Outside was pure chaos. Voices ran into each other, and so did heavy footsteps. The blast was long over, but the echoes of it still sounded and resounded in Max's ears.
He too should be running now, like the rest of the world, but he wasn't. There was no safe place at this point, at least none that he or anyone knew of. The whole world may be running into more danger for all he knew.
Heavy footsteps sounded from the hallway, distracting him for a slight moment, but Clifford sensed his distraction, and his intention to go check it out, and pulled him by the hand.
"You must listen to me, Max," Clifford said in the same urgent tone, looking Max in the eye. Max's eyes flickered to the door which led to the hallway where the sound of heavy footsteps had given way to stampede. Everything in him was screaming for him to go check what the noise was about, everything except a still small voice, propelling him to listen to Clifford.
"The spheres–" Clifford paused, and despite the situation, he chuckled. Max was taken aback by how unserious his master could be in a serious situation such as this, but he said nothing.
"What you lot call spheres are actually–" He lowered his voice, and leaned even closer to Max. "Echelons." He whispered.
"Eche–" Max made to repeat it, his voice a little higher than a whisper, but Clifford stopped him from saying it by quickly placing his hand on his mouth, and widening his eyes.
The stampede outside had increased greatly, and Max knew that if he doesn't get the door open for them, they will bring it down with their weight, and persistent banging.
Clifford knew too, and also knew what Max was thinking, but he wasn't done talking to him, and he knew also that his only chance of getting the words out was now. Now that the chaos was still outside.
"Push the bedside table aside," Clifford called urgently, compelling Max to obedience, even before he understood the order.
Max moved the bedside table with caution, he was painfully aware of what lay underneath even though he had no idea what it was used for, and had never dared bring it out. He guessed he was about to find out, and he was right.
He was tempted to go ahead, and remove the floorboards to retrieve the shiny piece of foil, but he didn't. That would give his secret snooping around away.
"Remove the floorboards," Clifford instructed, then he looked towards the door where the noise had become loudest. The door was clinging only to one of it's hinges with the others long gone. In no time, the door will give way, and the madness outside will find their way in.
He made a quick decision.
"Put the table back quickly, and listen carefully." His eyes went to the door for a split second and returned to Max who had just put the floorboards back, and also the bedside table.
"Underneath the floorboards is a shiny foil paper. Underneath the foil paper is a––book. A large book. In it is the answer to every question you or anyone else have concerning the eche–spheres. Only call it the name I told you in your head, don't say it out loud ever, or to anyone else." He paused and swallowed quickly. Then he grabbed Max's arm.
"Protect the book with every fibre of your being. Don't try to read it during the day, only at night. It will answer all your questions about the–spheres. But it will answer more questions and cause many damage if it falls in the wrong hands." Clifford warned, just as the door in the living room suddenly gave way with a heavy thud, and as predicted by both Clifford and Max, the madness outside forced its way inside, shattering the little quiet they had.
Clifford quickly let go of Max's hand, lifted his hand to his mouth, and began to cough. Lightly at first, but the tempo increased, and it became heavy and pitiful.
Max pushed himself to his feet, and dashed to the living room where the dispensary tank was situated, and where the people who had forced themselves in were in different positions.
Some of them sat comfortably on the couch, others sat on the floor, a few others leaned against the wall, and yet there were some who stood in front of the big family sized portrait which displayed a much younger version of Clifford , in all his elegance and essence.
Intruders! Fools!
Max cussed underneath his breath, but didn't say anything to any of them. Getting to the dispensary tank, and getting water for Clifford was far more important.
He pressed the cold-water button and stopped it, then pressed the hot-water button. Once he was sure the combined amounts would make the water warm, he headed back to Clifford 's bedroom.
A few of the people who had forced themselves inside were in Clifford 's bedroom now, and peering at him with the curiosity of newbie students in a science laboratory.
Max forced himself to not frown, and also held himself from shoving them from the way. His heart did three beats at once when he noticed that Clifford had gone quiet, and that he was not moving. But he forced himself to remain calm, and increased his pace.
Clifford was alive to Max's relief, but to his horror, there was something different about him now. Different in a way that unsettled Max.
His whole body was dark now, and faded. Max could swear he saw dust coming out from Clifford 's darkened skin following every movement he made.
The glass of warm water slipped from Max's hand, and hit the floor with a splash and a shattering sound. He was all right less than a minute ago. He was perfectly okay, except for the coughing, just before he left to get water.
What happened?
The question resounded in his head, but there was no answer.
"Master, please–" It was the only thing he could think of.
But Clifford reached for his hand weakly, and held it. "Remember everything I told you, observe everything before do–" The words ceased.
The world ceased.
Clifford vanished in an instant, his entire body collapsing into a cloud of black ash. The only trace left behind was the faded shirt that had hung over his shoulder.
Max blinked in shock, suddenly oblivious of the other occupants of the room, whose expression was pure terror.
His eyes welled up.
But there was no time to mourn.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway now, approaching. Footsteps that did not, and could not, belong to any human.
The whole room fell silent, and listened with increased heartbeat.