Max's POV
6 MONTHS EARLIER
Tears poured down my face as his grip on my hand was slowly getting weaker.
"Max" Jeb, my dad whispered.
"I'm right here dad. It'll be ok" I said, my voice breaking.
"I never wanted this to happen" he croaked.
"I know. You just wanted to protect us. You just wanted to keep us away from the virus. We forgive you" I cried and I felt Fang's hand on my shoulder.
"Max, I tried to stop it" he said, finding it hard to talk.
"It's ok. We know you had no say in the virus" I said and I heard Ella sob behind me.
"Max. I love you. I love you both" he whispered, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
"I love you too, dad" I sobbed as his hand fell from mine.
I cried out and Fang pulled me into a bear hug. I dried my tears and looked over at Ella who stood there crying. I opened my arms and she came over and hugged me.
"At least mum will take care of him now" she whispered and I smiled.
Our mum had died two weeks ago.
Fang was my best friend and his dad had been killed a month ago and he had been alone since.
Itex was the most powerful corporation in the world, and the evilest. They had planned to take over the world by halving the population. It took them years, but they finally perfected a virus to do just that.
Well that's what they thought. Instead of killing off only the weak, dying and criminals, it killed all adults. In the past month anyone over the age of 18 had gotten large rashes on their skin and within a week of getting it, they were dead. Nearly every adult in the world was dead.
So far people were in shock and kids were grieving. But I knew it wouldn't be long until chaos arose.
Our dad had worked at Itex but he tried to stop the virus but it was too late.
Ella shivered in my arms and I felt pained. What was going to happen to us? Once the chaos rose, who knew where we'd be. In the streets looking for our next meal? Fighting some gang for rights of the shelter or food found? Anything could happen now.
What was to become of this world?
THE NOW PRESENT
Max's POV
The sirens wailed and I ran for it. My breathing was fast and short as I ran, pushing past other running people. I scampered over a fence and rand down an ally. I threw myself into a pile of old cardboard boxes and laid low.
I heard the trucks roll by slowly and the sirens blasted loud. There were a few gunshots and I flinched at each one.
Once they were gone I crept out of my hiding spot and snuck out of the ally hopefully without getting seen. I stuck to the shadows and tried to look normal as I snuck through the streets.
Papers blew around the deserted streets like normal. Piles of trash burned and smoke filled the air. Nearly every shop window was broken and barely anything was ever left there.
I left the main street and headed into a park. Behind the park were trees and bushes covering the place. As I ventured deeper into the bushes I found our little hidey.
"Did you find anything?" Ella asked and I chucked some worn looking clothes at her and a packet of chips.
"Is that all?" Fang asked, not in a mean way but I disappointed and saddened way. I nodded and he sighed.
For 6 months we had been hiding from place to place in this large city. This was our home, we couldn't leave. Our house had been burned and deserted like most normal houses.
Since adults had been all killed, kids have gone crazy. Taking over the city, the world. We seemed to have gone primitive. People bunched together in tribes. Using paint to mark which tribe they were from.
There were constant wars going on between tribes. The world had gone to hell.
But there was one tribe that ruled the city. The Brax's. They had the main supply of working vehicles, guns and weaponry, food and other supplies. They killed without mercy and were feared by all. They patrolled the streets in their big truck, guns out, sirens blazing, just to remind us whose boss.
Ella, Fang and I had managed to stay alive, but many hadn't. Just last week I had come across a poor excuse for a burial and the name tag read 'Georgia Tul' a girl who had been in my class at school.
Sam was the leader of the Brax's. He had been a boy in my class as well. By his side was a ruthless girl named Lissa. She had been ruler of the school, I guess she was ruler of the city now, she must be so proud.
I looked over at Ella who was holding up the clothes, a look of concentration on her face as she tried to think of ways to patch them up and make them wearable. On her cheek was a red hand print she had done herself where one finger went over her mouth, some went over her nose and some went over her eye so it covered half her face.
Fang had a black and brown long feather in his hair and a thin Chinese looking zig zag dark blue pattern going down one side of his face. O
n my cheek were golden vines spread out all over the cheek.
All of a sudden I could hear people talking and getting closer. Fang's head snapped up as he heard them too.
"Come on" I whispered to Ella.
"Max, we'll be safe here. No one will find us" Fang whispered.
"And what if they do?" I whispered back.
"They won't" he hissed.
"And what if they do Fang?" I hissed back.
"Come on Fang, let's just go" Ella said tugging at his sleeve.
Fang rolled his eyes and we started crawling through the bushes, staying low and quiet. Once we had come to the edge of the park we got up and headed back into the streets.
We started creeping through the streets, stoping in each shadow to make sure no one had seen us.
"Stop!" someone yelled and I turned to see four guys about 16 or 17 standing not too far away from us. I saw that they all had painted marks of red flame like patterns going down their foreheads, down the bridge of their noses and under their eyes. It was the symbol for being a Brax.
One pointed his gun at us and fired. It missed us and I knew he wouldn't hit us, we had done nothing wrong so worst case scenario was they captured us and threw us into a cell.
"Run!" I yelled at Fang and Ella as we fled down the street. Few others who had also been close scattered away.
"Keep running!" I yelled as the Brax's were starting to catch up.
All of a sudden there was a thump and a loud cry. I turned my head to see Ella lying on the ground. I came to halt and ran back to her and saw Fang do the same.
Ella was still conscious, but barely and her leg was bleeding badly. I saw she had tripped on a metal handle from a manhole leading into the tunnels.
"Help me get her" I hissed at Fang as the Brax's were getting closer.
I opened the cement hatch with a grunt and helped Fang get Ella down there. I closed the hatch and we hurried down the tunnels. I heard the guys still coming after us and we tried to hurry but the semi unconscious Ella was slowing us.
Fang just took her from me and picked her up bridal style and we managed to run a bit faster.
Suddenly I could see more light in front of us and as we neared it I saw it was a room of a shop. We entered it and I noticed it was the entrance of a mall.
As we ran to the other side of the room I saw a metal gate blocked us off to the rest of the mall. We came to a stop and we could hear the Brax's coming behind us, we were trapped.
"Oh god" I said, finding it hard to breathe.
All of a sudden the gate rose up just enough for us to slide under. Fang pushed Ella under and then came through after me. After Fang was safely under it fell back down. The Brax's came to a stop.
"Open this gate now" one barked.
"No thanks" I said but froze as he pointed his gun at us.
Suddenly there were four gunshots and the Brax's all dropped to the ground dead.
We turned to see a boy standing at the top of the stairs, gun in hand and pointed at us.
