‘I told you there is a proper way to deal with it, haven’t I?’ Iris was afloat. She knows because she has been looking for a concrete surface below her feet but she couldn’t feel anything. She wanted to open her eyes, but every time she tries, her eyelids felt like tearing apart.  ‘You didn’t listen to me, Madelaine. I have told you a hundred times not to use your power against anyone.’ ‘But Mom…’ she sobbed, not really parting her mouth to utter the words. She said it aloud in her mind instead, in where the soft soothing voice of her mother lingered to talk to her. ‘They killed you…I’m lost too—I don’t know who I’m supposed to side with anymore.&

 Max’ mind was swirling along the waves of events that happened so fast, he could not remember them all. One moment his heart was pounding fast as he ran towards the house in a remote residential area and climbed up to the second floor that he wasn’t even prepared to do, and the lack of training was almost certain to bring him to his death either by falling or with the Nightcrawlers would catch him. But he mostly remembered the joy and excitement he felt when he finally broke inside and saw the same expression to the ten officers who were all stripped off of their clothes and tied like dogs at a freezing cold room. Freeing them from the ropes was the only minute that felt right, and at the exuberance of their joy when Max gave the floor a jump to give a sign to Iris he had done his part just like what she had instructed, he realized it was the gravest mistake he ever did. He remembered hearing the rain of gunshots underneath them and his first instinct was t

 The long steel bar scratching against the window glasses woke the little Madelaine up from her sleep. Hugging her crocodile stuff toy her Mom gave her, she jumped out from her bed and sauntered towards her door but immediately halted when she heard a loud thud coming from outside.  Gripping the knob with her soft tiny hands, she twisted it open and peered through the small gap she made. She heard her mother’s cries, pleading as she knelt on the floor with her hands cupped together, her back turned on Iris. She flinched upon hearing the sharp noise of the steel bar as it clanked on the tiled floor of their house.  “Please, don’t take my daughter, you can bring me instead…please!” her mother cried out. From the gap of her door, she could only see half of his fath

Chapter 43 Police sirens disturbed the quietness of the forest. Chief Danillo personally went with the officers to see Max and his sister upon receiving their call that they were at the Sanatorium. Aside from the broken door and the blood spilled on the floor, they found Max and Georgia sitting idly unscathed inside the now abandoned castle of the Nightcrawlers. “They got Anderson,” Max announced mindlessly, his voice sounded neutral and hollow. “They got Anderson, Chief,” he repeated, his voice almost cracked, his eyes firmly looking at the Chief. “I’m sorry Carter, we came late,” the Chief said, sympathetic. “You have nothing to worry about, we’ll be searching for her all night. They wouldn’t reach anywhere far from here,” he assured and lifted his hand to pat him on his back. His gaze landed on Georgia whose eyes were nervously roaming around, watching

 “Are you leaving already?” Claire peered through the door of her room and asked Max who was already wearing his jacket. Flicking the lights on, she squinted her eyes when the light hit them. She glanced on the clock that was ticking near eleven o’clock midnight. She didn’t realize she fell asleep while watching a movie with the boys at the living room, and then woke up already tucked in her bed. “Yeah,” Max answered. “The Chief wants us to get early in the office tomorrow. There’s an upcoming case that he prefers we two should handle,” he answered as he walked near her. “Okay, drive safely, please pick me up tomorrow, Hoon and Lance also need to get back, they can’t stay here.” Claire requested sleepy, her eyes half-closed. Max gave her a small smile. “You should sleep more, I’ll go ahead okay?” Max turned around and w