There was thick rain pouring down on the highway, through the rain a figure could be seen. It was a figure of a small child walking down the highway looking at the floor when a car zoomed passed then stopped, backed up and stopped next to her but she didn't look up or stop walking "Act normal" she thought. The drover rolled down the car window and continued to slowly drive next to her as she continued to walk. The young girl looked up into the car and saw a man looking at her "Run! RUN!" her mind screamed and she starting walking faster and faster but each time the car speed up until she became to run "Not to fast incase it's not them." The girl thought.

Finally the car stopped right in front of her casing her to look around and then turned "WAIT" a voice called as the man caught out of the car causing her to stop. He finally got a good look at her, her hair was growing out a little from what looked like a military hair cut and she was wearing half normal clothes.

The young girl watched as the man grabbed an umbrella and walked up to her not sure what she should do.

"I guess you're not afraid of getting wet." he said as he kneeled in front of her "Come on and get in I'll give you a ride to the city." he told her holding out his hand.

She didn't budge. "Suit yourself." He said standing and started walking back to his car. "I guess if I want to find you I can check the hospitals or the morgue." he said as he got into his car.

The girl looked at the floor and back at the guy "Wait." she said walking up to the window "If you wouldn't mind I would like a ride. I mean the city is still about 15 clicks."

"15 Clicks? Um yeah sure...get in." he said as she opened the door.

The stranger grabbed some of his stuff that was congesting the front passenger seat and moved it to the back. The little girl got in and watched the man "Thank you sir." she said sitting straight up in her seat and putting on her seat beat.

The stranger put his car into gear and pulled back onto the road. "Sean...my name is Sean...not sir...15 clicks...sir what are you some kind of Army brat?"

"Oh. No." the girl looked at him "Normal. Not a soldier. I'm normal." she thought.

He shook his head as he turned on his radio and surfed through the static until he found an old country western station still on the air.

"Bad thing about that pulse is that it stopped radio stations from carrying actual music, most are just weather reports and reporters reminding us how crappy the world has gotten..." he smiled a little "but once in a while you find shitty music like this on the air."

The girl looked at him "My… My name… is Max." she told him.

"Max huh...well nice to meet you Max." He put his hand out for her to shake it but he stared as she just looked at it therefore not paying attention to the oncoming traffic.

"WATCH OUT." she screamed taking the wheel and moving it to the right as a truck came at them missing by only a few inches.

"Oh shit!" Sean swerved out of the way and pounded the side of the door on his side. "Woooh."

"Sorry." Max said letting go of the wheel as Sean took it and just looked at her. Max saw this and looked back at the floor.

"What the hell was that?" Sean thought as he reached down and pulled up a bag of potato chips and put them in the middle of him and Max and grabbed a hand full and put some in his mouth and nodded. "I bet your hungry go ahead and stuff your face. They say that you can't eat just one and I think they're right."

Max looked at him and looked at the bag taking one Max ate it and looked back at Sean. Max smiled "Thank You Sean." she said as she continued to eat.

"No Big Dealio...we got to replenish our systems."

Max looked out the window as they drove "Freedom. I am free." Max thought.

Sean reached into the backseat and grabbed a blanket and put it over Max when he saw she was shivering from the cold of the rain "Look Max I can see a girl in trouble when I see one. You didn't run away from home did you because normally I don't pick up hitch hikers but you don't seem like you'd hurt anybody."

Max looked at him "He going to take me back." she thought and was about to jump out of the car but her mouth had its own idea "I..." she paused "I...it was a bad place, don't make me go back." she pleaded with "Please don't make me go back."

Sean put his hand on her hand and wiped some of the stringy hair from her face "I won't send you back to a place where you don't want to be."

Max felt a heavy weight left from her shoulders.

"She must have been so scared." he thought.

About twenty minutes went with silence except for the wind-shield wipers clicking back and forth.

Sean saw the sign for Seattle up ahead. "Well we made it in one piece. Have you ever been here?"

"No, not really." she said still looking out the window.

He pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and put it on the dash in front of her. "This should get you started."

Max looked at it but did nothing just looked at him "I can make it on my own." she said.

"I know you need it and there is at least a couple months rent there so I know you won't be homeless. I was supposed to go to college but after that pulse hit what was the point. So every nickel and dime I saved I put into this bike shop in the city." he told her.

Max watched him and took the money "Thank you Sean." she said with a smile.

"Look its getting kind of late why don't you stay with me at my place tonight than I can send you on your way in the morning when it is a little drier outside. I got running water so you can take a nice bath and get cleaned up maybe you can fit into some of my sister's old clothes. If you can than you can take them. She died so she can't use them…" he sighed.

Max looked at her seat "I lost a sister too." she said thinking of Eva and cutting off Sean.

