fire. That's when he saw the Red Death, thousands and thousands of them. One of the group leaders wearing black stepped up to Max and he was smiling. Max shivered, wondering what would happen next. The leader got within ten feet of Max and in a sinister voice said, "We will give you one last chance Max, give up and we will spare your life. Or we will capture your people and bring them all back to our home. We will not just kill your people for what you have done. Your people will be tortured, then harvested for our survival."

"You things disgust me, and I'll enjoy blowing your heads off." The Red Death leader laughed and pulled out a plasma ray gun, just like the one Max was carrying.

"Where did you get that?" Max shouted aloud.

"We had someone make them for our army boy, you didn't think we would just come to your little town with nothing did you?"

They all cackled and laughed in evil voices. "Remember, we don't just kill people boy, we keep them and harvest your kind for our own survival."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out. Too bad you won't be around to see it happen." Max pulled out his plasma ray gun and instantly blew the head off of the Red Death leader. The thing yelled and screamed loudly, bringing out more Red Death who darted after him. Max turned around and sprinted towards the town wall.

"Get ready Rock!" he shouted as he ran towards the wall. Max was just about thirty yards away from the town wall and he had all of his adrenaline pumping. He looked behind him and saw about half the Red Death army right behind him. Max ran all the way over to the wall, and instantly Katherine teleported right next to him. "Good job with the bait Max." She waited till they all got closer and right when they were about to strike, she and Max vanished into thin air. "KABOOM!" Rock pressed the detonator as soon as he saw Max vanish, and over a thousand Red Death were blown into pieces. Smoke flew from outside of the wall, and they couldn't see anything. The men with the turrets shot viciously and blindly into the distance as Max ordered them to keep shooting and yelled, "You're doing great, light them up boys!"

As Max said this one of the two men manning the turrets was shot and a huge hole went right through his head. Max looked at the other man and saw that he was already shot in the chest. Rock ran over to Max yelling, "Max what kind of weapons do they have? They just killed the men who were using the turrets."

"Rock they have plasma ray guns like mine." "Then they'll be able shoot through the town wall! You know that, right Max?"

"Oh shit! Rock we need to move our soldiers back from the wall!" Huge holes started to appear in the wall, and it began to crack. "Group B move back!" Rock and Max shouted at the top of their lungs. But it was too late. The wall started to crumble into the town and the stones fell on hundreds of soldiers.

Max called out for lights to be shone right over where the wall used to be. When the lights were turned on, everyone saw all the Red Death. There were thousands of them all with guns and ready to attack. Most of the group B fighters were killed when the wall fell on them, but luckily there will still about a hundred of them who survived with guns.

Max shouted, "keep fighting, don't let them past!" Max ran forward shooting as many as he could. They shot at him, but he healed instantly. He felt extremely strong and the cross around his neck was now fully lit up.

"Group D go!" The women ran up with machine guns and shot furiously at the Red Death. But the Red Death shot back with total precision. "Retreat!" Rock yelled and the rest of the groups ran back. Group A arrived with Clay and they went to the side, preparing for a sneak attack. "Go!" Clay shouted and group A ran after the Red Death. Clay and the other men went into formation, all of them shooting perfectly at the Red Death. "Snipers go!" Clay shouted and all of the men dropped to the ground except for ten of the men in the back. They nailed the Red Death leaders in black and that's when many of them went into complete panic and rage. The Red Death grouped up and retreated back outside of the town.

Max ran over to Clay shaking him in happiness. "You did it Clay, you got the leaders and they retreated!" Rock ran over and gave him a high five. "We can't get too excited boys," yelled George, "They'll be back soon, this was just their first strike. More importantly though how many people do we have left?"

Max assessed the situation and replied, "Almost everyone in group B was killed, and a number of soldiers in group A. I see many wounded, so we should get group C to help. I'm going to go with Katherine and take down as many Red Death as I can on my own." "Alright Max, we'll stay here. Go now," Rock told him.

Katherine ran next to him and asked, "Where are we going?" "Can you teleport us a couple miles down on the road?"

"Yeah sure, but it's completely dark, we're going to need a flash light." Rock handed Katherine a huge light and told them to hurry. As they were about to leave Clay ran up to them. "Max, let me help you attack. I can snipe them down with you sir." That's when George shouted, "You can't let him go with you Max, he's just a boy." Clay faced him, "George this isn't your decision I'm the leader of group A and I'm going to go with Max." "Well I guess that's settled, c'mon Clay grab her other hand," Max answered.

They vanished and George stood with his mouth open shocked out of his mind. "Did I just get commanded by a twelve year old?" "I think you just did," Rock said trying not to laugh. "That doesn't matter though, get the rest of group C with the first aid kits and tend to the rest of the soldiers. I'm going to set up a defense with group A, D, and the rest of B." George watched as Rock walked away and thought to himself, "Goddamn I'm just taking orders from everyone."

Max, Clay, and Katherine teleported several miles down the road in the forest, and heard the Red Death running. "Don't get them yet Clay, we have to see where their base is." They followed them for a mile or two and saw them all funnel into a large cave entrance in the canyon where Max had also gone.

"How many do you think went in there Max?" Clay asked.

"I think they've got about ten thousand left, we took out more than half of them with all of our explosives. But they'll be back tomorrow night to come and try to finish us."

"We'll be dead meat Max, we don't even have a wall."

"That's why we have to pick them off. If we can get about twenty soldiers here we can light them up and kill them as they come back out. We're going to have to go back and signal the town. If we can make an ambush, everyone who comes out will be dead." Clay agreed with him and all three of them teleported back to the town.

When they appeared, they could see the front gate was destroyed and now worthless. "There's no way we can set up a defense in time for them if they come back here Max. I mean I know we can kill a good amount of them in an ambush, but if they make it back here, we really don't have a chance." "Well then Clay, I guess we better find a place for everyone to hide."

