Chapter 3: The Search Begins
Max sat on the dying brown grass on the outskirts of the junkyard where him and his family lived, serving as a shelter as they hid from the evil Dark Ones. The junkyard was on the outskirts of the deserted New York City, left abandoned after the Awakening. He sat on the grass tossing a bouncing red ball he’d found against the wall. His dog Rythel sat at his side, basking in the afternoon sunlight.
“Don’t you think you should be worried of the whereabouts of your siblings?” Max heard a voice say calmly in his mind. It was Rythel, his pug face calm. Max stopped throwing his red rubber ball at the peeling cement wall and turned to look at his overconfident, intelligent dog, his short fur blowing in the wind peacefully as they lied beneath the large oak tree.
“Why? They’ll be back soon, they always do!” Max said surely, and continued throwing his ball at the cement wall, with it bouncing against the surface and always hurtling back to him. Rythel made a strange noise in his throat. Max raised an eyebrow as he could’ve sworn it was a chuckle.
“Just keep thinking that…” Rythel murmured quietly. Max turned to the stereo next to him and pressed the pause button, stopping the “California Love” by 2Pac that was playing at moderate volume. Unlike Sheila, he enjoyed the oldies hip hop music. Max turned to his Pug, suddenly concerned for his lack of assurance,
“You don’t really think something could’ve happened to them, do you?” He asked doubtfully. Rythel sighed sarcastically,
“Oh, no! Obviously they could’ve survived heading into a deserted hospital infested with Dark Ones!” Max was disturbed by the lack of seriousness in his dog’s voice.
“What are trying to say?” Max snapped, his anger beginning to flare. Rythel made another noise in his throat,
“I’m just saying that if I were you, I would be pretty worried that my older brother and sister haven’t returned from a big dangerous quest yet!” Rythel said jokingly. Max was silent as he held the ball in his hands, his face hard as stone. Finally, he stood up,
“You’re right,” he said bravely. “I need to go find them.” Rythel grinned, letting his sharp teeth shimmer,
“Now that’s the owner I know!” Rythel said, his shimmering teeth glistening in the afternoon sun.
“But…where should I look for them?” Max asked unconfidently. Rythel made the noise in his throat again,
“The city, of course! Where else do you think they could’ve gone?” Rythel said sarcastically. Max’s annoyance at his dog flared,
“Well, Mr. Know-It-All, if you think you’re so smart, then why not come with me on my search?” he asked daringly.
Rythel went silent, regretting ever annoying his master.
“Well?” Max snapped, his voice dangerously booming. Rythel let out a sigh,
“Fine,” Rythel grumbled, “But just remember that the only reason I’m coming is so I can drag you’re dead corpse back here for a proper burial, when you get devoured by the Dark Ones.” The way he said it made Max wonder if he was actually serious or not.
Max and Rythel made their way to Jonathon’s armory, where he held all types of weapons. Light machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, launchers, heavy machine guns, assault rifles…the list went on and on. Max took a machine gun with a handgun for extra safety, along with a switchblade attached to his belt. He checked the ammo compartments to find it partially empty, so he tried to use the minimum amount he needed for his rescue mission. When he was ready to head out on his journey, he exited the gates of the junkyard, Rythel at his side. They began making their way towards the isolated New York City, ready for a long, dangerous journey ahead of him to save his older brother and sister.