King of Shadows: Of Blood and Tears

Chapter 17: Letters to Loved Ones II

Max found his sister, Madison, and gave her the letter. He didn't read it, he couldn't function properly after the surprisingly heart warming conversation he had with his mom. He just gave it to her, hugged her, kissed her forehead, and said that he will be back as soon as he could.

Maximus searched the house for his dad, but couldn't find him. So he wrote a quick note and set it on his laptop. He knew his dad would be okay, and if what his mom really admitted was true, he already foresaw this happening.

Maybe that was what the destiny talk was all about. Do they know more? Max wondered, getting one last snack before leaving.

After he left his house to go see Victoria, his insides felt like they were twisting and turning inside out. He felt a fluttering sensation in his stomach, like a swarm of butterflies taking flight. He went back into his room, grabbed his phone, and left. The boy began to run down his street, feeling the pavement beneath his feet and the burn in his legs.

The conversation he had with his mother was replaying in his mind again and again. The fact that he tried so hard to earn the love of his family, never denying them once when they needed help, or a favor. He was always there for them when they needed him, but it was never rewarded with that same decency. He was just a paycheck to them. His mom loved him. He knew it to be true. He just wished she would have come to him with the truth sooner, instead of building a wall of lies and alcohol bottles. Max then remembered a quote he had once read by the poet he loved. "Your soul is burdened with unexpressed truths, while your words provide only crafted falsehoods."

He kept running. His legs burned, and his feet swelled, but that didn't stop him. The coldness in the air caused his muscles to stiffen. The mere blindness of frit and anxiety pumped from his heart and through his arteries, warming his body with the harsh reality of what his life had become.

Keep running. How could my life become this? Keep running.

Maximus's body finally gave out, and he leaned forward, hands on his wobbling knees, taking fast, sharp inhales. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up.

"Max? What? You're here early! Didn't even text me." Victoria stammered as she opened her front door.

"Are you okay?" She continued.

Maximus looked at her, shattering the moment his eyes met with hers.

"I have to go...Victoria. I have to go to Solus. I have to fight Malgorog. I have to ensure you're safe." Max said between labored breaths.

"Today? Already? But...But you cannot! You cannot leave me so suddenly."

"I told you I had agreed to help. I'm...I'm sorry."

"Where is this coming from?"

Max didn't answer. He grabbed the letter from his back pocket and handed it to her.

"Read this when I am gone, and read it when you miss me. I will come back. I don't know how, or when, but I will."

"What happened? What happened so suddenly that is forcing you to rush this?"

Max stepped away...He looked at the grass covered in frost and shook his head at the realization that he was now thinking about Johnson.

"I saw it. I saw everything Victoria. Johnson. Malgorog. He slaughtered him right in front of me. Made me watch. Every bit."

Victoria walked slowly, cautiously, to Max, hugging him. "It's okay Max. Everything will be okay. I get it. I understand. You feel this is the only option you have. But you must remember to think of all the factors. All the consequences."