When they walked inside what was left of the gate, there were Red Death corpses everywhere. "Don't touch any of them, guys, or you could get infected." Katherine grabbed their hands and they teleported to the Town Hall, where the rest of the citizens were hiding. Max opened the doors, and saw them all crouching down. "Are we safe?" someone yelled out. "Well the Red Death are gone, for now at least. Tomorrow night, though, they will be back." Max then ordered them to get up and follow them outside and they all walked over to where the groups were. The citizens looked in horror as they saw the corpses of the Red Death. They also watched as members of the different groups took care of the injured on the ground.

Rock approached Max when he saw them come back and asked, "So did you guys take out more Red Death wherever you went?" "No, but we found something better," Max told him, "We found out where the Red Death hide out. It's also clear they lost about half of their original population. If we can go out there with about twenty good soldiers we can ambush them and take them out without them knowing, it'll be like they run into a trap."

Rock looked at him, "That's not a bad idea, I hope to God it works. Right now we need to find a place for these people to hide. I say we make them go outside of the town."

"No Rock, we can't run from the Red Death. Let's have them hide inside their own homes. If they all leave and spread out we're sure to be found and have no chance." Rock realized this was a better plan.

Max walked out in front of everyone. They were clearly shaken up by what they'd experienced and were losing hope they'd live through this battle.

"People of the town," he told them, "Go back to your homes and fortify yourselves. We want you to rest for the night. All of you be back here around twelve with your weapons." They nodded and left. No one was walking fast, some had to be carried home.

Max wasn't finished, "Clay, before your group leaves choose about twenty of your best soldiers." Clay nodded at Max and selected his best men, and told the others to go home. "I got them sir, what's the plan?"

Max asked George, Rock, Clay, Katherine, and the 20 other men to circle around him. "Here's the plan," Max started. "We found out where the Red Death base is. They go in through a cave entrance so that means there's only one way in and one way out. If we can hide around the entrance we can light up as many as possible when they leave their hideout. We'll keep them forced in until they have to come out."

Max remembered hearing that the Red Death were farming humans for survival, so he knew they might not all come out. But he decided not to divulge this information, because he needed their support. "We'll go to their base around eight tomorrow night and kill as many as we can. If we don't succeed our town will die, this is our last stand. You can all go home now and rest, be back at the training fields at twelve with all the other citizens."

They all left and went back to their homes, only Max and Katherine remained. "Max let's go back one more time, me and you. We can scout them and make sure that they have no other place to escape." Max agreed with her and they teleported back to the Red Death cave. The wind was howling and it was almost pitch black. "Want to go in Max?" Katherine asked, even though she was scared out of her mind, "I think it's the only way to save our town."

Chapter 26: Water

Max walked into the cave holding onto Katherine's hand. "If anything happens you have to teleport us back immediately," he whispered to her. They walked in and what they saw was astonishing. There was a huge red gate a couple of steps away from them. It was almost identical to the town's, but it was red.

Katherine teleported them on top of the gate, and they looked over the entire living quarters for the Red Death. There were thousands of small shacks throughout the place. In the middle of everything there was a huge building. This building had no windows or doors and towered some five-hundred feet in the air.

"Can you get us in there, Katherine?" "I can go anywhere Max," she replied smiling. Next thing they knew, they were inside the building, and the noise alone scared the living daylights out of them both. They were looking at what appeared to be a huge jail for humans, with cage-like cells holding five people in each one. The people had no clothes on and were all screaming. Max and Katherine walked over to the stairs and counted at least five floors of this madness. "There have to be hundreds of people in here," Max said, his knees shaking. Katherine said nothing and stared straight ahead.

The screams and cries of the prisoners were horrendous.

"What do they do here Max, how can they do things like this?" Max and Katherine hid in a corner and noticed there were tubes attached to everyone in the cells. It looked like the tubes could take out their blood, and while whatever was happening to them was making them weak, they weren't dead as they screamed out in pain.

"We have to save these people Max, this is terrible," cried Katherine. "Oh we will Katherine, we just have to figure out how." They watched in horror as they followed the white tubes up into the ceiling.

"Wow, they weren't lying about harvesting humans, I didn't actually believe them."

"When did they tell you that Max?"

"When I baited them to the town wall the group leader told me all about their weapons and how smart they were."

"Why didn't you tell any of us that?"

"Well, Katherine, I didn't think it would be that goddamn important since they're lying savages." Katherine was furious, "Well Max, I guess they were telling the truth this time and now we have to defeat the Red Death and free all these people."

They heard footsteps coming up their corridor and instantly teleported to the top of the building looking out over their entire civilization. "Max, how about me and you take them down from the inside. They'll never expect us to know where their base is. When they leave to go back to the town, we can free all the people." "That's a great idea," thought Max, "except then we won't be able to ambush them. We will have to fight them on our own turf with no advantages."

"We can go to the training fields, we do have those fences around them. We can fight them from there and make them run through some kind of trap we'll need to set up, it's really our only chance."

Max smiled and told her, "When did you get so good at making plans?"

"Ever since I started to hang out with you, obviously."

"C'mon lets get out of here before they find us." He grabbed onto her and they instantly teleported back home.

It was already four in the morning, and they had told everyone to meet them back at the fields at twelve. Max looked at her," Can you teleport me back home? Both of us really need some rest."

"Do you really have to leave Max?" Katherine asked innocently. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep by myself after seeing all of those terrible things." She grabbed his arm and they reappeared on her bed. "See, now we can go to sleep Max." She kissed him on the cheek and got under the covers. Max awkwardly went into the bed his heart racing. He whispered to himself, "I can't sleep with such a hot girl next to me." Katherine rolled over to him and replied, "It's okay neither can I, with you next to me." She cuddled up against him and they both finally went to sleep.

