James Patterson - Maximum Ride Forever

The idea for the Maximum Ride series comes from earlier books of mine called When the Wind Blows and The Lake House, which also feature a character named Max who escapes from a quite despicable School. Most of the similarities end there. Max and the other kids in the Maximum Ride books are not the same Max and kids featured in those two books. Nor do Frannie and Kit play any part in the series. I hope you enjoy the ride anyway.

Hey, you!

This is important. What youre holding in your hands is the only written record of the new history of the world. Dont freak out I know Im making it sound like a textbook, and believe me, I hated school more than anyone. But this much I can promise: Its not like any textbook youve read before. See, this chunk of pages tells the story of the apocalypse and all that came after some pretty heavy stuff, for sure, and I dont blame you for being nervous. We all know that history tends to repeat itself, though, so for your sake and the sake of the future, I hope youll read it... when youre ready.

Max

I know why youre here, and I know what you want.

You want to know what really happened.

You want the truth.

I get it. Ive wanted the same thing my whole life.

But now Im convinced the only real truth is the one you find out for yourself. Not what some grown-up or CNN tells you. The problem is, the truth isnt always kittens and rainbows. It can be harsh. It can be extremely hard to believe. In fact, the truth can be the very last thing you want to believe.

But if youre like me, youd rather put on your big-girl pants than dwell on things and truths beyond your control.

Like the fact that I was a test-tube baby whose DNA was grafted with a birds, so rather than your typical childhood filled with cartoons and tricycles, I spent my most adorable years in a dog crate, poked and prodded by men in white coats.

Cowardly jerks.

And how my flock and I escaped and spent our entire lives after that being hunted down by Erasers human-wolf mutants with truly eye-watering dogbreath.

While rolling with the punches (and bites and kicks), I had a mountain of personal crap to deal with, too. I was betrayed by my own father, who also turned my half brother, Ari, into an Eraser to kill me. Family fun!

Then Fang left us left me, heartbroken to start a new flock with my freaking clone. I wont lie that one stung.

And I cant forget the crazies... There are a lot of bad people out there who want to do a lot of bad things. From the suicidal Doomsday cult to the population-cleansing nutcases, weve fought them all.

And the icing on the cake? Something happened a meteor? A nuclear bomb? We might never know that caused all hell to break loose... and destroyed the world.

Yep.

But you want to know what really happened after the apocalypse. Fair enough. The story belongs to all of us, especially you. Our history is your future.

Disclaimer: This is a story of perseverance and hope, but its also one of grief. Ive seen things terrible things that no one should even know exist. Ive witnessed the worlds darkest days and humanitys ugliest moments. Ive watched cities collapse, friends die. This is the hardest story Ive ever had to tell.

Still think you can handle it?

Lets go back, then. Our journey starts on an island somewhere in the South Pacific, not long after the sky first caught fire. Youll want to make sure your seat is in a locked, upright position, and prepare for some turbulence.

After all, were talking about the end of the world.

Breathe, max. force the air in and out.

The air was heavy, and the rotten-egg stench burned the inside of my nose, but I focused on inhaling and exhaling as I ran. The earth shook violently and my feet slid over loose rocks as I raced down the slope. Red-hot coals pelted the earth around us as volcanic ash set our hair on fire and ate tiny, stinging holes in our clothes.

Our backpacks! I yelled, stumbling to a stop. I couldnt believe Id forgotten them. Theyre all we have left. Tools, knives the crossbow!

We left them in the field! Nudge cried.

I shaded my eyes and looked up the air was thick with spewing magma, ash, and glowing rock belched up from deep beneath the earth. Im going for them, I decided. As the leader of the flock, responsible for everyones survival, I didnt have much choice. You guys get to that rock outcropping by the southern beach. Its the only protection well find.

You have five minutes, tops, warned Gazzy, our nine-year-old explosives expert. This whole part of the islands gonna blow.

Right, I said, but I was already sprinting up the hill through the hailstorm of fiery pebbles. I might have flown faster, but I couldnt risk singeing my flight feathers right now. I grabbed the backpacks and raced back.

The ground shuddered again a churning quake this time that felt like it was shifting my organs around. I lost my balance and catapulted forward, the provisions we needed torn from my arms as I face-planted hard.

Sprawled in the dirt, I focused through the dizziness just in time to see a smoking boulder the size of a refrigerator bouncing toward my head. I tucked my chin and rolled, saying a silent prayer.

Then I heard the sound BOOM! It was like a rocket had been set off inside my brain. I may have blacked out, I dont know.

Shaking my head, I opened my eyes and gasped. The boulder had obliterated the space where I had just been lying, but beyond that, the top of the volcano was now shooting off a thousand-foot column of liquid fire and smoke.

I gaped, mesmerized, as bright orange lava oozed over the cliff wed called home for the last three months. Then the sky started to rain blazing rocks, big ones, and I snapped back to attention.

Craaaaap.

I leaped to my feet, frantically grabbing backpacks and scooping up the scattered tools that were all we had left. The ground around me was being covered with hot ash, and as I reached for Gazzys pack, it went up in flames. I snatched my burned hand back, swearing as the nerves convulsed with pain.

Max, hurry! My ears were ringing, but Angels voice was clear inside my head. Ordinarily, I would be annoyed at being bossed around by a mind-reading seven-year-old, but the terror behind her words made my throat dry up.

I looked back at the volcano. Considering the size of the boulders it was hurling out of its crater, conditions could be even deadlier farther down the mountain.

What was I thinking, leaving my family? Forget the tools I had to run!

My mouth filled with the taste of deadly sulfurous gas, and as it tore at my lungs I wheezed, choking on my own phlegm while glowing bombs fell all around me. I stumbled through the ash and rubble, tripping again and again, but I kept going.

I had to get back to my flock.

Another hundred yards and I would be at the meeting place. Pumping my legs, I took the turn onto the rock outcropping at top speed...

And sailed toward a river of boiling lava.

Whoaaa

I windmilled my arms as momentum propelled me out into midair, with nothing but red-hot death below. As gravity took hold and I felt myself starting to drop, my avian survival instinct kicked in automatically. A pair of huge speckled wings snapped out from my back and caught the air, swooping me aloft on a hot, acrid updraft. I quickly wheeled back to the outcropping and closed my highly flammable wings.