The golden gate of the Evergreen estate groaned under the weight of the silence as Max shoved it open. He quickly sprinted up the winding, marble-paved driveway, his voice cracking as he screamed her name into the oppressive quiet.
"Maxine! Maxine!" he called out, but there was no response from inside.
He slammed his shoulder against the heavy oak door of the house, pushing it open with reckless urgency. The foyer was silent, the air thick and cold, smelling faintly of old perfume and fresh copper.
"Maxine?!" he called out again but there was still no reply.
As he strode across the polished marble floor, he came across something that sent shivers down his spine; Just a few feet from the entrance lay the cold, dead body of a maid, her neck twisted at an impossible, sickening angle, her eyes staring blankly at the crystal chandelier above.
Max instantly panicked, a cold dread twisting in his gut. "Shit! Maxine?!" he yelled, quickly increasing his pace as he strode further, heading to the living room.
He pushed deeper into the house, following the scent of iron and the sound of a soft, rhythmic sobbing. Eventually, he stepped into the grand living room, and the breath left his lungs.
It was a place of complete horror.
The wide, luxurious room had been transformed into a charnel house. Bodies. Corpses of maids and other male servants were spread across the Persian rug and scattered among overturned furniture, each bearing deep, ragged claw marks or savage bite wounds. The blood had darkened, staining the expensive fabrics black.
It was a sight that should have broken a teenager, but Max didn't even flinch. Instead, he noted something equally disturbing: the victims didn't look entirely human. Some were bloated, grey-skinned zombies; others were something else entirely, their limbs elongated and mouths frozen in silent, feral screams.
And then he saw her.
Maxine.
She was on her knees, her shoulders heaving as she wept over a corpse that had a jagged, gaping hole where the heart should have been.
Max sighed in relief to see that she was okay. But as he moved closer, his eyes widened, recognition hitting him like a physical blow. The corpse beside Maxine was… her mother, Eleanor.
"Oh, no," he muttered, the breath leaving him in a ragged gasp. He quickly strode over, navigating the silent, stiff corpses.
"Maxine," he called out softly as he reached her.
She didn't reply, her focus locked entirely on the broken body before her. Max stopped beside her and knelt, his gaze sweeping over Eleanor's body. The wound in the chest was fresh, blood still pooling beneath her, but she wasn't breathing. She was definitely dead.
"I'm so sorry, Maxine," he whispered.
But those words only shattered the fragile composure Maxine had left. Her sobbing increased, tears streaming down her face profusely, soaking the front of her dress. Max reached out, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Maxine. I'm here."
Slowly, the gesture worked. Her wrenching sobs reduced to hoarse hiccups. She shuddered, her breathing slowly leveling out as she stared at her mother's pale face.
Max didn't say anything, he simply comforted her silently, patiently waiting for her to speak whenever she was ready. And eventually, she did.
"She died protecting me," Maxine began, her voice barely above a whisper.
"When I got here, Mum was fine," she continued, fighting to draw breath. "But the workers weren't. They had all turned into… monsters. And they were going to kill us both."
Maxine bowed her head again, releasing silent sobs. "She told me to get out, to run, that she'd lure them away. But I didn't go. I stayed, insisting I wouldn't leave her. And the monsters attacked us together."
"We tried to fend them off, but they were too many. We were outnumbered and we were both going to die," she narrated, the words tasting like ash. "But then, Mum… she suddenly started going through some kind of transformation. A very terrible one."
Maxine's voice trembled as she described the horror. "Her bones... they started snapping and reforming. Her spine lengthened, she grew claws and fangs, and her face... it elongated into a snout. And I could tell… the whole process was incredibly painful," she shuddered violently. "But when the pain stopped… mum wasn't human anymore."
"She had turned into some kind of werewolf," Maxine said, her voice hollow. "And she became wild, like a beast. But she didn't hurt me. And she wouldn't let the monsters hurt me either."
Maxine gestured vaguely at the carnage surrounding them. "So she fought them, every single one that tried to get close to me. She protected me from them. She killed them all."
Then her expression darkened, her gaze shifting to the hole in her mother's chest. "But by the time Mum killed the last monster, something changed… she wasn't acting normal anymore. It was like she was losing control of herself, losing her humanity and turning into a beast that would kill anything in sight. Including her own daughter."
"And she knew this… but she wouldn't let it happen," Maxine said, her voice cracking. "So she… killed herself. To protect me from her, to… keep me safe."