"Get up Max!" Katherine yelled to him from the kitchen. Max got up slowly, his head still pounding from last night. "Did we sleep in the same bed, or was I just dreaming." "No we did, you really like to cuddle when you're asleep." "Well I just thought you were scared." She stuck out her tongue at him and brought in some food. They both ate fast and noticed it was around eleven. "Well I need to take a shower, want to join me Katherine?" "Max you're lucky, but not that lucky." She smiled, gave him a hug, then teleported him back to his parent's house in his old room.

"Oh wow Katherine, you're really going to do that? I didn't even get to finish breakfast." "Maybe next time Max you might even get to finish a little bit more than breakfast," she smiled, then vanished. Max decided to take a long shower. "I knew I shouldn't have asked her that," he whispered to himself as he turned on the water.

"Max is that you up there?" his mother shouted. "Yeah mom, I'm just taking a quick shower and I'll be right out. The water at the Mayor's office wasn't working." Max loved hot showers almost more than anything. He lay down on the shower floor, letting the water run down his skin, and then he thought about those people stuck in their prison cages. It was worse than anything Max could have imagined. Eventually though he stopped thinking about it, and hopped out of the shower feeling very refreshed. He got dressed and ran downstairs about to head out the door when his mother yelled out to him, "Max are we going to be alright?" "Don't worry mom we'll be fine." He ran out the door and sprinted over to the training fields making sure he was very early.

Rock was already there, as usual, and Max sat down next to him. "Rock, you won't believe what I just found out." "What is it this time Max, we have another game plan?" "This is serious, Katherine and I found out that the Red Death have a civilization of their own. They farm humans in small cages, they use tubes to suck out their blood and that's how they live. We have to break them out Rock, it's worse than torture what those people are going through." "Well how do you plan on saving all these people then Max, and have you forgotten the Red Death will be back here tonight to finish off the rest of us?"

"Rock, I think we can make a last stand at our training fields. We can lock all the gates and everyone will have a gun."

"Max, they have plasma ray guns we wouldn't stand a chance." "Well what if we could get some kind of blockades or some kind of resistant barrier?" Max thought out loud. "You said it yourself Max the plasma ray gun can shoot through almost anything." "Almost anything Rock, almost. We have to find out if we have anything in the town that is plasma ray gun proof. If we can get them without weapons they won't stand a chance."

"Max, I pray to God you can do this or everyone will die." As Rock said this, Max's cross became lit up. "Didn't you say that thing only lights up in times of great danger?" Max felt energy surge through his body, he felt like he could do anything. His eyes darted throughout the town, looking around for something they could use to stop plasma ray guns. Then, as he stared at the river, he remembered something. Rich had told him that water would make the gun malfunction and shoot backwards.

"Rock! That's it, we need water!"

"What do you mean we need water?"

"Water breaks down the gun! It's the only thing that can do it, it will make it so the gun malfunctions and shoots backwards. They'll kill themselves Rock, all we have to do is bait them. Get all the hoses and buckets of water you can find in the town and will inform everyone to do the same when they get here!"

Within thirty minutes everyone had returned to the training fields. Max quickly addressed them, "Citizens, we have found a weakness of the Red Death. One that will make them kill themselves. That thing is water. Water breaks down the plasma ray guns, it will make it so the gun malfunctions and shoots backwards. The Red Death will be its own worst enemy. So what I need everyone to do is go home, get as many buckets as possible and fill them all up with water."

The people seemed very confused and were not at all confident about his plan. "Your best idea is to beat them with water? We should be running away and finding safer ground is what we should be doing!" yelled an angry citizen. Max quickly snapped at him, "We've been running our whole lives, eventually they'll find us again, and again. This plan will work, I guarantee my life on it." So all the people headed back to their homes, grabbing as many buckets filled with water as they could hold.

"What are we going to shoot the water with?" Rock asked him. "There are a couple of high pressure water hoses on the fire trucks in the town. If one of us can use it, we might have a chance of getting them all." Max called Katherine over and she teleported him to the town's fire truck.

"Do you know how to drive this thing Max?" she asked in an unsure tone. "Of course I can, I'm the chosen one," he replied sarcastically. Max started the truck and drove it over to the fields. Each person dumped their water into the tanks and it was full in a couple of minutes.

George approached Max, "I've just given out the last of our guns Max, everyone in the town now has one. Even the kids and women who didn't wish to fight." "Thanks George it's our last stand, we've got one more shot at this." "I hope that you're right Max, we're putting all of our faith into your hands."

The town now was as ready as it ever would be. They put up as much fortification as they could around the fences, and some people who'd never held guns before were practicing their shots. "Seems like years ago that we were training all the people how to shoot," Rock said to Max. "I know, it feels like ages, but in reality it's only been about a week," Max said. "So when are you and Katherine going to bust out all the humans being held captive by the Red Death? You know that we need you two back here as soon as possible."

"Rock, I've been thinking. I'm pretty sure it would be best if we wait till after we destroy the Red Death to infiltrate their base. I mean if those people have to stay in those cages for another day, so be it. I'm trying to save the whole goddamn world right now." "Now that's the kind of talk I like to hear boy, go tell Katherine so she knows," Rock told him.

Max saw Katherine helping people use the guns and he ran over to her. "Katherine, can I have just a minute of your time?" "Yeah I'll be right over." She walked over slowly still as beautiful as ever.

"Katherine, I need to tell you that we're not going to infiltrate the Red Death tonight, were going to stay here and fight." "But Max those people! The longer they stay in there the harder it will be to save them." "I know that Katherine, but if we don't save our people it won't mean anything. If we do beat the Red Death then we can go back and save all those people." Katherine listened, and then looked at Max, "You're right Max, I understand." She gave him a hug and ran to the people using guns.

