Extraordinary, Chapter One

Max Pizer was always the type of guy to reach for the stars. Growing up, he always watched superhero cartoons -- Superman, Batman, Mighty Mouse, all of them, despite his parents' objections. They said he should watch something more realistic and down-to-earth, but Max was always bored by those shows. He wanted action.

With this desire for action came a desire for independence. At age 15, right on his birthday, Max began working, saving every cent of his paychecks for the day he graduated high school. When that day came, he had over $50,000 saved, enough to buy a car, rent an apartment, and pay for college tuition. Despite his mother's objections, he moved out at age 18, only one week out of high school, and began college right away.

He had his whole life ahead of him, and everything was going right for him. He was doing well in college, and had more than enough money tucked away to stay comfortable for a while.

So why was this old woman yelling at him in Wal-Mart?

"Mr. Pizer... Mr. Pizer! Are you listening to me?"

Snapped out of his daydream, Max turned and saw who was talking to him. It another employee, Katherine. Max never remembered what her last name was, even though she insisted that he use it when talking to her. To him, she was just a bump in the road, an unpleasant old bat with a face that looked like the Wicked Witch of the West, and an attitude to match.

"Sorry, Katherine. I was just --"

"You were just daydreaming. And I told you a thousand times, it's Ms. Clepton. Show some respect."

"Sorry. Something wrong?" Max said half-heartedly. He wasn't sure why he put up with this job or this woman.

"Yes, there is. Your performance at work has been slipping. I've caught you standing around doing nothing at all too many times now, and you're completely ignoring the customers. And just yesterday I..."

Max had already started ignoring her by this point. The two of them had been through this enough times that Max knew exactly when to nod and when to apologize without even listening. But he didn't know why he even bothered to do as much. It's not like he needed the job or anything. He had enough money to keep himself fed and the bills paid until he graduated college. So why was he in Wal-Mart selling lawn furniture?

Finally, Katherine threw her hands up in despair like she always did after a bitch-out session and hobbled away, leaving Max alone at last. As soon as she was out of view, he felt a hand hit him on the shoulder.

"Katherine the Terrible paid another visit, huh?" Max turned his head and saw his best friend and co-worker, Patrick, standing next to him. "Oh well. What's she gonna do? She's not even a manager, she just acts like one."

Max and Patrick became friends soon after Max was hired. They just clicked together, having the same interests and opinions. Most nights they went out drinking after work. Patrick was always a little clingy, though. Max theorized that it was because he was Patrick's only friend; among the other employees, Patrick wasn't that popular at all, often mocked when he wasn't around. Still, Max knew that if he ever needed somebody to talk to, Patrick was there.

Patrick started to walk away. "Don't let her get to you, man."

"She doesn't bother me at all," Max called after him. "I just wish she'd shut up sometimes."

---

The next day, Max found himself standing face-to-face with Katherine again. But this time, she had backup; the store manager, Tom. Today Max was taking it from both barrels, and he could feel himself approaching a breaking point. If there was one thing worse than hearing Katherine's voice, it was hearing her voice while being patronized by the boss.

Max started to hold his head; he could feel a headache coming on. Customers and other employees were starting to gather and laugh. Max looked around for Patrick -- for somebody to take his side -- but he couldn't see anybody.

Suddenly he heard Katherine shout for him to pay attention while somebody's talking to him, and that was the breaking point. He closed his eyes, held his head, and at the top of his lungs, he yelled for everybody to shut up.

And they did. Max didn't hear anything. No laughing. No shouting. No kids screaming for their parents to buy them something. Nothing at all.

Max opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head. What he saw was completely different from what he expected. People were running around in a panic, their mouths open in a silent scream, children crying. But everything was silent. There was no noise at all. No screams. No noise from people running in panic. No sound from the merchandise hitting the floor as people shoved past each other.

"No way..." Max said to himself, astonished that he still had a voice. After he said that, Tom turned and looked at him. Max couldn't tell if it was fear, anger, surprise, or confusion on Tom's face. All he knew was that he didn't want to deal with it.

Max ran.

---

Back at his apartment, Max packed his belongings in a rush. A few changes of clothing. Money. Valuables. Passports. He didn't know where he'd go, but he knew he couldn't stay here. Too many people from that store knew where he lived, and they would almost certainly come visit him, and they'd almost certainly be pissed off. He had to get out of there.

Passing his dresser, he saw a framed picture of his parents. Something inside him -- a familial bond, maybe -- told him to go to them.

That they might know what happened.