Chapter 4 REASONABLE DOUBT.

CHAPTER 4: REASONABLE DOUBT.

MAX'S POV.

Stepping out of the door I entered, I found myself in the middle of the road, in what seemed like a war-torn area. Turning back, I saw that Quin and Chloe were nowhere to be found. I was gripped with a little bit of fear.

There were buildings destroyed, vehicles on fire, as though a bomb had gone off. There was carnage all around me as far as the eye could see. The sky was red as though the heavens bled.

Smoke and dust filled the air, making visibility a bit challenging. I was also covered in dust, I guess as a result of the rubble all around me. Before me, there were dead bodies and injured folks wailing.

Terrified at the sight before me, I reflexively took a few steps backward and stumbled, falling onto a body with a first-degree burn. Gasping in fear, I quickly stood to my feet.

"Where am I? What's going on?" I muttered.

Up ahead, I saw a mound of rubble as though something heavy had landed in the middle of the road. So, I walked over to it, climbing to the top of the ten-foot mound of rubble.

I looked down into the depression, and I saw someone in the middle of the depression, grabbing someone by the neck. In horror, I watched how he burned the person's face with jolts of electricity, then he flung the lifeless body aside.

He swiftly turned and looked at me with sparkling eyes of lightning and jolts of crackling electricity. I was startled, so I lost my balance and fell, tumbling backward, landing on the ground. I was shocked when I looked up and found him right in front of me.

I was more terrified when I saw that the same individual I was terrified of looked exactly like me. He then grabbed me on the shoulders, looking peeringly at me.

"The day of recompense comes, and none shall escape. None!" His words reverberated down to my core. I felt a depth of pain I couldn't fathom. Was it mine, or was it his?

Suddenly, I felt something taking hold of my hand, so I jerked up abruptly, panting heavily.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. It's just a bad dream."

I saw that it was Quin. I sighed deeply, calming myself down.

"Gee. You look hysterical. Must have been quite a nightmare, huh?" she said. I looked at myself and saw that I was bathed in sweat, and the air conditioner in the room was on.

"What time is it?" I inquired.

"Uh, the next day," she replied. "You passed out when we pulled you into the room as you ran."

"I passed out? As I ran?" I asked, furrowing my brow. Chloe then emerged from the bathroom. She smiled at me.

"Look who's finally up," she said as she sat beside me

"Don't you recall what happened?"

" I-I don't know. My memory is kind of foggy," I replied as I strained myself to remember, scrunching my face.

"Look, it's all over the news." Chloe handed me her tablet device. As I watched the footage, I was hit with a flood of memories. I recalled all that had happened the previous night. But that only terrified me the more.

"How- How is this possible?" I asked softly. "No. That possibly couldn't be me. That surge of power is a prodigy-level kind of power, and clearly, I'm not. I'm not of a Sovereign bloodline."

"Yeah. We know you aren't. So how then was that possible?" Quin asked. We all looked at each other, I especially, not knowing how such a thing was even possible.

"Did you in any way get hold of TS-100?"

I furrowed my brow as I looked at Chloe. "How the hell can you even think of such a thing? Or is it because I've been weak? Do you also think I'm incompetent?"

"Come on, Max. Don't say that. You know that's not what she meant. We're just trying to consider every possibility that could have resulted in what not just us has seen you manifest, but everyone else," Quin intervened.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just- I'm just overwhelmed. I had a fight with my family again, but this time, it was really bad. And afterward, I caught banging the shit out of Julia."

"What?!" Quin's eyes widened in shock.

"That slimy bastard," Chloe fumed. "No wonder he left suddenly after we had a few shots at The Mill."

"I'm so sorry, Max," Quin consoled.

"I guess that may have been what triggered what happened, right?" Chloe asked.

"Maybe. Whatever the case may be, you've automatically become a threat to the Sovereignty, and they are going to be on the hunt for you. I'm just glad you had your hood on, so identifying you would prove difficult for them," Quin responded.

I sighed, utterly confused, perplexed, and hurt, all at once. I laid back on the bed.

"You can lay low here for as long as you need to until this all blows over. We've got your back. This is your home as well," Quin said, taking hold of my hand.

I cracked up a mild smile and nodded.

"Now that you're awake, I and Chloe will be heading to get some groceries," Quin said as they got on their feet.

"And uh, I'd ditch that sweatshirt if I were you," Chloe chipped.

"Did I ever own such an item?" I replied. Chloe smiled, understanding what I did.

"Get some rest," Quin added.

"I'll do my best," I replied, then they left.

I laid down in bed, sighing as I tried to rest, but the noises in my head wouldn't let me be. The dream I had replayed in my head. I had never had such an intense dream that felt so real as the one I had the previous night. My heart was troubled as a result.

Shortly after, I heard the buzzing sound from the door.

"Did they forget something?" I asked myself as I got up and walked to the door. Looking at the control panel, my eyes widened.

"Shit!" It was the Morton brothers, a notorious set of unscrupulous triplets, known for their distinct blonde hair.

"Hey! Open up. We know you're in there, Quin." Troy, one of the triplets, said, standing right in front of the door.

"We heard you got paid yesterday. All we want is our cut, nothing more," Troy added.

Really? Their cut? How unreasonable could they be? I looked around, trying to come up with an escape plan. I didn't want them to know it was I who was in.

"We were the ones who were originally planning to hit that facility before you bit us to it. I'm sure somehow word might have reached you of our plan, so it is only fair if we get compensated. Don't you think?" Rory, the second of the triplets, said.

I decided to make a run for it, following the back window. There was no reasoning with that lot. Just as I exited the window, I ran into the third, Cory.

"Going somewhere?" he said, smiling wickedly.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," Troy said as he and Rory arrived where I was.

"Seems like your girlfriends always have a way of leaving you to take care of their mess every single time, don't they?" Troy said, and they all chuckled.

"You're not the one we should be dealing with, but I guess since you're part of the gang, you're going to bear the brunt," Troy said, smiling deviously at me.

"There is no escaping us. So you either play ball or suffer the consequences of not obeying. So, which is it going to be?" Cory asked.

I fumed, clenching my fists, as I glared at them.