Chapter Twenty-Five Maxine
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MAXINE
C’mon, keep moving! Don’t look back!”
Maxine had her arms wrapped around Gertrude’s waist. She was relieved, as she was booking down V Street, that she spotted the older woman cowering behind a tree. Gertrude hobbled as she ran, favored her left leg. Had she been hurt? Had her limp been there all along and Maxine hadn’t noticed?
She looked around her and saw unending carnage…
roofs caved in, shattered glass, people lying in the streets…
The most unexpected end to a day that had started off shitty.
Maxine murmured her daughter’s name yet again, as if concentrating hard enough on Clea would form some sort of mystical barrier around her body, would protect her from attack.
The sanctity of motherhood its own special charm that the demon dorlis thing would have to respect so she could survive.
Out of the blue, she felt it. A tug on her consciousness.
After Linda’s confession at the agency, Maxine realized just how much she didn’t understand about her boss’s empathy.
That it was far more expansive than anything she could have imagined.
She felt the tug on her consciousness and understood instinctively what Linda was asking for.
She needed help to vanquish this thing, to protect others.
Maxine took hold of Gertrude’s shoulders. “Please just… just run,” she shouted at the old woman. “I can’t go any farther. Run as fast as you can. Please.” Gertrude nodded, terror in her eyes, and hustled away.
Maxine propped herself up against a gate that surrounded a small playground.
She clutched the cold metal as parts of her consciousness were pulled away.
Linda… it was Linda, in her mind, calling upon her.
She had never felt anything like it… except for when she and Linda had been in ritual.
Maxine could feel Linda’s pain, could feel that something terrible had happened.
Maxine’s legs turned to mush. She managed to rest her back against the gate as she slid down to the ground.
She couldn’t stand, was barely able to keep her body and head upright.
Perhaps she could fight what was happening, could refuse to give herself over to Linda and get herself to safety.
She grappled with her conscience for a fleeting moment, to calm herself amid the carnage to make the decision she wanted to make.
It ended up being a no-brainer. Didn’t matter how betrayed Maxine felt over Linda’s revelations. She had to help her boss. Really, her best friend for years now. It meant she would be vulnerable out there on the street, another potential victim.
She thought once again of Clea. Said her child’s name once again. Maxine had done everything in her power to ensure that her daughter wouldn’t end up being motherless, being alone as she was growing up. Yet here she was, making a certain choice.
“I’m so sorry, my darling. I’ve screwed up,” she whispered as tears flowed down her face, as she intuited what was to come. As she gave her soul self over to Linda.
Mommy loves you. Remember me.