Mason Maxwell

Prologue: Chaos

"Okay Daisy, let's go." Mason kicked the horse forward.

Two more shots whizzed above his head.

He had left his boots back on the dock. He was barefoot, but kicked her with his heels as hard as he could.

She was fast. She was a champion barrel racer's horse; she should be fast. But Mason didn't realize she was this fast.

Daisy lunged forward into darkness. Her ears twitched as if she too, were trying to find where the bullets were coming from.

Bang bang.

A pair of red tracer rounds flashed from the trees.

Mason ducked.

He was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on. They had lied to him. He knew they were after him but never thought he would be set up, not like this.

He didn't know who he could trust.

Hopper was the only one that made any sense. Don't trust anyone. Not even me.

Mason was soaking wet and cold. His wet jeans stuck to him like a frozen second skin. The spring air stung against his chest as they ran. His shirt flapped open behind him like a cape.

Bang bang. Two more red flashes zipped past him.

Then something moved out of the corner of his eye. A shadow moved beside him through the trees.

It was the hooded figure again. But it was atop a shadowy horse and moving in the opposite direction back towards the creek.

What the hell. He turned his head back forward, still not knowing what the figure was or why it seemed to be following him.

Oh no. A smell hit him. It smelled of smoke. Burning wood. The town ahead of him had come into view. A reddish orange glow rose above the rooftops. Maxwell looked to be on fire.

Daisy's stomping hooves struck brick and skidded onto the streets of town. Through thickening smoke, they could see the Professor's big Victorian house fully engulfed in flames. The flames licked up the clapboard siding towards the shadows of the wooden water tower that loomed above the house and town.

Mason tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Was the whole town under attack? Another red glow and smoke and shouts rose from farther in the center of town. And then gunshots. They very well could be under attack.

Mason turned the corner but had to quickly pull hard back on the reins.

"Whoa Daisy, whoa!" he screamed.

Daisy locked her legs. Her steel horseshoes slid atop the brick street. She tried to stop but wasn't stopping. She whinnied in helplessness.

The sliding stop forced Mason forward in the saddle. His fingers grasped for the saddle horn but missed. He flew out and over the reins. His bare chest slammed hard into the brick street, knocking the air from his lungs.

What in the fuck? Mason rolled over quickly to see what he had nearly collided with.

The craziest thing he'd ever seen was standing in the street.