"There was a boating accident out on the lake. We were out there when the pulse hit...and got stranded." he finished and looked at her "Sometimes stuff like that happens and you blame yourself for it even though it wasn't your fault."

"Yeah but it was my fault, she was trying to protect me." Max thought "I can't stay. I have to keep moving." Max told him.

Sean looked at her "What is she running from? Could it be where she came from?" Sean asked himself. "You don't have to run you are safe with me." He tried to comfort her.

Max looked out the window "If I stay Lydecker will find me." she thought "but I do feel tired." shecontinued then looked at Sean "He looks so sad, sorry even. Maybe I can find a home here." "I guess I can stay for a little while. I don't sleep much but it would be good to get out of the rain." Max told him with a smile.

"I know your going to want to make some money for yourself and all but like I told you earlier I got this shop I purchased and if you want I could teach you how to work on motorcycles and stuff... It could be useful to you in the future or something. I'd pay you of course as long as you worked hard you could stay in the spare room in the back of the shop. I don't have anything in the way of furniture back there but it's a good place to hide from wherever you're hiding from and I won't tell anybody how we met...Cousin Max." He gave her a little wink.

"Cousin Max? Sounds cool. Like I belong." Max thought with a smile.

Sean drove to a gate saying "Welcome to Sector 6" and stopped. Max show a cop come towards the car and she jumped into the back and hide under the seat. Sean looked at her but then pulled out his ID and gave it to the officer, who took it and walked away. Sean turned in his seat and looked at her "What is she doing?" he thought "So what do you say will you stay?"

Max looked out from under the seat and watched the officer then looked at Sean but said nothing so Sean just turned around and waited for the officer to come back.

A few moments passed and the officer returned with Sean's ID "Go through." the officer ordered handing Sean his ID back and Sean drove through the check point.

When they where out of sight of the police Max climbed back into her seat "I don't know." Max said thinking "Maybe I should but Manticore…"I want a home!" she thought.

"Max I hate to asked but why did you hide when we where going through that check point?" Sean asked.

Max looked at him "I don't… I don't like them. Officers I mean. I don't like them."

Sean wanted to ask why but thought better of it instead he said "That's alright you're a little jumpy because of everything you've been through and you don't have to make a decision about staying yet." Sean said with a smile and continued to drive.

A little while later Sean parked in front of a broken down apartment building "Here we are." he said getting out of the car and walked around to open Max's door. Max stepped out and looked at it "Sorry it doesn't look like much with the Pulse and everything." he continued.

Max smiled at him "It's alright. It doesn't matter to me." and walked towards the door "You coming?" she called over her shoulder.

Sean locked his car and followed after her "Poor kid." he thought unlocking the door to his apartment and walked in followed by Max.

"This is nice." Max said looking around.

Sean smiled "Make yourself at home and I'll get you some cloths." he said as he left the room leaving Max alone.

"Home, a word I wish was mine." she thought as she looked at everything Sean owned, then she looked for easy exits in case it gets bad. "The front door, 3 windows, and a fire escape." Max totaled in her head "Not much but it can work." she thought as she continued looking around.

A few minutes later Sean came back in with a hand full of cloths "Here you go and the bathroom is the second door on the right. Why don't you take a shower while I make us something to eat?"

Max took the cloths with a smile "Ok" she said as she walked into the bathroom.

Sean went into the kitchen and started cooking; he gave a smile when he heard the shower turn on. "She must have had a hard life" he thought and continue cooking.

About an hour later "Max dinners ready come and eat." Sean called into the bathroom.

"I'll be out in a minute." she called back getting out of the shower and getting dress. "Ben, we made it to the good place." Max whispered as she looked up "I will find you, all of you I promise." she continued as she got dressed and walked into Sean's kitchen.

After Max ate they sat in the living and watched television. Finally Sean had fallen asleep "Ok its time to go." Max thought getting off the couch and headed for the door "Sorry Sean. Thanks for the food and the cloths but I have to go." Max whispered as she walked out the door and onto the street.

Max walked away from the building with her head low "A place where I felt I belonged and I have to leave to protect him." Max thought as she continued to walked.

Lost in thought Max didn't notice a group of guys following her and when she turned the corner they jumped her and throw her into the nearest alley "Hey, what was that for?" she asked getting off the floor.

"You looking for trouble kid because you found it." One of the guys said walking at her.

"I wasn't looking for anything I was just walking." she responded.

The guy pushed her into a wall "Walking? You enter our territory and now you are going to pay." He said taking out a knife and the group surrounded them. Max couldn't find a break.

"Great this is all I need." she thought "Come on guys I'm new here I didn't know. I'm sorry." "And I really don't feel like kicking your asses right now." she finished the sentence to herself.

"Sorry? No but you will be." the guy with the knife said as the others laughed as he charged at her.

Written with: Max33452

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