"Now I just have to talk to Clay," Max whispered to himself. "What was that sir?" Max didn't even notice Clay was right next to him. "Oh Clay, there you are. Well I just wanted to inform you that we're not leaving the town just yet, we're going to make our final battle here. I'm sorry for misleading you and twenty of your men, I hope you understand though why I am doing this." "Its alright sir, I like this plan a lot. If what you say is true about the guns and water, they'll all be dead." "I'm glad you understand Clay, you're a great soldier and leader. If you hadn't already scared the Red Death and pushed them back, we would have been killed. I want you to do another one of those formations tonight, make sure all of your men are ready." "Sir, yes sir!" Clay shouted and he ran off to go fetch group A.

Max then ran over to George and asked, "What time is it George?" "Its almost four, Max, what's the problem?" "We need to get as many lights as possible. The Red Death don't like a lot of light, it will slow them down a little, and that's why they always fight at night." "Well," George said, "the training fields have huge lights that we used to use for special events. I'm sure if I turned on the power generator I could get the lights going." "If we could do that we'd have a real advantage," Max said. "Well you still have the town key, don't you? It should open the box to the power generator." Max pulled out the golden key and ran over with George to the box, Max put the key in and instantly it opened. "Damn how did you make this George?" "I'll tell you another time boy, we need to worry about the task at hand."

George pulled the switch and in a couple of seconds the lights all turned on. "This will definitely make them think twice before coming in." "Your damn right George, I think we have a better chance now than we did yesterday." "Well with a lot of their population killed, we can't expect them all to be in one group this time and just go for the front of our town wall. They can surround us and attack us from every angle, but at least with the water we can take away their fire power." "Dang George you keep sounding like a leader, are you sure that you don't want to be Mayor?" "Oh I'm sure Max, after all of this I never want to make any decisions again."

Max laughed and knew it was time to get all the people back in their groups. He saw his mother and father together in front of the crowd, he smiled at them and they waved back. "I know most of you have never even held a gun. I know most of you are scared, and not ready to fight. I know most of you don't think we stand a chance. But there is one thing we have that they don't. We all have a purpose. The Red Death just goes around killing people, and that's it. We people of the town build structures, make families, and accomplish things that no one else thought we could. What we will do tonight is defeat the rest of the Red Death. They think we have no hope and are all out of strength, but that is where they're wrong. We have people who are willing to fight who have never used weapons, we have families who have lost their loved ones, and we even have a twelve year old who saved our butts yesterday. So if any of you think even for a second that we're not going to make it, I'll just say the proof is all around us!"

"For the town!" George yelled aloud.

"For the town!" The people yelled back.

Chapter 27: The Last Stand

It was now past eleven and completely pitch black. Max wanted to surprise the Red Death by waiting to turn on the lights. Rock, George, and a couple of other strong men held the hoses at the fire truck waiting to spray the Red Death.

"Everyone stay quiet!" Max yelled aloud, "The Red Death will be here in a little under twenty minutes." All of the people stood in a square formation so that no member of the Red Death could be hidden. The people had reinforced the barbwire fence and even dug a small ditch around the entire perimeter. Clay was in the middle with group A ready to strike and shoot at any moment. If the Red Death didn't have any weapons they would have to climb up a ditch and then hop all the way over the fence, which had small nails and sharp objects on it.

As Max looked out in the distance Katherine teleported right next to him, whispering, "What do you want me to do Max?"

"If you see any Red Death climbing over the fence, teleport over to them and blow their brains out." "Copy that commander," she smiled, and teleported over to where Clay was standing.

Every citizen remained dead quiet, their hearts racing waiting in anticipation for the Red Death to find them. Max was ready to fire the switch and have the lights come on at any moment. He held his plasma ray gun tight in his hand thinking to himself, "You have to beat them Max, you can do this." As he thought about this he felt the cross on his neck start to give him power. He stared down his neck and saw the cross start to light up. He heard a light pitter-patter of footsteps coming their way. The field was about five-hundred by three-hundred feet across, so it was easy to spot.

"Ah!" A Red death member yelled in the distance, and everyone in the field could feel their skin crawl. Max heard more footsteps now and he yelled out loud, "Get ready, closer, closer, closer, now!"

Max turned on all of the lights and the entire place was surrounded. "Now, Rock!" Rock ordered the men to open up the hoses. They sprayed water in every direction and the Red Death didn't know what was going on, at first they even acted like they liked it. After all the water was pumped they stood laughing right in front of the ditch. "You really think a little of water is going to defeat us?" a Red Death leader announced.

"Well try to kill me and find out!" Max shouted and he aimed at the Red Death leader and shot him right in the face. The other Red Death screamed in rage all pointing their weapons at Max. "Now you are ours!" another yelled. "Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam!" The Red Death started firing their weapons, and instantly the shots fired right back into their chest and face. Nearly all of their army fell straight back taking the deadly shot from their own plasma ray guns.

Now it was Max's turn to laugh, "Well that was smart," he yelled. The Red Death who survived screamed, even more outraged than before. They threw their guns to the ground and started to climb through the ditch. "Fire!" Max shouted and all of the people started shooting, trying to hit as many Red Death as they could. Max ran to the front of the fence and hopped on the top. He shot furiously, nailing every single Red Death trying to break through. Rock ran up behind him and also fired, making sure no Red Death could get on the fence. Katherine teleported around to each section of the fence, shooting anyone who tried to climb on the fence.

Just as Max thought the Red Death were starting to lose, one part of the fence was ripped down. "Run back to other side! Don't let them touch you!" Max shouted at the top of his lungs. Katherine reappeared next to Max and grabbed him, and they instantly teleported over to where the fence had been broken. There were more than twenty Red Death inside the fields now and Max viciously shot at them. They somehow ignored Max and ran by him, but Max kept firing and none of them made it a couple feet past his line of fire. Then the worst thing happened. The Red Death started throwing rocks at the lights and eventually every single light was taken out.

