Max's eyes met Emma's, and they shared a moment of understanding. Emma nodded slightly, her eyes flicking to me before returning to Max. I followed her gaze, and my eyes locked onto Max, but he wasn't looking at me. Instead, he was striding towards Rachel, his eyes blazing with determination.
"This is the last time I'll be seeing you," Max growled, his voice low and menacing.
Rachel's smile faltered, her eyes widening in surprise. But Max didn't hesitate. He leaned in, his lips crashing onto Rachel's in a fierce kiss. Rachel's eyes went wide, her body stiffening in shock.
But Max wasn't interested in the kiss. He had something else in mind. With a swift motion, he pulled out a can of gas from his pocket and threw it to the ground. The can exploded, releasing a cloud of noxious fumes that filled the aircraft.
The gas spread quickly, its acrid smell filling our lungs. Rachel's eyes went wide, her hands flying to her mouth. Her men coughed and stumbled, their eyes streaming with tears.
Max didn't hesitate. He grabbed Emma's hand, pulling her towards the door. "Time to go," he yelled above the din.
Max's hand grasped mine, pulling me out of my seat with a strength that left me breathless. He yanked me close, our bodies colliding as we stumbled towards the door. The gas still swirled around us, making our eyes water and our lungs burn. But Max seemed impervious, his training kicking in as he navigated the chaos.
With a swift motion, he opened the door, and a rush of fresh air hit us like a slap in the face. The gas dissipated instantly, leaving behind a trail of coughing and spluttering from Rachel's men. Max didn't hesitate, pulling us out of the aircraft with a force that left me stumbling.
As we tumbled through the air, my mind struggled to keep up. What was happening? Why had Max thrown something else on the floor? And then, in a flash of understanding, I saw it. The bomb. Max had planted a bomb on the aircraft, and it was counting down.
Time seemed to slow as we three soared through the air, our bodies weightless and free. Emma's eyes met mine, her face pale with fear. Max's grip on my hand tightened, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
And then, in a blast of fire and metal, the aircraft exploded behind us. The shockwave hit us like a sledgehammer, sending us tumbling through the air. I screamed, my voice lost in the roar of the explosion.
Somehow, Max managed to right us, his body shielding mine as we plummeted towards the ground. We landed hard, the impact knocking the wind out of me. But Max was already moving, pulling us to our feet as we stumbled away from the wreckage.
The explosion echoed through the hills, a fiery ball of destruction that consumed the aircraft and everything in its path. Rachel's men were gone, incinerated in the blast. And we three were left, shaken and battered, but alive.
As we descended towards the ground, the parachute's gentle sway suddenly turned into a wild oscillation, like a pendulum swinging out of control. My stomach lurched with a sickening feeling, and I clutched Max's hand tighter, my knuckles white with fear.
The impact was brutal, like hitting a brick wall. I felt Max's body absorb the shock, his arms wrapping around me like a shield. We crashed to the ground, the force of the landing knocking the wind out of me.
Dazed and disoriented, I struggled to sit up, my head spinning like a top. Max lay beside me, his face contorted in pain, his body trembling with each ragged breath. I scrambled to his side, my hands hovering over his chest, unsure where to touch.
"Max, oh God, Max!" I whispered, my voice shaking with fear.
His eyes flickered open, his gaze locking onto mine with a fierce intensity. "Emma...get...away..." he groaned, his voice barely audible.
I hesitated, unsure what to do. But Max's urgency spurred me into action. I scrambled to my feet, pulling him up with a strength I didn't know I possessed. We stumbled forward, our legs wobbly like newborn fawns.
As we staggered away from the wreckage, our surroundings came into focus. We were in a dense forest, the trees towering above us like sentinels. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, a stark contrast to the acrid smell of the gas and the burning aircraft.
But where were we? How far had we fallen? And what lay ahead? The questions swirled in my mind like a maelstrom, but I pushed them aside, focusing on Max's labored breathing and the pain etched on his face.
We had to keep moving, had to find shelter and safety. For now, we were alive, but the unknown loomed before us like a dark and foreboding shadow.
As I stumbled through the forest alongside Max and Emma, my mind reeled with the events that had transpired. The anger and betrayal I felt towards Max still simmered just below the surface, but it was slowly giving way to a begrudging gratitude.
I couldn't believe that Max had put me in harm's way, that he had sacrificed me to save his sister. But as I looked at him now, his face pale and drawn, his body battered and bruised, I realized that he had indeed saved me.
He had saved me from Rachel's clutches, from the gas that would have killed me, from the aircraft that had exploded in a fiery ball. He had saved me, alongside his sister, and for that, I was thankful.
The anger and resentment still lingered, but it was no longer the dominant emotion. Instead, I felt a growing sense of appreciation for Max's bravery and selflessness. He had put his life on the line to save us, and that was something I couldn't ignore.
As we walked, the silence between us was palpable. Emma's eyes darted between Max and me, her expression a mixture of confusion and concern. Max's eyes were fixed on the path ahead, his jaw clenched in determination.
I knew that we still had a long way to go, that our journey was far from over. But for now, I was just grateful to be alive, to be safe alongside Max and Emma. And for that, I would follow Max wherever he led, no matter what lay ahead.