After the World's End

Chapter Fourteen

It was less than a hour later that Max had another attack. Shortly after Alexander had called for them to stop for lunch, everyone settled down in their usual jobs, even Cohen who was continuing his self-imposed exile from the others. Max was curled up under a thick blanket to keep him warm in the cool winter afternoon. The spot they had stopped in wasn't as nice as it usually was. It was only slightly less muddy than everywhere else, but Max didn't really mind. He was mostly protected by the blanket and, as Caroline had pointed out, he was already so filthy that it didn't really matter.

Max hated these times of the day. It was so much better when he had Arden to talk to. Then, Max couldn't dwell on how useless he was to his friends. He would watch them drop to the floor exhausted every night and would know that there was nothing he could do to help and he hated it.

When Arden came over to him with a bowl of super and a determined expression, Max resignedly sat up. What happened next stunned him. He didn't know if it came from the small exertion of sitting up, or if it was coincidental, but the next thing he knew was the blinding pain. Max wasn't aware that he was screaming, or that he was writhing around on the ground as if he were being tortured. Max couldn't think of anything but the dehumanizing pain, that made him no different than an animal.

The difference was the ripping agony inside of Max wouldn't stop this time. The boy was sure he'd passed out, but the pain forced him awake again. He was trapped in a vicious cycle of darkness and agony for god knows how long.

Max opened his eyes, wincing as even that small movement hurt his sore muscles. Max's stomach still hurt so bad that it normally would have left his in tears, but now it was a relief after what he'd been through. Max knew it was dark outside, but he couldn't find it in himself to ask anyone how long he'd been unconscious.

Max's muscles twitched and throbbed after his ordeal and his heart sunk in horror. Whatever was happening to him was getting worse and Max didn't think he could fight it for much longer. His stomach had never hurt like that before. Usually it was his chest, but Max knew it wasn't his breathing that had caused this episode. Max had been almost comforted by the predictability of the pain, but this fresh horror was almost too much for him…No, it was too much for him. He couldn't allow himself to be afraid of this anymore. It made everything so much worse. Feeling almost apathetic about the whole situation, Max drifted back off into sleep.

Max could recall only bits and pieces of the next few days. He faintly remembered when they reached the beach. Everyone had been so happy and they were so sure that they would get to the sanctuary in no time. Max had tried to be happy when he saw the grin on Arden's face and he supposed he was happy in an odd sort of way. He was glad to see Arden and his friends happiness, but he really didn't feel anything towards himself. It felt dishonest to be around his friends now. They were so full of life now and Max felt like an half-assed imitation of humanity. It was like he was wearing a part of his former self, a part Max was quickly finding that he didn't even want anymore.

The fits were getting more frequent. Every few hours, he would feel the miserable pain take over and he would slip into a world where reality no longer mattered. Max spent most of his time in an empty sort of silence, watching the others. Practically, his life wasn't any different, but his perception had certainly changed.

It was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep when Max had another fit. Max's muscles involuntarily clenched as he convulsed for what seemed like the millionth time. Max felt like he was choking and his entire body hunched over as he gasped quietly. Max decided that he hated his body when the fit finally ended.

A moment later, he felt a warm pair of arms wrap around Max's body and lift him up. Max found himself lying against Arden's broad chest a moment later and he sighed, sensing that another conversation with Arden was coming on.

"You haven't eaten in almost a week," Arden murmured.

Max sighed. He supposed it was stupid to even hope for Arden to let this go, but he was just so tired of it. Miserable enough without this, he whined, "Arden, please don't."

"Max you have to understand. If you don't eat, you're going to die."

"I'll only be sick," Max murmured, barely holding back tears. He abhorred it when Arden was angry with him.

"Max, you need to try anyway. I know it hurts, but you need to try. You have to know-"

"You think I don't know that I'm dying?" Max asked, his voice deadly calm. He didn't have the strength to be angry with his friend. "Arden, I can feel it. I can't breathe. I can't eat. My entire body aches and even the softest touch makes me bruise. Half the time, I don't even know what going on because I'm so sick. I know I'm dying because this sure as hell isn't living."

"Max…"

Max looked steadily into Arden's eyes and Arden was finally able to grasp for the first time how much Max understood about his illness. He expected to see fear and for Max to break down, but the opposite was the truth. Max was so calm and that was terrifying for Arden. No one should be calm while something like that was happening. Arden knew Max was angry, but the hopeless calm was the worst thing he'd ever seen. Max thought he was going to die.

"Max," Arden whispered again, but he still didn't know what to say. How could he tell Max that everything would be fine when it was clear that things were getting worse?

"It hurts," he repeated, softly.

"I know," Arden said. Arden dedicated himself to keeping his friend alive after that. He'd always cared about Max, but seeing him looking so frail and hopeless changed everything. It was useless though. Nothing he said could draw the boy out of his shell. Max behaved as if he'd said everything he wanted to and now he was content with giving up. They all tried to help, but Max looked right through them.

Arden was persistent though. He'd prattle on for hours about the littlest thing, just so Max would know that he wasn't giving up on him. "We're almost there" became his mantra and he repeated it all the time.

It was early in the morning and everyone was shuffling up the beach, muttering about the sand in their shoes when Max started coughing. Everyone immediately went silent and appeared almost guilty for their own complaints when one of their friends was in so much pain.

Max's arm covered his mouth and when the fit ended everyone could see the blood splattered across his arms. Max looked at his blood with a sick, morbid fascination that frightened the others.

"Max, don't," Arden admonished, his heart breaking for the boy. He knelt at the edge of the tide, caught Max's arm, and washed the blood off of him. Max didn't say a word the entire time.

Arden just started to get to his feet when Max let out a soft gasp and pulled weakly on Arden's arm to get his attention, all the while peering intently at something over Arden's shoulder.

"What?" Arden asked, turned to see what Max was looking at.

Arden was stupefied by the sight before him. He and his friends were surrounded about twenty people, all with a mish-mash of weapons. People of all ages were holding hunting knifes, rifles, pistols, sharpened spears, and more. It didn't even occur to Arden to be afraid of the hostile group at first. All he felt was the unbelieving happiness that they had finally gotten to another village; something he'd wanted ever since their home had been ransacked. It had always seemed so unrealistic for them to actually find another community that Arden had never even thought about what it would be like if they got there.

The entire group was too flabbergasted to do more than stare dumbly at the crowd gathered around them. Every single one of the people stood around them with expressions that were at first closed off, but on closer examination, Arden could detect the fear in their eyes.

It was their fear that shook Arden out of his blissful wonder at what was happening around them. Fear changed everything. It was fear that made them treat Max so cruelly when they first met them. Fear, in part, caused the looters to band together and hurt people. Hell, it was fear that had made people fight in the war that had gotten them all in this situation.

Alexander was the first person to break the silence. In an uncharacteristically nervous voice, he said, "Um…hello. We're not looters. We've come for a place to stay. Audrey and Cain sent us here." Alexander definitely didn't expect the uproar that followed his words.

"You know Audrey and Cain?"

"Where's Collin? Where are our friends?"

"Liars! Audrey and Cain would never have told him about us!"

Arden refused to allow this to happen. These people couldn't stop them from staying, not when they had been looking for so long and…not when it would mean that Max would die if he wasn't treated soon.