Max suddenly had about a thousand people trying to take cover behind him. "Does anyone have any matches or something, we need light." Max whispered. "I do Max! I have something even better." Clay replied as he handed Max an LED flashlight. Max took a deep breath and turned on the flashlight, pointing it in front of him. That's when he saw the Red Death all standing about fifty feet away with their red skin and blood shot eyes. They numbered about five thousand or so and all stood side by side, smirking and cackling.

"Alright guys, this is it. This is the last chance we have. Clay, I want you to take your group and use one of those formations I showed you." Clay nodded at Max and assembled his team into an eleven by five rectangle. "Forward march, fire!" All fifty-five of the men began shooting and each killed at least one Red Death. Those who weren't hit sprinted straight for the humans, in a complete rage. Max ran forward, the cross on his heart now radiating extreme power. Max clicked on the trigger faster than he had ever had before. His plasma ray gun was blowing straight through lines of the Red Death. The people of the town kept shooting and backing up, making sure no one would be touched and infected by the Red Death. But eventually they were pushed back and pinned against the fence on the other side of the training field. Max still stood ten feet in front of all of them. They had killed so many Red Death, but there were several thousand more standing, ready to strike.

"You see boy, we told you to give up. The purpose of your people is to die, the time of the Red Death is now!"

Max's heart raced, he couldn't let them come any closer or his people would be killed. Max stepped forward almost inches away from the Red Death. They all stood still not moving a single muscle. "I'm not afraid of you disgusting things!" he hissed and shot one right in the face then ran and somehow leaped into the middle of their pack.

"Attack!" Rock yelled and all the people started to run forward with their automatic machine guns firing, trying to keep the Red Death from coming any closer. Max was in the center of their circle. They clawed, bit, and punched him but he still was standing up. Max was in complete pain even as his wounds kept healing, but he knew he couldn't keep this going for much longer. As he was about to fall he screamed out, "Katherine help!" Instantly she teleported to his side and grabbed him and they teleported out of the circle.

They reappeared in her apartment, and she put him on her bed. Max screamed and yelled in absolute pain his legs were gashed and his chest was ripped open. But in just minutes, the pain went away and his body healed itself and he was back to normal. "Thanks for saving me Katherine, we need to go back now." She grabbed him and they teleported back to the field. The Red Death continued attacking the town's people, already killing hundreds of them.

George yelled, "Max there are too many of them, we can't hold them off much longer." "Keep going!" Max responded and he ran back into the Red Death with his plasma ray gun. "Bam, bam, bam!" Max hit every target and was shooting with perfect accuracy. He saw Clay and a couple of other men cornered and ran over to help them. Clay and the other members of the A team were shooting well, but the Red Death was too powerful, and eventually all of them were grabbed and killed, except for Clay. He escaped and sprinted back to where Max was with a good hundred Red Death running after him. "Help me Max! Help!" Max darted over to him nailing all the Red Death trailing Clay. They all ignored Max though and had their sights set on Clay.

"Clay turn around and fire!" Clay listened to Max and turned, but as he did one of the Red Death members slashed him across the face. Max ran up behind it and blew its brains out from behind. Clay lay motionless on the ground and his body started to become cold. "Clay talk me boy, don't give up!" Max told him almost in tears. Clay was barely able to respond, "I can feel it Max, I'm going to turn into one of them, I'm infected. You have to kill me and kill the rest of them." "I can't do that Clay, you know I can't." Clay grabbed Max's hand and told him it was okay. "You're like a son to me Clay, I can't do it." "I'll always be with you in here Max." He pointed to Max's heart and pulled the plasma ray gun out of his other hand. "You have to do it Max, I don't want to be one of them. Just make sure you do one thing for me Max, win this battle." Max nodded at him tears now flowing down his face. He tilted Clay's head back, his little body was completely limp like a rag doll. "I'm sorry Clay." He pulled the trigger and left Clay lying on the ground. Max knew he had to contain his emotions so he could stay focused. He ran back to where George, Rock, and the rest of the citizens were fighting.

"We can't keep them back any more Max! A lot of us are out of ammo," Rock said to him out of breath. "That's alright Rock tell everyone to line up against the fence. Trust me don't move." "You're out of your damn mind Max, they'll come straight for us." "That's an order Rock, do it now!"

Rock threw down his gun and yelled, "Everyone, put your backs to the fence and don't fire a single bullet." The people reacted fast to the order and the rest of the people put their backs on the wall. There were over a thousand Red Death now, all about ten yards away from Max and the people were about twenty yards away from him. Max announced, "You can take my pride, you can murder me, but you can't kill my best friend!"

The Red Death laughed, and snarled at him. "Your friend is nothing, just like you boy." "Say one more thing about my friend, and I'll kill all of you right now." In unison the Red Death cackled, " Your friend is nothing, just like you."

Max took out his plasma ray gun, holding it with two hands. They laughed louder, "You think that one person can defeat all of us?" "I don't think, I know."

Max shot forward and nailed the Red Death who spoke. Then he went crazy and chased down every single Red Death, hitting them with fatal shots. They ran after him and he would shoot and then juke. He dipped right and left, almost like he was untouchable. The people watched in amazement as Max hit every target. "Go Max! You can do it!" they all yelled. Max was blind with rage for what they did to Clay, he was running around the entire field. With the surviving Red Death following, screaming at each other, trying to catch up with him, Max turned around and fired twenty shots in under a second. His gun started smoking he was shooting so fast. Two Red Death got close to him and swiped for his head, he ducked and then rolled away from them. They got right behind each other in confusion and Max took a single shot that went through both of them. The Red Death had started to retreat, with less than one hundred left. But Max didn't let them go easily. He trailed them, running faster than he had ever run before. He caught up to almost all of them, blowing every single one of their heads off. He saw the last Red Death leader running with about fifty members of their group. Max aimed and fired at its leg blowing it off instantly. The thing howled in pain, Max slowly strutted to where it was bleeding. It started screaming, as Max got close. "Please, please don't kill me," it begged him. "You're the one who told your people to chase that boy, aren't you?" "It wasn't me I promise, please just don't shoot." "Admit it, tell me you shot the boy!" Max said with fury. "Alright I did do it. They made me make that order, I'm not the one in charge Max." "Don't you dare say my name, you're nothing. Your own kind left you behind because they don't even care about their last leader." Max pulled out his gun, the Red Death still begged him not to shoot. He didn't say a word, and pointed his gun straight at his face. "You have no purpose," he whispered to it and fired. "Bam!" Max shot it straight through its heart.

