It was on May 21st when Maxine, Amanda and Emily returned back from their latest outing. Maxine had talked far less to her two companions than she normally did and they were looking concerned. Maxine was still trying to muster her courage to tell them of the future that is coming.
It wasn't until after General McKenzy had gone to his study as normal when Amanda spoke. "Max, is something bothering you?"
"Yes, and I am afraid of what will happen when I tell you what it is," Maxine said.
"You... you didn't hurt anyone, did you?!" Amanda asks anxiously while Emily was equally worried, and Maxine swiftly shakes her head to indicate no. "Then what could could be then?" Maxine closed her eyes in thought before erecting a sound proof barrier around them.
"You know when I told you that my cultivation method just popped in my head. That wasn't the full truth," Maxine said and Amanda immediately looked over at Emily, who was within the barrier, with concern. Emily wore an expression that was a combination of confusion and worry.
"You mean your method to cultivate tomatoes?" Amanda said in an attempt at misdirection.
"You know very well what I mean and so does Emily. Both of you need to hear this," Maxine paused while trying to think of the best way to word this, "I have seen the future through someone else's eyes. It will be a horrible and bloody place filled with fear and pain. The vast majority of people won't even take it to heart when it starts. They will ignore it as a new breed of wolf starts ripping campers and hunters to pieces. They will pretend everything is under control as other new breeds of animals start feasting on small towns one by one. Only when those things start amassing at the beginning of June will they truly be afraid and by then it will be too late. All of those fools do not know what I have come to know. That those animals are like you, me and Emily. They are essence beasts and they are coming to feed. The only way I see to survive is to run and we have to do that soon. Or we won't be able to at all." Amand and Emily had expressions of disbelief at hearing that.
Amanda was the first to recover and said in denial, "There is no way that would happen. You must have been dreaming."
"That dream was where my cultivation method came from and you should know how real that is," Maxine said, "If you still don't believe me, just watch the news for the next few days. There will be some camper remains cropping up somewhere to the north of Kansas City." Amanda seemed to collapse into her chair and Emily appeared to be covinced.
"Is there a way to stop it?" Amanda asked.
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"Stopping it isn't an option. Not unless you can kill something that is almost invulnerable to gunfire, can move around at the speed of sound and can tear through tanks like their made of paper," Maxine said, "Compared to that thing, the other beasts are nothing." Amanda looked like she couldn't believe it. Maxine didn't blame her at all. She herself wouldn't have believed a creature like that could exist either before she saw it in action.
"I have to tell the general about this. You know that," Amanda said after sitting after sitting a few moments.
"I do. I was hoping that ....," Maxine said as she slumped her shoulders forward in defeat, "Do what you will and see me to my cage. Just make sure both of you stay safe." Amanda had a strange sad look on her face before she nodded and walked towards the general's study. Maxine slowly pulled her legs up and hugged them. She no longer paid any attention to her surroundings as sorrow slowly overflowed her heart as she knew what was coming. Even if she ran right at now, they would still find her and cage her before she could get far. Her only comfort was that she had warned them. She was vaguely aware of Emily coming over and sitting beside her while saying some meaningless words of comfort.
It wasn't long before General McKenzy got her attention and demanded to know exact details and dates of when the essence beasts attack humans. She told him everything she could remember. His expression soured immensely when she told him about an attack that would happen later that afternoon and where to find them. After she finished telling him every event that she could remember, He asked for a description of the Terror Bear. She understood that one. He probably wants to find it and kill it, if possible, before it can become a problem. It wouldn't matter, though. Because even with a Terror Bear's massive size, they are fast enough to dodge bullets. There is no way that one could be hit by a missile or bomb.
Her interrogation continuted for several hours until the general got a phone call. She looked around and didn't see either Emily or Amanda while he talked on the phone. General McKenzy's face slackened and slowly looked at her with disbelief. Told you. It only took a few minutes before she found herself in a car being driven somewhere. She looked out the window for the longest time watching the scenery go by. Wondering about how her mother and friends would survive being at the forefront of her mind. Eventually the car made a short stop infront of a chain link fence with a sign demarking it as a military base. She would soon be in her cage. She extended out her spiritual sense to examine her new home while they brought her too an elevator. They went down.
When they finally brought her to her room, she took a good look at it. It was barren aside from the cot and a storage trunk, but it was about the same size as her old room. They had probably intended to move her things down here at a later date. However, something at the edge spiritual sense's range caught her attention. It was a room filled with a copule bronze, but mostly copper stage essence cores, and rare herbs. Most of those herbs she recognized. It was a literal treasure trove. An insane idea started to form in her head while she scanned a nearby armoury with her spiritual sense and found the items she was looking for. Seems like I found myself a plan B.