Max opens his door to the dark apartment. At the far end of the hall, he sees a man watching a television. The man has pulled back his recliner and propped his feet up. The man takes a swig of his beer. Max turns into the small dining room and spots his mom sitting alone in the dark.
“Hey, buddy,” Max’s mom whispers with a smile.
Max looks at her eyes and notices that one is watery, as if she has been crying. Her other eye is concealed by her hair. Max moves her hair and finds she has a black eye and scrapes on her face. Max’s face goes pale as his heart begins to pound hard in his chest. Anger builds quickly from within.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” she says quietly as a tear drops from one of her illuminated green eyes.
Max steps away from her, an expression of torment and anger on his face. He makes his way back to the dark main hall.
“Max…” she says with a confused expression.
Max stops in the hall facing his father as he continues to watch television. His father takes another swig of his beer. Max’s heart pounds violently as his breaths become uncontrollable. A tear runs down his cheek, and his eyes illuminate orange.
“I’m going to fucking kill you, you goddamn bastard!” Max cries, flipping out his knife.
“Max!” his mother shouts.
Max’s father turns his head from his position in the recliner. He focuses at Max in confusion. “What did you say to me?”
Max takes a breath in an attempt to gather his courage.
“I’m going to…” Max pauses, too upset to finish the sentence.
“You’re going to what?” his father asks with a firm rasp, standing up from the recliner. He stands there like a bull on the ready.
“I’m going to kill you,” Max says as the fear leaves his face.
His father is confused. Max charges with all the bottled-up rage from every beating he ever received from his father.
“Aah!” Max roars, charging toward his human father.
“Shut down!” his father shouts.
Max passes room after room as he closes the distance between him and his father. His mother runs out into the hallway behind him in attempt to stop her son.
“Shut down!” his father shouts again.
The father is confused as his android son fails to shut down.
Max leaps onto the recliner and lunges at his father with his blade in hand. He stabs his father in the shoulder as his father spins in panic. Max grabs hold of his father’s shirt then bites down on his father’s nose. A waterfall of blood fills Max’s mouth, seeping between his teeth.
“Aah!” his father screams, slamming Max into the wall. A poster of a bikini model shreds off the wall as his father runs him into a wall lamp. The bulb pops with a flash and glass trickles the floor.
His father throws him into a china cabinet. Crash! The cabinet consumes the boy in a wave of shattering glass. Max attempts to crawl out of the cabinet with blood all over his body. Max’s father kicks him in the face, plowing it through the edge of the cabinet. Max lies there covered in blood, unable to move.
“You bit my fucking nose off!” his father growls, picking up a broken chair leg. Max’s mother runs up to his father.
“Please stop!” she cries uncontrollably, unable to attack.
The father knocks her over and hits the base of her skull from behind. She hits the ground. The father steps toward Max as he lies there. The mother’s eyes open with an unusual sensation, as though something is lifted off her shoulders. She looks up at a drawer, just above a cabinet. She leaps to her feet, runs to the drawer, and opens it, revealing a Beretta nine-millimeter pistol. She grabs it, slides the clip in with a click. She flips the safety off, charges the slide back to chamber the first round, and then aims at the father’s back. Without hesitation, she squeezes the trigger. Bang! Blood exits his torso, splattering across the cabinet.
The father leaps for the door in an attempt to get cover. Bang! The second bullet clips his shoulder, releasing more blood down his arm. He runs behind the wall toward the back door to escape. She unloads the clip into the wall as he crashes out the back patio door.
Max’s mother drops the gun onto the floor, grabs the car keys, and runs to her son, who lies there covered in blood, incapable of standing. With all her strength, she lifts her son and runs out their front door. Tears run down her face as she shuffles down the stairs toward the street. She clicks the button on the key chain to unlock the car door. With haste, the panicked mother lays her son in the backseat. She then runs to the driver’s side door and hops in.
Max’s mother slides the key into the ignition and turns it. The engine sputters, failing to start. The fuel light flickers, revealing a nearly empty tank. Crash! Max’s father smashes through the side gate, snapping the door off its hinges. She notices him in the mirror as he scans the area, trying to find them. She turns the ignition again. The engine sputters, failing to start yet again. He hears the engine and turns, facing the car. She notices and panics. She grabs the wheel with one hand and turns the ignition with her other. The father makes a run for it, closing the distance quickly.
“God fucking damn it!” she cries while the engine sputters.
Thud! The father hits the back window. The engine screams to life. She gasps as the father leaps on the back of the car. She slams the gas. The tires screech against the road in a cloud of burnt rubber. The father rolls off the back and hits the ground as the car is sent forward in a quick acceleration. She punches it, cutting a corner sharply. She ignores the blinking fuel light. Somebody runs across the road. She slams the brakes then slams the horn.
She punches it yet again, accelerating the car into high speed. She looks back at Max to see if he’s okay. His eyes are closed.
“Max!” she cries.
Max opens one eye to look at his mom. His other eye is swollen shut.
“Stay with me, buddy,” his mother says, putting her hand on his chest. “We’re going to the hospital,” she adds.