He turned around and started to slowly trail back to the field. It was almost morning now, and the sun was just starting to come up. As Max got into the field he heard applause. Rock, Katherine, and George all ran over to him, hugging him and shaking their heads in amazement. "How the hell did you do that Max?" Rock asked in an enthusiastic tone. Max stared at the ground only saying, "Clay's dead." He burst out in tears only able to say in sobs, "I killed him! I didn't save him in time and he asked me to kill him." The people all circled around him and cried with him. Katherine put her hand on his shoulder and stroked it softly. Max lay down on the grass, his eyes were puffy and red.

"You saved us Max, you saved us all. Even the ones who are dead are now free," Rock said to him. "He's right Max, you did all that you could. That's why you're the Mayor of this town," George reminded him. Max stood up wiping away his tears. The people all stared at him waiting for his next command. "There's still one thing we have to do. We have to save the rest of the humans who are at the Red Death base. I want to get everyone to come with us and help me break everyone out as soon as we can. But first, go home and rest for a few hours. Thank you all for everything you've done, I couldn't have done it with out you."

Max and Katherine started to walk away, but Rock yelled out, "so what time should we meet you back here?" "Twelve o' clock" Max yelled back as walked away.

Chapter 28: The Rescue

Max and Katherine decided to walk all the way back to the Mayor's office together. Neither of them wanted to rush anything and they were both extremely tired. When they arrived in the room, they both laid down on the couch. "You saved all of our people Max, we couldn't have won without you," Katherine said. Max pretended to be asleep and decided not to reply.

Even though he defeated an entire army, he still felt like he had a hole in his chest. It was like something was sucking the life out of him. Max sat up and he asked Katherine, "I just don't know what to do. I defeated the Red Death and I saved as many people as I could, but a little kid died because of me. One I cared about very much, it's just not fair. He deserves to be alive and live his entire life, Clay is a better fit to be mayor than I am."

"He did deserve all of that Max," Katherine comforted him, "But you can't change the past. Clay was happier than ever when he was alive, and that was all thanks to you."

"But he's dead now, I should have kept him in group C so he would have lived." "Max, without Clay we would all be dead. If he didn't lead group A that night we wouldn't have even fought today. He put them into panic, and took out their group leaders." "You're right Katherine, he was one amazing boy. And now we have to save those people being held at the Red Death base, I owe that to Clay." Katherine gave him a kiss and told him she needed to leave, she brought Max a pillow and a blanket. "I'll be back here around eleven so we can go back to the field, get some sleep." Max told her not to leave, but she went anyway. He looked at his clock and it was now past seven. "Guess I'll get some shut eye, if I can." Max curled up into a ball like he used to as a kid, and fell asleep.

He didn't sleep comfortably at all, he kept waking up every thirty minutes or so seeing Clay in all of his dreams. Max looked at the clock and it was now past ten, he decided to take a shower and see if that would relax him. As Max was walking to the shower, he thought of all the people who had died that were close to him. Clay, Rich, Betty, and even the four men who helped him find his purpose. But then he had a different feeling, he thought about all those people chanting his name after he won the battle. How he saved all those people pinned against a wall, defeating the Red Death. Max took off his silver cross and put it next to his clothes. He looked at the cross and whispered, "I hope I never need you again, but I know I will." Max hopped in the shower, standing still in the hot water for about twenty minutes. Something about showers made him feel like a new man. As he was about to get out he heard Katherine knock at his front door. "Come in!" he yelled and she teleported into the office. "I didn't know there was a bathroom in here, or a shower." "There's a lot you don't know Katherine," he replied laughing. "Very funny, I guess that means you'll make your own food this morning." He dried and quickly and ran out the door with his shorts on. "Please don't scare me by saying things like that." "Alright fine," Katherine smiled, "get your clothes on and we can go downstairs." "Yes!" he shouted in a happy tone and went out the door with her.

They went downstairs and she cooked them up some pancakes. It was weird for the Town Hall to be empty, it was usually so busy and alive. "It feels like everyone just vanished out of thin air Katherine. It feels weird to be the only people here."

"I know what you mean, I've lived here my entire life and it's never been this quiet." After a couple of minutes she brought in two large plates of pancakes. "Are those both for me?" Max asked salivating.

"Of course not! I need to eat to you know."

"You can eat eight pancakes? I'd be surprised if you could eat two." They both dug in, and Katherine finished eating a little bit before Max. "That's impossible, no one's ever eaten faster than me. Where do you even put all that food anyway?" "A woman never tells her secrets Max, you of all people should know that." Max gave her a funny look and helped her put the dishes away. "Ready to go?" she asked him still laughing from before. "Yeah, but don't tell anyone what happened here, especially my mom." "She'll be the first person I tell then."

She grabbed his hand and they instantly appeared at the training fields. There were corpses everywhere and the place smelled terrible. "Why did I want to meet here?" Max asked in surprise. "Let's inform everyone they should meet us right outside of the town with their weapons."