She turned to Max, tears streaming down profusely. "I watched her rip out her own heart, Max. I watched her kill herself for me, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I just stood there… and watched her die."
Max's heart clenched, the sheer magnitude of the tragedy overwhelming. He pulled her into an embrace immediately, wrapping his arms around her tightly, burying her face against his chest. She hugged him back desperately, crying even harder now, the sound muffled by his jacket.
"I'm a monster, Max. A monster," Maxine cried. "I'm the reason she's dead."
Max pulled back, holding her at arm's length and staring her in the face. He wiped the tracks of her tears with his thumbs. "No, Maxine. You are not a monster. Your mother knew exactly what she was doing. She protected you, and she protected the memory of who she was by making the ultimate sacrifice."
He looked at Eleanor's corpse, the regal, dead face, then back at Maxine. "Your mother was a good woman, Maxine. She loved you more than her own life, which is why she did what she did. She sacrificed herself so you could keep living. And the best way to honor that sacrifice isn't to drown in guilt, it's to survive and live."
Somehow, Max's words seemed to reach Maxine. She stopped sobbing, only staring at him, her eyes wet and huge.
"She was the only one I had, Max, and now she's gone. And I have no one."
"You have me," Max whispered, placing his hand gently on her cheek. "And I will never leave you."
Maxine leaned into his palm, staring at him deeply with teary eyes, testing the conviction in his voice. "Promise?"
Max nodded firmly. "Promise."
They remained like that for a long, necessary moment of silent, enjoying each other's comfort. Finally, Max stood up, pulling Maxine to her feet. "We have to get out of the city. The military is coming, but we need to get into their range."
"How?" Maxine asked, her voice still broken from all the crying. "Neither of us can drive a car, and the city roads will be crawling with monsters, which makes traveling on foot difficult."
Max thought for a moment, then an idea sparked. "We don't have to take car," he said. "Do you still have the motorcycle I got you for Christmas?"
"Yes," Maxine replied. "It's in the garage."
"Perfect," Max said. "I'll go get the bike… give you time to say goodbye to her." Then he turned and quickly strode out of the room, heading toward the garage.
Behind him, Maxine looked back down at her mother's corpse. Her eyes watered up again, but she held the tears back, forcing strength into her posture. She knelt one last time, caressing her dead mother's cold cheek.
"I will always love you, Mum," she whispered. "And I will make sure your sacrifice wasn't for nothing. I'll keep living. To remember you always."
Then she kissed her mother's forehead, and stood up. She walked out of the room, and at the threshold of the entrance, she paused. She glanced back at the scene of unspeakable horror, at her mother's broken, noble form, before finally turning and walking out of the living room, heading out of the devastated house.
Outside, she met Max already in front of the building, standing beside a black luxury power bike. He walked up to her, his jaw set.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded. Max smiled faintly, a brief flicker of warmth, then turned and started to lead her toward the bike.
But Maxine didn't move.
"Max…" she spoke, her voice quieter now. "Where's your mum and dad?"
Max paused instantly. His back stiffened. He was silent for a long moment, before letting out a deep, shaky breath.
"They… They're gone."
Maxine's eyes widened, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. "Oh my God, Max, I'm so sorry."
Max turned to her with a wry, forced smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It's okay, Maxine. Let's just go."
She was stunned. He had just admitted he had lost both his parents to this horror and was acting as if he'd simply misplaced his keys.
"Max, are you okay?" she asked out of genuine, raw concern. "We can talk—"
"There's nothing to talk about," Maxine cut in gently, his voice strained but firm. "Both our parents are dead, Maxine. And we'll be too if we don't get out of here." Then he sighed, the sound heavy with unexpressed grief. "So please, let's just go. We can talk when we're safe."
Maxine stared at him for a moment longer, realizing the depth of the armor he had been forced to put on. She nodded finally and walked toward the machine.
Max got on first, and she followed suit, climbing on behind him. They both put on their helmets, before Max started the bike engine, settling it into a powerful, hungry roar.
Then Maxine wrapped her arms around Max's waist, leaning her head against his back. Max felt the warmth of her through his jacket and managed a small, genuine smile.
"Don't worry, Maxine," he said sharply. "We're gonna get out of this city alive. I promise."
Maxine chuckled darkly. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Max," she whispered into his back, her voice devoid of hope.
Max didn't argue. He kicked the stand up, revved the engine, and tore out of the estate, heading back to the heart of the city, and to the monsters that awaited them there.