The gray sky flashes, and a drizzle of rain follows shortly after. A faint crackle of thunder passes over the city. Water drops build up on the windshield. She turns the windshield wipers on. The clouds grow dark very quickly, sending a gentle chill throughout the city. The wind blows a cool mist. The dark sky flashes once again and follows up with a loud boom of thunder. The rain then picks up, showering the car roof with a loud force, and at that precise moment, the car dies.
“Damn it!” she yells, pressing the gas pedal repeatedly, though it fails to respond.
She turns the wheel, drifting the car off to the side of the road, and then pulls to a stop. Max’s mother disappears out the door into the rain. The door by Max’s head opens quickly as she grabs hold of her son, lifting him out into the rain.
“It’s only a block away,” she says to Max.
With all her energy, she runs with Max in her arms through the storm and around the block. The hospital is in her sight as she makes haste toward the emergency room entrance. They enter the automatic doorway into the ER lobby.
“Please help!” Max’s mother cries. Her eyes glow green.
“Calm down,” a man in blue scrubs says as he approaches. He then notices her glowing eyes.
“Ma’am, we will get to him right after the human patients are taken care of,” the nurse says.
“My son is dying!” she yells with a fearful expression.
“I understand, ma’am, but the law states that human patients are priority. Period. I am going to ask you to please be patient with us,” he adds in a firm voice.
“But my son is fucking dying!” she screams with terror in her eyes.
“Ma’am, we are doing the best we can with the staff we have,” he says.
The ER charge nurse approaches the security guard.
“It’s leaking blood all over our lobby,” the charge nurse says to the guard.
“Want me to send them outside?” the guard asks.
“Please, just try to keep her from making
a big scene about it,” the nurse replies.
The ER security guard approaches Max and his mother.
“Ma’am, I’m going to ask you to step outside till it is your turn,” the guard says.
“I’ll go stand out there, but will you please take my son?” she asks with tears running down her cheeks.
“No, ma’am. He is leaking all over the floor. Take him outside now,” the guard demands in a stout voice.
“But it’s raining,” she adds.
“Hey, I told you to take your fucking robot son outside!” the guard yells.
The charge nurse shakes her head in embarrassment.
“You could act a little more sympathetic than that,” the charge nurse says in a low tone to the guard.
Max’s mother carries her son out into the rain as more people enter the ER. She carries him to the corner where less rain will hit them. She sits in the water with her son on her lap. She brushes his wet hair out of his face. The weak boy’s eyes slowly open, looking up at his mother.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers to Max.
“It’s not your fault,” he replies.
Max’s mother feels an overwhelming sense of failure. The only thing that matters to her in this world is her son. She wonders what will happen if she loses him. She couldn’t live with herself. Her eyes pan back and forth in panic as her mind blows up with hypothetical questions. Tears run down her face. Max places his hand on her cheek.
“It’s okay,” he says with a soft and kind voice.
She hugs his hand between her cheek and shoulder.
“I just wish there was something I could do,” she cries.
“I love you, Mom,” he says.
Her heart sinks as she hugs him tightly. A female nurse exits the ER and approaches Max and his mother.
“Come with me,” the nurse says.
Max’s mother lifts him up, following the nurse into the parking lot. The nurse opens the door to her SUV and helps Max’s mother place him inside on the backseat. Max’s mother gets into the passenger seat. The nurse runs around to the driver’s seat.
“Where are you taking us?” Max’s mother asks.
“My apartment. I have medical supplies and everything we need,” the nurse replies.
“Thank you so much!” his mother says.
After about fifteen minutes, they arrive at the apartment. The nurse helps Max’s mother carry him inside. They lay him down on the sofa. The nurse cleans him, stitches him up, and applies a handful of bandages.
“Thank you so much. I owe you my life,” Max’s mother says.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad he’s doing okay,” the nurse replies.
The nurse sits down in a wooden chair. The mother is amazed with the nurse and her selfless act.
“I don’t understand,” Max’s mother says.
“Understand what?” the nurse asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Why you helped us,” the mother replies.
“Because she is one of us,” Max says softly.
The nurse is stunned. “How did you know?” she asks.
“I can always tell. Ever since I was little, I could see them, androids, like stars in the sky,” Max says.
“He has a special talent, my son,” Max’s mother says with a proud smile.
“That’s incredible!” the nurse says, clearly impressed.
“I can also see inside them, see what makes them unique, what makes them special,” Max adds with an empty expression.
Twelve Years Later
Max’s mother Carol stays in hiding, renting a small apartment. She is hired under the table by a man who manages an old warehouse. The warehouse has been turned into a large pawnshop, and Carol works the cash register. The days are long and tend to drag, but she keeps busy. Out of the six workers, Carol was recently awarded employee of the month. It is a hard job, but the people there are friendly.
Carol nears the end of her shift, pops open the cash drawer, and begins counting the bills. The bell rings as three people enter the store.
“Welcome. Let me know if you need anything,” she says.
They don’t respond. She pauses her counting for a moment, looking up at the men as they spread out through the aisles. They all wear baseball caps pulled low, concealing their faces. One man approaches her around the counter from one side, and another man approaches her from the other side. Her heart starts to pound and she grows uncomfortable. The third man approaches the counter in front of her.