Max and Katherine told everyone they saw to go in front of the town wall, and soon everyone was ready. Max saw George, but no Rock. "Where's Rock, George?" "I don't know I thought he was with you!" Max started laughing and replied," I think he's still at the fields, Katherine can you go get him?" She said she would and teleported over to the fields and came back in seconds with Rock.

"So everyone makes a plan to meet here, and somehow I'm the only one who doesn't know?" "Sorry Rock, honestly we thought everyone knew." "Well thank God Katherine came and got me or maybe I would have been left behind." Max let him go on for a couple of minutes, but then decided to address the people.

"Great work yesterday. I know a lot of you lost important friends and family, and many of you are really hurting today, but we have to finish what we started. The Red Death creatures live in a cave a few miles away. They are farming humans for their blood, and it somehow keeps them alive. We need to kill the rest who are at the base, and free the people who are being held in cages. I'm afraid only a few of us will go to find the Red Death. Only soldiers from group A will be coming with us today. The rest of you we need to stay here, and protect the town. What we saw at this Red Death base are gruesome and I don't want anyone who isn't ready for it to see this." Thirty men in group A survived the battle against the Red Death. They walked over to Max. Everyone else understood and wished them all luck. Betty and adult Max walked over to where Mayor Max was standing. "We're so proud of you sweetie," his mother said. "She's right Max, you saved us all you know. Make sure you never forget that." Max gave them both hugs and then their small group started their journey to the Red Death cave. No one except Max, George, and Katherine had ever set foot outside of the town. Group A and Rock were amazed by all the things they saw, and by all the trees. They kept walking on the dirt road for a while and silently they made their way through the rest of the forest until they got to the cave.

"We're here now guys, stay on your toes and keep quiet." Max led everyone to the cave entrance and they all filed in. "Everyone have their guns ready?" Max asked quietly as they approached the red wall. Group A nodded and stared with amazement as they looked at the Red Death wall. Rock went over to Max and whispered, "How do you plan on getting us in?"

"Katherine and I have already been here, we'll teleport in and open up the gate from the inside. Make sure once the gate is open to run in immediately." Max walked over to Katherine and asked her if she was ready. "I'm ready Max, let's do this." They teleported right behind the wall and saw all of the huts. "Stay quiet, they sleep during the day they won't know what hit them." They saw a lever on the gate, which would pull up the gate. They both tugged on it as hard as they could and the wall started go up slowly. Max's cross started to heat up again, and he knew they would be in for quite a battle.

Rock and everyone from group A came in with their guns, armed and ready. "Stay as one, and make sure no one gets away from us," Max told them in a hushed voice and they walked through the town of the Red Death.

They made their way over to the black building, which was where Max and Katherine saw the humans imprisoned. "This is where they keep the people we have to break out. The things you see in here will be really disturbing, so be prepared." When they opened the door, everyone could see what Max had warned them about. The people in the cages had tubes attached and were crying and screaming. Max tried to get their attention, "It's alright now! Were here to save you! But you need to keep quiet." Everyone on the first level immediately stopped yelling, shocked that anyone knew they were there. Max instructed each prisoner to go to the right side of his or her cell. He said he would shoot through the bars, then they would help everyone get out. The people jumped with joy and began moving in excitement to the right side of their cells.

"Stay with us everyone, we're going to free each of you and then we'll go after the Red Death together," Max told them. But it was too late. As soon as he shot through the bars, the people ran out of the building, going straight for the wall. That woke up the Red Death, who ran out of their huts in complete confusion. Max knew his plans were changing again. "We'll set the rest of the humans free after we kill the Red Death!" Max shouted to them and they all ran back outside.

There were still more than a hundred Red Death creatures in the cave, and those who were left were stronger than they'd faced before. As they all tried to get through the red wall and out to freedom, the Red Death managed to kill many of the weak prisoners who had just been freed by Max and his group. They just couldn't fight back and even with protection, they kept falling, one by one.

"Where the hell are those evil bastards?" Rock asked through gritted teeth, "It's like they vanished."

"I don't know Rock, but we have to stay together." As Max said the words, they were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of Red Death creatures, who picked off the freed prisoners first.

"Get 'em boys!" Max shouted and they unloaded their firepower on the Red Death. They killed about twenty, while the rest of them ran straight out of the cave and into the dark forest.

"We have to go after them!" Max told Rock.

"We can't Max, let them go," George replied, "There aren't many of them left, I think it's safe to say we won this thing."

The realization of everything that had just transpired hit Max like a brick. He fell to his knees and yelled out, "I did it! I saved the town!"

George grabbed him and held Max, rocking him back and forth. "You did it boy, it was your purpose."

Max and his group went back to the black building and broke out everyone else inside. They were all scared and shocked at first, but once they saw everyone had been released from their terrifying prison they knew they were no longer hostages, they were free. Rock and George got everyone together as Max addressed them saying, "I know all of you are scared, I can assure you we were too. Our town was the last remaining civilization in the whole world. I was specifically chosen to stop the Red Death, and with the help of my town we did. We have food, a running water supply, and great people back at our town if any of you would like to come back with us. I promise you we are all safe."

The prisoners talked amongst each other and then they all came to a decision. "We would be honored to live with your people if that is alright," one of them announced. "Then it's settled, follow us back to our place!" George shouted with joy.

The five hundred or so people followed Max, George, Rock, Katherine and the rest of group A. After a long walk they reached the town wall where those who could see them coming started cheering. Then the people ran out from the town embracing those they knew who had returned, because they knew what it must mean: they were safe! This left the former prisoners uneasy and scared as they watched people crying and hugging and shouting with relief. Max could see their fear, so he spoke.

"Citizens of the town, we have finally destroyed the rest of the Red Death. We have also freed these people here, who were all from different civilizations and were being held by the Red Death. I hope you welcome them and give them as much support as you once gave to me."

The townspeople began to approach the others who were still behind Max. Without a word, they hugged the former prisoners and shook their hands. "You are home now," the people whispered to the others.

Chapter 29: Mayor Max

Max created a cleanup crew, and in a few weeks all the bodies and remains of destruction were removed and everything looked like it once had before. Except for the wall. It was removed. Max immediately destroyed it when they returned from freeing the prisoners. George had begged him to keep it up, but Max insisted he wanted the town to be as open as possible.

After time had passed and the town was back to normal Max held a memorial service for all of those who died in the battle. Everyone in the town came to the memorial, even those who had not once lived there. Max read off the names of every man and woman who were killed in the battles against the Red Death, and he decided to read Clay's name last. As he said Clay's name, his body shook and tears started to flow from his eyes. He managed to say, "Clay was a great soldier and an even better person. I met Clay just a month or two ago, and I have never in my life cared more about a human being. When I first saw Clay he was just a boy shooting at a target range, he reminded me of myself in some sort of way. After a couple of days of training Clay earned the position of being in charge of group A, because of his battle tactics, leadership, and excellent aim. Need I remind you the boy was only twelve years old, but he had more courage in the palm of his hand than all of us. He saved our town the very first night the Red Death attacked us, and I wish it would have been me who died and not him." Max wiped his tears and told everyone to be back tomorrow for their new job applications.

After the speech Rock, Katherine, and George all came to Max's side. "We know it won't be easy to ever forget about Clay. But you need to know that you did the right thing, he would be proud of you Max," Rock assured him. Katherine gave him a long hug, and George stood with tears in his eyes. "I cared a lot about that boy too, Max, he was more of a man then I could ever be." "It's alright George, you're a hell of a man. I'm glad I've always had you by my side, you believed in me when I didn't believe in myself."

They all shook each other's hands, hugged each other and went back home. Max told Katherine he wanted some alone time tonight and she understood. Max went back to his parent's house where they greeted him and offered him some dinner. But Max told them he just wanted to go up to his room. "We understand Max, what you've accomplished is beyond what we could ever have imagined. And your eulogy for everyone who died, and especially for Clay, was amazing today. We love you," his mother told him and he thanked her for everything and slowly crept up to his room.

Max went behind his bed and removed the second floorboard. He saw the glass bottle with a little piece of paper inside of it, but the words had changed. It now read, "You have fulfilled your purpose Max, you have saved the people." Max was pleased, but confused, too. He had saved the people, but now what was his purpose supposed to be? He whispered to himself, "What now? What should I do now? The Red Death is defeated, the people now have freedom, and all of those prisoners were saved."

Max looked at the paper again and now it was blank. He started to become filled with anger and yelled out, "What's my purpose now?" Words then began appearing on the paper, "It is now your turn to find out Max, just like everyone else." The paper vanished and Max sat still in his room. He was puzzled by all of this, but now he wasn't angry, instead he was relieved.

Tomorrow he would give everyone their new jobs and start school again for the younger kids. He started to brainstorm ideas for new laws, and would have the people vote on which ones they wanted. Max lay in his bed trying to calm down. "You did it Max, now your future rests in your own hands." Max shook around his pillow finding the right place to put it under his head, and then he went to sleep.

He got up early the next morning and went downstairs where he found his mother, who had already started to make breakfast. "Mom, can I get some paper and a pen?" "Sure Max, go right over to the drawer, there should be some in there." Max strutted over there and saw the picture of his sister Betty and him hugging one another. He smiled, but didn't let his mom see he was looking at it. He grabbed the pen and paper and started writing quickly. He wrote down over fifty laws and before he knew it, he had to be over to the Town Hall. He ran out the door with some toast in his hand eating as he ran.

He got over there quickly and saw George and Rock already there before him. "I wrote down some new laws guys if you want to check these out." He handed them both the papers and they scanned every law. "These look pretty good Max, when did you have the time to come up with all of these?" George asked him. "This very morning, I wrote every single thing." They waited for everybody to file into the Town Hall and take their seat. After everyone sat down Max shushed them down and spoke.

"Good morning to everyone, I hope you all slept well. But now to the real topic at hand, I wrote down fifty laws this morning all about the rules and guidelines for the town. All of the old laws will be changed and these will be put in place immediately. Still, I want all of the citizens to vote and see if you all feel these laws are fair."

Rock and George then passed out ballots and pencils to everyone. "How did you make these?" Max whispered to them.

"Let's just say Rock and I have a little secret." George replied laughing. Max didn't bug them about it and in just about ten minutes everyone had filled out their ballots. They counted every vote, and every single person agreed with Max regarding the new laws.

"Well as it turns out, not one person disagreed with any of the new laws. I did try to make them fair, and good for the people. As you can see from the ballots every person will be given money. You get money by working, the harder you work, the more you can get. And money means you can buy what you want." Max went on explaining to the people all about work and different schedules. He also talked about the new school system and that if you wanted a job you had to go to school first. Finally, Max stated that everyone will start with an equal playing field, but if you want to be the best and make the most money you have to work the hardest.

This is the story of Mayor Max who changed the town, the one who saved everyone from destruction. He wrote this book over one hundred years ago and made all of the new laws and plans that are still in place today. Max and Katherine were eventually married and had three kids. They were all very successful and helped their father, and continued to run the town when he had passed. Rock and George lived very fulfilling lives. They were in charge of the police force, and helped Max with the government. After several years of rebuilding, new towns spread out across the world, and they, too, were governed by the same laws. Max lived for over a hundred years and was loved by everyone. The book he wrote is about the lessons he learned and the friends he made along the way. The real reason he wrote everything down was so people could realize that even the best don't always know their purpose, and it's their journey to find it.

The End

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About the author:

Oliver Zettas is an eighteen year old high school senior in Denver, Colorado. He was inspired to write this book while in Houston, Texas. He enjoys many athletic activities, and is currently playing varsity basketball. This is his first published book, but will not be his last.