“Please, I don’t want any trouble,” she says nervously.
“Neither did I,” the man in front of her says, lifting his hat off his head and revealing a scarred face without a nose. The two other men snatch her arms tightly. She attempts to pull away, but fails.
The men remove her from the store with brutal haste and toss her into the back of an old van. The van speeds out of parking lot, disappearing into the city.
Twenty-Five Minutes Later
The van pulls into a small parking lot in an old church. The church is small, but neatly kept. The outside appears to have a fresh coat of white paint. The windows are stained glass and consist of many scenes of angels and demons fighting. The van stops on the side of the church, and the three men yank Carol out like a ragdoll. She struggles to keep her footing as they drag her to the front door.
“Please,” Carol cries, her eyes illuminating green. “Let me go,” she adds with a sob. The noseless man slams her through the double doors, throwing her off her feet and onto the wooden floor.
He approaches her again, violently startling her as she throws her hands up to protect herself. He snatches her wrist, yanking her to up to her feet. Tears run down her cheeks.
“What do you want from me?” she asks.
They move up to the front stage where what appears to be a mounted wooden pole stands in the center. The stage is covered in straw at the base of the wooden pole. She loses control of her emotions and begins to break down. Her heart pounds violently like a deep drum.
“Please, let me go!” she cries, trying to make eye contact with Max’s father as he binds her hands to the pole.
“You want me to let you go?” he asks, crossing his arms.
He pulls her cellphone from her pocket, scans through the contacts, finds Max’s number, and then taps the screen to dial.
“Then tell him where we are,” he says with a rasp. She spits in his face.
The noseless man stares into her eyes with spit dripping down his face, acting oblivious to it. After a moment, he nods and turns away, placing the phone to his ear. One of the other men lights a torch, handing it to Max’s father.
“Hello?” a deep voice says over the phone.
“Hey, sport. How ya been?” his father says to him.
There is a pause.
“What do you want?” Max asks.
“I want to see you,” his father replies in a sarcastic tone.
“Why would I do that?” Max asks.
His father glares back into Carol’s green eyes.
“I have your mother,” his father growls. “You have twenty minutes to get here, or she dies,” he adds.
There’s another pause. Max’s father smirks.
“Hello?” his father says.
The church lights go out. The men are startled.
“What the fuck?” one of his men hisses.
Max’s father hears what sounds like wheezing over the phone. It then stops.
“I’m here,” Max says calmly. His father drops the phone.
“He’s here,” Max’s father whispers. One of his men nods to the other as they move toward the front door.
“Run, Max!” his mother screams. “They have guns!”
Max’s father turns to her in rage, then drops the torch into the straw. The straw ignites quickly, making its way toward her feet.
Squish! One of the men is grabbed from behind, hiking his head back. The fist squeezes the man’s hair with an unusual strength pulling the skin of his face ti
ghtly. The man appears to be in pain as he gasps. Another large hand grabs the man’s right hand as it wields a pistol. The pistol drops from his grasp as his hand is crushed, breaking his carpals with a crack! The unstoppable force leans the man over, pressing his face onto the back edge of a wooden bench. Crush! His face consumes the wood in a bloody waterfall. His skull crushes inward. He then falls back into his own blood.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Max’s father and the other henchman unload into the dark.
Carol hikes up her leg. As the fire gets too close, her feet begin to burn. The heat makes it difficult for her to breathe. Her skirt then lights on fire as she suffocates in terror.
The other henchman peers down his pistol sight in an attempt to find Max. A hand emerges from the shadow, grabbing the henchman’s wrist. His arm is pulled backward, tearing his forearm from the humeral socket.
“Aah!” the man cries in horror as he looks at a bloody stub with no arm in sight.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Max’s father unloads another clip in panic. His henchman drops to the ground behind the benches for cover. The henchman then looks up to see the bone of his bloody forearm facing him. With brute force, the bone is forced into his mouth and out the side of his head. The massive shadow rises over the man as he sits on his knees in his own blood. With his entire forearm plunged through the side of his face, his eyes open wide in shock. The large shadow of death grabs hold of both ends of the forearm, and like a fulcrum, the henchman’s head twists with an unrelenting force, snapping his spinal cord. The man drops dead onto the wooden floor.
The flame grows quickly, making its way off the stage. Carol’s skin begins to flay and blister.
“Aah!” she screams in excruciating pain. As the fire consumes her entire body, her hair lights in a blaze.
“Mother!” Max roars, sprinting toward her in terror. The noseless father stops him in his path.
An elderly man steps out of a doorway next door, rubbing his tired eyes and wondering what the commotion is. Outside, he approaches a stained-glass window of the Archangel Michael fighting Apollyon the Destroyer. He focuses through the window into the burning church to see the chaos within.
The father aims the pistol at Max’s head. Max hits it out of his father’s hand and then grabs his father’s jaw, squeezing it so tight that his teeth fold inward. His father’s eyes open wide like a lamb headed to the slaughter. Max bares his teeth with every bit of hate he has, then snaps his father’s jawbone in half.
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